The Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers Match Player Stats from August 17, 2025 tell the story of a game Minnesota changed with one big inning. The Twins beat the Tigers 8-1 at Target Field after scoring six runs in the bottom of the third.

Brooks Lee supplied the largest swing with his first Major League grand slam. Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis also homered, while Thomas Hatch and four Minnesota relievers held Detroit to three hits. The victory allowed the Twins to avoid a four-game sweep against the AL Central leaders.

Match Overview

Minnesota entered the finale after losing the first three games of the four-game set. Detroit had won four straight overall, but the Twins broke that run with their biggest offensive inning in more than a month.

The game was played Sunday, August 17, 2025 at Target Field in Minneapolis. First pitch came at 1:10 p.m. local time, attendance was 22,230, and the game lasted 2 hours, 23 minutes.

Pre-Match Context

Detroit arrived at the finale with a 73-52 record and a chance to complete a four-game road sweep. The Tigers had taken the first three games at Target Field by scores of 4-3, 7-0 and 8-5. Minnesota entered at 57-66.

The pitching matchup added another layer. Chris Paddack had been traded by Minnesota to Detroit only weeks earlier. This was already his second appearance against his former club since the trade, and Minnesota had also beaten him in Detroit on August 5.

Thomas Hatch made the start for Minnesota. That pairing mattered because the Twins needed innings from a reshaped pitching staff, while Detroit was trying to finish a successful road trip with another division win.

Inning-by-Inning Score

Minnesota did all of its scoring from the second through fourth innings. Detroit answered once in the third but did not record another hit after Hatch finished his fifth inning.

Inning-by-Inning Breakdown

First Inning

Hatch opened by retiring Colt Keith, Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson in order, with strikeouts of Carpenter and Torkelson. That gave Minnesota a clean start before its lineup faced Paddack.

Buxton singled on Paddack’s first pitch of the game. Minnesota moved him to second but could not score, leaving the game 0-0.

Second Inning

Detroit put Zach McKinstry aboard on a walk, and McKinstry stole second, but the Tigers failed to bring him home.

Royce Lewis then gave Minnesota the first lead. With two outs in the bottom half, Lewis drove a Paddack pitch over the left-field wall for a solo homer and a 1-0 advantage.

Third Inning

Detroit briefly erased that lead. Keith doubled with one out, and Carpenter followed with a single to right, scoring Keith to make it 1-1. A Torkelson walk extended the inning, but Hatch prevented Detroit from adding another run.

Minnesota’s response decided the game. Buxton homered to lead off the bottom of the third, Larnach doubled, Luke Keaschall singled, and Kody Clemens’ groundout brought Larnach home for a 3-1 lead.

Ryan Jeffers then singled before Paddack struck out Matt Wallner. Lewis worked a two-out walk after falling behind in the count, loading the bases. Lee followed with a grand slam to right field, turning a two-run advantage into a 7-1 game. It was his first career Major League grand slam.

Fourth Inning

Hatch responded to the six-run inning with a clean top of the fourth, retiring Javier Báez, McKinstry and Trey Sweeney.

Buxton singled again in the bottom half and stole second. After Larnach walked, Keaschall put the ball in play, and Buxton scored as Detroit committed an error during the force-play sequence. Minnesota’s lead reached 8-1.

Fifth Inning

Hatch finished his outing by retiring Jake Rogers, Keith and Carpenter in order. That completed five innings of one-run baseball.

Minnesota also went quietly in the bottom half. By then, the seven-run margin allowed the Twins to turn the game over to their bullpen.

Sixth Inning

Michael Tonkin replaced Hatch and struck out all three Tigers he faced. Detroit did not generate a baserunner.

Paddack returned for the bottom half before Bailey Horn replaced him with two outs. Paddack’s final line closed at eight earned runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Seventh Inning

Cole Sands took over for Minnesota and matched Tonkin’s previous inning with three strikeouts. Báez, McKinstry and Sweeney all went down on strikes.

Horn retired Minnesota without allowing the score to move. Detroit still faced a seven-run deficit entering the final two innings.

Eighth Inning

Génesis Cabrera became Minnesota’s fourth pitcher. He struck out Rogers before retiring Andy Ibáñez and Carpenter.

