MINNEAPOLIS -- Trevor Plouffe got a lot of frustration out on one swing.
He also won a game in the process.
The Twins third baseman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning Friday at Target Field, lifting Minnesota to a 3-2 win over the visiting Cleveland Indians. It was just Plouffe's fifth hit of the season as his 2015 had gotten off to a slow start.
At least for one night, his struggles were lifted by his biggest hit in the Twins' first 10 games. As soon as the ball left Plouffe's bat, he knew it was gone, so he yelled at his dugout in excitement.
"I usually don't react like that, but that was a lot of frustration coming out right there," Plouffe said. "It was a great win for us."
After his walk-off homer -- his third career walk-off hit but the first via a home run -- Plouffe was the victim of a Gatorade shower, courtesy of teammate Oswaldo Arcia. In the past, Plouffe was usually one of the ringleaders of that tradition after walk-off wins. Friday night, he was the victim. He even admitted he forgot to expect it during his on-field interview and instead was fully drenched.
The postgame antics are a sign that the Twins are finally starting to have some fun after what was a rough first week of the season. Minnesota finished 1-5 on its first road trip and dropped the home opener Monday by a 12-3 final. Since then, the Twins have won three straight games, which at the time of Friday's conclusion was tied for the longest winning streak in the American League.
"They're having some fun," said Twins first-year manager Paul Molitor. "It's player leadership that sustains you. We've been able to -- at least for the time being -- kind of overcome what was a frustrating beginning for everybody, put a couple wins together, which is a good thing. But we've got to keep going."
Plouffe's 11th-inning home run was a no-doubter, estimated at 419 feet. It reached the front row of the second deck in left field and exited the park in a hurry. After getting ahead in the count 3-0 against Indians reliever Bryan Shaw, Plouffe took a strike; Molitor said he didn't give Plouffe the green light in that situation.
One pitch later, Plouffe had the OK to swing away, and he did just that. He atoned for his ninth-inning at-bat in which he had a chance to be the hero. In that instance, Plouffe grounded out to the shortstop for the second out of the inning, leaving the game tied at 2-2.
Despite going 0 for 4 in his previous four at-bats, Plouffe still relished the opportunity to be in a big spot once again.
"I think anybody in this clubhouse would want to be up there in those situations," Plouffe said. "If you didn't want to be up there, you probably shouldn't be here. That's something that you dream of when you're little. It's cool to come through."
Plouffe came into Friday's game batting just .133 in his first nine games. He didn't have any multi-hit games, and his only RBI came on a solo homer in Monday's 12-3 loss to the Royals.
Despite the slow start, Plouffe said he didn't get discouraged. That's the attitude the Twins took as a team after their 1-5 road trip, acknowledging that it was early in a 162-game season. The same was true for Plouffe, who has shown in the past that he can be a productive hitter in the majors -- and in the heart of the Twins' lineup.
"It's a process," Plouffe said. "I was never not confident with myself. Frustrated, yeah, but we do have a great coaching staff. I know there's going to be struggles like I've gone through. That's going to happen during the season. You've got to just trust the process. Hopefully a swing like that will get me going."
Plenty of things had to happen in Friday's game for Plouffe to have the chance to be the hero. Minnesota finally got to Indians ace and reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in the sixth inning after five perfect innings from Kluber. The Twins also made a few defensive plays that kept the game in check, including a throw from left fielder Eduardo Escobar to home plate to prevent a potential run and end the fifth inning.
Minnesota had a prime chance in the 10th inning to put the game away but couldn't score with the bases loaded and two outs. Another scoreless inning from the Twins' bullpen in the top of the 11th set up Plouffe's dramatics, which closed the curtain on Minnesota's third win in as many days.
"We've got a great group of guys here," Plouffe said. "The way we started off the season wasn't great, but we stayed confident, we stayed loose, and I think it's shown over the last three games."
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