Twins crush Tigers in rain-shortened game; Jeffers OK after scare

Jose Miranda had five hits while Ryan Jeffers collected three hits including his 14th homer of the season.

Jul 4, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third base Jose Miranda (64) heads home after catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) hit a home run against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

it was a good thing the Twins and Tigers started an hour earlier than originally scheduled Thursday because it helped them play just enough for Minnesota's 12-3 win to count as an official game.

The contest was called in the seventh inning due to heavy rain that led to ponding water on the infield dirt, and an apparent slippery baseball nearly led to Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers being hit in the face by a fastball.

With the rain pouring and the Twins up by nine runs with two outs in the seventh inning, Shelby Miller's fastball hit the brim of Jeffers' helmet and knocked it off his head. Jeffers looked stunned but was otherwise fine.

#MNTwins vs Tigers went into a rain delay after Ryan Jeffers' h̵e̵a̵d̵ helmet was taken off by a high fastball pic.twitter.com/pFHAGS66Jw

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 4, 2024

Before the scare, Jeffers cranked his team-leading 14th homer of the season and drove in four runs on three hits. Jose Miranda helped the Twins pile on with a 5-for-5 day at the plate with three doubles and three RBIs.

Miranda is now batting .312 on the season, which ranks eighth in the majors among all players with at least 240 plate appearances. Carlos Correa, who went 1-for-3 on the day, is ninth with a .311 batting average.

Minnesota scored scored two runs in the second inning, three in the third and four in the fourth before adding two more in the sixth and another in the seventh.

The Twins (49-38) will go for win No. 50 when they take the field Friday night at home against the Houston Astros. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. CT.