Twins put celebration on ice

Minnesota pieced together a victory over the AL East leaders, whose lead shrank to two games with three to play.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: September 27, 2007 - 11:07 PM

BOSTON - The Red Sox had the champagne chilled and Fenway Park packed to the gills Thursday, with all New England ready to celebrate the team's first division title since 1995.

But the Yankees didn't cooperate, and neither did the surprisingly spunky Twins.

The Red Sox started 20-game winner Josh Beckett, got four hits from David (Big Papi) Ortiz and warmed up closer Jonathan Papelbon, who graces this week's cover of Sports Illustrated.

The Twins countered with Boof Bonser, Garrett Jones and Joe Nathan -- not exactly household names in Red Sox Nation -- and still came away with a hard-fought 5-4 victory.

Boston's magic number to clinch the AL East title remained at two, as the Yankees defeated Tampa Bay 3-1.

"This is our playoffs," Nathan said.

Indeed, the Twins will have no part in the postseason for only the second time in six years, but on this night, they showed some of their old mettle.

Manager Ron Gardenhire turned to Nathan in the eighth inning for a rare four-out save.

Braving the rain, with runners at first and third, Nathan got Rookie of the Year candidate Dustin Pedroia to pop up, ending that threat.

But the drama was just beginning.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, bringing Boston's 385th consecutive sellout crowd to its feet, before Nathan fanned Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis to end it.

"As I've said before, [Nathan] kind of flies under the radar as a closer," Gardenhire said. "But he's pretty good. We've seen that a lot; we just haven't been able to get him the ball enough."

Nathan has 36 saves, but this was only the third that required more than three outs.

Gardenhire felt this game was too good to let slip away.

Bonser (8-12) needed 39 pitches to get through the first inning but made it through five with a 5-3 lead.

A key moment for the Twins came in the second, when Michael Cuddyer hit a leadoff home run off Beckett (20-7).

The Red Sox had just taken a 2-1 first-inning lead, and after that ugly first inning, the Twins looked overmatched.

But Cuddyer's blast sailed over the Green Monster, over the Monster seats and onto Landsdowne Street.

It was an early sign the Twins weren't going to be mere props for Boston's celebration.

After the Twins went ahead 4-2, Ortiz hit a towering home run to open Boston's fifth, his 34th of the season. But Jones countered with an epic home run of his own in the sixth, hitting a ball about seven rows deep behind the center field wall, making it 5-3.

"[Beckett] supplied the power," Jones said after his second career home run.

Varitek's home run off Matt Guerrier trimmed the Twins' lead to 5-4 in the eighth, and when the Red Sox got back-to-back singles with two outs, Gardenhire summoned Nathan.

"We haven't had a lot to cheer about lately," Gardenhire said. "So this was a big one for us."

Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com

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