For Minnesota Twins fans, Friday was a rollercoaster ride that ended with pure joy both on and off the field.

The day began with a flood of terrible injury news: Joe Ryan could be out for months, Brooks Lee is going on the injured list, and Brock Stewart’s season is over. Even the farm system has been hit by injury misfortune, with top-100 prospect Luke Keaschall having to undergo Tommy John surgery.

All of this lowered the expectations of Twins fans, who went from looking forward to overtaking the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central to bracing for total disaster. But instead of recovering from the bad mood, Minnesota shook it off with a doubleheader win over Cleveland to move within 1.5 games of first place.

Not only was the raid an unexpected plot twist given how the day had started, but the way the team got there could be an indication that everything will be okay.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt inexplicably left starter Alex Cobb in the game to face Matt Wallner for a third time. Wallner made him pay for it by hitting a three-run home run that gave Minnesota a 5-2 lead and essentially served as the game-winner.

Waiting in the holding circle was Royce Lewis, who celebrated Wallner’s home run and exuded exactly the mood that Minnesota needs right now.

In many ways, Lewis has become the shining center of the Twins universe. His play on the field speaks for itself, as the team is infinitely better when he is there. Lewis always provides a certain thrill, and that now holds true even when he is not at bat.

Given how the day started, the Twins could have stumbled in this series against Cleveland. Instead, they landed a massive hook right to the Guardians’ jaw, seemingly knocking them to the mat.

Lewis celebrating Wallner’s home run is more than the sum of its parts; it’s a testament to the life of a team that has historically had a tendency to buckle when the going got tough.

There’s still a lot of work to be done, but the Twins showed a level of firepower we haven’t seen from them in the past. Instead of retreating late in the game, Minnesota found a way to come back and fight their way to the win. That was evident on Friday night, and having Lewis right there to add even more sparkle to the fireworks was absolutely perfect.

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