Simeon Woods Richardson pitches gem as Twins beat Mariners in series opener

Simeon Woods Richardson gave the Twins everything they could’ve asked for and more, and they needed every last bit of it. 

Woods Richardson pitched six innings of one-hit ball as the Twins squeaked out a 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners Monday night at Target Field in Minneapolis. 

Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Twins (20-14) were able to plate a pair of runs. With runners on second and third, Christian Vazquez hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Carlos Correa, who doubled to left field off Mariners starter Luis Castillo earlier in the frame.

Then Manny Margot, who had been struggling of late, singled to center field to score Willi Castro, who reached earlier in the inning on a fielder’s choice to give the Twins a 3-1 lead.

Woods Richardson struck out six straight Mariners batters before former Twin Mitch Garver led off the third inning with a single for the first hit of the day. That was also the last hit the Mariners (19-16) would get off Woods Richardson, who fanned eight across his six innings of work. 

Woods Richardson outdueled Castillo, who pitched a great game of his own, allowing just two runs off two hits while fanning seven across 6 2/3 innings.

Woods Richardson left the game with a 1-0 lead, a run the Twins scored in the fifth inning when Correa doubled to score Max Kepler, who reached and took second base on an error. 

Jorge Polanco, making his return to Target Field after being traded from the Twins to the Mariners in late January, singled off Twins reliever Griffin Jax in the seventh inning and later scored the tying run when Garver brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center field. 

Jhoan Duran pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts, and Caleb Thielbar fanned two as he sent the Mariners down in order in the ninth to pick up the save.

The Twins and Mariners meet for the second of their four-game series at Target Field again on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.