Jose Abreu and Michael Brantley Cement Their Legacy as Twins Killers

Every Twins fan has a list of players they begrudgingly think back on who’s done the most damage to the team over the years. Players such as Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, Miguel Cabrera, Cliff Lee, Mark Mulder, etc. have always shunned some terror in fans’ memories. 

Jose Abreu and Michael Brantley have been on fan lists for several years from their times with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians. But the last two games of the ALDS against the Houston Astros to end the Twins’ 2023 season, cemented them among the likes of Yankee players that have killed the Twins’ postseason dreams over the last 20 years. 

Over their careers, both Brantley and Abreu have killed the Twins in almost a full season’s worth of games. Brantley has posted a .299/.356/.418 (.774) with nine home runs and 64 RBI across 134 career games against the Twins. Abreu has done much more damage, as many fans now. He has a .300/.363/.511 (.874) with 28 home runs and 109 RBI. 

But this season hasn’t been the same for either of them compared to earlier in their careers. Brantley only played in 15 games down the stretch after being out the whole season. Abreu had his worst season by bWAR at -0.1 in 2023. He never had a season with a bWAR below 2.0 before this year. 

Abreu showed signs of his old self as the Astros season winded down. He hit seven home runs, had 28 RBI, and posted a .835 OPS in 107 plate appearances across 26 games. 

That success didn’t trickle into his performance during the first two games of the Twins vs. Astros ALDS at Minute Maid Park. He went one for seven with a walk in those two games. The Twins’ return to Target Field for Game 3 was Abreu’s moment to inflict more pain into Twins fandom, and he delivered. 

The Astros were mounting up a rally in the top of the first against Sonny Gray, runners were on the corners with one out. Gray tried to beat Abreu in his weak spot, down and inside. The second pitch was when Abreu made contact on a pitch and it didn’t come back. He put the Astros up 4-0. 

Abreu was kept quiet throughout the rest of the game, until the ninth inning. Kyle Tucker followed Yordan Alvarez’s solo home run with a walk. Abreu stepped up to face Bailey Ober. He only needed two pitches to pull the ball to left-center field and solidified the Astros win at 9-1. 

This was Abreu’s moment in an Astros uniform. All the trial and tribulation that showed signs of regression with age went away in Game 3 and he looked like the Jose Abreu of old in a White Sox uniform that won an MVP award. 

Before the start of Game 4, Astros outfielder and teammate of Abreu, Chas McCormick met with media members. He was asked about how he had seen Abreu handle his struggles from the season and what paid off in Game 3.

“He handled it really well. It’s Jose Abreu. I’ve seen him playing against him, I’ve seen him hit 320 bombs. I think we’re getting that Jose Abreu right now, which is perfect. He can take us far and away if he hits like he did yesterday,” said McCormick. 

And if McCormick was looking into a crystal ball to see the future, Abreu did hit like he did in Game 3 during Game 4. Abreu had the game-winning hit, a two-run homer in the top of the fourth off Caleb Thielbar to put the Astros up 3-4. The Twins bats couldn’t come back from that moment outside of an Edouard Julien home run and it solidified the Twins elimination from the postseason

Brantley sat out Game 3 while the Astros’ young catcher Yainer Diaz took on the designated hitter duties in his place and Alvarez platooned left field. He would have his moment 

Brantley’s big moment for the Astros in this series came a couple of innings before. He tied the game off a Joe Ryan fastball and sent it into the right-center field bleachers. That tied the game up 1-1 in the second and showed the Astros were not going to let the Twins get a win here easily. 

And they didn’t on Wednesday night, those two homers were all the Astros needed as the Twins bats came up cold. Abreu and Brantley did what they have both done for 10 years now against this team and showed up when it mattered most for Houston. 

There are many other moments Twins fans will reflect on when it comes to Abreu and Brantley lighting up their bats against this team. But the moments from Tuesday and Wednesday night’s games will be the ones fans remember as the worst moments of damage they’ve done to the Twins franchise.