Chris Paddack Leads Twins to Six-Game Winning Streak

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Chris Paddack pitched brilliantly on Friday night, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Target Field.

Paddack was perfect through the first 17 batters, allowing only three baserunners during his 7⅓ innings on the mound. This performance helped extend the Twins’ winning streak to six games, putting them just one game under .500 for the first time since Opening Day.

After the game, Paddack joyfully recalled the moment when his teammates doused him with ice water during an on-field interview. “I was giving the guys a hard time,” Paddack said. “I’ve pictured that, ‘Man, if I ever get player of the game,’ to watch my back.”

Paddack threw only 28 pitches in his first trip through the Giants lineup and displayed remarkable off-speed control with a fastball averaging 95 mph. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli praised his performance, calling it “sick.”

The Giants almost scored in the first inning, as Willy Adames hooked a ball toward the left field foul pole, but the home run was overturned on replay. Paddack struck out five of his first nine batters.

The near-perfect game came to an end in the sixth inning when Giants second baseman Christian Koss lined a single to center field. Paddack surrendered a solo home run to Matt Chapman in the seventh inning but exited the game to a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 21,744.

This victory marked the Twins’ first win of the season while scoring fewer than four runs, as they benefited from aggressive baserunning throughout the game. Danny Coulombe collected two strikeouts in the ninth inning to earn his second save.

<p“We’ve got the depth to be able to cover games like that,” Ryan Jeffers said about the team’s resilience. Paddack’s impressive outing showcased his elite ability and left fans hopeful for the remainder of the season.