Another walk-off loss: Did the Twins offend Babe Ruth?

Jim McIsaac, Getty Images

Jesse Crain and the Twins suffered another painful loss Sunday after Crain gave up a 10th-inning home run to Johnny Damon (middle).

A third game-ending hit in a row sank the Twins, who suffered similar misery at the old Yankee Stadium.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: May 17, 2009 - 11:03 PM

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N.Y. YANKEES 3, TWINS 2 (10)

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NEW YORK - Sunday was the seven-year anniversary of Ron Gardenhire's first game as Twins manager at Yankee Stadium, and thinking back to May 17, 2002 -- when Jason Giambi hit a 14th-inning walk-off grand slam -- you wonder if Gardenhire did something to offend Babe Ruth in a previous life.

Gardenhire's Twins have seemingly fallen under a Yankee Stadium curse. The Yankees did them the favor of moving across the street, and nothing changed.

If anything it's gotten worse in the new stadium. Before this weekend, the Twins hadn't suffered three walk-off defeats in a row since 1973.

The Yankees hadn't celebrated three consecutive walk-off victories since 1972, but Johnny Damon did the honors Sunday, finishing a 3-2 victory with a 10th-inning home run off Jesse Crain.

"That's probably the toughest three games I've ever been a part of in my whole career," Twins left fielder Denard Span said.

On Friday, Melky Cabrera's two-out, two-run single off Joe Nathan gave the Yankees a 5-4 triumph. On Saturday, Alex Rodriguez smashed a two-run homer off Craig Breslow for a 6-4, 11-inning victory.

Sunday featured a scoreless pitching duel between Kevin Slowey and A.J. Burnett. The Twins scored two off Burnett in the top of the seventh, but the Yankees scored two off Slowey in the bottom of the inning.

When Damon sent Crain's fastball into the second deck in right field, the Yankees improved to 22-3 in regular-season home games against Gardenhire's Twins.

"I've never been a part of three [walk-off defeats] in a row," Gardenhire said. "It's been a little old walking in here on walk-offs. Maybe we can make some adjustments. Guys are busting their tails. We're doing a lot of good things out there except winning baseball games."

The Twins haven't committed an error in 11 games. Their three starting pitchers in this series -- Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn and Slowey -- have combined for a 2.95 ERA. The Twins have 25 hits in the three games, but they are 1-for-25 with runners in scoring position.

"It is amazing," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I've never been part of something like this -- three in a row. There's probably a few more gray hairs on my head after these three."

How does he think Gardenhire feels?

On May 17, 2002, the Twins rallied from five runs down to take a 9-8 lead but gave up a tying ninth-inning homer to Bernie Williams. Then the Twins scored three runs in the top of the 14th before Giambi hit his slam off Mike Trombley.

This series has taken a similar sting and multiplied it by three. And the Twins have to play one more at Yankee Stadium tonight.

"We'll be back [tonight], I'll just tell you that," Gardenhire said. "We don't cry over spilled milk. It's tough, but it's baseball; we play every night. We know we've missed too many opportunities against a team like this, at their ballpark, that's what it's all about."

That, or it's the Curse of the Bambino, Version 2.0.

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