*Photo from InForum*
There was nothing to play for at a larger scale, but for Luis Arraez, something was on the line. Arraez got the big hit, Gary Sanchez drove in 4 runs, and the Minnesota Twins routed the Chicago White Sox with a 10-1 victory on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago.
Entering the final game of the season, the Twins had lost 4 straight games. That is no more, having won the season finale to end the year with a 78-84 record. However, the spotlight was on Arraez, who, with one hit and two walks, secured the AL batting title for the 2022 season.
In just his 4th season in the majors, Arraez takes home the batting title as well as an all star game appearance this summer. His two walks and one hit ended his season with a .316 average, with runner up Aaron Judge ending his regular season at a .311 clip.
Arraez said of winning the batting title that "This is one of my goals. I'm living my dream right now. This is amazing for me because I worked hard for this. I just want to say thanks to my hitting coach, Frank Valdez, and to Nelson Cruz. When I got to the DR, my hitting coach said, 'Hey, let's work hard, and then you've got the batting title.' I did it. I want to give this to him, to Twins fans, to my family, and to every person who supported me. I want to give them this."
The Twins started the scoring right away, with Sanchez hitting a first inning 3 run home run to left field, giving the Twins a quick 3-0 advantage. Later in the first, Matt Wallner hit an RBI single to score Jake Cave, followed by a two run home run from Jermaine Palacios, and it was 6-0 Twins after one inning.
In the second inning, Sanchez kept the Twins rolling with an RBI double to make the score 7-0. Sanchez and Nick Gordon then scored on a single from Gilberto Celestino, making the Twins lead 9-0 after two. Gordon hit a sac fly to make it 10-0 in the 3rd. In the 9th, an RBI double from Carlos Perez got the White Sox on the board, making it a 10-1 final score.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said of Arraez that "I think what you’re learning is that it is an approach that can always work, regardless of how you’re being pitched, regardless of the trends in the game that we see everywhere we look, regardless of anything. Luis Arraez’s ability to hit and his approach at the plate will play."
Starting the series finale for the Twins was rookie Louie Varland. He picked up the win, allowing 4 hits while striking out 5 hitters in 5 shutout innings. After he was done, Cole Sands pitched the final 4 innings, allowing one run while recording the save.
Davis Martin started for the White Sox, allowing 9 runs on 7 hits while pitching just 1 2/3 innings. Vince Velasquez allowed one run while working the next 3 1/3 innings. After he left, it was Aaron Bummer, Jake Diekman, Jose Ruiz, and Jimmy Lambert finished off the game.
Both teams now head into the offseason with questions to answer. The Twins will find out if superstar Carlos Correa will opt out and hit free agency, while the White Sox will look for a new manager in the wake of Tony La Russa's retirement.
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