MINNEAPOLIS — Luis Arraez stood watching as the ball he just barreled soared toward the Target Field plaza. After it bounced on the concrete and fans swarmed to scoop it up, Arraez started his skip to first base.
But not before he stared straight into the Twins dugout while flipping his bat a good 10 feet into the air. And once he had finished rounding the bases and high fiving all his teammates, he blew a kiss to the camera.
The 25-year-old's first career grand slam couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, since Arraez is literally the best hitter in baseball at the moment, leading the league with his .369 batting average and .451 on-base percentage.
Saturday's game was more of the same for the Venezuelan, who went 3 for 5 with those four RBIs and a run. He led the Twins to a 6-5 victory in front of 22,741 announced fans, taking the American League Central leaders to 35-26 overall. The AL East Rays dropped to 34-25.
Chi Chi Gonzalez spot started for the Twins and went four innings, allowing eight hits and three runs with three strikeouts. The Twins chased Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz from the mound in the third inning, after he had given up three hits, five runs — including Arraez' grand slam — and three walks with just two strikeouts.
Trevor Megill earned the win for a 2-1 record, and Emilio Pagan pitched a one-two-three ninth to nab his eighth save.
The Twins have won the first two games of the series and go for the sweep at 1:10 p.m. Sunday at Target Field.
