Joe Ryan, a two-time All-Star, gave up six home runs in only four innings on Monday. Get this: he did it against the Cleveland Guardians, a team that rolled into the game with only 94 homers, the absolute fewest in the entire American League. The Guardians crushed the Minnesota Twins 13-4, pushing Minnesota further behind in the AL Central and wild-card races. What even happened?
Ryan’s Historic Implosion Rocks the Twins
This wasn’t a bad outing; it was historic. Ryan’s six bombs are the most a Twins pitcher has ever surrendered in a single game. Not only that, it ties him for the most allowed in a single game in baseball’s modern era, joining a list of ten other pitchers since 1932. He was pulled after the fourth frame, having coughed up eight earned runs. His ERA, which was a solid 2.85 across 110 1/3 innings, shot up to 3.38 in 114 1/3. The guy’s season home run tally basically jumped off a cliff, going from 10 to a whopping 16 in one night. It was brutal to watch, especially for a guy who was an All-Star last week.
The Guardians’ Unexpected Power Surge And Ryan’s Search For Answers
Five different Guardians got in on the home run party against Ryan. Rhys Hoskins and Petey Halpin each went deep twice. Travis Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio added one a piece. And get this: Halpin’s first home run? That was the first of his entire career, in his 40th MLB game! It was a two-run shot in the second inning that stretched Cleveland’s lead to 5-2. Halpin’s second homer in the fourth was the sixth and final one allowed by Ryan. After the game, a clearly frustrated Ryan, 30, told The Athletic, “Still trying to figure it out.” He noted, “It seemed like they tried a very accurate game plan. Guys that haven’t hit fastballs this year are hitting them over their head, out.” He was quick to credit the Guardians, saying, “They put really good swings on the ball and did the damage they did. I don’t want to take credit away from that. But yeah, definitely sucks. Not the way you want to start a series.” This isn’t entirely new territory for Ryan, who has now allowed five or more home runs in a single game three times in his career. The Twins franchise only has two other such games.
Can Ryan Bounce Back?
So, the Guardians, who were the worst HR-hitting team in the AL going into Monday, now sit second-to-last with 101 home runs, ahead of the Red Sox at 95. The biggest question mark here is Joe Ryan. His 3.65 career ERA shows he’s mostly been a steady presence in his five MLB seasons, but these ‘blowup’ games are a real concern. Ryan and the Twins have got to hope this monstrous outing was a blip, a truly awful anomaly. They need him to settle back into that All-Star form for the rest of the season if they want to make any noise.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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