The Twins put two runners aboard on walks in the bottom half but did not score. Horn completed 2 1/3 hitless relief innings for Detroit.

Ninth Inning

Erasmo Ramírez handled the ninth for Minnesota. He struck out Torkelson, retired Jahmai Jones and got Wenceel Pérez to ground out to Lee for the final out.

Minnesota’s four relievers combined for four hitless innings after Hatch left. The Tigers finished with only three hits and no runs after the third.

Team Stats Comparison

The Twins created the separation with extra-base damage and more traffic on the bases. Minnesota hit three home runs, drew five walks and collected nine hits. Detroit had one extra-base hit and struck out 12 times.

Minnesota also played an error-free game. Detroit’s only error came from McKinstry during the fourth-inning play that allowed Buxton to score.

Key Numbers That Decided the Game

The largest number was six. Minnesota scored six runs in the third inning immediately after Detroit had tied the game 1-1. That inning created enough separation for the Twins to manage the final six innings without needing another run.

Three Minnesota home runs also changed the run distribution. Lewis opened the scoring, Buxton restored the lead after Detroit tied the game and Lee’s grand slam expanded the margin to six runs.

Detroit’s 12 strikeouts limited its chances to build innings. Minnesota’s bullpen accounted for eight of those strikeouts while allowing no hits over the final four frames.

Minnesota Twins Full Box Score

Minnesota received production from several parts of the order. Buxton reached repeatedly at the top, Lewis supplied power from the seventh spot and Lee produced four runs with one swing from the eighth position.

Twins Batting

Buxton had three of Minnesota’s nine hits. Larnach doubled, Outman tripled for his first hit as a Twin, and Lewis, Buxton and Lee supplied the three home runs.

Twins Pitching

Hatch earned the win and improved to 2-0. Tonkin, Sands, Cabrera and Ramírez did not allow a hit after he departed.

Twins Extra-Base and Running Plays

Buxton also stole his 18th base. Keaschall was caught stealing in the fourth inning.

Detroit Tigers Full Box Score

Detroit’s offense produced its only run in the third. Keith and Carpenter collected back-to-back hits, but the Tigers did not record another hit over the game’s final six innings.

Tigers Batting

Keith’s third-inning double was Detroit’s only extra-base hit. McKinstry walked and stole second in the second inning but was left stranded.

Tigers Pitching

Paddack fell to 4-11. He allowed all eight Minnesota runs, nine hits, three walks and three home runs before Horn finished the game with hitless relief.

Top Performers

Brooks Lee

Lee recorded only one hit, but it produced the game’s largest scoring play. Minnesota already led 3-1 when Lewis worked a two-out walk to load the bases in the third. Lee then drove Paddack’s 93 mph four-seam fastball to right field for his first Major League grand slam. 

The swing increased Minnesota’s lead from two runs to six and completed the six-run inning. Lee also drew a walk earlier in the game and handled shortstop as Minnesota’s pitching staff shut Detroit down after the third.

Byron Buxton

Buxton set the pace from the first spot in Minnesota’s lineup. He singled on the first pitch he saw in the first inning, then attacked Paddack’s first pitch again in the third and sent it into the left-field seats. 

That homer immediately restored Minnesota’s lead after Detroit had tied the game in the top half. Buxton added another single in the fourth, stole second and eventually scored Minnesota’s eighth run. His three hits accounted for one-third of the Twins’ team total.

Thomas Hatch

Hatch gave Minnesota five innings while allowing only one run. Detroit’s scoring sequence came in the third when Keith doubled, and Carpenter singled him home, but Hatch prevented that inning from developing further. He then retired the Tigers in order in both the fourth and fifth. 

That allowed Minnesota to protect its large lead without immediately cycling through the bullpen. Hatch finished with three hits allowed, three walks and four strikeouts and earned his second victory of the season.

Royce Lewis

Lewis affected two of Minnesota’s scoring innings. His two-out solo homer in the second broke the scoreless tie and gave Hatch the first lead of the afternoon. In the third, Lewis came up with two outs and runners on first and third. He fell behind 0-2 but worked the plate appearance into a walk, loading the bases instead of ending the inning. 

Lee followed with the grand slam. Lewis therefore scored twice despite recording only two official at-bats, with his walk directly extending Minnesota’s six-run rally.

