Matt Tolbert (20) is met at home plate by Joe Mauer after scoring in Minnesota's 6-5 victory over Detroit on Tuesday. (Paul Battaglia/Associated Press)

The Minnesota Twins forced a sudden-death tiebreaker for the second straight season but unlike last year, they won by one run to extend their season further.

Alexi Casilla's run-scoring single in the bottom of the 12th inning propelled the Twins past the Detroit Tigers 6-5 and into the post-season before a record crowd of 54,088 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on Tuesday night.

"This is the most unbelievable game I have ever played or seen," Twins shortstop Orlando Cabrera said.

"One of the best games I will ever play in," claimed Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who had two hits and won the American League batting crown with a .365 average.

Carlos Gomez singled off Tigers closer Fernando Rodney (2-5) to lead off the inning, advanced to second base on Michael Cuddyer's groundout and, after Delmon Young was intentionally walked, scampered home with the winning run on Casilla's RBI single to right field.

Minnesota clinched its fifth AL Central Division title and will travel to New York for Game 1 of the AL Division Series versus the Yankees on Wednesday night (6:07 p.m. ET).

"We're not afraid, I can guarantee you that," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

"We just feel like we have nothing to lose, man," Twins centre-fielder Denard Span noted.

Jason Kubel and Cabrera homered for the Twins, who lost last season's tiebreaker 1-0 to the Chicago White Sox on Jim Thome's seventh-inning clout off starter Nick Blackburn.

Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez homered in a losing cause for the Tigers.

"It is fitting to say there was a loser in this game, because we lost the game," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

"But it is hard for me to believe there as a loser in this game. Both teams played their hearts out. You cannot ask for anything more than that."

No Morneau for Minnesota

Minnesota won 16 of its last 20 games to catch Detroit, and clinched home-field advantage in the tiebreaker by winning the season series 11-7.

Equally remarkable is that the Twins did so without marquee first baseman Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., shelved Sept. 14 with a stress fracture in his lower back.

"We were dead and buried a couple times and our team just kept coming back," Twins general manager Bill Smith said.

Both ball clubs threatened repeatedly in extra innings.

Detroit went ahead 5-4 in the top of the 10th when Aubrey Huff was hit by a pitch from Toronto native Jesse Crain and replaced by pinch-runner Don Kelly, who rounded the bases on Brandon Inge's RBI double.

But in the bottom of the inning, Tigers left-fielder Ryan Raburn misplayed Michael Cuddyer's sinking liner into a triple and Matt Tolbert bounced a single up the middle off Rodney to plate the tying run.

"It was one of those unfortunate things that happened," Raburn said. "I was right on it until it went in the lights."

Detroit loaded the bases off reliever Bob Keppel (1-1) in the top of the 12th inning, but Gerald Laird struck out swinging on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat.

"We had it won maybe four or five times — easily," Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco said. "We came out after 162 games, and we had our chances and didn't get the key hits."

It marked the 163rd game of the season for both teams and the final regular-season game at the Metrodome, home to the Twins for 28 years and two World Series titles (1987, 1991).

Target Field is scheduled to open April 12, when the Twins host the Boston Red Sox.

Youngest hurler since 1946

Detroit starter Rick Porcello was charged with two runs — one unearned — on four hits and two walks and eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.

The rookie right-hander took the mound with an 0-2 mark and hefty 6.30 earned-run average in two starts at the Metrodome.

Porcello, 20, is the youngest hurler to start a tiebreaker since Ralph Branka of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946.

Minnesota starter Scott Baker pitched six-plus innings, permitting three runs and three hits — two to Cabrera.

The lanky right-hander walked two and struck out two before being relieved by Jon Rauch in the seventh inning.

Detroit nicked Baker for three runs in the top of the third inning, with Curtis Granderson scoring on Ordonez's RBI single and Cabrera crushing a home run to centre field two pitches later.

Minnesota answered with a run in the bottom of the inning, courtesy singles from Tolbert and Span followed by Porcello's throwing error on a pickoff attempt.

In the sixth inning, Kubel cranked the first pitch he saw from Porcello into the upper deck for a solo home run that trimmed the deficit to 3-2.

The Twins took the lead in the seventh inning when Nick Punto singled and Orlando Cabrera reached the first row of seats in left field for a two-run home run off reliever Zach Minor.

Minnesota picked up Cabrera, a former all-star with the Montreal Expos, and cash from the Oakland Athletics for minor-league prospect Tyler Ladendorf on July 31.

But Ordonez tied it 4-4 with a leadoff home run in the eighth inning, walloping a first-pitch fastball from reliever Matt Guerrier into the left-field seats.

With files from The Associated Press