Wallner sets Saints Triple-A home run record in win over Mud Hens

Matt Wallner turned a routine Triple-A series finale into a franchise marker, launching his 49th home run as a Saint and lifting St. Paul to a 6-1 win over the Toledo Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field. The blast did more than add a number to the record book: it reinforced that Wallner is producing at a level that keeps pressing his case for Minnesota, where the Twins still have power needs to fill in the corner-outfield and designated hitter mix.

Wallner’s three-run homer in the third inning gave the Saints the breathing room they needed and pushed him past Chris Williams for the most home runs in St. Paul’s Triple-A history. David Bañuelos and Kyler Fedko helped set the table before the swing, and Gabby Gonzalez added another homer shortly after to widen the gap. Aaron Rozek handled the rest, delivering the kind of steady, run-prevention outing that let the offense’s early burst control the night from start to finish.

The milestone came one night after Wallner had tied the mark with his 48th Saints homer, a two-run shot on June 12. He broke it on June 13, and the pace has been eye-opening: 49 home runs in 826 at-bats for St. Paul, or one every 16.86 at-bats. His latest long ball was also his eighth since the Twins sent him back to Triple-A, a reminder that his power has not just held up in St. Paul, it has become the centerpiece of the lineup.

There is still a bigger franchise record above him. Ole Sheldon owns the organization’s all-time home run mark with 67, set during the independent-league era, so Wallner now stands alone only in the Saints’ Triple-A chapter. Even so, passing Williams carries real weight. Williams had been the benchmark for years, first as the Triple-A career home run leader and later as the owner of the Saints’ single-season standard at 44 before Wallner moved beyond that territory.

The win gave St. Paul four straight and closed out the Toledo swing with momentum, but the larger story is Wallner’s trajectory. A player who would rather be driving balls for the Twins is still forcing the issue in St. Paul, and nights like this make that conversation harder to avoid.