The New York Yankees celebrate after sweeping the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)The New York Yankees are back in the American League Championship Series.
The Bronx Bombers defeated the hometown Minnesota Twins 4-1 to sweep the best-of-five division series, setting a date with the Los Angeles Angels on Friday at Yankee Stadium.
After going down 1-0 in the sixth, the Yankees countered in the seventh with solo home runs from Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada to turn the game around, and added two more insurance runs in the ninth.
"It's exciting," Rodriguez said. "We were very disappointed last year when we went home, and ownership got us some good players. We came out and played like a team, like a group of brothers."
Teammate Derek Jeter offered plenty of praise.
"The most impressive thing? He hit home runs when we needed him to," the Yankee shortstop said. "He's been doing it all year, really. He's been seeing the ball well the whole year."
Bitter pill
For the Twins, getting swept out of the playoffs is a bitter pill to swallow after their improbable run to the AL Central title.
"It seems like just yesterday that we were pouring champagne for winning the division, and now it's over," catcher Joe Mauer said. "It just burns that we're done. I'm still trying to figure that one out."
Speaking of burning, both starting pitchers were on fire Sunday night.
New York's Andy Pettitte, who's 37, lasted 6 1/3 innings and surrendered only one run on three hits and a walk while striking out seven.
Minnesota's Carl Pavano (0-1) went seven innings and surrendered two runs off five hits. Pavano's nine strikeouts were a playoff career high and a Twins record.
"I was trying to match zeros with him," Pettitte said. He retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced, and left Joba Chamberlain a 2-1 lead and one out in the seventh.
Record tied
Mariano Rivera closed out Game 3, preserving Pettitte's record-tying 15th career post-season win. Pettitte matched John Smoltz for career post-season victories.
Pettitte (1-0) surrendered an RBI single by Mauer in the sixth inning but had the last laugh when New York broke through in the seventh.
With one swing, Rodriguez shattered Pavano's defences. The 34-year-old hit a rocket to right field, tying the game 1-1.
A couple batters later, Posada tagged a solo shot off Pavano to give New York its first lead of the ballgame, silencing the raucous Metrodome crowd.
The Yankees added insurance in the top of the top of the ninth. New York loaded the bases with one out, and Posada hit a single to score Mark Teixeira from third. Then Robinson Cano hit a single of his own to bring Rodriguez home.
A baserunning gaffe cost the Twins a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. Nick Punto hit a double against Yankees reliever Phil Hughes to start the inning.
But Punto ran through a stop sign from Scott Ullger, Minnesota's third base coach, and headed for home when Denard Span hit a slow chopper up the middle.
He was left in no-man's land when Jeter cut the ball off and threw it to home plate.
Punto tried to scramble back to third, but Yankees catcher Jorge Posada threw a dart to Rodriguez at third, who applied the tag easily.
Now the Twins had just a runner on first with one out, instead of the tying run at third with nobody retired, and New York neutralized the threat.
The Yankees advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2004, when they were famously eliminated in seven games after going up 3-0 against the Boston Red Sox.
New York was an even 5-5 against L.A. this season.
Sunday's game marked the final time the Twins will play in the 27-year-old Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The team moves to the brand new Target Field in 2010.
The Yankees haven't been kind to the Twins in their home park during the playoffs. New York also eliminated Minnesota at the Metrodome in 2003 and 2004.
With files from The Associated Press
