Let it not be said that the 2009 AL Central crown went easily into Minnesota's hands. The Twins and Detroit Tigers swapped body blows for over four and a half hours before the Twins finally delivered a 6-5 knockout in the twelfth.

Neither team was perfect, with little miscues costing them each chances at various times, but the gaffe that might lead to the most second-guessing in the Motor City was manager Jim Leyland's decision to go to--and stick with--swingman Zach Miner out of the bullpen, rather than lights-out setup man Brandon Lyon, when starter Rick Porcello ran out of gas.

Porcello had been brilliant over the first five, holding the Twins to one run, while the Tigers offense had spotted him three runs on an RBI single by Magglio Ordonez followed by Miguel Cabrera's two-run homer. The deep shot to left quieted the Metrodome crowd, though the Twins got one run back in their half of the frame. In the sixth, with two outs, Porcello, still up 3-1, gave up a solo shot to Jason Kubel, then walked Michael Cuddyer, and Leyland gave him the hook.

On came Miner, whose first pitch was greeted by a soft liner to center for a hit off the bat of Delmon Young, and whose second delivery plunked pinch-hitter Brendan Harris to load the bases. Miner escaped the inning by getting Matt Tolbert to fly out, preserving the 3-2 lead, but ran out of luck in the seventh. Miner was unable to put away light-hitting second baseman Nick Punto (.228), who ended his nine-pitch at bat with a base hit. Denard Span struck out, but scrappy veteran Orlando Cabrera, acquired from Oakland mid-season, stung a ball into the first row of seats in left for a two-run homer, handing Minnesota a one-run lead.

Joe Mauer then singled, ending Miner's night. Fu-Te Ni, who has held lefties to a .113 batting average this season, entered to retire Jason Kubel, and Lyon at last was summoned to snuff out Cuddyer, but the damage was done.

The Tigers didn't let the Twins enjoy the lead for long. Facing Matt Guerrier to start the eighth, Magglio Ordonez sent the second pitch he saw eight rows deep into the bleachers in left, knotting the score. One out later, Guerrier issued back-to-back walks, and Ron Gardenhire went straight to closer Joe Nathan. Nathan got Brandon Inge to pop up and struck out Gerald Laird looking.

Lyon retired the Twins one-two-three in the bottom of the eighth, making Miner's blown save all the more glaring. In the top of the ninth, the Tigers greeted Nathan with back-to-back singles, putting men on the corners and bringing Placido Polanco to the plate. Polanco is difficult to strike out, but Nathan caught him looking. Ordonez stung a ball right at shortstop Cabrera, who snared the ball and rifled to first to double a diving Curtis Granderson off first. Granderson never should have been that far off the bag on a line drive with the potential winning run at third, but Cabrera's throw was also stellar.

A jubilant Nathan sped from the mound into the Twins dugout for hearty congratulations, but the Tigers came up with their own ninth-inning miracle. Minnesota looked to capitalize on Punto's ten-pitch at bat, resulting in a leadoff walk, sacrificing him to second, but Fernando Rodney then emerged from the 'pen to restore order, sandwiching an intentional walk of Joe Mauer around two quick outs. One of them saved the game, as Brandon Inge dove to his left to snare Cabrera's potential game-winning grounder between third and short and retire the hot-hitting infielder.

Detroit once again grabbed the lead in the tenth, this time off reliever Jesse Crain, who with one out plunked pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff, who was run for by Don Kelly. Inge then doubled, plating Kelly, and it seemed once more that the Tigers might finally escape the swoon that had them fall from a 6.5-game lead on September 8th to this last-day tiebreaker.

But the Twins were not done. Cuddyer led off the tenth with a triple on which Ryan Raburn tried to make a shoestring catch instead of holding him to a single. A groundout and a walk later, and Tolbert became was the hero of the moment, singling up the middle to bring home Cuddyer and tie the score 5-5.

Raburn received a measure of redemption, however, when he caught Punto's one-out line drive and fired a seed homeward to nail pinch-runner Alexi Casilla who was trying to score the winning run.

The respite would be temporary, as the Tigers would load the bases with one out in the top of the twelfth, but fail to score. With one gone, Brandon Inge was hit by a pitch (or at least his jersey was), but umpire Randy Marsh didn't see it; thus, the Tigers avoided scoring the lead run. Instead, Inge grounded to second, and Punto threw home for the force. Laird was caught looking to end the threat.

Having entered the game in the eighth, Rodney was still on the mound in the twelfth, which Carlos Gomez began with a single. Cuddyer's ground out advanced the runner, and Casilla came to the plate. Neither Gomez nor Casilla had been in the starting lineup. Casilla laced the third pitch he saw, a 95-mph high fastball, into right, and Gomez flew home with the winning run.

