Woodbury native Max Meyer returns to Target Field as the Marlins’ starter, seeking a crucial road victory at the ballpark where he once starred for the Golden Gophers.
Wednesday’s game between the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins will be a homecoming for RHP Max Meyer.
The 27-year-old hurler is set to make his first career start in his home state and at the ballpark he grew up 20 miles from. Meyer grew up in Woodbury, Minn. He had an opportunity to sign with his hometown team after being selected by the Twins out of high school in the 34th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
Meyer turned the Twins down and played three seasons of college ball in between the Twin Cities at the University of Minnesota. During junior season at Minnesota, Meyer was named a 2020 All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and 2020 Academic All-Big Ten in addition to the Big Ten’s Most Impressive Pitcher for the 2020 season by D1Baseball. He entered college as a 34th-round draft pick and left as the Marlins’ first-round pick in the 2020 Draft.
While this is his first start in Minnesota as a big leaguer, it is not his first start at Target Field. Meyer pitched three times at the home of the Twins as a member of the Golden Gophers. In three relief appearances, Meyer earned two saves with two runs allowed on eight hits as well as four walks and four strikeouts.
Meyer is looking to continue his improvement on the road. Over 15 career starts away from Miami, Meyer has posted a 2-6 record with a 5.23 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. His most recent road start was a step in the right direction, as he allowed only one unearned run with five strikeouts in five innings against the San Francisco Giants on April 26.
Meyer went five innings with two runs allowed on six hits with five strikeouts in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on May 7 for his most recent start. Meyer leads the Marlins with a 2.79 ERA and is eight strikeouts from tying Eury Pérez for the team lead.
Meyer will have a more improved bullpen behind him with the return of closer Pete Fairbanks from the injured list. Fairbanks who left the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers with nerve irritation in his thumb on April 27.
The Twins were coming off a rough stretch in which they lost 16 of their previous 21 games, before turning around a three-game winning streak. Minnesota defeated Miami 3-0 on Tuesday off the back of a two-hit shutout by Bailey Ober.
The Twins send right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, who is looking for his first win of the season. He is currently 0-5 with a 6.92 ERA leading up to his ninth start of 2026.
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