HOUSTON (AP) — A year ago Monday, Royce Lewis tore the ACL in his right knee for a second time.
On the first anniversary of the injury, the rookie returned to the field in a season debut more suited for a fairy tale than a baseball diamond.
“A year to the day,” he said beaming. “You just can’t make this stuff up.”
Lewis homered with four RBIs and Ryan Jeffers hit a two-run shot in the 10th inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 7-5 win over the Houston Astros.
Last May 29th, Lewis was injured when he crashed into an outfield wall while making a catch in his first big league appearance in center field. The first overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft had reconstructive surgery a few days later, ending his first major league season after just 12 games.
It was the second time in two years that he sustained the same injury after tearing the ACL for the first time in Febuary 2021. Lewis was drafted as a shortstop but will play third base for now with fellow top pick Carlos Correa entrenched at shortstop.
During months of grueling rehabilitation, there were many low times when Lewis wondered why these setbacks kept happening.
“All the time,” he said. “I mean, you’re human, right?”
But on Monday all that pain seemed miles away when he returned to the lineup.
“I loved it,” he said. “I loved every bit of it.”
Max Kepler started the 10th as the automatic runner on second base before Jeffers drove the first pitch from Bryan Abreu (2-1) into the seats in left field for his third hit and a 7-5 lead.
Lewis gave the Minnesota an early lead with a three-run homer in the third. The Astros went ahead 5-4 when Jose Altuve hit a grand slam in the seventh.
But Lewis came through again late, tying it with an RBI single off Ryan Pressly with two outs in the ninth, the closer’s first blown save in 11 chances this year.
Jhoan Duran (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth to send it to the 10th. He returned for the 10th and sat down Altuve, Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez to end it.
The Twins were up by 3 when Gray was lifted after giving up a double to Kyle Tucker and walking José Abreu starting the seventh. Brock Stewart allowed a one-out single to Mauricio Dubón that loaded the bases. With two out, Altuve sent a fastball from Stewart to left field to put Houston on top 5-4.
It was the second straight game with a homer for Altuve, who has played just eight games this season, missing the start after breaking his right thumb in the World Baseball Classic. His first home run of the season came in Houston’s 10-1 win over Oakland on Sunday where the Astros tied a franchise record with seven.