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Minnesota clinches AL Central title
Source: Agencies |
September 23, 2010, Thursday
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THE Minnesota Twins became the first team to claim a berth in Major League Baseball's post-season by clinching the American League Central division title on Tuesday.
The Twins (91-60) secured the division title for the sixth time in the last nine seasons by beating the Cleveland Indians 6-4, while the Chicago White Sox lost to the Oakland Athletics 7-2. The second-place White Sox slipped to 79-72.
Minnesota took its post-season place with a typically gritty performance, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the eighth to overcome a 2-4 deficit against the visiting Indians.
Slugger Jim Thome, who had earlier hit his 25th home run of the season and 589th of his career, started the late rally with a single, while Delmon Young and Orlando Hudson had RBI-doubles sandwiched around a run-scoring single from Denard Span.
Reliever Glen Perkins (1-1) got the win and Matt Capps posted his 15th save for Minnesota.
The victory was manager Ron Gardenhire's 800th in his career.
Despite a quick turnaround, the Twins remained in the clubhouse to see if they would finish the night as division champion.
"These guys aren't going to let me go home out there," Gardenhire told reporters. "I had a posse in here telling me 'we're staying'."
It was worth the wait as Oakland held off a bases-loaded threat in the top of the ninth before finishing off Chicago.
"It's just the first stepping stone, the milestone we've been trying to reach," second baseman Hudson said. "We still have a lot of baseball left."
Gardenhire has steered a consistent run of Twins success since 2002 but has yet to match the triumphs of predecessor and mentor Tom Kelly, who led Minnesota to World Series crowns in 1987 and 1991.
Despite a payroll less than half of the US$200-plus million spent by the Yankees, Gardenhire has the Twins chasing New York (92-59) for the best record in the American League and the home field advantage it brings in the playoffs.
The Yankees increased their lead to 2-1/2 games over the Tampa Bay in the AL East with an 8-3 win over the Rays in New York.
Elsewhere, it was: Angels 2, Rangers 0; Athletics 7, White Sox 2; Orioles 9, Red Sox 1; Royals 9, Tigers 6; and Blue Jays 5, Mariners 3
In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies increased their lead in the National League East division to five games by winning their ninth straight game, beating the Atlanta Braves 5-3.
Roy Halladay (20-10) became the first Philadelphia pitcher since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in 1982 to win 20 games in a season.
Also, it was: Padres 6, Dodgers 0; Reds 4, Brewers 3; Giants 1, Cubs 0; Marlins 5, Mets 2; Diamondbacks 3, Rockies 1; Nationals 8, Astros 4; and Pirates 5, Cardinals 2.
The Twins (91-60) secured the division title for the sixth time in the last nine seasons by beating the Cleveland Indians 6-4, while the Chicago White Sox lost to the Oakland Athletics 7-2. The second-place White Sox slipped to 79-72.
Minnesota took its post-season place with a typically gritty performance, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the eighth to overcome a 2-4 deficit against the visiting Indians.
Slugger Jim Thome, who had earlier hit his 25th home run of the season and 589th of his career, started the late rally with a single, while Delmon Young and Orlando Hudson had RBI-doubles sandwiched around a run-scoring single from Denard Span.
Reliever Glen Perkins (1-1) got the win and Matt Capps posted his 15th save for Minnesota.
The victory was manager Ron Gardenhire's 800th in his career.
Despite a quick turnaround, the Twins remained in the clubhouse to see if they would finish the night as division champion.
"These guys aren't going to let me go home out there," Gardenhire told reporters. "I had a posse in here telling me 'we're staying'."
It was worth the wait as Oakland held off a bases-loaded threat in the top of the ninth before finishing off Chicago.
"It's just the first stepping stone, the milestone we've been trying to reach," second baseman Hudson said. "We still have a lot of baseball left."
Gardenhire has steered a consistent run of Twins success since 2002 but has yet to match the triumphs of predecessor and mentor Tom Kelly, who led Minnesota to World Series crowns in 1987 and 1991.
Despite a payroll less than half of the US$200-plus million spent by the Yankees, Gardenhire has the Twins chasing New York (92-59) for the best record in the American League and the home field advantage it brings in the playoffs.
The Yankees increased their lead to 2-1/2 games over the Tampa Bay in the AL East with an 8-3 win over the Rays in New York.
Elsewhere, it was: Angels 2, Rangers 0; Athletics 7, White Sox 2; Orioles 9, Red Sox 1; Royals 9, Tigers 6; and Blue Jays 5, Mariners 3
In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies increased their lead in the National League East division to five games by winning their ninth straight game, beating the Atlanta Braves 5-3.
Roy Halladay (20-10) became the first Philadelphia pitcher since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in 1982 to win 20 games in a season.
Also, it was: Padres 6, Dodgers 0; Reds 4, Brewers 3; Giants 1, Cubs 0; Marlins 5, Mets 2; Diamondbacks 3, Rockies 1; Nationals 8, Astros 4; and Pirates 5, Cardinals 2.
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