Blake Snell flirts with perfect game, SF Giants beat Twins in wild ending

SAN FRANCISCO — Blake Snell may have needed a couple of months, but the reigning Cy Young Award winner finally looks like a reigning Cy Young Award winner.

Snell closed out the first half by taking a perfect game into the seventh inning, and the Giants beat the Twins, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park as Mike Yastrzemski hit a walk-off “Little League home run” in the ninth inning.

Snell and Tyler Rogers, who tossed a scoreless eighth, kept the Twins’ offense in check all game, but Minnesota finally found life in the ninth against closer Camilo Doval to tie the ballgame.

Diego Castillo led off the inning with a walk; then pinch-hitter Trevor Larnach doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. After Doval struck out Matt Wallner, Manuel Margot, who broke up Snell’s perfect game in the seventh, played spoiler once again with a double to the left-center field gap, driving in two runs and tying the game.

Thanks to two miscues by the Twins on one play, the game would not be tied for long.

Yastrzemski began the ninth inning by muscling a ball into shallow center field. Margot made an ill-advised dive, allowing the ball to get past him. Seeing the error, Yastrzemski went for third base, then scored when Twins second baseman Brooks Lee threw the ball out of play.

Snell retired the first 18 batters he faced, not allowing a baserunner until Margot singled to left field to begin the seventh. The home crowd collectively groaned once Margot’s line drive touched grass, but those groans instantly gave way to a standing ovation.

The left-hander, for his part, remained locked in. Following Margot’s single, Snell induced a double play off the bat of Willi Castro, who responded by vehemently spiking his helmet. Snell ended his afternoon by striking out the Twins’ Lee with his signature curveball.

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