With their 4-1 win over Minnesota on Monday night, the Yankees laid to rest one of baseball's greatest monstrosities, the Metrodome, and in doing so, ended the Twins season in dominating fashion.
Minnesota was 0-10 against the Yankees in the regular season and fared no better in the postseason — even after their dramatic win against Detroit — losing three straight games in the first round broom-job.
For the Yankees it was business as usual this season, with the entire lineup contributing nightly, the pitching staff all coming through with strong outings, and the bullpen maintaining it's nearly air-tight grip on the last three innings of every ball games.
The subplot of Alex Rodriguez's playoff redemption continued Sunday as well. His solo shot in the top of the seventh tied the game at 1-1, giving him back-to-back playoff games with a home run and yet another crucial hit in a clutch situation for the Yanks in the series. While he could obviously still fall apart against the Angels and ruin the whole story line he has tailored thus far, his .455/2 HR/6 RBI numbers against Minnesota seem like ostendibly strong indicators that A-Rod may finally have conquered his playoff-phobia or whatever mental condition it was that fueled his postseason futility since the Boston series in 2004.
The rest of this series-clinching victory had a familiar ring to it and can be attributed nearly entirely to the "old guard." Jorge Posada added his own dinger in the top of the seventh to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead and he latter padded that lead with a ninth inning single that scored Mark Teixeira.
Starter Andy Pettitte tossed 6 1/3 strong innings for the win, allowing only one run on three hits while striking out seven. This win was his 15th playoff victory, tying him for most all time with John Smoltz. He also became the all-time leader for postseason innings pitched.
Article comments
1 - Charlie Doherty
Given the 5-5 season series split between the Angels and Yankees, I'm banking on this ALCS being the first truly competitive AL playoff series of 2009. It should go at least six, if not seven-games.
Hopefully the spirit of Nick Adenhart will continue to help Anaheim overcome any obstacles that face it and keep the Yankees out of another World Series - how else to explain how the Angels convincingly swept the Red Sox? Oh that's right, no hitting (until Game 3), and the collapse of the best bullpen in baseball (at the end of Game 3). Oh well. As they say in Boston, there's always next year.
2 - Tony
First off the Yankees' haven't been to World Series in a long time so say "another" is misleading.
Also I kind of have an issue with Boston have "the best bullpen." Papplebon is obviously no Rivera and I'll take Hughes and Aceves over anything Boston's got. Hell, even Dave Robertson was lights out, getting out of that bases loaded, no out, jam.
3 - Minderbinder
The Yankees starting rotation is running on all cylinders and A-rod has figured out how to play in October. There is no possible way the Yankees don't win it all this year.
4 - Tony
I agree but something about the Angels really worries me. They always seem to have the Yankees' number although this is a much different Yankees' team than those that lost (what was it 3?) ALCSs to Anaheim.