Yanks comeback in seventh to sweep Twins, advance to ALCS
MINNEAPOLIS – To win in the playoffs, not only do you have to have a good team, but also incredibly timely hits and it doesn’t hurt to have a little luck on your side.
For the Yankees, they have all of it going right now.
The team with the best record in baseball in the regular season did what they were expected to do in their AL Division Series, dispatching the Minnesota, sweeping them in three games. For the 52nd time this year, they rallied from a deficit. With the help of some bad Twins decisions on the bases, and several clutch hits, the Yankees advanced to the AL Championship Series.
In the final baseball game ever to be played in the Metrodome, the Yankees turned out the lights with a 4-1 victory, sweeping the Twins in three games in front of 54,735 and will now face the Los Angeles Angels starting Friday needing four more wins to advance to their first World Series since 2003.
Early on, it did not appear as if this would be case. As AJ Burnett and Nick Blackburn did in Game 2 on Friday, both starters Andy Pettitte and former Yankee Carl Pavano were engaged in another duel were scoring was going to come at a premium.
Through the first four innings, Pettitte did not give up a hit and struck out five. Michael Cuddyer got the first Twins hit to begin the fifth inning; however, he was forced out at second when a ball hit by Jason Kubel was skipped through the glove of Robinson Cano that should have been an error into right field. Nick Swisher fielded and fired to second to nail Cuddyer for the out.
Pavano was on his game from the outset. His sinker had tremendous bite and his changeup was dancing down and away, leading to feeble swings from Yankee hitters over the first six innings.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Twins plated the games first run. With two outs and no one on, Denard Span singled followed by a walk to Orlando Cabrera. Joe Mauer would take a first pitch outside fastball and singled through the left side for a base hit, scoring Span for a 1-0 lead and the Yankees down to their final nine outs.
MINNEAPOLIS – To win in the playoffs, not only do you have to have a good team, but also incredibly timely hits and it doesn’t hurt to have a little luck on your side.
For the Yankees, they have all of it going right now.
The team with the best record in baseball in the regular season did what they were expected to do in their AL Division Series, dispatching the Minnesota, sweeping them in three games. For the 52nd time this year, they rallied from a deficit. With the help of some bad Twins decisions on the bases, and several clutch hits, the Yankees advanced to the AL Championship Series.
In the final baseball game ever to be played in the Metrodome, the Yankees turned out the lights with a 4-1 victory, sweeping the Twins in three games in front of 54,735 and will now face the Los Angeles Angels starting Friday needing four more wins to advance to their first World Series since 2003.
Early on, it did not appear as if this would be case. As AJ Burnett and Nick Blackburn did in Game 2 on Friday, both starters Andy Pettitte and former Yankee Carl Pavano were engaged in another duel were scoring was going to come at a premium.
Through the first four innings, Pettitte did not give up a hit and struck out five. Michael Cuddyer got the first Twins hit to begin the fifth inning; however, he was forced out at second when a ball hit by Jason Kubel was skipped through the glove of Robinson Cano that should have been an error into right field. Nick Swisher fielded and fired to second to nail Cuddyer for the out.
Pavano was on his game from the outset. His sinker had tremendous bite and his changeup was dancing down and away, leading to feeble swings from Yankee hitters over the first six innings.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Twins plated the games first run. With two outs and no one on, Denard Span singled followed by a walk to Orlando Cabrera. Joe Mauer would take a first pitch outside fastball and singled through the left side for a base hit, scoring Span for a 1-0 lead and the Yankees down to their final nine outs.
It has been in the Division Series round the last three times where the Yankees have experienced their most heartbreak.
In 2005, they saw outfielders Bubba Crosby and Gary Sheffield collide near the wall in right center on a fly ball, seeing their season crash with it.
In 2006, former Yankee Kenny Rogers pitched the best game of his career in Game 3 in Detroit, sending the Yankees into a tailspin where their season ended the next day.
In 2007, midges coming from Lake Erie descended upon Joba Chamberlain in the eighth inning of Game 2 at Jacobs Field, distracting him while he attempting to hold a 1-0 lead in a game the Indians would comeback and win.
Now here they were, in the seventh inning of Game 3 in The Metrodome, trailing 1-0 in the seventh inning against Carl Pavano, dubbed “American Idle” for his lack of performance during four years with the Yankees. The man had collected more injuries than victories, and was now shutting the vaunted New York offense down to only three hits and very few good swings off the pitcher GM Brian Cashman had coveted after the 3-0 collapse in 2004 against the Red Sox.
A loss would be brought back memories to these prior failures, but perhaps this really is completely different Yankee team, ignorant of previous failures.
Mark Teixeira grounded out for the first out of the seventh inning and Alex Rodriguez came up and worked the count full. On the 3-2 pitch, Rodriguez hammered a sinker over the famed Baggie in right center for a game-tying homerun, his second of the series. After Hideki Matsui struck out, Jorge Posada to another Pavano sinker, this time on a 1-0 pitch, and sent it over the wall in left to give the Yankees a 2-1 advantage needing to get nine more defensive outs.
Pavano had pitched the game of his life, but was now on the wrong end of the score. In seven innings, he struck out nine, giving up only those runs and five hits.
Pettitte would strike out Kubel swinging for the first out and Manager Joe Girardi took the ball from his veteran left-hander. Perhaps it was a quick hook as Pettitte was only at 81 pitches, giving up only three hits and a run, walking one and striking out seven.
Joba Chamberlain would come into the game for the third time in the series and got the final two outs after giving up a double to Delmon Young, striking out Jose Morales to end the seventh.
Phil Hughes started the eighth inning and quickly gave up a double to left center by Nick Punto. Span came up and hit a chopper up the middle that appeared as if it would go into center for a hit. Instead, Derek Jeter cut the ball off and held it for a moment as Punto was rounding third and threw home. Punto was given the stop signal from this third base coach, but was caught in between third and home as he momentarily slipped. Getting back up, he attempted to return to third, but Posada made a strong throw to Rodriguez at third to nail Punto for the first out.
Cabrera flied out and Mariano Rivera came in to face Joe Mauer, who was to induce a broken bat grounder to Teixeira at first to end the inning.
In the ninth, Teixeira, Rodriguez and Matsui each drew a walk with one to load the bases against three Twins relievers. Joe Nathan was brought in as the fourth pitcher of the inning, and Posada would lace a single to right to make it 3-1. Another single by Robinson Cano extended the lead to three, giving Rivera more than enough insurance.
Brendan Harris would ground out to Jeter at short for the final out of the game as the Yankees finally were able to celebrate winning a postseason series, something they have not be to do since beating the Twins in the Division Series back in 2004. For the season, they went 10-0 against the team from the Twin Cities, who will now begin playing their games at Target Field beginning in 2009.
For the Yankees, they will continue playing baseball. They will have nearly five days of rest before taking on the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night, and a berth in the World Series at stake in this best-of-seven series.
The first two games will be a Yankee Stadium, the next three in Anaheim, and if necessary, Game 6 and 7 back at home. CC Sabathia will start for the Yankees and John Lackey for the Angels.
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