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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) – After winning the season series against the New
York Yankees for the first time in nine years, the Minnesota Twins
wish they weren't done with the three-time defending World Series
champions.
|  | | A.J. Pierzynski is thrown out here, but had three hits on the day and scored the winning run in the 10th. |
A.J. Pierzynski had three hits and scored the go-ahead run on a
passed ball in the 10th inning as Minnesota beat New York 5-4
Thursday night in the final regular-season meeting between the
teams.
"The Yankees are a formidable team and we enjoy playing them,"
said Twins manager Tom Kelly, who went 4-2 against the Yankees this
season. "I wish we could come back here later in the summer when
the games meant more."
But under baseball's new unbalanced schedule, the Twins are done
with Yankees for the season – at least the regular season.
"Hopefully, maybe we'll see them a lot later," Pierzynski said
with his eyes on October, which once seemed unthinkable for the
Twins, who at 23-9 are off to the best start in franchise history.
"This is a great place to play. The fans get into it. These are
fun games to be a part of."
The Twins, who opened the season with baseball's lowest payroll
at $24.4 million, took two of three for the second time in a week
against the Yankees, who had a major league-high $109.8 million
payroll.
It was the first season series win against New York for the
Twins since they went 7-5 in 1992, which was also the last year
Minnesota had a winning record.
"It doesn't matter who you are, any time you take four of six
from the three-time world champions, it's a big deal," Minnesota's
Denny Hocking said.
Pierzynski, who entered in a 1-for-18 slide, went 3-for-4 with
two runs scored and an RBI. He started the winning rally with a
one-out, opposite-field double off Mariano Rivera (1-2) and took
third on Cristian Guzman's single.
"His ball moves in so much that you can't try to pull him,"
Pierzynski said. "I tried to go the other way, I was able to fight
it off and the ball fell in. I got a little lucky."
After Guzman stole second, Pierzynski scored the winning run
when Rivera's high fastball hit off catcher Joe Oliver's glove for
a passed ball.
"I should have caught it," Oliver said. "It was a regular
fastball. I just missed it. It just bothers me that I let that ball
get by me."
Eddie Guardado (2-0) pitched the ninth for the win and LaTroy
Hawkins got three outs for his 11th save in 12 chances.
"It's very infrequent that you can score a run off Super
Mario," Kelly said of the Yankees All-Star closer. "We were
pretty fortunate to do that."
After the Twins broke out to a 4-0 lead after four innings
against Andy Pettitte, the Yankees' bats woke up and they tied it
in the seventh.
New York entered with four runs in its previous three games and
had only one hit in the first six innings against Mark Redman. But
Derek Jeter led off the seventh with his first home run of the
season, breaking a 38-game regular-season homerless drought.
Paul O'Neill then worked a walk that ended Redman's night.
Bernie Williams, in a 2-for-22 slump, followed with a single off
Bob Wells, and Tino Martinez' tied the game with his sixth homer of
the year.
Doug Mientkiewicz, who went 2-for-3 to raise his average to
.412, and Pierzynski helped stake the Twins to the 4-0 lead.
Mientkiewicz singled in the second and scored on Chad Allen's
triple.
Pierzynski singled in the third, went to third on a double by
Luis Rivas and scored on Matt Lawton's groundout.
The Twins added two more in the fourth when Mientkiewicz doubled
and scored on Torii Hunter's single. Pierzynski added an RBI single
to make it 4-0.
Pettitte allowed four runs and nine hits in 8 1-3 innings,
striking out a season-high 10 and walking one.
"I felt sharp tonight," Pettitte said. "But everything they
are doing is working right now."
Game notes
Redman allowed two runs and two hits in six-plus innings.
... After becoming the first AL team in 25 years to steal a base in
17 straight games, the Yankees have gone three in a row without a
steal. ... The Twins are 8-1 against left-handed starters. ... The
Twins won their ninth series of the year. It took until June 29
last year for Minnesota to win nine series. ... Jeter's hadn't
homered since Sept. 23, 2000, against Detroit's Willie Blair.
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Detroit 6
Texas 5
Seattle 5
Boston 2
Kansas City 8
Cleveland 3
Minnesota 5
NY Yankees 4
Oakland 14
Toronto 8
Baltimore 9
Tampa Bay 5
Anaheim 7
Chi. White Sox 6
Milwaukee 11
Chicago Cubs 1
St. Louis 11
Pittsburgh 5
Colorado 8
NY Mets 2
San Francisco 13
Montreal 0
San Diego 6
Atlanta 5
Los Angeles 4
Florida 3
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