Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan had one of the franchise's best pitching performances in recent memory Thursday afternoon. Ryan tossed a complete-game shutout in the Twins' 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. It had been more than five years since a Minnesota pitcher threw a complete game or a shutout.

Joe Ryan was utterly dominant against the Red Sox. The Twins' pitcher surrendered three hits and no walks in nine stress-free innings. Ryan struck out nine batters. Of Ryan's 112 pitches, 83 were strikes. He threw a first-pitch strike to two-thirds of the batters that he faced.

Following Thursday's brilliant performance, Ryan has a 2.98 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 15 starts. No pitcher had thrown a complete-game shutout against the Red Sox since Sean Manaea no-hit Boston on April 21, 2018.

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Ryan wasn't the only player who made a bit of history in the victory. Byron Buxton became the first player in the Statcast era (since 2015) to hit a pair of home runs in the same game that traveled at least 460 feet.

The Twins beat the Red Sox for a second straight game to split the four-game series. Minnesota has rebounded from a stretch of five losses in six games, holding onto its lead atop the AL Central.

The Twins are one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for first place. With a .500 record, Minnesota is the only team in the division that doesn't have a losing record.

Ryan and Minnesota's pitching staff have led the way while the Twins' lineup has failed to meet expectations. Sonny Gray is an early 2023 AL Cy Young candidate with a 2.56 ERA in 15 starts. Bailey Ober has pitched to a 2.83 ERA in 11 starts.