Triston McKenzie returned to the mound on Sunday and turned in a huge performance on the road, as the Guardians ace made his first start of the season after dealing with a nagging injury that delayed his arrival to the 2023 Guardians. But he made up for his absence with a great showing at Target Field against the Minnesota Twins.
McKenzie went just five innings but dominated in that time. He allowed no earned runs, one hit, issued one walk, and struck out 10 Minnesota batters.
Return of the McK.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/l2sflzjz7k
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 4, 2023
McKenzie delivered his seventh double-digit strikeout performance of his career on Sunday. He’s hit 10 strikeouts even twice before: August 22, 2020, against the Detroit Tigers and May 31, 2021, against the Chicago White Sox. His career high remains 14 strikeouts against the White Sox on August 19, 2022.
Given that the Guardians hold a slim 2-1 lead against the Twins in the bottom of the 9th inning, it’s fair to say that McKenzie’s performance would have driven them to a victory. Had he even allowed just one run, the game’s complexion would have changed. So he’s already delivering in crucial spots for Cleveland. That has to feel good for a Guardian team that has struggled out of the gate. They are 26-32 and 4.5 games behind Minnesota. But a win like this today could go a long way towards catching the Twins. So, too, could more performances like the one Triston McKenzie turned in after he returned to the Guardians for the first time in 2023.
