Long-time Mariner Ty France finds good fit in Minnesota

SEATTLE This weekend s return to Seattle brought back a lot of different emotions for Ty France who played for the Mariners for parts of five seasons and was an all-star during his time in Seattle but didn t quite have the ending he would have hoped France struggled struggled last season and was eventually designated for assignment before a deal to the Cincinnati Reds in July He returned this weekend in a much better place and was welcomed back with a tribute video on Friday after which he tipped his helmet to an applause from the crowd He then went out and collected four hits in the series against the Mariners I m having a lot more fun This contest is hard You go through a bunch of waves France commented Obviously how things ended here kind of not that it wasn t ready for my time to end here but kind of felt like it was ripped away Didn t really get the closure and ending that I longed but coming here to Minnesota getting this opportunity to play here it s been a great ride France s numbers took a dive last year in response partially he s explained in the past from getting lost in the mechanical aspect He also suffered a right heel fracture during the season which did nothing to help matters It wasn t the first time he hadn t had success but it was the first time I failed that bad he declared His wife Maggie and one-year-old son Luka and his life off the field ended up being what helped him enjoy the tournament more on the field It kind of shows you how little this is compared to life Having them around we have our two dogs too he commented The off the field stuff has made me really appreciate the on the field stuff Signed to a non-guaranteed contract France made a strong impression this spring and has posted up nearly every day at first base this season for the Twins It s a small sample size but he s been particularly good with two outs and runners in scoring position and in late and close situations for the Twins and has fit in seamlessly He s been a stabilizing presence in our lineup He s put good at-bats together manager Rocco Baldelli commented He s been great in our clubhouse with his teammates He s got really good character and charisma He s been everything we could hope for Lee gives thanks to Correa The last thing Carlos Correa longed to do was get ejected on Saturday During the seventh inning of Saturday s meeting the shortstop was tossed by home-plate umpire Austin Jones from the on-deck circle He didn t think it would ever happen in his career and wasn t looking forward to having to explain the situation to his young sons Kylo and Kenzo I understand the situation of the competition I understand that I cannot get thrown out so I m never going to disrespect an umpire I m never going to say anything that would make them want to throw me out Correa disclosed I ve also got my kids watching every event so the last thing I want to do is go home and have to explain what happened but we move on At the very least his actions were appreciated by Brooks Lee who was at the plate and had just had two questionable strikes called on him right before the ejection I stated Thank you Lee explained He mentioned It s the first time I ve ever been tossed so you know I love you Briefly Royce Lewis hit ninth on Sunday amid a slump that has seen him go for He is hitless since May and was removed for Lee who pinch hit for him in the eighth inning The Twins will now head to Sacramento to take on the Athletics in their temporary park The ballpark is typically used for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats Joe Ryan is scheduled to start Related Articles Chris Paddack s dominant start goes for naught in Twins loss to Mariners Twins rally then fall in Seattle after Carlos Correa Rocco Baldelli ejected Cory Franklin The lessons of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the MLB s rewriting of history Matt Wallner s return means Twins have nearly full group healthy Twins come back to oust Mariners in one of the best wins in current memory