Yanks, Indians set for Game 1 with aces in hole

Stats, LLC
(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- When the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians meet Thursday night in Game 1 of their American League Division Series at Progressive Field, something will be missing from both teams: their aces.

Yankees ace Luis Severino started the AL wild-card game against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, making him unavailable for a Game 1 start.

Indians ace Corey Kluber is rested but will start Game 2 instead of Game 1 because manager Terry Francona wants to have Kluber available, on his normal day to pitch, for a potential Game 5.

Instead, it will be New York's Sonny Gray vs. Cleveland's Trevor Bauer in Game 1 on Thursday.

The Indians come into the game with the best record in the American League, 102-60, having won 34 of their last 38 games, a streak that included their American League-record, 22-game winning streak.

The Indians went 5-2 against the Yankees this year. Three of those wins came during Cleveland's 22-game winning streak.

"We were part of that (streak). We were in the early part of it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "They've really been on a roll the last 50, 60 games, playing as well as anyone. Obviously, we're going to have to play our best. We know that. But that's the way the playoffs should be."

One of the biggest challenges for Indians pitchers will be trying to neutralize Yankees rookie slugger Aaron Judge, who hit a rookie-record 52 home runs this season and added another in New York's 8-4 win over Minnesota in the wild-card game.

"He's good for Major League Baseball, but he's bad for the teams you're playing against," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "I know if you throw it in the wrong place, he's going to hit it a long way."

In 27 starts overall this year for the Oakland A's and New York, Gray was 10-12 with a 3.55 ERA. In 11 starts for the Yankees, he went 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA. He started three times against the Indians this year, going 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA.

"Top to bottom, they have a really good lineup," Gray said. "I've thrown against them a couple times this year, and in the past I've thrown against them. They are really well balanced. You come out and make pitches, and you see what happens."

Gray's last start against Cleveland came on Aug. 3, a 5-1 loss in which he pitched six innings, giving up four runs, two earned, on four hits, with six strikeouts and three walks in his Yankees debut. Gray's career record against Cleveland is 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA.

Bauer had a breakout season this year, going 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA. In two starts against the Yankees he was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA.

"They've got a lot of guys who hit for power. They've got some scrappy guys that put the ball in play and run," Bauer said. "They can do a lot of things offensively, and they're well balanced."

Bauer said his good numbers vs. the Yankees this year don't count for anything in October.

"None of that matters for this start," he said. "The playoffs are a different animal, and any team can beat you on any day."

Bauer's last start against New York came on Aug. 30, a 2-1 win in which he pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits with four strikeouts and four walks. In eight career starts against the Yankees, Bauer is 3-4 with a 4.20 ERA.

Astros' Verlander aims to remain hot vs. Red Sox

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- HOUSTON -- While all eyes will focus on Astros right-hander Justin Verlander when he takes the mound on Thursday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park, what makes Houston a viable World Series threat is the offense set to support its new ace.

What gives the Astros, champions of the AL West, the presumed edge over the AL East champion Red Sox is a lineup that led the majors in batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.346), and slugging percentage (.478).

Houston not only finished second in home runs with 238, but it complemented that power by striking out in only 17.3 percent of plate appearances, the lowest mark the big leagues.

Verlander, 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA following his trade-deadline acquisition from the Detroit Tigers, will attack his 17th career postseason start with his usual intensity and commitment to perfection. But the Astros are capable of providing the cushion needed for Verlander (7-5 with a 3.39 ERA in the postseason) to be less than perfect yet still thrive.

"There's a lot of different things in there that made this offense click," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "And to do it for six months in and do it relatively consistently, and obviously at the end of the season lead in a lot of different categories, it's part of what makes us a good team."

Boston left-hander Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA) earned the opportunity to be first up in attempting to stymie the powerhouse Houston offense. He has enjoyed dizzying career success against the Astros, going 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA over six starts while producing 65 strikeouts against five walks over 48 innings. After 260 regular-season games, Sale will make his first postseason start.

