Jhoan Duran and the Minnesota Twins celebrate their 11th straight win by taking a group selfie at in 2024.
Welcome to “What’s Happening On This Baseball Card?” where we ask MLB players about the action that photographers capture inside the frame of a particularly iconic-looking baseball card.
The inaugural entry examines card No. 81 from the 2025 Topps Series One set. It’s titled “Say Cheese! Picture-Perfect Play.” Appropriately so.
Back when the Minnesota Twins were still winning games, they sometimes got creative with their postgame celebrations. One in particular caught on during the high points of their 2024 season. The brainchild of catcher Christian Vázquez (aka, “Vázqy”), it involved a few key points.
1) Win the game
2) Somebody grab a Polaroid instant camera
3) Take a retro group selfie
Date: May 3, 2024.
Significance: Minnesota’s 11th straight victory.
Photographer: closer Jhoan Duran.
Lineup: C Ryan Jeffers, SS Carlos Correa, 2B Edouard Julien, 3B Kyle Farmer, 1B Carlos Santana, LF Manuel Margot, CF Willi Castro and RF Max Kepler.
Just out of frame (really!): starting pitcher Chris Paddack, who tossed six shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox. Let the players take it from here.
DURAN: “That’s the first time we used the real camera after the game. I closed out the game, used the camera and took the picture. Everybody was so happy. It was a special moment.”
JEFFERS: “We had a wall with all the pictures near Vázqy’s locker at home. I like anything like this that kind of happens organically, something fun for the team to do together. It kind of brings everyone together. It was one of those celebrations you want to keep doing. But then you start struggling and not winning as much, so when we did win, it was like: ‘Oh, where’s the camera?’ It was cool.”
PADDACK: “I’m just left of Duran there, ready to dab the boys up. So, I’m not in the picture, but I still got to cherish that moment and be there with the guys.”
DURAN: “Coming up in the minor leagues, I never thought about doing anything like this after a game. I didn’t even think I’d be in the majors, because I had a lot of injuries.”
JEFFERS: “It was one of those cool things that caught on for a little while.”
And here’s what’s on the back. A checklist!
PADDACK: “It was one of those baseball superstitions that you do because it was something that was working at the time. You know, with the old-school camera, it’s some funny stuff that pops up through a long season. When you’re winning, you’re gonna keep doing it.”
DURAN: “The guys in the picture, guys like Farmer and Kepler, I miss those guys. They’re good guys, good teammates. Farmer was really fun. Kepler too. He always tried to speak Spanish to me. He was pretty good at it. When he tried to speak Alemán (German), I couldn’t understand a word. And I never tried to speak German. No chance.”
JEFFERS: “That’s how the game works, it’s cyclical. Guys go to other teams. The game is constantly moving. The rosters change and but, you know, there’s always going to be memories and friendships built from that group no matter where they’re at.”
Jhoan Duran with the hold — the Topps card featuring the Twins taking a group selfie in 2024.
DURAN: “It was something fun. After you play and win the game, you do something different. You feel more relaxed and happier. You take that feeling home. You savor the moment. That’s so special, you’ll never forget a moment like that.”
