As they say in the roller coaster business, this game was a roller coaster of momentum for both teams involved. In the bottom of the ninth, Alex Rodriguez belted a Joe Nathan pitch into the bullpen, sending the Yankees and Twins to extra innings.
4-3: A-Rod Homers Game Into Extras, Teixeira Homers Yankees to 2-0 Series Lead
In the tenth, with Brett Gardner on third with one out, Johnny Damon lined out to short to end the inning.
Minutes later, the Twins wasted an even more golden (goldener?) opportunity. They hit three consecutive singles, loading the bases with nobody out. Then, the Yankees’ Dave Robertson entered the game in relief and promptly sat down the next three Twins in order.
When teams fail to capitalize on situations such as these, bad things happen to him. In the bottom of the eleventh, Jose Mijares surrendered a solo home run to Mark Teixeira, and the Yankees walked off with a 2-0 series lead.
SB Nation’s Yankees blog, Pinstripe Alley, is going to need a few minutes:
I cannot believe what the hell just happened.
My hands are still shaking.
My heart may or may not be fighting the good fight against certain cardiac arrest.
The Yankees just beat the Twins in 11 innings, off the bat of Mark Teixeira--his first walkoff in pinstripes, the Yankees’ 11th postseason walkoff.
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