Pagan struck out the only batter he faced Friday, recording his seventh save of the season in a 10-7 win over the Royals.
The Twins were up 10-5 heading into the ninth inning, but after Yennier Cano ran into trouble, Pagan got the call to put out the fire and struck out Nicky Lopez on three pitches. Rookie Jhoan Duran continues to push for ninth-inning work, but Pagan has converted seven of nine save chances on the year with a 2.25 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB through 16 innings.