With the win, the Twins ensure that there will be more baseball at the Metrodome before the year is out, as they inaugurate a new outdoor stadium next season. They play the Yankees in the opener of the ALDS today at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, with the second game coming Friday night and then game three in Minneapolis on Sunday.
Back to top

This man hit the first home run in a World Series game at the original Yankee Stadium. Hint: he wasn't a Yankee (yet).
Back to top

AL DIVISION SERIES PREVIEW: RED SOX versus ANGELS

THE SCOOP
The Red Sox and Angels have plenty of postseason history. Whether you go way back in the day to 1986, when Donnie Moore served up the back-breaker to Dave Henderson, or just look at more recent incarnations of the teams, it appears the Sox are the blessed ones. The Francona-era Sox have beat the Scioscia-era Angels soundly in previous postseason meetings, sweeping them in 2004 and 2007, and winning three of four last October. Will the watchful guardian Angel of Nick Adenhart, the LA of Anaheim rookie pitcher who died in a car accident in April just hours after getting his first major league win, be enough to reverse the fortunes of the Halos? Stranger things have happened.


LINEUP
In recent years, "Angels baseball" has meant manufacturing runs with an aggressive running game, while the Red Sox have operated as a ruthless walk-bloop-three-run-homer machine. This season the Angels swiped 148 sacks, but presented a more balanced, relentless attack with stellar results--they ranked second to the Yankees among AL clubs in runs scored, with the Sox third. Team OBP, previously a weakness, climbed to third in the league since the acquisition of Patient Man Bobby Abreu, and all nine men in the lineup were hitting over .300 at one point late this season. Six different Angels hit 15 or more homers, with Kendry Morales (.306-34-108) quite a potent replacement for departed free agent Mark Teixeira.

A quick comparison of the offensive season totals of the two teams shows them to be quite similar in some respects, with the Halos outscoring the Sox, but still quite divergent in sacrifice hits and home runs. Red Sox catchers Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez combined threw out a measly 18 out of 125 runners attempting to steal, so expect Los Angeles to be off to the races any time a man reaches base. Boston has significant home/road splits, making them look vulnerable on the road if the Angels manage a split at Fenway, but given the Sox penchant for knock-out blows, we still give the edge to Boston. Early season reports of David "Big Papi" Ortiz's demise were premature, and every guy in the lineup can hurt you.

Team        OBP    OPS   SF   SH   HR    Runs

Red Sox    .352   .806   51   19   212   872

Angels     .350   .792   52   43   173   883



Road/Home Splits & Head-to-Head in Regular Season 

(Angels won season series 5-4)

Red Sox  AVG    R    H    HR    RBI   SB   CS   K     OBP    SLG

Home    .284    481  754  114   450   62   26   539  .365   .498

Away    .257    391  741  98    372   64   13   581  .340   .414

vs.LAA  .257    40   80   10    37    8    5    66   .335   .399



Angels   AVG    R    H    HR   RBI   SB    CS   K     OBP    SLG

Home    .288    444  783  90   430   62    25   473  .354   .450

Away    .283    439  821  19   83    411   86   276  .346   .434

vs.Bos  .284    44   90   4    8     43    15   32   .352   .438

Advantage: Red Sox

ROTATION
Boston's three horses will be lefty Jon Lester and righties Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz. Lester and Beckett are strikeout machines, with Beckett fanning 3.62 for every man he walks, and Lester close behind at 3.52. All three hover around a hit an inning, but like many strike-throwers, Beckett (25 in 212.1 IP) and Lester (20 in 203.1 IP) are somewhat susceptible to the home run. Since big slugging is not the Angels' game (moving runners along is), Boston's pitching could stifle LAA's offense. Beckett has had some wild and inconsistent starts in the second half, however, leaving many in Red Sox Nation chewing their nails wondering which version of him will take the mound. They likely won't use Daisuke Matsuzaka unless forced to.

Four Los Angeles of Anaheim starters may see time in the series: righties John Lackey and Jered Weaver (174 Ks in 211 IP) and lefties Scott Kazmir and Joe Saunders. Anaheim's offense obscured some of their pitching woes this year, including the fact that Saunders and Weaver are both among the league leaders in giving up gopher balls. Saunders' pitches left the park 29 times in 186 innings, while Weaver served up 26 in 211 IP, and both can be hurt by the walk; guys like this are the sorts of pitchers Boston's lineup loves to face. Since the acquisition of the lefty Kazmir, though, the rotation got a bit of a lift. In their final 33 games of the season, LAA's starting pitching tallied a 2.50 ERA and allowed two earned runs or fewer in 27 of the last 37 games. They'll need that momentum to keep Boston down.

Advantage: Red Sox

BENCH AND BULLPEN
The Angels' bullpen is a flat-out liability right now. Left-hander Brian Fuentes, who took over for the departed K-Rod as closer, racked up a league-leading 48 saves but did it with a WHIP of 1.40 and a second-half ERA of 4.81. Righty Jason Bulger had a cortisone shot in his pitching shoulder and claims that he will be ready, but if he isn't, struggling starter Ervin Santana could be asked to take a bullpen slot. it's scary to think their best reliever right now might be 39-year-old Darren Oliver. Boston's bullpen has had its ups and downs this season, but expect flamethrower Daniel Bard to appear in a set-up role and to benefit from the Angels' unfamiliarity with him. Billy Wagner is a veteran of postseason pressure situations. