Twins' Royce Lewis hits 2 HRs; playoff record skid ends at 18 - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — Royce Lewis smashed Minnesota's 18-game postseason losing streak into the seats, homering in each of his first two at-bats to carry the Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of their American League Wild Card Series on Tuesday.

Lewis hit a two-run shot off Kevin Gausman in the first inning and a leadoff drive in the third, sending the home dugout and the sellout Target Field crowd into a frenzy.

«It means a lot, and it means a lot that the fans encouraged us,» Lewis told ESPN during his on-field interview. «They had that energy for us. They brought it, and we brought it for them.»

The bigger celebration occurred a few hours later when Jhoan Duran pitched a hitless ninth to close the first victory in the playoffs for the Twins since Oct. 5, 2004. They had the longest postseason losing streak in major North American professional sports. It was the first home win for the Twins in the playoffs since Game 1 of the ALCS in 2002 at the Metrodome.

Lewis was a 3-year-old then. He's the type of big-time player — with five grand slams in 70 career games — that could lead the Twins on an actual postseason run instead of just hanging a division title banner and leaving the party after three or four days.

Returning from a left hamstring strain that kept him out for the last two weeks, Lewis became the third player in MLB history to hit home runs in each of his first two career postseason plate appearances, following Evan Longoria for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 and Gary Gaetti for the Twins in 1987.

Pablo Lopez also delivered a strong playoff debut for Minnesota, permitting one run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He wore a Johan Santana jersey to the ballpark, a nod to not only his Venezuelan