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                                                                                                       SPORTS Thursday 5 OcTOber 2017


























              Gregorius, Judge, bullpen rally wild-card Yanks past Twins


            By RONALD BLUM               five-hit relief, striking out 13  “I was hyped, and I tried to
             AP Baseball Writer          to  tie  the  postseason  re-  get  the  game  going,  tried
            NEW YORK (AP) — Minutes  cord for a bullpen.              to get the guys going,” he
            into  the  playoff  debut  for  “It  was  just  remarkable,”  said.
            these  young  New  York  Yankees  manager  Joe  Gi-       Judge,  the  6-foot-7  sensa-
            Yankees,  they  trailed  Min-  rardi said.                tion  who  set  a  rookie  re-
            nesota  by  three  runs.  Their  Twins manager Paul Molitor  cord  with  52  home  runs,
            starting  pitcher  lasted  just  marveled  at  the  Yankees  was  given  a  Ruthian  ova-
            one  out.  A  sellout  crowd  relievers  and  Girardi’s  use  tion,  with  several  sections
            was stunned.                 of them over 142 pitches.    of  fans  holding  signs  in
            Could  their  postseason  be  “He  extended  some  guys  his  honor  spelling  out  “All
            over  almost  before  it  be-  probably past their comfort  Rise!” He scored three runs,
            gan?                         zone,”  the  Hall  of  Famer  hitting  a  single  to  help  ig-
            Nope.  A  strange  AL  wild-  said. “They still performed.”  nite  the  first-inning  rally,
            card  game  was  only  just  Brian  Dozier  led  off  the  smoking  a  108  mph  home
            beginning.                   game with a home run and  run  off  loser  Jose  Berrios  in
            “We’ve had a quite a few  Eddie Rosario hit a two-run  the  fourth  and  walking  in
            games  where  we’ve  got-    drive as the Twins burst to a  the seventh before coming
            ten  down  early,”  Aaron  quick lead.                    home  when  Alan  Busenitz
            Judge said. “Just keep bat-  But  Santana  went  to  full  walked  Aaron  Hicks  with
            tling.  Just  stay  calm.  Just  counts on eight of 11 bat-  the bases loaded.
            play your game, and good  ters, and he was removed  Judge  shouted  in  excite-
            things will happen.”         after six outs and 64 pitches  ment  as  he  rounded  first
            Judge,  Didi  Gregorius  and  with the Twins trailing 4-3.  base  after  the  homer,  his
            a  brilliant  bullpen  rescued  “It’s  the  exhilaration  of  face flush with emotion.
            New  York  and  lifted  the  jumping  out,”  Molitor  said,  “This  place  was  rocking.  It
            Yankees  to  their  first  post-  “and then the deflation of  was incredible,” he said.
            season victory in five years.  giving it back so quickly.”  New  York  had  made  only
            Gregorius’ three-run homer  Minnesota,  the  first  team  one  postseason  appear-
            tied  the  score  in  the  first  to follow a 100-loss season  ance  since  2012,  losing   New  York  Yankees’  Brett  Gardner  (11)  celebrates  with  Aaron
            inning   after   Minnesota  with  a  playoff  appear-     the  2015  wild-card  game   Judge after hitting a home run during the second inning of the
            knocked  out  Luis  Severi-  ance,  lost  its  13th  consec-  to  Houston  3-0.  Just  three   American League wild-card baseball game against the Minne-
            no,  a  pumped-up  Judge  utive  postseason  game,  Yankees  who  started  that        sota Twins on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, in New York.
            showed  his  most  emotion  tying the record set by Bos-  game  were  in  the  start-                                           Associated Press
            this  season  when  he  hit  a  ton from 1986-95. The Twins  ing  lineup,  part  of  a  Baby   then fanned three in a row  , Chapman struck out three
            two-run  shot  in  his  playoff  have  been  eliminated  by  Bombers  movement  that   in the second.               around a hit in the ninth.
            debut  and  the  Yankees  the Yankees in five of their  purged the roster of veter-    “I  think  we’re  all  ready  to  A  pitcher  named  Santana
            beat the Twins 8-4 Tuesday  last six postseason appear-   ans.                         be  in  from  the  first  to  the  — Johan Santana — beat
            night.  New  York  plays  the  ances and have not won a  At  23,  Severino  was  the   ninth,” Green said.          the  Yankees  for  the  Twins’
            Indians in a best-of-five Di-  playoff series since 2002.  youngest Yankees postsea-   Robertson came in with the  last postseason win in 2004.
            vision  Series  starting  Thurs-  “Nobody  expected  us  to  son starter since Andy Pet-  bases  loaded  in  the  third  But  Ervin  Santana’s  career
            day.                         be  here,”  Byron  Buxton  titte in 1995. The right-hand-  and  allowed  Buxton’s  RBI  postseason ERA climbed to
            “We’re  not  done  yet,”  said.  “That’s  an  amazing  er lasted only 29 pitches on    grounder  ,  then  struck  out  6.57,  contributing  to  a  first
            Judge said. “We’ve just got  achievement.”                a  crisp  autumn  night  and   Castro.                    inning  that  lasted  45  min-
            to  keep  it  rolling  in  Cleve-  New York won nine regular-  matched   the   Yankees’   Robertson tired in the sixth  utes and three innings that
            land.”                       season games after trailing  shortest  postseason  start,   but  earned  the  win,  leav-  took 1:43.
            Brett  Gardner  also  hom-   by three runs, according to  by Bob Turley in Game 2 of   ing  after  52  pitches  and  3  Gardner  walked  leading
            ered for the Yankees, who  the Elias Sports Bureau — in-  the  1958  World  Series  and   1/3 innings. His only longer  off, Judge poked a single to
            chased  Ervin  Santana  af-  cluding  when  Severino  fell  Art Ditmar in the 1960 World   professional  outing  was  3  center and Gregorius lined
            ter  two  innings  and  once  behind  against  the  Twins  Series opener.              2/3  innings  for  Double-A  a  fastball  over  the  right-
            again eliminated Minneso-    on  Sept.  20  as  New  York  Severino  was  shaking  his   Trenton in April 2008.     field  scoreboard.  Brushed
            ta from the playoffs.        rebounded  to  complete  head as walked to the dug-       Kahnle relieved with a run-  off the plate by a 2-2 pitch
            Chad Green, David Robert-    a  series  sweep.  Gregorius  out  and  Green  replaced   ner  on  and  retired  Joe  in  the  second,  Gardner
            son, Tommy Kahnle and Ar-    erased  the  deficit  in  this  him with runners at second   Mauer  on  a  flyout  to  the  sent  Santana’s  next  offer-
            oldis  Chapman  combined  one  four  batters  into  the  and third. Green struck out   warning track . After Kahnle  ing into the second deck in
            for 8 2/3 innings of one-run,  bottom of the first.       Buxton and Jason Castro ,    threw 2 1/3 perfect innings  right for a 4-3 lead.q
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