Indians outslug Saints, Rafael Flores Jr. blasts 466-foot homer in 7-5 win

The St. Paul Saints did enough damage at the plate to keep pace, but Indianapolis did more with its long balls and did it in the right spots. The Indians beat St. Paul 7-5 at Victory Field, getting three home runs of their own and a bullpen finish that erased the impact of the Saints’ power night.

Nick Cimillo started the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning, and Ronny Simon stretched the lead with a three-run blast in the fourth. Rafael Flores Jr. put the biggest swing of the night on top of it, launching a 466-foot homer that matched the longest shot tracked at Victory Field since 2023 and, at the time, ranked as the third-longest home run in professional baseball this season. Six of Indianapolis’ seven runs came against Saints starter Mike Paredes, who took the loss and fell to 0-1.

St. Paul answered with four runs in the fifth inning, all coming on a pair of two-run homers, but that was as close as the visitors got. Indianapolis relievers Joe La Sorsa and Beau Burrows kept the Saints from turning that inning into a full comeback, with La Sorsa earning the win and Burrows closing it out for the save. The difference was not just power, but sequencing and run prevention: Indianapolis scored when the game was still tilting, then kept St. Paul from cashing in after its own burst.

The win gave Indianapolis its first series-opening victory of 2026 and moved the club to 7-15, while St. Paul fell to 9-12. It also came at Victory Field, where the Indians have played since 1996 and where the club is in its 124th season and 30th year at the ballpark. The next game in the set was scheduled for April 22 at 6:05 p.m., with Hunter Barco slated to start for Indianapolis and Andrew Bash listed for St. Paul.