CHICAGO — Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee had a concert in the Chicago area Sunday night, but he took in the Twins-White Sox game the afternoon before it.
That means players such as Carlos Correa, Jose Miranda, Jorge Lopez and Jovani Moran all had the chance to meet their fellow Puerto Rican superstar ahead of first pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Known as the King of Reggaeton, Daddy Yankee has sold about 20 million records worldwide, with one of his biggest hits being 2004's "Gasolina" and 2017's "Despacito." And apparently his presence spurred Correa and the Twins to a victory, as they beat the White Sox 5-1 to avoid a series sweep.
Correa hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito to set the tone. In all, the Twins collected six hits off Giolito, a vast improvement from what they accomplished against Saturday starter Dylan Cease, who allowed only one hit at the end of his complete game.
Twins starter Dylan Bundy (8-6 with the win) also brought some stability to the Twins' starting rotation that's dealt with injuries recently. In his five innings, he gave up only two hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
Reliever Michael Fulmer made it a little dicey in the seventh, though. He gave up a double, single and RBI double all with one out to make the score 2-1. Jhoan Duran had to come in to nab the final two outs, assisting Gary Sanchez on a tag out at home and striking out Romy Gonzalez.
But the Twins responded in the eighth, starting with a leadoff single from Max Kepler, who later came home on a wild pitch.
The Twins added more insurance in the ninth from the top of the order with Luis Arraez and Correa smacking a single and a double, respectively, before two runs scored on Jose Miranda's double.
So with that, all of the Twins' RBI on Sunday came from Puerto Ricans. Clearly, that's the Daddy Yankee effect.
The Twins improved to 68-64, while the White Sox fell to 67-67.
