Royce Lewis came up big in his playoff debut, crushing two home runs in his first two postseason at-bats. Facing Kevin Gausman in Game 1, Lewis stayed disciplined at the plate, ignoring pitches out of the zone and waiting for something he could drive. After working a full count in the first inning, he turned on a 97 mph fastball inside and launched it to left for his first postseason homer. He stared down the dugout and celebrated as the crowd exploded.
In his second at-bat, Gausman tried to fool him again with splitters, but Lewis didn’t bite. He took a 3-1 fastball over the heart of the plate and sent it out to right field for his second homer of the day. Both swings were clean and compact, showing good plate awareness and bat control. Minnesota fans went wild as Lewis helped deliver their first playoff win in years.