Byron Buxton swung his ax and made perfect contact, letting the baseball do the rest.
In a comic book hero moment, Buxton’s double on Tuesday afternoon was a footnote, rather than the action item. As the Twins took an early 2-0 lead on the Boston Red Sox, Buxton, finally rounding into the potential Minnesota saw in him years ago, sawed off a double, turning his once-mighty bat into two separate replicas.
Byron Buxton sawed off his bat and still posted a 95 mph exit velo! He can’t be stopped right now 🔥pic.twitter.com/LDT572E2p1
— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) April 13, 2021
The 95 MPH exit velocity while breaking his bat is one hell of an accomplishment by Buxton, and speaks to just how clearly he saw the pitch from Martin Perez coming. Buxton hit leadoff for the first time this year for Rocco Baldelli’s Twins. Given that AB, maybe they’ll consider making it a long-term stint.
Byron Buxton's bat splitting *perfectly* in two—on a lead-off double in the snow in Minnesota pic.twitter.com/8sP7vGsUBZ
— The Baseball Newsletter (@bbletter) April 13, 2021
Byron Buxton’s hot start continues for the Minnesota Twins
Buxton is hitting .481 with a .584 on-base percentage so far this season. His OPS of 1.734 and slugging percentage of 1.185 are elite, though they likely won’t hold over the long haul. Nonetheless, they speak to just how hot Buxton was coming out of the gate.
This comes just one year after perhaps Buxton’s best season in the bigs — the shortened 60-game campaign. Buxton hit .254, but showed some raw power which the Twins always assumed was a tool he could flaunt with 13 home runs.