Cedric Mullins smashed a two-run home run in the ninth inning, sealing a 4-2 win for the Baltimore Orioles over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday and completing a three-game sweep.
It was Mullins’ first career walk-off homer, and he credited his approach to keeping it simple. “I wasn’t trying to do too much right there,” Mullins said. “I got a pitch that I can handle, and I put it over.”
Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander also hit homers for the Orioles, marking their fifth consecutive game with at least three home runs, a rare feat in franchise history.
Mullins’ heroics came with one on and one out, driving a ball to right field off Griffin Jax for his fifth homer of the season. Craig Kimbrel closed out the game with a flawless top of the ninth.
Pitcher Pablo López gave up a leadoff homer to Henderson in the first inning but settled in afterward, allowing only one run and two hits while striking out seven in six innings.
The Orioles turned to 34-year-old Albert Suárez, making his first big league appearance in seven years, to fill in for an injured pitcher. Suárez exceeded expectations, pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up three hits, and striking out four.
The Twins briefly took the lead in the seventh inning with two runs, but Santander’s solo homer in the bottom of the inning tied the game once again.
Suárez, who previously played for the San Francisco Giants, returned to the majors after stints in Japan and South Korea, signing with the Orioles last September.
