Jake Odorizzi wanted the ball in Yankee Stadium. He deserved it. He took the mound in Game 3 instead. He deserved better than he got.
A Twins pitcher finally rose to the occasion against their postseason boogeyman, but Odorizzi's offense and defense didn't match his performance in a season-ending 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees at Target Field.
A three-game sweep in the ALDS extended the Twins' MLB-record postseason losing streak to 16 consecutive games.
Nobody can fault starting pitching for the clincher.
"I gave it everything I had," Odorizzi said. "I knew I had to be as close to perfect as I could be just to give us the best chance at winning. I was really close to doing it."
Odorizzi supplied five solid innings that would have looked better if not for a defensive misplay and a solo home run that cleared the wall by inches.
Odorizzi's final line: Two runs allowed on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Rocco Baldelli pulled Odorizzi after 82 pitches in favor of closer Taylor Rogers in the sixth inning, a decision that underscored the Twins' now-or-never desperation.
Fans can quibble about whether Baldelli should have stayed with Odorizzi for one more inning with his pitch count at a reasonable number. The fact that the team's most reliable starter had to wait so long to pitch in the series invites far more scrutiny and discussion.