The Minnesota Twins have clinched the second AL Wild Card spot this evening reaching the post-season for the first time since 2010.
The Twins needed a little help tonight. After falling 4-2 to the Cleveland Indians, the Twins got some help from Chicago White Sox rookie third baseman Nicky Delmonico who hit a walk off home run against the Los Angeles Angels to eliminate them from playoff contention.
A year ago, the Twins had MLB's worst record with 103 losses. In fact, they are the first team in MLB history to lose 100 plus games and make the post-season the following year.
Minnesota showed promise early in the season but ended up becoming sellers during the MLB trade deadline sending their closer Brandon Kintzler to the Washington Nationals and trading Jaime Garcia to the New York Yankees only days after acquiring him from the Atlanta Braves. An injury to their best player Miguel Sano didn't help matters much. But the Twins persevered.
The Twins will very likely travel to the Bronx and face the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday. However, the AL East is still up in the air. The Boston Red Sox have a magic number of two. They could clinch as early as tomorrow. But if the Sox falter, the Twins could be re-routed to Fenway Park.
Wherever the Twins play on Tuesday, look for Paul Molitor to be named AL Manager of the Year. Baseball fans beyond the Land of 10,000 Lakes could get to know Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler very well in October provided they get past the Yankees or Red Sox on Tuesday night.
No comments:
Post a Comment