The Minnesota Twins have struggled against the New York Yankees in the postseason, and Game 1 of the 2019 ALDS was no different.
Heading into Game 1 of the 2019 ALDS, the Minnesota Twins probably felt they had a shot at stealing a game on the road. After all, they finished just two wins shy of the New York Yankees in the win column this season, tallying 101 to New York’s 103.
Unfortunately, in the series opener, the Yankees offense run roughshod on the Twins, continuing a recent run of postseason dominance for New York over Minnesota. In a 10-4 shellacking that included DJ LeMahieu homering and driving in four runs, two diving Aaron Judge catches and another Brett Gardner homer, the Yankees’ powerful bats outmuscled Minnesota’s notoriously potent offense.
This result was in perfect keeping with the Twins’ recent playoff misery, particularly against the Yankees. Minnesota has now lost 14 straight playoff games dating back to 2011, with 11 of them coming against this very same Yankees franchise.
Judge’s second incredible grab stopped Minnesota’s last rally dead in its tracks in the seventh inning, when the Twins only trailed 7-4. They still haven’t won a playoff game since Game 1 of the 2004 Division Series against the Yankees.
Although the Yankees’ home run power in Game 1 surpassed that of Minnesota’s high-powered offense that led MLB with 307 homers, the Twins will still have their opportunities to end this dreaded curse. They were the AL Central champs for the first time in nine years, after all.
With that being said, it certainly won’t be easy. While the Twins finished first in the majors in both home runs and runs batted in (906), the Yankees were right there behind them, finishing second in home runs (306) and runs batted in (904). They’ve also got an impressive bullpen that will make scoring runs just as difficult as preventing them.
Game 1 didn’t shake the Twins’ way, as the Yankees curse continued to plague them. Hopefully in Game 2, history will finally ease up a bit.