He was never planned to be in the starting lineup of this Wild Card series, but Donovan Solano played a surprisingly pivotal role in the Minnesota Twins’ two wins to start off the 2023 postseason.
Solano entered both games as a pinch hitter for first baseman Alex Kirilloff when the Toronto Blue Jays brought a lefty out of the bullpen. On Tuesday, Solano pinch hit for Kirilloff after left-handed pitcher Tim Mayza came into the game for Toronto.
Max Kepler, a left-handed hitter, had a single off Mayza as the first batter Mayza faced when he entered the game. Still, Rocco Baldelli knew the matchup would favor Solano over Kirilloff at the plate.
Injuries limited Kirilloff to 88 games with the Twins this season, and he only had 56 plate appearances in 34 games against left-handed pitchers. Kirilloff, 25, hit .125/.233/.250 (.482 OPS) in those 56 plate appearances against lefties this season. He was 6 for 48, with two home runs, when he made contact against southpaws.
On the other hand, Solano was solid all season against left-handers. In 153 plate appearances, he hit a .286/.346/.400 (.746 OPS). He had 100 more plate appearances than Kirilloff against left-handed pitchers but drastically different results.
Looking at the numbers, it’s no surprise that Baldelli made the change when he did, especially when it was against one of the best lefties in the league. Mayza ended up retiring Solano on a flyout to end the bottom of the fifth, but his placement in the game would pay off in the later innings of Game 1.
Solano didn’t hit again until he faced Jordan Hicks, the flamethrower who Toronto acquired at the trade deadline.
But Solano had success against righties all year, too, posting a .280/.381/.386 triple slash and a .766 OPS across 297 plate appearances. Hicks didn’t throw Solano a single strike, and he drew a walk to give Willi Castro a chance to do damage with the bases loaded. However, Castro struck out, prolonging an issue the Twins have had with the bases loaded all season.
As a result of Castro’s strikeout in the eighth, Solano had a moment in the top of the ninth. A moment that will forever be sketched into the minds of Twins fans.
There were two outs with a runner on first after Jhoan Duran walked Whit Merrifield. Former World Series champion George Springer was at the plate with the intent to attack the first pitch he saw from Duran, and he did. It ended up going to the opposite field and looking like it would land on the right field grass. However, Solano made a diving snag on the first base side, tossing it over to Duran and winning the game for the Twins.
Without Solano’s diving stop in Game 1, it’s hard to know how much longer the game would have continued and what kind of rally the Blue Jays could have mounted. However, that perfectly timed dive and the ease with which he tossed the ball over to the closer made all that time for hypotheticals disappear. Years of pain ended for Twins fans. They finally saw their team win a postseason game for the first time since 2004.
In Wednesday’s Game 2, Solano entered the game for Kirilloff again with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on the mound in the bottom of the fourth inning. Solano worked a full count into his favor, drawing his second walk of the series and lining up to load the bases for Carlos Correa.
Despite his season-long struggles at the plate, Correa came through in that next at-bat with an RBI single to put Minnesota up 1-0 in Game 2. Solano drew another walk before the game was over. His defense wasn’t as flashy as the play that ended Game 1. But it remained solid for the Twins following Kirilloff’s exit, and they punched their postseason series victory since 2002.
Solano may not have had the big hits that people want from each player in the postseason. However, he delivered in his role. Solano worked the count to get three walks. Even at 35 years old, he played some of the best defense of his career at a position he grew into as he aged.
When the Twins signed Solano at the start of Spring Training, few fans knew what they’d get out of him. He ended up being the best contact hitter on the team. He was there the whole season and provided his best defense when it mattered most in the postseason.
Now as the Twins go on to face the Houston Astros in the ALDS, Solano continue in this role he’s molded himself into and likely be the starting first baseman whenever the Astros put him in for a start. He will continue to find spots to exceed the minimal expectations that people put on the man known as Donnie Barrels as the Twins look to take down the reigning American League juggernauts and defending World Series champions.
