Minneapolis – Griffin Jax’s last day in a Minnesota Twins uniform was far from how he wanted things to end. The Twins lost 13-1 in a getaway game against the Boston Red Sox.
When Griffin Jax entered the game out of Minnesota's bullpen in the top of the ninth, the Twins were only down 8-1. He allowed three straight hits to lead off the inning and exited the game with no outs and left the bases loaded for Kody Clemens, who pitched as a position player.
The quick hook without an out caused an argument between Jax and then Twins manager Rocco Baldelli in the dugout. The broadcast showed it while Clemens gave up a grand slam to Ronny Gonzalez to make it a 12-1 game.
Following the game, Jax, Baldelli, and Carlos Correa met in the manager’s office to discuss what had happened while Minnesota's trade-deadline fire sale brewed in the background.
“After the game, I told Rocco, like, ‘Roc, if this is my last time as a Twin – I don’t want this to be my last day as a Twin,” Jax recalled Friday. “It’s not the storybook ending that anybody wants to end their career that way. But it’s in the past, and you can’t do anything about it.”
The week leading into the trade deadline had already been a stressful time for Jax before his final appearance with the Twins. Minnesota’s front office had decided to sell after dropping two out of three to the Washington Nationals, and they had traded Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak three days before Jax.
Minnesota’s off-day in Cleveland didn’t help ease Jax’s mind. It allowed time for it to wander down worst-case scenarios he didn’t want to fixate on. He wasn’t alone, as trade rumors also swirled around his teammates, Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe, and Ty France. Still, it didn’t help ease their anxieties in the moment.
“For the first time in my career, it was actually when I was starting to think, 'Hey, am I going to go somewhere?'” said Jax. “I wish we had a game that day, so I had something to focus on. I was just watching the TV with my phone on loud. Was with all my boys, all my guys over there, and then the cards fell.”
The ending may have been bitter for Griffin Jax, but his highs in a Twins uniform superseded the outcome of his final day. It’s the team that drafted him, developed him, and gave him a real runway to become the elite high-leverage reliever he is now. Because of that, Jax will be forever grateful to the Twins organization.
“I have such good memories of playing here,” said Jax. “It's the organization that drafted me, the organization that gave me the first chance in the big leagues. My kids were born here, and emotionally, I'm always going to have such a huge spot in my heart for this team and this city.”
The Rays had a scheduled off day on Thursday before the home opener and arrived in town late Wednesday night. That allowed time for Jax to catch up with old friends he hadn’t seen since the trade. It was an odd feeling for Jax to ride with the team to their downtown Minneapolis hotel, instead of the place he’d use to rent in-season. The old routines he used to have when the Twins returned from road trips.
His family stayed behind in Florida due to the unfavorable weather in Minnesota for this series. Still, they’ll be sure to reunite with other Twins family members who will be making the road trip down to Tampa later this month. Fortunately for Jax, he was able to play with one of his former Twins teammates this spring, Byron Buxton, on Team USA during the World Baseball Classic.
“Such a great teammate, he's such a good person, it was cool to be with him again and his family,” said Jax. “He has such a great set of parents, and his sister, and everybody in his life. They're all really incredible people, so that was fun to share those times with them. I was really bummed when Joe [Ryan] couldn't make it. I was looking forward to playing with him again.”
The Twins gave Jax a welcome-back tribute video before Saturday night’s game, which brought a smile to his face.
Jax will always have the memories of wonderful times with the Twins. He’s happy with where he ended up, because the Rays have given him ‘first-class treatment’ since he arrived.
“I ended up getting traded, but really happy I ended up over here because this is a first-class organization,” said Jax. “They made the transition seamless. It's a great clubhouse, great group of guys, they've made it very easy on me."
Even if he was on the other side, Griffin Jax couldn’t be happier to be a part of another Twins home opener, even if the weather didn’t cooperate with his team in their 10-4 loss to Minnesota.
“It’s a really good fanbase here,” he said. “They always do a good job coming out and showing support on Opening Day, leading into the season.”
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