Former Dodgers player Kyle Farmer twists knife after homering for visiting Twins
The Minnesota Twins have proven during this oddball set at Dodger Stadium that they belong on the same field as the NL West-leading Dodgers, and without Phil Cuzzi's handiwork in extra innings in Game 1, Los Angeles might be in a far more precarious place.
Still, the Twins' ability to punch back with a (relatively effortless) win on Tuesday night against Clayton Kershaw was admirable. Monday's game could've bred histrionics and turned into a circus. Some teams (cough, Toronto) would've made a scene. The Twins just came back the next day and let their play do the talking, led by unsung heroes like former Dodger Kyle Farmer.
Farmer, now 32 years old, is on a quest to prove he can be a dude on a contending team following two consecutive solid seasons with a Cincinnati Reds club that had no designs of championship glory. He'd been with the Reds since early 2019, when he was traded by the Dodgers in the Yasiel Puig/Homer Bailey/Jeter Downs mega-mess that eventually cleared payroll and facilitated the Mookie Betts trade.
Despite being included on the Dodgers' 2017 playoff roster (surprisingly, after a 20 at-bat cameo) and playing 39 games with the team the next season, he actually never homered in Dodger Blue, and hit his first blast at Chavez Ravine on Tuesday night. While he kept his emotions bundled up, Farmer made sure to point that out on-air after the Twins had secured the victory.
Dodgers prospect Kyle Farmer thriving with Twins, hits home run at Dodger Stadium
Farmer's been a house afire as a part-time player in Minnesota to begin the season. In just 66 at-bats, he's already hit three more homers than he did as a Dodger, sporting an .846 OPS and 133 OPS+.
Nobody expected the Twins to be such a clear threat this season, but ... well, nobody saw the Dodgers racing out to an early lead coming, either.
Fans in LA have to realize that, no matter how many rookies are on the Dodgers roster, they're still going to always be a target for former players and a measuring stick for upstarts. Congrats on the homer, Kyle. Bummer we had to watch it.