Cleveland - nine days. Three grand slams. A division title may be getting closer.

The first postseason chase for Royce Lewis, the former first-round pick who overcame a two-year ACL injury to unleash his talent on the league, produced one of the biggest first impressions ever.

Lewis hit his third grand slam in just over a week, continuing his amazing ability to get on base and capping a five-game second-inning hitting streak for the Twins against the Guardians on Monday at Progressive Field. The Twins then kept adding runs and eventually won the first game of this decisive American League Central Division series with a 20-6 victory.

The Twins have quickly extended their division lead to six games ahead of Cleveland with 24 games remaining and only two matchups left. At one point in the season series, the Guardians led 6-5, but lost the advantage in the deciding game.

Cleveland starter Lucas Giolito walked three batters, including one with the bases loaded, in the second inning to set the stage for another Lewis gem. Lewis created the highlight of the game when he faced an inside corner fastball and hit it 401 yards over the high wall for a home run in a 2-0 situation.

Lewis' performance continues to grow on the Minnesota saga as he hit three home runs in the game and contributed four total RBIs, including a two-run double with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Lewis hit a grand slam off Texas Guardians reliever Chris Stratton on Aug. 27, followed by another grand slam off Guardians starter Xzavion Curry the following day. That made him the first rookie in American League/MLB history to hit three grand slams in eight games or less, and the fourth player to join Larry Parrish (1982), Jim Northrup (1968) and Lou Gehrig (1931).

Lewis' three grand slams this season also set a Twins single-season record, tying for the second-most grand slams hit by a rookie player in a single season, behind Alexei Ramirez's four set in 2008.

Lewis, 24, has now hit four of his first 13 career home runs, making him one of the fewest players in American League/North Atlantic League history to hit four home runs, trailing only Chris Taylor, who hit four home runs in his first 11 long balls.

With Minnesota and Cleveland competing, Lewis will be a regular key player for years to come. Forgive the Cleveland Keepers if they're already tired of Lewis, because all three of Lewis' home runs have come off Cleveland pitching. Lewis' first home run, and the first of his career, came on May 13, 2022 off then-Guardians reliever Bryan Shaw.

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