MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins haven't forgotten the sting from the day of the trade deadline last year.
Their latest feel-good win added yet more fuel for the front office to be in buy mode this time instead of the massive sell-off last summer.
After being no-hit through six innings by Kansas City's Noah Cameron and shut out until the ninth, Minnesota mounted a thrilling two-out comeback to win 4-3 on Thursday and improve to 10-2-1 in their last 13 series since June 12.
With a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk, the Twins loaded the bases against Royals closer Lucas Erceg. Matt Strahm relieved and served up an 0-2 slider that Kody Clemens smacked into the flower box above right-center field for the sixth walk-off grand slam in team history.
Clemens, who's second on the team with 19 home runs, was due up sixth in that inning.
“I was still preparing to get ready to hit. This team’s got a lot of fight in us, and we’ve tended to rally like that,” Clemens said. “I was ready.”
The Twins moved back to the .500 mark at 55-55 entering a nine-game road trip that begins on Friday at Seattle. The trade deadline this year is on Monday, when they're off before starting a series in Kansas City on Tuesday. They're in third place in the AL Central, three games behind Chicago and one game behind Cleveland. The wild-card race puts them even closer to postseason contention, one game behind the Guardians for the third and final spot.
Just keep winning series — that's the focus in what has been a close-knit and fun-vibe clubhouse this season.
“We will celebrate this one," said manager Derek Shelton, who turned 56 on Thursday. “We’ll dual celebrate this one on this flight.”
With the deadline approaching, players will inevitably experience some unease. Catcher Ryan Jeffers, who broke up Cameron's no-hitter with a single and took the hit-by-pitch to spark the rally, is on an expiring contract and could be a useful chip toward acquiring pitching help, for example.
But after the stunning series of nine trades a year ago that jettisoned 40% of the major league roster, including four high-leverage relievers, the Twins are satisfied with the way they've performed on a slashed payroll with scant external expectations for success.
“I think it’d be awesome if it was very dramatic just in the other direction. I think it’d be awesome to go get some real big key pieces here,” infielder Royce Lewis said. "Anything you can add to this team, I think it’s going to be a boost emotionally for us on a team that’s already thriving and having so much fun in the clubhouse.”
General manager Jeremy Zoll said this week the goal is to add to the current team and not subtract. Owner Tom Pohlad, who's been working hard to try to restore faith in the club within the fan base, said earlier this month he's not interested in the type of cost-cutting moves initiated last year by his younger brother, Joe Pohlad, when he was the controlling owner.
“We’re going to focus on finding to continue to improve the bullpen and that’ll be a clear focus,” said Zoll, who has the lead role this year after the departure of president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. “Beyond that, we’re going to be open to a variety of creative paths, and you never know what might come about."
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Minnesota Twins' Kody Clemens celebrates after hitting a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Twins' Kody Clemens (2) celebrates after hitting a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Twins' Kody Clemens, back, middle, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off grand slam during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
DETROIT (AP) — Peter Malnati has missed more cuts than he has made on the PGA Tour this season, filling his head with doubts about his game.
He just got quite a confidence boost.
Malnati shot a career-best, 9-under 61 to tie a tournament record in the first round of the final Rocket Classic, giving him a two-shot lead.
When Malnati stood on the first tee, his caddie suggested leaving the driver in his bag to play it safe and set up a solid start.
Malnati, though, went against the advice and used his driver to put a tee shot in the middle of the fairway that set up his first of seven birdies on the front nine.
“Even in the beginning before I knew it was going to be a special day, I didn’t feel the same level of like anxiety," he said.
With thoughts of a sub-60 round crossing his mind, he made a 55-foot putt for birdie at No. 11 and was nine under through 13 holes before missing some putts down the stretch in a bogey-free round.
Detroit Golf Club underwent a $16 million renovation, including converting a couple of par-5 holes into par 4s and adding a lot of bunkers, in an attempt to restore Donald Ross’ vision for it more than a century ago, while making it more challenging.
“I don’t think I took advantage of a super easy course,” said the 39-year-old Malnati, who has won on the PGA Tour in 2024 and 2015. “I played great.”
He wasn't alone.
Rickie Fowler and Ryan Gerard shot 63s, putting them two shots back and one stroke ahead of Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn.
Michael Brennan surged up the leaderboard after starting 2 over through four holes with eight straight birdies — one shy of the PGA Tour record. He finished with a 65, putting him four strokes back with a pack of players that includes Keegan Bradley.
Despite significant changes at the course, Malnati and many other players still went low at a tournament that has been a birdie fest since 2019, when a Detroit-based mortgage company ended a decade-long drought in Michigan without a PGA Tour stop that dated to Tiger Woods winning the last Buick Open.
The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028, effectively creating two tours and Detroit organizers are taking an exit. The Rocket Classic wasn't interested in continuing to spend $15 million a year to be part of the second tier and didn't want to double the costs to be part of the elite tier.
“It’s definitely been a bummer to kind of come into this knowing it was the last one,” said Fowler, a Rocket Mortgage spokesman and the tournament's 2023 champion.
Malnati will have to hold off a field that is stronger than usual in Detroit.
Some of the top players in the field, though, did not get off to a good start. Cameron Young, the No. 3 player in the world, shot a 1-under 69 and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark was 1 over.
The Rocket Classic and next week's Wyndham Championship are the last two tournaments left before the top 70 advances to the FedEx Cup postseason.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Cameron Young chips onto the eighth green during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Keegan Bradley hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Patrick Cantlay prepares to putt on the eighth green during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Rickie Fowler hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Peter Malnati hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Peter Malnati watches his shot from the 11th tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
