Yankees advance to ALDS with wild win over Twins
Gregorius, Judge, bullpen lead New York to 1st post-season victory since 2012
Minutes into the playoff debut for these young New York Yankees, they trailed Minnesota by three runs. Their starting pitcher lasted just one out. A sellout crowd was stunned.
Could their postseason be over almost before it began? Nope. A strange AL wild-card game was only just beginning.
"We've had a quite a few games where we've gotten down early," Aaron Judge said. "Just keep battling. Just stay calm. Just play your game, and good things will happen." Judge, Didi Gregorius and a brilliant bullpen rescued New York and lifted the Yankees to their first post-season victory in five years.
Gregorius' three-run homer tied the score in the first inning after Minnesota knocked out Luis Severino, a pumped-up Judge showed his most emotion this season when he hit a two-run shot in his playoff debut and the Yankees beat the Twins 8-4 Tuesday night. New York plays the Indians in a best-of-five Division Series starting Thursday.
"We're not done yet," Judge said. "We've just got to keep it rolling in Cleveland."
Brett Gardner also homered for the Yankees, who chased Ervin Santana after two innings and once again eliminated Minnesota from the playoffs.
Chad Green, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman combined for 8 2/3 innings of one-run, five-hit relief, striking out 13 to tie the postseason record for a bullpen.
"It was just remarkable," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Twins manager Paul Molitor marveled at the Yankees relievers and Girardi's use of them over 142 pitches.
"He extended some guys probably past their comfort zone," the Hall of Famer said. "They still performed."
Brian Dozier led off the game with a home run and Eddie Rosario hit a two-run drive as the Twins burst to a quick lead.
But Santana went to full counts on eight of 11 batters, and he was removed after six outs and 64 pitches with the Twins trailing 4-3.
"It's the exhilaration of jumping out," Molitor said, "and then the deflation of giving it back so quickly."
Minnesota, the first team to follow a 100-loss season with a playoff appearance, lost its 13th consecutive post-season game, tying the record set by Boston from 1986-95. The Twins have been eliminated by the Yankees in five of their last six playoff appearances and have not won a playoff series since 2002.
"Nobody expected us to be here," Byron Buxton said. "That's an amazing achievement."
New York won nine regular-season games after trailing by three runs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau — including when Severino fell behind against the Twins on Sept. 20 as New York rebounded to complete a series sweep. Gregorius erased the deficit in this one four batters into the bottom of the first.
"I was hyped, and I tried to get the game going, tried to get the guys going," he said.
Judge, the 6-foot-7 sensation who set a rookie record with 52 home runs, was given a Ruthian ovation, with several sections of fans holding signs in his honour spelling out "All Rise!" He scored three runs, hitting a single to help ignite the first-inning rally, smoking a 108 mph home run off loser Jose Berrios in the fourth and walking in the seventh before coming home when Alan Busenitz walked Aaron Hicks with the bases loaded.
Judge shouted in excitement as he rounded first base after the homer, his face flush with emotion.
"This place was rocking. It was incredible," he said.