Yankees Win Against Twins Makes Them 2-0
At the Yankees stadium Thursday evening, the New York Yankees won against the Minnesota Twins elongating the Twins postseason losing streak, as they haven’t won a postseason game since 2004, roughly six years now. They are tying for second place in postseason
losses with the Philadelphia Phillies, yet not as many as the Boston Red Sox.
Using the home field to their advantage, the Yankees are starting their best-of-five division series undefeated, with a 5-2 victory over the Twins.
Andy Pettitte, the Yankees pitcher, and the rest of the defending World Series champions, stumbled through September but are walking steadily through October, and can hardly be considered the underdogs this month.
Yankees manager, Joe Girardi stated in a press release that “Andy, when he gets in big situations, he knows how to handle it. He's not going to try to make the perfect pitch. He's going to stay aggressive and just try to do what he does. And I think a lot
of that is just from experience."
Along with Pettitte, pitcher Mariano Rivera also saved the game with his three outs, extending his record for postseason outs to 41. Lance Berkman, another big-name veteran, had two big hits, one which made the score 2-1 after a drive to the left-center
in the fifth, and the other in the seventh, after a disputed call, with a double, making it 3-2, to the Yankees. The seventh inning hit allowed Jorge Posada to score the run.
In the seventh, Pavano seemed to have snuck strike three past Berkman, one pitch before his double, and the call by the umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, led to the ejection of Twins Manager, Ron Gardenhire.
Twins pitcher, Carl Pavano, allowed ten hits and four runs in his six innings. Many fans were discouraged, sporting fluffy black stick-on moustaches in honor of Pavano. He had started tough, but by the fourth, the Yanks were confident on the ball, and really
caused a grimace from him in the seventh.
Shortstop, Derek Jeter had a single to make the score 4-2, and Curtis Granderson scored the Yankees’ first run and came up for three more hits. Before Orlando Hudson’s hit in the sixth tied the score at 2-2, Pettitte had retired 12 subsequently. He allowed
four hits and two runs in the seven innings, with only 88 pitches. Pettitte struck out four batters and allowed one walk.
Although Pavano seemed quite poised during his pitches, Pettitte was always a step ahead. Pettite mentioned the day before the game that, even though his approach was the same this month, these games simply feel different to him. With 41 career postseason
starts and 19 wins, a MLB record, he would be one to remember, being one of the Yankee’s infamous Core Four.
Since 2003, the Twins record against the Yankees fell to 2-11, and even though Gardenhire told his team that this was a “do-or-die” game, they still seem to have died. Even after the 1987 and 1991 World Series wins, the Twins have disappointed their fans
with 10 straight postseason losses.
In their previous seven postseason games against the Yankees, all of which they lost, the Twins always got a head start. But not long after, the Yankees would always get ahead, resulting in no comeback victories in their last 22 postseason games, since 2002.
Minnesota’s bottom four batters combined for 0 for 10, even with Danny Valencia’s sacrifice fly in the seconds.
The Yankees have remained undefeated in postseason games in Minnesota, although Jason Kubel, right fielder for the Twins says, “We've got to stay within ourselves and play good baseball. Some day it will turn out. Just hopefully sooner rather than later.”
Hopefully Jason… Hopefully…
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