Kerry Carpenter

Carpenter produced Detroit’s only RBI. After Keith doubled in the third inning, Carpenter lined a single to right that brought him home and tied the score at 1-1. That gave Detroit its only response to Lewis’ second-inning homer. 

Hatch then contained the inning, and Carpenter did not reach again in his remaining plate appearances. His single represented one of only three Detroit hits in the game. Once Minnesota answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning, the Tigers did not score again.

Starting Lineups

The lineup construction placed Buxton and Keith at the top of the two orders. Minnesota’s decisive power, however, came deeper in the order through Lewis and Lee.

Thomas Hatch started on the mound for Minnesota, while Chris Paddack started for Detroit.

Injury Report

Both clubs were operating with players on the injured list. Among Minnesota’s confirmed absences, Pablo López remained on the 60-day IL with a right shoulder strain and David Festa was on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. Alan Roden had also been placed on the injured list with a left thumb sprain immediately before the finale.

Detroit’s confirmed injured-list group included Meadows, Vierling, Jobe and Olson. Their absences affected both the outfield and pitching depth available to manager A.J. Hinch.

No significant in-game injury changed the course of the August 17 contest in the official game account.

2025 Season Series and Head-to-Head

Detroit won the 2025 regular-season series 8-5. Minnesota’s victory in the finale prevented the Tigers from finishing the season matchup with a four-game sweep at Target Field.

The season series swung toward Detroit because the Tigers won six of the final nine meetings. Minnesota still finished with wins in three of the six August meetings before the teams completed their 2025 head-to-head schedule.

AL Central Standings After the Game

Detroit remained first in the AL Central despite the loss. Cleveland also lost that day, leaving the Tigers 8.5 games clear of the Guardians.

Minnesota remained fourth in the division. The win changed its record to 58-66 but did not materially close the large division gap created earlier in the season. Detroit, meanwhile, retained the division’s strongest record.

Broadcast Information

The game began at 2:10 p.m. ET, or 1:10 p.m. local time in Minneapolis. MLB’s official game listing carried the local broadcast and radio information.

MLB Gameday also provided live pitch-by-pitch data, Statcast information and the postgame archive.

Conclusion

Minnesota’s 8-1 victory ended the four-game series without a Detroit sweep and gave the Twins a clean result before moving on to their next part of the schedule. More important for Minnesota’s immediate roster evaluation, Lee, Lewis, Buxton and Hatch all played central roles, while the bullpen completed four hitless innings after the starter left.

Detroit returned home after a 5-2 road trip with its position atop the AL Central still intact. The loss stopped a four-game winning streak, but Cleveland’s defeat meant Detroit did not surrender ground at the top of the division. The Tigers were scheduled to return home for a series against Houston, with the standings making every remaining August series relevant to their push for a division title and postseason position.

For Minnesota, the finale provided a different ending to a series in which Detroit had controlled the first three games. With the clubs finished against each other for the 2025 regular season, the Twins moved forward at 58-66 while Detroit carried a 73-53 record into its next series.

For more match updates, read: Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals Match Player Stats

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers game on August 17, 2025?

The Minnesota Twins won 8-1 at Target Field. A six-run third inning gave Minnesota control after Detroit had tied the score at 1-1.

Who had the best Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers Match Player Stats?

Brooks Lee drove in four runs with his first career grand slam, while Byron Buxton went 3-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored.

Who was the winning pitcher?

Thomas Hatch earned the win for Minnesota. He worked five innings, allowed three hits and one earned run, walked three and struck out four.

What happened to Chris Paddack against his former team?

Paddack allowed eight earned runs and nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. Minnesota hit three home runs against him, including Lee’s third-inning grand slam.

How many home runs did the Twins hit?

Minnesota hit three home runs. Royce Lewis homered in the second, Byron Buxton in the third, and Brooks Lee added a grand slam later that inning.

Did the Tigers win the 2025 season series?

Yes. Detroit finished 8-5 against Minnesota during the 2025 regular season despite losing the final meeting 8-1 at Target Field.

What was the biggest inning of the game?

Minnesota’s six-run third was the decisive inning. Buxton homered, Clemens drove in a run, and Lee’s two-out grand slam pushed the lead to 7-1.