Jim Thome homered in the 12th inning to break up a scoreless game and give the Twins a 1-0 win in a pitchers’ duel with the Indians in the middle test of a three-game series.
Thome, who sat out the previous two games with a mild abdominal strain, took Justin Germano (0-2) deep to center field for his 23rd home run of the season. The tape-measure blast moved the slugger past Frank Robinson into eighth place on the all-time home run list with 587.
Matt Guerrier (4-7) was credited with the win after retiring three straight Indians with two runners on in the 11th. Matt Capps was perfect the next frame for his 12th save.
The AL Central-leading Twins now lead the second-place White Sox by six games.