May 2 (UPI) -- Jonathan Schoop hit the longest home run by a Minnesota Twins player this season, smacking a 465-foot shot in a win over the Houston Astros.
The third inning bomb gave Minnesota a 2-0 edge in what was eventually a 6-2 victory on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Schoop stepped into the batter's box as the Twins' second hitter in the bottom of the third frame. Mitch Garver began the inning by being hit by a pitch from Astros starter Collin McHugh, granting himself a free pass to first base.
McHugh then settled in against the Twins first baseman. Schoop took a ball on the first offering of the exchange, before McHugh fired in an 88.5 mph fastball. Schoop smacked the pitch to deep left center field. The ball flew high over the outfield fence, clearing the first section of seats and the second deck, before landing in the third deck. One lucky fan happened to be standing in the area, among a ton of emtpy seats. He picked up Schoop's ball for a souvenir.
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Schoop's 465-foot blast had an exit velocity of 108 mph and a launch angle of 28 degrees, according to Statcast. It was also the fourth-longest Twins homer since Statcast began tracking long balls in 2015.
"That feels pretty good," Schoop told reporters, according to MLB.com. "I think I hit one longer one, I think it was in '15, like 484 or something in Kansas City, but it's a long time ago that I feel I hit the ball that good. So hopefully I can do it again."
Jorge Polanco hit an RBI single to give Minnesota a 3-0 edge in the third inning. Nelson Cruz added another RBI single in the fifth frame for the Twins. Cruz pushed the score to 5-0 with an RBI double in the eighth inning. C.J. Cron also brought in a run in the fifth frame with a sacrifice fly.
Houston finally got on the board in the ninth inning with RBI singles from Aledmys Diaz and Tyler White.
Schoop was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored in the win. Cruz and Polanco were both 2-for-4 for Minnesota.
The Twins host the Astros in the fourth and final game of the series at 1:10 p.m. Thursday at Target Field.
