Twins ride 'ultimate slam' into opener of road trip vs. Mariners

If Kody Clemens is looking for endorsements, he might try Denny's. After all, an ultimate grand slam sounds like something you might order at one of their restaurants.

Clemens hit the 34th known "ultimate slam" in major league history Thursday -- a walk-off homer with the bases loaded while trailing by three runs -- to give the Minnesota Twins an improbable 4-3 victory against the visiting Kansas City Royals.

The Twins (55-55) reached .500 and pulled within a game of the American League's third and final wild-card berth as they begin a nine-game trip Friday against the Seattle Mariners.

"That's stuff that you dream about, stuff like that, when you're a little kid," Clemens said. "That's what you envision doing."

The Twins had just one hit through 8 2/3 innings, a single by Ryan Jeffers leading off the seventh against Royals starter Noah Cameron.

Jeffers sparked the ninth-inning rally when he was hit by a pitch from Lucas Erceg. Royce Lewis blooped a single to center and Josh Bell walked.

"Sometimes it starts with something very simple as a hit by pitch," said Twins manager Derek Shelton, who celebrated his 56th birthday, "and then all of a sudden it's like, ‘OK, there's a little bit of life.'"

The Royals brought in left-hander Matt Strahm to face Clemens, who fell behind 0-2 in the count before hitting a blast to right-center field.

"The belief in every player in the lineup for me is so immense, and it's for real, man. And it shows why," Lewis said. "I just knew that we were going to get the job done. Until they say the game is over and you lost, I have belief that we're going to win every game. It's so much fun to be a part of."

The Twins got another boost when, after landing in Seattle, they learned they'd reportedly acquired left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets.

While the Twins were going 4-2 at home against the Athletics and Royals, the Mariners finished a 2-5 trip to Texas and Los Angeles on Thursday night with a 6-2 loss to the defending World Series champion Dodgers.

The Mariners dropped 2 1/2 games back of the Rangers in the AL West and are three back in the wild-card standings.

"We know what we've got to do here, and we've just got to get it done," said Seattle manager Dan Wilson, whose team won the division title last season and reached Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.

Friday's series opener is scheduled to feature a pair of right-handers in the Twins' Zebby Matthews (4-8, 5.21 ERA) and the Mariners' Bryce Miller (4-5, 2.75).

Matthews has lost his past three outings, though he had a quality start last Friday against the Athletics when he allowed two runs on three hits over six innings of a 2-0 defeat. He's 0-0 with a 5.14 ERA in one previous start against Seattle.

Miller, who debuted in 2026 on May 13, has also lost three starts in a row. He gave up a season-high five earned runs last Friday in a 5-4 loss at Texas. He's 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three career starts versus Minnesota.

--Field Level Media