Yates, 21-for-21 in save situations this year before Sunday, threw three splitters in a six-pitch at-bat three days earlier, when Santana flew out.
“I know he’s tough, so I looked at the pitch-for-pitch with him,” said Santana, who was hitless in five previous at-bats vs. Yates. “The first game, I see his splitter — splitter, splitter, splitter, now I know it. So I don’t think he wants to be throwing it this time. He’ll prefer to throw his fastball.”
Sure enough, in Sunday’s four-pitch at-bat, Santana saw only one splitter, and it was in the dirt. The rest were fastballs — including the high-and-middle one on 1-2 that Santana hit nearly 400 feet, his 18th homer as a Twin.
“I tried to think about what he would think about,” Santana said. “I was right.”
Matt Gorski hit a walk-off homer off Caleb Baragar in the ninth inning and host Indianapolis rallied to hand the Saints their ninth loss in a row, winning 7-6.