Yankees end Twins' playoff hopes

Carl Pavano matched Andy Pettitte in a surprising pitcher’s duel, and Joe Mauer gave the Twins a sixth-inning lead, but Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada homered off Pavano in the seventh, and the Yankees pulled away for a Division Series clinching 4-1 victory.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: October 11, 2009 - 10:39 PM

Only five days earlier in the same building, the Twins were celebrating as unlikely division champions, looking like a team determined to defy all expiration dates.

They had outlasted Detroit in an epic, 12-inning tiebreaker and embraced their underdog role against the Yankees.

But Sunday night, the Twins’ long goodbye to the Metrodome finally ended.

The Yankees advanced to their first AL Championship Series since 2004 and play host to the Angels on Friday.

Just like 2006 against Oakland, it was a three-and-out postseason for the Twins.

This marked the Twins’ ninth consecutive playoff loss.

The Metrodome will long be remembered for helping the Twins win the World Series in 1987 and 1991, but the Twins’ last eight postseason games there were all losses.

Though the Yankees led the majors this year with 103 regular season wins, the 87-win Twins will look back regretfully on this series for all the missed chances.

They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Game 1, and stranded 17 runners on base over 11 innings in Game 2, when Joe Nathan surrendered a game-tying, two-run homer to Rodriguez in the ninth. Game 3 had its wasteful moments, too. Trailing 2-1 in the eighth, the Twins got a leadoff double from Nick Punto and failed to score.

Denard Span followed with a chopper that bounced over the mound for an infield single. But Punto rounded third with a full head of steam, and shortstop Derek Jeter seemed to anticipate an overaggressive play. With Punto charging for home, Jeter calmly bounced a throw to the catcher, Posada.

Punto slammed on the brakes and tried diving back to third, but Posada’s throw beat him easily, and Rodriguez tagged Punto out.

Orlando Cabrera flied out to center against Hughes, and Yankees closer Mariano Rivera shattered Joe Mauer’s bat on an inning-ending ground out.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire opted not to use Nathan to start the ninth inning, even though the Yankees lead meant there would not be a save situation all night.

Ron Mahay, Jon Rauch and Jose Mijares each walked a batter to load the bases before Gardenhire turned to Nathan as the fourth pitcher of the inning. Posada hit an RBI single, and Robinson Cano blooped another RBI single, stretching the lead to 4-1.

Earlier, the game belonged to Pavano and Pettitte, who traded zeros for five innings.

Mauer’s two-out RBI single in the sixth gave the Twins a 1-0 lead, but all his early brilliance, Pavano couldn’t hold it. He retired Mark Teixeira to start the seventh, but Rodriguez followed with a game-tying homer. After falling behind in the count 0-2, Rodriguez worked it full, and smashed the seventh pitch of the at-bat off the folded up football seats beyond the baggie.

Before the final pitch of the at-bat, Pavano shook off several signs from Mauer, and then challenged Rodriguez with a fastball. The pitch was on the outside corner, but thigh-high, and Rodriguez showed the strength he has to the opposite field.

Pavano struck out Matsui -- setting a new Twins postseason record with his ninth K -- but Posada followed with another opposite-field home run, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. That home run came on a 1-0 pitch, a low fastball, that Posada hit into the first row beyond the left-field wall.

Later, after the Jeter threw to first base for the final out, and the Yankees went through a muted celebration on the field, fans left the stadium quietly. Nathan walked out to the Metrodome mound, one last time, and scooped up some dirt. On this night, a keepsake had to do.

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