Acquired from the Chicago White Sox last offseason, Sale provided Boston everything it envisioned when the organization opted to swap four prospects, including highly regarded infielder Yoan Moncada, for his services. He produced a campaign worthy of AL Cy Young Award consideration, and he excelled fronting a rotation that failed to meet lofty preseason expectations.

"Wow, he's been unbelievable since Day One, not only just, obviously, the stuff he has on the mound but his presence in the clubhouse," Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "The way he attacks every day, he's always trying to get better. He's a pretty special guy to play with, and we're pretty excited to have him out there on the mound."

The Red Sox will be as excited to have Pedroia and third baseman Eduardo Nunez, both of whom were dinged in the final weeks of the season, back in the lineup. Boston can take added comfort in the season-long excellence of its bullpen, anchored by closer Craig Kimbrel and bolstered by right-handers Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes, plus David Price, Addison Reed and Carson Smith, all of whom joined the club or embraced a new role down the stretch.

Given all their viable options, the Red Sox won't be compelled to stick with a scuffling starter against the Astros. The need to squeeze an additional out from a fatiguing starter is mitigated by the availability of several relievers capable of doing a superior job when their name is called. That includes Price, a former Cy Young-winning starter who was placed in a relief role in September after missing six weeks due to left elbow inflammation.

"I think when you think about October, you're taking an all-hands-on-deck mentality," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "Whether it's a three-game series, five-game series or seven-game series, Game 1 is important. But I think our guys are primed and ready with that urgency and know that decisions can happen quick, and we're prepared for that."

D-backs outlast Rockies in NL wild-card game

(TSX / STATS) -- PHOENIX -- Even with a six-run lead through three innings, the Arizona Diamondbacks understood they had to keep scoring.

They know the division-rival Colorado Rockies too well.

Paul Goldschmidt and Daniel Descalso homered, Archie Bradley and A.J. Pollock had two-run triples, and the Diamondbacks advanced to the National League Division Series with an 11-8 victory over the Rockies in the NL wild-card game on Wednesday at Chase Field.

Neither team's ace lasted four innings.

"That was a wild game," Descalso said. "It felt like the team that scored last was going to win. That offense, they kept coming. They are not going to quit, just like we are not going to quit. That's a great game out there.

"You put Zack Greinke against Jon Gray, it could be a one-nothing, two-one type game. But anything can happen in a wild-card game."

Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Descalso added a two-run shot in the third for a 6-0 lead, but Colorado climbed back within one run in the seventh and eighth innings before Bradley and Pollock provided insurance.

Arizona advances to meet the Los Angeles in the best-of-five NL Division Series starting Friday at Dodger Stadium.

Jake Lamb had four hits, tying a franchise postseason record, and David Peralta and Ketel Marle had three hits apiece for Arizona, making its first playoff appearance since 2011.

Marte had two triples as the Diamondbacks became the first team with at least four triples in a playoff game since the Boston Americans had five twice in 1903.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not totally shocked," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

Arizona knocked out Colorado starter Jon Gray (0-1) after he gave up four runs and seven hits in 1 1/3 innings. His only two 10-strikeout games in the regular season came against Arizona.

Greinke did not last much longer, leaving after giving up four runs and five hits in the fourth inning when the Rockies closed it to 6-4. It was 6-5 after Charlie Blackmon's RBI bunt in the seventh.

Bradley's two-out triple gave Arizona an 8-5 lead in the last of the seventh before Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story had bases-empty homers off Bradley in the eighth inning to make it 8-7.

Pollock's two-out, two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth off Greg Holland pushed the lead to 10-7, and Jeff Mathis' bunt single drove in another run.

Carlos Gonzalez singled home a run in the ninth inning off Fernando Rodney.

Arizona left-hander Andrew Chafin (1-0) retired the only batter he faced after relieving Greinke in the fourth inning for the victory.

Story, Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra and Jonathan Lucroy had two hits apiece for the Rockies.

"I don't think you could predict that game coming into this ballpark and in this scenario, with the way Jon Gray's been pitching and Zack Greinke's been pitching," Colorado manager Bud Black said.

"Right away, all hell broke loose, and from then on it was a heavyweight fight, going back and forth. It was a crazy game."

Arizona started immediately against Gray. Peralta and Marte singled before Goldschmidt homered on the seventh pitch of the first inning for a 3-0 lead.

Goldschmidt ended the regular season in an 0-for-17 slide, and he was 0-for-11 against Gray in his career.

Peralta singled and scored on Marte's triple in the second inning to make it 4-0 and knock out Gray. Lamb singled and Descalso hit a one-out homer off Tyler Anderson for a 6-0 lead.

In the Colorado fourth inning, Gonzalez, Story and Parra singled for one run. After the second run scored on a groundout, Lucroy and pinch hitter Alexi Amarista had RBIs hits to make it 6-4.

Greinke gave up six hits and four runs in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.

NOTES: This was the fourth meeting between teams from the same division in wild-card history, and the team with the best record in the season series has won all four. The first three were Pittsburgh over Cincinnati (2013), the Chicago Cubs over Pittsburgh (2015) and Toronto over Baltimore (2016). ... NL wild-card hosts had not scored since 2013, a span of 28 innings, until Arizona got three runs in the first inning. ... Colorado ended a seven-year postseason drought, the fifth-longest current streak. Seattle (2001) has the longest. ... Colorado swept Arizona in the 2007 NL Championship Series in the only other time the clubs met in the playoffs. ... Arizona honored former front office employee Christiana Duarte during a moment of silence before the game. She was among those killed in the recent Las Vegas shooting. ... The Diamondbacks won the season series with the Dodgers 11-8, winning the last six meetings.

What a relief: Yankees rally past Twins

(TSX / STATS) -- NEW YORK -- About 20 minutes into the American League wild-card game, the Minnesota Twins stunned the Yankees with three early runs, enough to knock out New York starting pitcher Luis Severino.

Then the Yankees put on a power display on the mound and at the plate, setting up a celebration and their next order of business -- a date with the Cleveland Indians in the AL Division Series.

Severino was lifted after recording one out into the first inning, but Didi Gregorius hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first and four relievers combined on 13 strikeouts as New York stormed back for an 8-4 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday.

Brian Dozier opened the game by hitting Severino's fifth pitch into the first row of the left field seats fence, and Eddie Rosario lined the right-hander's 17th pitch into the right field seats for a two-run shot. Two more hits sprung the bullpen into action, beginning with Chad Green.

Green struck out two with runners on second and third, and the Yankees quickly rebounded from the stunning start.

"That's a huge spot," Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia said. "We expect Green to get out of that. That's who he is, that's what he's done, and that's our bullpen."

Gregorius tied the game by hitting Ervin Santana's full-count fastball over the right field fence with one out in the first, and Brett Gardner gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead by lifting another full-count fastball into the right field seats in the second inning.

"Scoring those runs right in the first inning, just that there was -- what I've seen all year, is the fight in this club," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I saw it in spring training. I did. But you see the resolve, and they never get down."

After the Twins tied it 4-4 in the top of the third, Greg Bird hit a go-ahead single off Jose Berrios (0-1) in the bottom of the third. An inning later, Aaron Judge slugged Berrios' 0-1 curveball into the left field stands.

"We got down early," Judge said. "With the type of bullpen we have, the lineup, we're never out of a ballgame."

By then the Yankees were continuing their historic bullpen performance, tying the major league record for strikeouts by relievers in a postseason game and matching a team record for relief innings. The Yankees tied the strikeout mark set by the Chicago Cubs, who did it in six innings during Game 4 of the 2015 National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

New York matched the team mark for relief innings set in Game 6 of the 1958 World Series against the Milwaukee Braves, a 4-3, 10-inning Yankees victory.

"That's what it's all about," Judge said. "Big-time players, they make big-time plays in big-time games, that's what they do."

Green was the only New York reliever to get scored upon, the run coming hom on Byron Buxton's groundout against David Robertson with the bases loaded in the third. Robertson worked out of the bases-loaded jam, pitched a career-high 3 1/3 innings and was awarded the win by the official scorer.

"I feel like our entire team never gives up, and we're always going to grind and try to win a ballgame," Robertson said.

Aaron Hicks drove in the Yankees' other run with a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. Relievers Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman finished off New York's first playoff victory since Sabathia pitched a complete game in Game 5 of the 2012 ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles.

Kahnle delivered 2 1/3 scoreless frames, and Chapman finished it off by allowing a hit and striking out three in the ninth.

The Twins dropped their 13th straight playoff game after Santana was unable to protect the early lead. It is tied for the longest postseason losing streak in baseball history, matching the Boston Red Sox from Oct. 25, 1986-Oct. 6, 1995.

Minnesota's last playoff victory was a 2-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 5, 2004. During the current streak, 10 of the Twins' postseason defeats were against the Yankees.

"I think you just understand that you've got to find ways to persevere through a game like that because there's a lot of pitches thrown," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "There's a lot of lead changes early, and unfortunately it got to their 'pen and all those guys did an outstanding job.

"There was a lot of -- as far as mood swings early, they were obviously just because of the way that the pendulum swung."

Santana allowed four runs and three hits in two innings. Berrios gave up three runs and five hits in three frames.

"It stings right now," Twins first baseman Joe Mauer said. "We had some chances. Unfortunately, we came up a little short."

NOTES: Twins manager Paul Molitor said the decision to keep 3B/DH Miguel Sano (shin) off the roster stemmed from Sano not being able to generate enough force and power with his front leg during batting practice Monday. Molitor also said Sano was experiencing some discomfort during the Sunday game. ... New York LHP Chasen Shreve, who is among several major-leaguers from Las Vegas, threw out the ceremonial first pitch in tribute to the victims of the mass shooting on Sunday. ... RF Aaron Judge was the first Yankees rookie to homer in a postseason game since Hideki Matsui in Game 2 of the 2003 World Series.

A capsule look at the Rockies-Diamondbacks playoff game

Associated Press

A look at the National League wild-card playoff between the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks:

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Schedule: Wednesday, at Phoenix, 8:08 p.m. (TBS).

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Season Series: Arizona won 11-8.

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Projected Lineups:

Rockies: CF Charlie Blackmon (.331, NL batting champ, 37 HRs, 104 RBIs, 14 triples, 14 SBs), 2B DJ LeMahieu (.310, 8, 64), 3B Nolan Arenado (.309, 37, 130), RF Carlos Gonzalez (.262, 14, 57, 34 doubles), SS Trevor Story (.239, 24, 82, 191 Ks), 1B Mark Reynolds (.267, 30, 97), LF Ian Desmond (.274, 7, 40), C Jonathan Lucroy (.265, 6, 40 with Rangers and Rockies; .310, 2, 13 in 46 games with Rockies).

Diamondbacks: RF David Peralta (.293, 14, 57), SS Ketel Marte (.260, 5, 18 in 73 games), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.297, 36, 120, 94 BBs, .966 OPS), LF J.D. Martinez (.303, 45, 104, 1.066 OPS with Tigers and Diamondbacks), 3B Jake Lamb (.248, 30, 105), CF A.J. Pollock (.266, 14, 49 in 112 games), 2B Daniel Descalso (.233, 10, 51 in 131 games), C Jeff Mathis (.215, 2, 11 in 60 games) or Chris Iannetta (.254, 17, 43, .354 OBP).

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Starting Pitchers:

Rockies: RH Jon Gray (10-6, 3.67 ERA in 20 starts, 110 1/3 IP).

Diamondbacks: RH Zack Greinke (17-7, 3.20, 215 Ks in 202 1/3 IP).

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Relievers:

Rockies: RH Greg Holland (3-6, 3.61 ERA, 41/45 saves, tied for NL lead), LH Mike Dunn (5-1, 4.47), LH Jake McGee (0-2, 3.61, 3 saves), RH Scott Oberg (0-1, 4.94), RH Pat Neshek (5-3, 1.59 with Phillies and Rockies; 2-1, 2.45 in 28 games with Rockies), LH Chris Rusin (5-1, 2.65, 2 saves).

Diamondbacks: RH Fernando Rodney (5-4, 4.23, 39/45 saves, .200 opponents’ batting average), RH Archie Bradley (3-3, 1.73, 79 Ks in 73 innings), LH Andrew Chafin (1-0, 3.51), LH Robbie Ray (15-5, 2.89, 218 Ks in 28 starts), LH Patrick Corbin (14-13, 4.03 in 33 games, 32 starts), RH Zack Godley (8-9, 3.37, 165 Ks in 26 games, 25 starts), RH David Hernandez (2-1, 4.82), RH Jimmie Sherfy (2-0, 0.00 in 10 2/3 innings).

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Matchups:

It’s the second postseason meeting between the teams. Colorado swept Arizona in the 2007 NLCS. ... The current collection of Rockies has a .260 combined batting average against Greinke with 15 homers and 42 RBIs. Lucroy leads the way at .636 (7 for 11), while Gonzalez has five home runs. Reynolds and Story each have four homers against Greinke. Arenado and Blackmon have never homered off him. Desmond is 3 for 22. ... The Diamondbacks are hitting .295 against Gray with two homers and 11 RBIs. Martinez has both homers, and four RBIs. Goldschmidt is 0 for 11 with five strikeouts. ... Greinke is 13-1 at home with a 2.87 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 116 innings. He went 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in five starts against the Rockies this season. ... If first-year Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo decides to go with Iannetta instead of Mathis at catcher, Iannetta would probably bat second. Mathis, a strong defender who normally catches Greinke when healthy, just returned from a broken right hand. ... Gray has allowed three or fewer runs in 13 consecutive starts. ... Goldschmidt ended the season in an 0-for-17 slump and batted .171 over the final month. ... Martinez hit .478 against Colorado with three homers, nine RBIs and 10 runs scored. ... Two of Rodney’s six blown saves came against the Rockies. ... Blackmon had only eight hits in 44 at-bats (.182) vs. the Diamondbacks. ... Arizona and Colorado split 10 games at Chase Field this season. ... The winner heads for Los Angeles to play the NL West champion Dodgers (104-58) in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Friday.

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Big Picture:

Rockies: Under new manager Bud Black, the surprising Rockies (87-75) got off to a fast start and hung on down the stretch to take the second NL wild card. This is their fourth postseason appearance and first since 2009. Colorado finished a game ahead of upstart Milwaukee, clinching baseball’s final playoff spot on the next-to-last day of the regular season when the Brewers blew a six-run lead in a 7-6 loss at St. Louis. That put Black in the postseason for the first time as a big league skipper. He managed the Padres for 8½ seasons from 2007-15 and was the 2010 NL Manager of the Year, but never took them to the playoffs. ... Colorado improved by 12 wins over last year and fashioned the third-best record in team history behind 2009 (92-70) and the 2007 team (89-73) that got swept by Boston in the World Series. ... Rockies had just one losing month, going 12-15 in August, and typically play solid defense. They are 65-40 when committing no errors and 22-35 when they make one or more. Arenado made one highlight reel after another at third base and is a favorite for his fifth straight Gold Glove. ... The biggest offseason signings were Desmond and Holland. Desmond has dealt with injuries this season, but Holland rebounded after missing 2016 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. He matched the club record for saves in a season set by Jose Jimenez (2002). ... Blackmon is known for his bushy beard, mullet and sweet swing. He won the NL batting title and drove in 103 runs from the leadoff spot, most in major league history. He surpassed Darin Erstad, who knocked in 100 for the Angels in 2000. ... Gonzalez struggled most of the season but hit .377 in September. He’s the only holdover from 2009 when the Rockies were beaten by Philadelphia in the NLDS. ... Lucroy steadied a young pitching staff after arriving from Texas in a July 30 trade. ... Right-hander Chad Bettis has been a feel-good story in his return from testicular cancer. He had surgery last November and went through treatments during spring training and into the season before returning in August. ... Reynolds was signed to a minor league contract in the offseason. He joined Arenado and Blackmon in the 30-homer club this season.

Diamondbacks: Just like the Rockies, Arizona (93-69) also flipped its record after going 69-93 last year. Lovullo preached communication from the first day of spring training and repeatedly uses the word “love” to describe team chemistry. ... New general manager Mike Hazen chose not to overhaul the roster, saying he saw enough talent. Instead, he tinkered around the edges. ... Arizona got off to a 6-1 start and was 44-26 on June 18 after a seven-game winning streak. Although the Diamondbacks couldn’t keep up with the torrid pace set by Los Angeles in the NL West, they were in the playoff picture throughout. A franchise-record 13-game winning streak late in the season helped secure the No. 1 wild card. ... While the lineup was expected to be good, Arizona also got strong pitching. Only the Indians and Dodgers had a better ERA than the Diamondbacks (3.66). ... Goldschmidt led the offense most of the season but faded in September. That didn’t matter much because of the powerhouse performance by Martinez. Acquired from Detroit on July 18 for three minor leaguers, Martinez hit .302 with 29 homers and 65 RBIs in 62 games with the Diamondbacks. He was NL player of the month for September, when he batted .404 with 26 runs, eight doubles, 16 homers and 36 RBIs in 24 games.

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Watch For:

— MVP! MVP! MVP! Three top contenders for NL MVP are in this game: Goldschmidt, Blackmon and Arenado. Goldschmidt finished runner-up for the award in 2013 and 2015. Arenado hit 18 home runs on the road this season and 19 at home. Blackmon’s 37 homers were the third-most by a leadoff hitter, trailing Alfonso Soriano’s 38 in 2002 with the Yankees and 39 in 2006 with the Nationals.

— Ray in Reserve. The hard-throwing lefty had a breakout season and would figure to start Game 1 against the Dodgers if Arizona advances. Lovullo, however, said he wouldn’t hesitate to use Ray for an inning or two in the wild-card game if needed.

— Wacky Wednesday. The Rockies have a winning record on every day of the week except one. They are 10-14 on Wednesdays, while the Diamondbacks are 15-10.

— Surging Center Fielder. Pollock came on strong at the end of the season after a subpar year at the plate. He batted .363 in September.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Upstart Twins, Yankees set for wild-card game

(TSX / STATS) -- NEW YORK -- Preseason projections were low for the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees for varying reasons.

When forecasts were made, Minnesota and New York were not supposed to plan for a postseason game.

The Twins were coming off a disastrous 103-loss season while the Yankees were transitioning to a younger core.

Both teams defied projections by claiming the two wild-card spots in the American League, with the reward being an elimination game Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

The winner advances to the AL Division Series against the Cleveland Indians.

The Yankees started off strong, winning 21 of their first 30 and improving their mark to 38-23 by June 12. They slumped for about a month, were 45-40 at the All-Star break and finished with a 21-8 surge to get to 91-71.

It resulted in their most successful regular season since 2012, which ended with a trip to the ALCS. Since then, the Yankees missed the playoffs in three of the next four seasons and their only postseason game since 2012 occurred when they were shut out by the Houston Astros in the 2015 wild-card game.

For the Twins (85-77), it was a different path to their first postseason berth since 2010.

The Twins hovered near .500 most of the first three months but were 3-9 from July 23 to Aug. 5. After management opted to become a seller at the trade deadline, Minnesota responded by winning 13 of 17 to go over .500 for good. The Twins went 33-21 after Aug. 5 and finished five games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels.

"I think some guys were a little more upset than others, but they've responded," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "Whatever your motivation is, that's fine."

Both teams did it with a mix of youth and some veterans.

When the Yankees last won a playoff game, Aaron Judge was a few months away from starting his junior season at Fresno State, Gary Sanchez just completed his third minor league season and Luis Severino had 14 starts under his belt in the Dominican Summer League.

Five years later, Judge broke the rookie home run record by slugging 52, including 33 at home and 15 in his final month after slumping in August.

Sanchez belted 33 homers despite missing most of April with a biceps injury and did it after hitting 20 in 53 games last season.

Severino emerged as the ace by going 14-6, striking out 230 and posting a 2.98 ERA. He achieved those numbers after going 0-8 as a starting pitcher last season following 11 decent starts in the final two months of 2015.

"He's been pretty darn good this year," Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner said. "One of the top two or three right-handed starters in the game this year."

When the Twins last reached the playoffs, Eddie Rosario just completed his first minor league season in the Gulf Coast League as did Miguel Sano. Brian Dozier was slightly more advanced in the minors in 2010 and reached the majors in 2012.

This season, Rosario slugged 16 of his 27 homers in the final two months. Sano hit 28 before missing a month with a shin injury that might keep him out of the starting lineup while Dozier launched half of his 34 homers in the final two months of the season.

Gardner and Joe Mauer, who were on their teams when the Yankees beat the Twins in the 2010 ALDS, also had solid seasons.

Gardner recorded career highs in homers (21) and runs scored (96) in 151 games.

Mauer batted .305 in 141 games after hitting no higher than .277 in his previous three seasons. His 160 hits were his most since 2012 and his 71 RBIs were his most since 2012 as well.

"It's been a special year to see these guys kind of grow, and to experience that with this team is pretty special," Mauer said. "So, it's good to be back."

The pitching matchup also is a contrast of youth and experience.

Severino was on the postseason roster for New York's wild-card loss in 2015 and earned the starting assignment for this game by going 9-2 with a 2.28 ERA in his final 14 starts.

"We've been really pleased with how he's done, how he's matured as a pitcher, his ability to slow things down, and that will become very important tomorrow," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

After getting some offseason tips from Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, Severino finished third in the American League in ERA, placed fourth in strikeouts, third in hits per nine innings (6.98) and fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.51).

"He told me that, if I change my mechanics a little bit, I'll be more consistent in my strike zone," Severino said. "That's what I did, and that's how that worked out and helped me."

The right-hander's lone experience against the Twins occurred on Sept. 20 in New York and turned in his second-shortest start. He allowed three runs in three innings while throwing 71 pitches, including 13 to Mauer, who hit an RBI single off him.

Ervin Santana completed his third season with Minnesota by going 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA that was the second-lowest of his career and a 1.13 WHIP that also was his second-lowest of his career.

Santana went 5-1 with his last 12 starts. The one loss occurred Sept. 18 in New York when Santana allowed two runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. One of those runs was Judge's 44th homer.

"The guy is huge," Santana said. "The guy is tall. Like he covered the whole home plate."

In the regular season, Santana is 6-10 with a 5.66 ERA in 20 starts against the Yankees.

During the postseason, Santana is 2-2 with 5.56 ERA in eight games (two starts). Against the Yankees in postseason play, he pitched 5 1/3 relief innings and recorded the win for the Angels in Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS and was 1-1 in a pair of relief outings with that club in the 2009 ALCS.

Sean Doolittle & Aroldis Chapman Named Relievers of the Month

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Sean Doolittle has been voted the National League Reliever of the Month presented by The Hartford for September, and New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has been voted the American League Reliever of the Month presented by The Hartford for September. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

Doolittle pitched in 11 games during September for the Nationals, converting eight-of-nine save opportunities and striking out 14 opposing batters. The crafty left-hander permitted three walks, surrendered just one home run and allowed two earned runs on six hits over 11.0 innings of work to claim his first career monthly award. Until his final appearance of the 2017 regular season on Thursday, Doolittle did not surrender an earned run in 11 consecutive appearances, dating back to August 29th.

Over the course of his impressive stretch, the 41st overall selection in the 2007 MLB Draft notched 13 strikeouts with just three walks and six hits allowed. Sean, who made his first appearance with the Nationals on July 18th, worked in 20 contests for Washington, going 1-0 with 21 saves across 30.0 innings of work. The 31-year-old veteran posted a 2.40 ERA with his new club, tallying more than one strikeout-per-inning with 31 punchouts. The Nationals, who finished the season with the second-best record in the NL with a 97-65 mark, host the defending champion Chicago Cubs at Nationals Park in Game One of the NLDS on Friday night.

Others receiving votes for NL Reliever of the Month included Hector Neris (2.57 ERA, 9 SV, 14.0 IP, 21 SO) and Edubray Ramos (1-0, 1.35 ERA, 13.1 IP, 20 SO) of the Philadelphia Phillies; All-Star Pat Neshek (1.80 ERA, 12 G, 10.0 IP, 12 SO) of the Colorado Rockies; Brad Hand (1-0, 2.38 ERA, 7 SV, 14 SO) of the San Diego Padres; Jared Hughes (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 G, 10.1 IP) and Anthony Swarzak (0-1, 1.72 ERA, 15.2 IP, 18 SO) of the Milwaukee Brewers; All-Star Wade Davis (1-1, 2.77 ERA, 5 SV, 21 SO), Carl Edwards (2-1, 1.50 ERA, 12.0 IP, 16 SO) and Pedro Strop (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.2 IP, 11 SO) of the Chicago Cubs; All- Star Kenley Jansen (1.80 ERA, 6 SAV, 10.0 IP, 16 SO) of the Los Angeles Dodgers; and Zach Duke (1-0, 2.08 ERA, 11 G, 8 SO) and Juan Nicasio (3-0, 1.46 ERA, 4 SV, 12 SO) of the St. Louis Cardinals.
     
Chapman made 11 appearances for the Yankees and converted each of his six save opportunities en route to claiming his third career Reliever of the Month Award, last winning in consecutive months for July-August, 2012. Aroldis, a four-time All-Star, did not surrender an earned run with 17 strikeouts, just two walks and three hits allowed. The hard-throwing left-hander did not permit a home run during his excellent month, retiring 36 of 41 batters faced. With his converted 1.1-inning save on September 13th, the 29-year-old logged the 200th save of his career, becoming the 49th pitcher in MLB history to reach the milestone, since the save became an official statistic in 1969. On September 19th against the Minnesota Twins, the Holguin, Cuba native recorded his 20th save of the season. Chapman joined Craig Kimbrel of the Boston Red Sox and Kenley Jansen of the Los Angeles Dodgers as the only pitchers in the Majors to reach the 20-save plateau in each season since 2012. Led by their formidable bullpen, the Yankees host the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium in the AL Wild Card Game tomorrow night.

Others receiving votes for AL Reliever of the Month included Chapman's teammates Chad Green (3-0, 0.75 ERA, 12.0 IP, 17 SO) and David Robertson (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 G, 23 SO); Boston's Kimbrel (0.75 ERA, 4 SV, 12.0 IP, 21 SO); Brad Brach (0-1, 0.73 ERA, 1 SV, 12.1 IP) of the Baltimore Orioles; Dillon Gee (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.0 IP, 8 SO) of the Minnesota Twins; Mike Minor (1-0, 0.66 ERA, 6 SV, 14 SO) of the Kansas City Royals; and Ken Giles (0-1, 1.64 ERA, 7 SV, 15 SO) of the Houston Astros.

The National League Reliever of the Month presented by The Hartford, Sean Doolittle, and the American League Reliever of the Month presented by the Hartford, Aroldis Chapman, will each receive a specially designed plaque, suitably engraved, for their accomplishments. This is the inaugural season of the Reliever of the Month Awards presented by The Hartford. The Hartford, the Official Business Insurance & Employee Benefits Sponsor of MLB, has presented baseball's annual Relievers of the Year Awards since 2015. The 2017 Relievers of the Year presented by The Hartford will again be presented during the World Series.