As I write this column on Monday, October 7, hours before Game 3 of the American League Divisional Series (ALDS) between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, I contemplate what may not turn out the way I had hoped.
The Yankees certainly were dominant in winning the first two games last weekend in New York, claiming a 10-4 victory on Friday night and taking a 2-0 lead in the series with a one-sided 8-2 triumph Saturday evening. Here’s hoping that the day off and the return home will help the Twins salvage at least one win and extend the series.
After a brilliant season — 101 victories, a new Major League regular-season home run record (307) and their first American League Central Division championship since 2010 — the Twins have nothing to hang their heads about. Making the playoffs is a big accomplishment. There are only eight of the 32 teams still playing and Minnesota is one of them.
Still, winning at least a couple of playoff games would have been nice. After all, the Twins have not won a playoff game — not even one — since shutting out the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS at Yankee Stadium on October 5 — more than 15 years ago. Johann Santana (remember him?) kept the Yankees off the scoreboard and Joe Nathan picked up the save. The Yankees, however, won the next three — 7-6 in New York, 8-4 at the Metrodome and 6-5 (in 11 innings) at the Metrodome — to take the series, three games to one.
Those three losses were the start of the Twins post-season slide. Prior to that, the Twins had defeated the Oakland Athletics in the 2002 ALDS (three games to two) and had opened the ALCS with a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Angels at the Metrodome (with Joe Mays as the winning pitcher) before losing four straight, including the last three in California.
In 2003, the Twins won the first game of the ALDS over the Yankees (3-1) in New York, but lost the next three. So, in three consecutive playoff appearances (2002-2004), the Twins did win six-of-18 games (4-6 in ’02 and 1-3 in both in ’03 and ’04).
Since then?
The Twins were swept by the A’s in the 2006 ALDS, swept by the Yankees in the 2009 ALDS and swept — again — by the Yankees in the 2010 ALDS. Those three sweeps, coming after three straight losses in 2004, gave the Twins 12 consecutive playoff losses (nine to the Yankees and three to Oakland). Add in the wild-card 8-4 loss at Yankee Stadium in 2017 and the streak extended to 13 games. This year’s two losses have stretched the streak to 15 — with 12 of those coming against those dreaded Yankees.
Since winning the 1991World Series, the Twins are a dismal 6-24 (.200) in post-season action, going 0-15 since being a respectable 6-9 following that last playoff win in 2004 when Johann and Joe combined to shutout the powerful Yankees.
But, too much emphasis is put on the post-season. The regular season, with a 162-game schedule, is really more important. You have to win enough games to get the opportunity to play in the post-season. Most teams don’t make it. Getting there is an accomplishment. It’s too bad that failure in the playoffs tends to tarnish the achievements garnered during the regular season.
No matter what happens Monday night (or Tuesday if the Twins win on Monday), the 2019 season has been a huge success for the extremely well-balanced ball club that has continued to catch our attention and interest ever since opening day in late March when Minnesota began its division-title chase with a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Target Field.
Last week, the Vikings were chastised for their embarrassing 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears. This week, they are heroes after their 28-10 victory over the New York Giants. The Bears, meanwhile, lost to the Oakland Raiders (28-21) in London. You just never know what to expect from week-to-week in the NFL?
MCC’s Clayton Hartle and HL-O’s Logan Knutson are both running well for the Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) Mustangs this fall as collegiate cross country runners. Hartle has been the lead runner for the Mustangs in the team’s first three meets, while Knutson has been SMSU’s second guy in those same three meets, spread over three states — Sioux Falls, S.D., Sioux Center, Iowa and Wayne, Nebraska. The Mustangs will run next at Mason City, Iowa on Friday (October 11) and will return to Wayne State for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Meet later this month on Saturday, October 26.
