Bailey Ober pitches complete-game shutout in Twins' 3-0 victory over Marlins

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 12, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — There was Bailey Ober running to first base, receiving a flip from first baseman Kody Clemens, and fittingly recording the final out on a gem of an outing.

Ober, who hugged Clemens, looked skyward as he walked toward the handshake line after pitching a complete-game shutout in a 3-0 victory at Target Field, extending the club’s winning streak to three games.

Then came a hug with catcher Ryan Jeffers, and a salute to the crowd.

Ober received an ovation when he walked off the mound after striking out his final two batters in the eighth inning, then again after he emerged from the dugout in the ninth.

He completed the final inning in six pitches, the finishing touch on his 87-pitch masterpiece before an announced crowd of 13,471. Ober permitted only two hits and zero walks.

It was the second complete game of Ober’s career. He allowed four hits and two runs over nine innings in a 10-2 win over the Oakland A’s on June 22, 2024.

Ober and Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez, both at least 6-8, provided contrasting styles on the mound. Pérez averaged 98 mph on his fastball, pairing premium velocity with a 90-mph change-up, two versions of a slider and a curveball.

Ober, meanwhile, threw only three fastballs above 90 mph and totaled nine pitches faster than 89 mph. Despite pitching with lower velocity, Ober racked up a lot of whiffs with his change-up and sweeper.

Pérez, who struck out eight batters, carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. After Byron Buxton drew a two-out walk, Trevor Larnach poked a single through the left side of the infield to put runners on the corners.

Two pitches later, the Twins ran a designed double steal. Larnach stopped halfway about 20 feet short of second base when catcher Joe Mack fired a throw to the bag. As Larnach retreated toward first, Buxton dashed to the plate.

The Marlins weren’t fooled by the double steal attempt, but they couldn’t stop Buxton’s speed. Second baseman Xavier Edwards whipped a throw to Mack, but Buxton slid ahead of the tag for the game’s first run. Buxton clapped his hands and pointed toward Larnach when plate umpire Scott Barry signaled he was safe.

Buxton is 32 years old, and he had several surgeries on his knees. Guys like that aren’t supposed to be one of the fastest players in the league. Yet, there he was stealing a run.

After a replay review determined Barry’s safe call stood, Jeffers hammered Pérez’s next pitch, an 84-mph sweeper, to the second deck in left field for a two-run homer. Just like that, the Twins had a three-run lead for Ober.

It was Jeffers’ sixth home run of the season, and he admired his swing for a couple of moments before trotting around the bases. Jeffers scorched a lineout to left field in the third inning, the ball leaving his bat at 113.4 mph for his hardest-hit ball in two years. His response, two innings later, was a 111-mph rocket that traveled 407 feet.