The Yankees are moving on to face the Indians.
The Minnesota Twins (85-77) and New York Yankees (91-77) battled it out on Tuesday in the Bronx as both teams looked to extend their season in the winner take all American League Wild Card Game. Things started off with a bang for the Twins as leadoff hitter Brian Dozier hit a homerun to left-center field off of Yankees starter Luis Severino. Third baseman Todd Frazier made a diving catch off the tarp to secure the first out. Severino’s struggles didn’t end there however, as he walked Jorge Polanco and then gave up a two run homerun to Eddie Rosario to put the Yankees down by three early. After giving up a single and a double to Eduardo Escobar and Mex Kepler respectively, Yankees manager Joe Girardi had seen enough from Servino (29 pitches), going to Chad Green with just one out in the top of the first inning. Green quickly took control and struck out Byron Buxton and Jason Castro to send it to the bottom of the first.
Twins starter Ervin Santana took the mound in the bottom of the first with a 3-0 lead for his Twins, but that lead quickly evaporated away to nothing. After a leadoff walk by Brett Gardner, and a single to center field by Yankees’ rookie Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius hit the second home run of the game to tie the game 3-3. Santana stayed in the game and closed out the first inning, after getting a flyout to center by Starlin Castro, issuing a walk to Greg Bird, and then getting a groundout to second by Aaron Hicks. Santana finished the bottom of the first with 41 pitches.
The top of the second inning proved to be much quieter as Green continued his work for the Yankees. It was three up, three down after back to back strikeouts to Robbie Grossman and Brian Dozier, and then a flyout by Joe Mauer.
The Twins had control in the bottom of the second as Santana got two outs from Jacoby Ellsbury and Todd Frazier to Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, who made a nice play leaping against the wall for the second out. Santana was not lucky enough to make it out of the inning unscathed however, as Brett Gardner hit a solo home run to give the Bronx Bombers the lead in the bottom of the second. Aaron Judge ended the inning with a groundout to first. Santana’s night was over, as both starters were now out of the game after two innings.
Chad Green came back out to try to preserve his team’s one run lead in the top of the third, but the Twins came out ready to strike back. After giving up a single to Jorge Polanco and a walk to Eddie Rosario, he managed to get a flyout to center from Eduardo Escobar, but his night was close to over. After giving up yet another walk to Max Kepler to leave the bases loaded with one out, Girardi had to call on his bullpen for the second time in 3 innings. To take his place, Girardi called David Robertson to take the mound. Put in a tough situation, Robertson manages to get a groundout by Byron Buxton to get Max Kepler out at second, but Polanco scores to tie up the game. Buxton steals 2nd, but Robertson gets Jason Castro to strikeout to end the inning.
Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor puts in Jose Berrios in the bottom of the third, but Lady Luck was not smiling down upon him, as he gave up a double to Gary Sanchez shortly after starting the inning. He gained momentum shortly after striking out both Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro, but a double to right field by Greg Bird to gives the Yankees the lead once again. Aaron Hicks got an infield single, but the Yankees were sent to defend their lead once again after Jacoby Ellsbury hit a foul out to end the inning.
Minnesota came out hoping to tie the game up in the top of the 4th, but after a flyout to center field by Robbie Grossman, and a single by Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer grounded out into an inning ending double play.
The Twins took the field without Byron Buxton, who appeared to have been injured on the leaping out in the bottom of the second, and instead have Zack Granite. Buxton’s absence was a non-factor, as all attention was on Aaron Judge in the bottom of the fourth inning. Judge decided it was a good time to hit a 384 foot home run after Brett Gardner hit a line drive single the at-bat prior. Todd Frazier struck out to begin the inning, but the Yankees added some insurance to their lead, putting them up 7-4. Berrios gets a groundout by Sanchez and a flyout from Gregorius to end the inning.
The Yankees keep chugging along in the top of the fifth inning, as Roberson got both Polanco and Rosario to strike out swinging. A single by Escobar was the lone hit by the Twins in the top of the fifth as Max Kepler pops out to end the inning.
Berrios and the Twins start to gain some momentum defensively as Starlin Castro pops out to Joe Mauer, Greg Bird strikes out, and Aaron Hicks pops out to Eduardo Escobar to end the fifth inning, and complete the only inning where neither team managed to score.
Robertson continues to push for the win as the Twins come up to bat in the sixth. After letting up a leadoff single to Buxton’s replacement, Zack Granite, Robertson strikes out both Castro and Grossman. Robertson convinces Girardi to let him to try and finish the inning after the Yankees skipper comes out and has a talk with him, but after Robertson gives a walk to Dozier, Girardi decides Robertson’s career high three and a-third inning outing is over. Tommy Kahnle came in to finish out the inning, as Joe Mauer hit a long fly-out to left fielder Brett Gardner to end the top of the sixth.
Although Jose Berrios handed the Yankees their first scoreless inning of the game in the fifth, Molitor went back to the bullpen in the sixth, this time selecting Trevor Hildenberger to try and keep the Yankees lead to 7-4. That he did, getting Ellsbury out on a grounder to second, Frazier on a fly ball to right, and Gardner on a groundout to third.
As the Twins came up to bat in the seventh inning, Kahnle made quick work of them, sending two balls to Brett Gardner from Polanco and Rosario to quickly give the Twins two outs. Eduardo Escobar earned the third out for his team as he hit a groundout to second to end the inning.
Hildenberger comes back out for the Twins as Aaron Judge leads off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. Things don’t get much better for Minnesota, as a Gary Sanchez single turns into runners on second and third with no outs due to a throwing error by Eddie Rosario. Hildenberger intentionally walks Gregorius, who already had a three-run home run on the night. Castro flies out to right field to get the first out of the half inning, but Hildenberger gets pulled with the bases loaded and one out. Taylor Rogers comes into the game to get one out for the Twins as he strikes out Greg Bird, and then Molitor goes back to his bullpen and puts in Alan Busenitz, who walks Aaron Hicks to score Aaron Judge and give the Yankees an 8-4 lead. Jacoby Ellsbury finally ends the inning with a flyout to left field.
The Yankees are six outs from moving on to the ALDS, and the Twins don’t put up much of a fight getting them 3 outs closer to their goal. Max Kepler pops up to Todd Frazier to get the first out, and then Zack Granite grounds out to second on what should have been a reach on an error. Kahnle, covering first, dropped the ball thrown by second baseman Greg Bird, but because Granite completely missed the bag, Castro was able to make a heads-up play and pick up the ball and tag Granite before he made it back to first. Hoping to jumpstart the offense, Minnesota puts in Ehire Adrianza to pinch hit, but it was all for naught, as Adrianza strikes out to end the top of the 8th.
After making some defensive changes, the Twins try and hold the Yankees lead to four in the bottom of the eighth. With Matt Belisle on the mound, the Yankees have a 3-up 3-down inning as Todd Frazier grounds out, and both Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge fly out to right and center field respectively.
Needing nothing short of a miracle, the Twins send Robbie Grossman up to the plate to try and catch up to the Yankees 8-4 lead. With Aroldis Chapman on the mound, that is a near impossible task. Chapman gets a strikeout from Grossman and Dozier to bring the Yankees one out away from winning the Wild Card game. A single from Joe Mauer keeps the Twins hopes of advancing on life support, but the plug is quickly pulled on Minnesota’s season as Jorge Polanco strikes out swinging to end the Twins season.
The final score for the game was Yankees 8, Twins 4.
David Robertson gets the win as Jose Berrios takes the loss.
Both starters went a combined 2.1 innings.
The Yankees will move on to face the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS.
