Hunter Goodman smashes three home runs vs. Twins

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Colorado Rockies designated hitter Hunter Goodman hit three long home runs on Saturday as the Colorado Rockies beat the Minnesota Twins 8-5.

Goodman crushed two no-doubters — solo shots in the first and third innings — in his first two at-bats against Twins starter Mike Paredes. The first reached the third deck in left field, a Statcast-estimated 428 feet away. The second homer also traveled 428 feet, settling in the bullpens beyond the fence in left center.

Then, after grounding out in the fifth, Goodman came up with two runners on base and the Rockies leading 3-2 in the seventh. He worked the count full, then hammered a high sinker from Kody Funderburk 401 feet into the seats in left-center.

“When Goody gets hot, he stays hot for a while. He’s a really tough guy to get out,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said.

The red-hot Goodman also hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning on Friday to briefly give Colorado the lead before the Twins rallied to pull out a 9-8 win in 10 innings. That 451-foot blast was the longest home run of the day, according to Baseball Savant.

“It’s one of the most powerful swings in the game, and it shows,” said Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros, who also homered on Saturday. “When he’s hot, he’s hot.”

The 26-year-old slugger has 25 home runs on the season after hitting a career-best 31 last year. Goodman, whose primary position is catcher, became the fourth backstop to reach 25 home runs before the All-Star break, joining Cal Raleigh, Ivan Rodriguez and Johnny Bench.

“Those are some of the all-time greats,” Goodman said, “and any time you can be mentioned with them, it’s pretty surreal.”

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