Yankees' bullpen is the wild card, nearly goes the distance vs. Twins
The Yankees knew their bullpen gave them an advantage going into their wild-card game against the Twins on Tuesday night.
What they didn’t know was that they would need 26 outs from that bullpen. But that’s exactly what they got in their 8-4 victory after starter Luis Severino lasted one-third of an inning.
“It’s not how you draw it up,” manager Joe Girardi said.
Chad Green, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman combined to allow one run in 8 2⁄3 innings.
“All those guys did an outstanding job,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “We knew once those doors opened up that it was going to be tough to score.”
Green went two innings and worked out of a huge jam in the first. Robertson — the winning pitcher — went a gutsy career-high 3 1⁄3 innings. Kahnle threw 2 1⁄3 perfect innings in his first postseason appearance. Chapman struck out the side in the ninth.
“Nobody wanted the season to end tonight,” Robertson said.
Girardi did not use or even warm up struggling Dellin Betances.
Severino put the Yankees in a 3-0 hole before he was removed with runners on second and third and one out. Green, in his first postseason appearance, came in and struck out two batters to keep the Twins from extending their early lead.
The Yankees came back and tied the game in the bottom of the first on Didi Gregorius’ three-run home run and took the lead on Brett Gardner’s solo shot in the second.
Green left with one out and the bases loaded in the third, but still got a rousing ovation after striking out four in two innings.
Robertson got an out on a run-scoring forceout as the Twins retied the game at 4. Robertson worked out of the jam and continued as the Yankees took the lead for good on Greg Bird’s RBI single in the third. Aaron Judge added a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 7-4.
After Robertson walked Brian Dozier on his 52nd pitch with two outs in the sixth, Girardi called on Kahnle. Robertson received a standing ovation for working overtime when the Yankees needed someone to give them length.
Kahnle, facing the tying run, got out of the inning when Joe Mauer hit a fly ball to the warning track in left. Kahnle added a 1-2-3 seventh in his first postseason appearance and stayed on for the eighth after the Yankees expanded the lead to four.
Chapman started warming as the eighth inning opened, but Kahnle pitched a 1-2-3 frame.
Girardi said Green and Robertson might need two days off, which would put them out of Thursday’s Game 1 of the ALDS in Cleveland.
Robertson, though, said he would see how he feels Wednesday.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
