Chris Paddack, the pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, was surprised with an ice water bath after his outstanding performance in the game against the San Francisco Giants.
Paddack, who had warned that he would be mindful of this tradition, forgot his own advice when chosen for the post-game interview.
After pitching into the eighth inning, allowing only three hits in the Twins’ 3-1 victory, Paddack was chosen for the interview on Apple TV+.
While he was speaking, his teammates soaked him with ice water.
I focused, I disconnected. It’s a little cold, but it’s an honor.
Chris Paddack
This was his first victory since last June 10, where he allowed only one run, with six strikeouts and no walks.
Paddack, acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres, returned from Tommy John surgery and a forearm injury.
The pitcher was close to a perfect game until Christian Koss singled with two outs in the sixth inning. His shutout bid was spoiled by a home run from Matt Chapman in the seventh.
He should be very pleased with what he did there, and that gives him something to build on in the next outing and the one after that as well. It’s as good a performance as you can ask for from your starting pitcher.
Rocco Baldelli, Twins manager
Paddack’s 7 1/3 innings were the fourth-most in his major league career, and he needed just 83 pitches to do it.
The Twins extended their winning streak to six games.
The Twins’ starting pitchers have a collective ERA of 3.34, the fifth-best in the majors.
We expect our openers to not only be good at what they do, but to be a great strength for us this season. We are going to lean on them. We are going to let them go out there and lead the way in a lot of different ways. We are having those kinds of outings all the time.
Rocco Baldelli
