### Minnesota Twins Players Defend Manager Rocco Baldelli Amid Calls for His Firing

Minnesota Twins players stepped up to support manager Rocco Baldelli on Saturday after fans vocalized demands for his dismissal in light of the team’s disheartening end-of-season performance. The Twins, who enjoyed a five-game lead in the American League wild-card standings by mid-August, saw their playoff aspirations crushed following a defeat to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

The Twins were riding high with a 70-53 record as of August 17 but have since plummeted, managing only a 12-26 record thereafter. This disappointing run led frustrated fans at Target Field to chant "Fire Rocco" during recent September games. Despite the backlash, pitcher Bailey Ober defended Baldelli, stating, "I don't think it's super fair to put everything on him. If the players hear [the chants], I don't think anyone's agreeing with that. It's like, seriously, can't you see what's going on? He's not the one at fault for this mishap that happened."

Acknowledging the fans' sentiments, Baldelli said before Saturday's loss to the Orioles that he had heard the "Fire Rocco" chants, but he maintained respect for the Twins' supporters. "That's part of managing a Major League Baseball team," Baldelli remarked. "And I respect the fans. If I'm going to accept that and enjoy that, then I'll also take the criticism when things don't go well."

The Twins, who will finish the season 82-79 and in fourth place in the AL Central, had several mitigating factors for their underperformance. Key injuries to players like shortstop Carlos Correa, outfielder Byron Buxton, ace pitcher Joe Ryan, and third baseman Royce Lewis hindered their campaign. Correa, who missed 53 games due to a foot injury, humbly took blame, noting, "If you have anybody to blame, blame me for going down for two months and not being a part of the team. I think that's one of the main reasons."

Furthermore, Ober expressed that the players, not Baldelli, should bear the brunt of the blame for the team's poor performance. "We're the ones performing out there and didn't get the job done. He's putting out the lineups, and we're trying to do it. I feel like most of the blame should be on the players," Ober stated.

Catcher Ryan Jeffers also supported Baldelli and his coaching staff, despite anticipating offseason changes. "Why we couldn't be consistent? I don't know if that's any staff member's responsibility or fault," Jeffers noted.

Baldelli, who has a managerial record of 457-412 over six years with the Twins, including three division titles, expressed his own frustration over the team's failure to reverse their fortunes this season. "Ultimately, we didn't find it," Baldelli admitted. "We did not find it. That's probably the most frustrating part."

As for concerns about his job security, Baldelli seemed unperturbed, stating he is "never stressed" about his position and remains "fully motivated and enjoy what I do."