Yanks sock it to Minnesota; Red Sox next

New York eliminated the Twins for the second straight year.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A big home run by Ruben Sierra, a clutch 11th-inning hit by Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are headed right back where most people figured -- playing the Boston Red Sox for the AL pennant.
Sierra's three-run homer in the eighth inning tied it. Rodriguez doubled, alertly stole third base and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Kyle Lohse to lift the Yankees over the Minnesota Twins 6-5 on Saturday.
With this 3-1 win in the first-round playoff series, New York returned to Yankee Stadium -- where the AL championship series opens Tuesday. Curt Schilling is likely to start for the Red Sox against Mike Mussina, both on ample rest.
Playing from behind
The Twins led 5-1 behind ace Johan Santana before another New York rally. The Yankees came from behind for all three wins in this series after setting a major league record with 61 comeback victories during the regular season. Nine of those were from deficits of four runs or more.
For the second straight year, New York handed Minnesota a first-round playoff elimination in four games and advanced to the AL championship series to face Boston.
The Yankees won that matchup with the Red Sox last October on Aaron Boone's homer in the 11th inning of Game 7. Boston was 11-8 against the Yankees this year.
Winning pitcher Mariano Rivera, who blew a rare postseason save chance in the eighth inning of Game 2, retired all six batters he faced to finish a stifling performance by the Yankees bullpen. After Javier Vazquez allowed five runs in five innings, Esteban Loaiza and Tom Gordon each threw two scoreless innings.
Lohse pitched a perfect 10th and started the 11th by handing Derek Jeter his fourth strikeout of the afternoon, but Rodriguez laced a double down the left-field line and stole third base on unsuspecting catcher Pat Borders -- who didn't throw.
Then Lohse bounced a pitch to Gary Sheffield that skipped past Borders, allowing Rodriguez to race home with the winning run.
That wild pitch silenced the Metrodome, where fans thought their AL Central champions would do better this year against the AL East winners. The Twins were on the verge of a two games-to-none lead Wednesday night when closer Joe Nathan failed to hold a one-run lead in the 12th inning.
Off-season ahead
The three-time champion Twins missed several chances to score in this game and head into another winter unsure how many players they'll be able to afford next year.
Light-hitting Henry Blanco's leadoff homer and Lew Ford's two-out, two-run double broke it open against Vazquez in the fifth, giving the Twins a four-run cushion.
Santana was in the same situation last year, needing a strong performance to keep the Twins' season going. He gave up six runs and failed to survive the fourth inning, and the Yankees won that series in four games to advance to the ALCS.
Throwing on short rest for the first time in his major league career, Santana -- who put at least one runner on in each of his seven shutout innings against New York in Game 1 -- clearly wasn't strong.
Seventeen of his first 34 pitches were balls, and the veteran Yankees smartly and patiently worked the count deep against the 25-year-old left-hander.
Bullpen's responsibility
Santana, who went 13-0 in his final 15 regular-season starts and led the league in strikeouts and ERA, did just what he was asked to do: He left with the lead and let the bullpen do the rest.
Grant Balfour pitched two perfect innings, and Sierra's homer was New York's first extra-base hit. But the first three Yankees reached against Juan Rincon in the eighth, with Bernie Williams driving in Gary Sheffield with a single to make it 5-2.
One out later, Sierra crushed a 2-2 pitch into the folded-up seats in right-center field as Jeter and Rodriguez jumped up off the bench in celebration. After John Olerud's double, Joe Nathan replaced Rincon -- who slammed his cap in disgust upon reaching the dugout.
NEW YORKMINNESOTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Jeter ss6110ShStwrt dh6110
ARdrgz 3b4120JJones rf5020
Shffield rf6110THnter cf3211
Matsui lf4111Mrneau 1b5120
BWllms cf5121Koskie 3b3001
Posada c5000LFord lf4022
Sierra dh4123CGzmn ss4000
Olerud 1b4010Cddyer 2b3010
Crosby pr0000Rivas 2b1000
TClark 1b1000Offrmn ph1000
Cairo 2b5010HBlnco c3121
Kubel ph1010
Brders c0000
LeCroy ph1000
Totals446115Totals405125
New York00100004001--6
Minnesota10013000000--5
E--HBlanco (1). DP--New York 1. LOB--New York 10, Minnesota 8. 2B--ARodriguez 2 (3), Olerud (2), Morneau (2), LFord (1), Kubel (1). HR--Sierra (1), HBlanco (1). SB--ARodriguez 2 (2), LFord (1). CS--JJones (1), LFord (1), Cuddyer (2). SF--THunter, Koskie.
IPHRERBBSO
New York
JVazquez575526
Loaiza240000
Gordon210002
MRivera W,1-0200000
Minnesota
Santana551137
Balfour200002
JRincon1-344411
Nathan1 2-310013
Lohse L,0-1211103
HBP--by JVazquez (Koskie), by JVazquez (LFord). WP--JRincon, Lohse. PB--Borders. Umpires--Home, Mike Everitt; First, Jerry Crawford; Second, Paul Nauert; Third, Charlie Reliford; Left, Mark Wegner; Right, Brian Gorman. T--4:16. A--52,498.
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