Yankees Sweep Twins

NFL News - October 12th, 2009 - Written by John

The Minnesota Twins were used to this. They had played from behind all season, becoming the first team ever to force a one-game playoff after trailing by three games with four left. Then they rallied twice, down one run late in that playoff game to beat the Detroit Tigers.
But in none of those comebacks were the Yankees involved, and the Twins could do nothing to stop the AL East Champs this entire week, falling for the third straight time (and 10th overall this season). Alex Rodriguez tied the game with a solo shot in the seventh inning and Jorge Posada followed him two batters later with a game-winning home run to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-1 win on Sunday.

It has been a tumultuous year for Rodriguez, starting the season with steroid admissions and an agonizing public break-up with his wife. He had been hammered for his playoff ineptitude, going 0 for his last 27. But baseball's richest man earned his salary in the series for the first time of his career, nearly matching his career playoff numbers in one week. He had six RBI after having nine from 2004-07, and hit .455 after a .265 average in that span. Both of his home runs tied games against the Twins, hitting a crushing two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to win game two, then making it a 1-1 game yesterday.

“I knew that I couldn’t change all the 0-for-4s, 0-for-5s and all the guys I left on base,” said Rodriguez. “I’m content right now, both on and off the field.”

“The most impressive thing? He hit home runs when we needed him to,” Jeter said. “He’s been doing it all year really. He’s been seeing the ball well the whole year.”

It was old faces like Jeter that helped the Yankees sweep the Twins. Posada gave the Yankees the lead after Rodriguez's homer, Andy Pettitte got the win and Mariano Rivera slammed the door.

“Up and down, there’s no room to breathe,” Twins first baseman Michael Cuddyer said on Yahoo! Sports. “That’s why they spent all that money in the offseason, for this time of year.”

They benefited from a mind-boggling base running error by Nick Punto in the eighth inning, which turned no outs with runners on the corners to one out and a man on first. Punto was on second after doubling to start the inning and took off to third when Denard Span chopped a grounder up the middle. Punto said he heard the crowd cheering, which he thought meant the ball squirted through. It didn't. Instead they were cheering the fact that Jeter was not going to have a play at first after snaring the ball. But it was too late for Punto, who rounded third and began his race to home. Jeter calmy threw the ball to Posada at the plate, putting Punto in a pickle. He was too late getting back to third and Posada threw a strike to Rodriguez to kill the momentum.

It wasted a terrific performance by Carl Pavano, who was pitching against his former team in the playoffs for the first time. He struck out nine, a Twins playoff record, in seven innings.

The Yankees then added two more runs in the ninth on bloop singles by Posada and Robinson Cano and the Twins couldn't muster any momentum off the deadly trio of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Rivera.

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