Twins reveal a summer sausage is behind turnaround at the plate

An unusual good-luck charm has kept the hits coming for the Twins.

Minnesota Twins right fielder Max Kepler (26) is greeted after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on April 27, 2024. / Gary A. Vasquez / USA TODAY Sports

Baseball players are known for being superstitious. Some players have special warmup routines, some may keep around a totem as a type of good-luck charm. 

The Twins as a collective, meanwhile, have a lucky summer sausage.

Kyle Farmer apparently received a summer sausage after doing an ad with Cloverdale Farms last year. Like a good teammate does, he decided to share, leaving it on a table in the clubhouse. 

It found a home there until the Twins were held scoreless for the first five innings of Thursday’s series finale against the Chicago White Sox. Naturally, Twins hitting coach David Popkins thought the sausage might be the solution, so he brought it out to the Twins dugout. 

Popkins had everyone tap the sausage before their respective at-bats. The sausage served as a spark plug as the Twins rattled off five straight hits in the sixth inning, beginning with back-to-back homers from Edouard Julien and Ryan Jeffers in an eventual 6-3 victory over the Sox at Target Field. 

As you could imagine, it’s now become tradition to tap the sausage before each at-bat. 

“I guess we’re going to keep touching the sausage,” Farmer told reporters, including the Pioneer Press’ Betsy Helfand, in Anaheim. "Baseball players are messed up."

Yes... we apparently have a HR Sausage now.

No... we don't know why. pic.twitter.com/KTFEzSsLsW

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 28, 2024

Either that, or they’re onto something. The success at the plate has just kept coming ever since the sausage made an appearance. Carlos Santana, who homered for the first time in a Twins uniform in Thursday’s victory, hit his second of the year the next day during the Twins’ 5-3 win over the Angels. 

Then he hit another on Saturday, when the sausage was working overtime, ensuring every player felt its good luck as the Twins' entire starting lineup recording a hit. They smacked around 17 hits in all in a 16-5 trashing of the Angels that included three homers and four doubles.

And it’s all thanks to the rally sausage. 

The only thing that can slow the Twins and the sausage now is potentially its expiration date. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters “the thing hasn’t been refrigerated in many days.” 

That’s a problem for another day. For now, they’ll just keep going with what’s working.