Minnesota Twins 7 – New York Yankees (10 innings)
In a wild series opener with the Minnesota Twins, the Yankees needed an extra inning and a little assistance from a former teammate to win it.
After a scoreless first inning by spot starter Bryan Mitchell, the Yankees got it going early against the Twins’ Kyle Gibson. Jacoby Ellsbury started the bottom half of the first inning with a single. After Brett Gardner flew out, Alex Rodriguez walked to put two on. Mark Teixeira flew out to center in what looked to be a failed first inning rally but Brian McCann saved the inning. On a fly ball to right field, McCann put the Yankees ahead with a three-run home run.
With a three-run lead, Bryan Mitchell returned to the mound in the second inning. Mitchell retired the first two batters before Eddie Rosario and Kurt Suzuki got on base with a pair of singles. In a scary sight, former Yankee hit a line drive that deflected off the face of Bryan Mitchell, knocking the right-hander down as the ball flew to center field. With a towel over his bloodied face, Mitchell exited the game with what later was diagnosed as a small nasal fracture.
Best wishes for Bryan Mitchell to have a speedy recovery from one of the scarier events that can happen at a baseball game.
A run scored on the scary sight in the second inning. After retiring the last batter in the second inning, Caleb Cotham continued pitching in the third inning. After a leadoff single from Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano hit a one-out two-run home run to tie the game at 3. Trevor Plouffe reached base with a single and on a ground ball to Didi Gregorius committed an error on a potential double play ball, snapping a good streak of stellar defense by the Yankee shortstop. The error proved to be costly when Eddie Rosario hit a run-scoring single to give the Twins the lead.
In the third inning, the Yankees table-setters got it going again.
Jacoby Ellsbury started the third inning with another single. Brett Gardner walked to put the two fastest players on the roster on the bases. Alex Rodriguez hit a ground ball under the glove of Plouffe at third base, Eddie Rosario in left field was challenged with a run for home from Ellsbury. The Twins left fielder threw home and nailed him at home, keeping the lead. After a fly out to shallow left field that featured some confusion, the Yankees looked to waste the scoring opportunity but Brian McCann came through again. With a single to right field, McCann brought home two to put the Yankees back ahead, 5-4.
The one-run lead did not last long when Aaron Hicks led off the top of the fourth inning with a home run. In two innings in emergency relief, Caleb Cotham surrendered four runs, three earned, on six hits without a walk and one strikeout.
Chasen Shreve was the next man out of the bullpen and after finishing off the fourth inning, he started the fifth inning by giving up a solo home run to Trevor Plouffe, giving the Twins the lead yet again. Justin Wilson gave up a run in the sixth inning but the Yankees refused to go down silently.
Leading off the sixth inning, Mark Teixeira walked. Notably during this at-bat, Teixeira fouled a ball off his leg, above the shin guard, and had a visible limp. He was replaced on the bases by Greg Bird but baserunning wasn’t necessary in this inning. With one out, Carlos Beltran, from the right side, went deep to left field for a game-tying two-run home run.
With the game relatively organized, Adam Warren came on for the seventh inning and pitched a scoreless 2/3 of an inning. Dellin Betances finished off the inning on the mound but it was thanks to Brian McCann throwing out a third attempted steal on him. Have yourself a night, Brian.
In the bottom half of the seventh inning, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner got on base again with a pair of singles. After Alex Rodriguez popped out, Greg Bird walked but Brian McCann popped out on the first pitch after the walk and Carlos Beltran stuck out chasing out of the zone to end the inning.
Dellin Betances provided 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to bring the game to extra innings. Andrew Miller pitched an efficient eight-pitch 10th inning and that was just what the bullpen needed.
In the 10th inning, Greg Bird led off with a double to right field against Twins closer Glen Perkins, falling a few feet short of a home run. Brian McCann followed with a high fly ball to left field that Eddie Rosario missed but because it appeared to be caught, Bird was forced to hold up, settling for third on the second double of the inning. Carlos Beltran got the intentional walk and the five infielder defense was in effect. With five on the infield, Chase Headley hit a ground ball to former Yankee Eduardo Nunez.
The Twins shortstop could not come up with the ball clean and the game-winning run scored on the ground out. What a game.
Win – Andrew Miller (1-2)
Loss – Glen Perkins (1-4)
Notables
Twins
*Trevor Plouffe – 3 for 5, 2 R, Solo home run (18) in the 5th, 2 RBI (65)
*Miguel Sano – 3 for 5, R, Two-run home run (8) in the 3rd, 2 RBI (27)
Yankees
*Brian McCann – 3 for 5, R, 2B, Three-run home run (21) in the 1st, 5 RBI (74)
*Carlos Beltran – 1 for 4, R, BB, Two-run home run (13) in the 6th, 2 RBI (42)’
Current Yankees Record: 65-52
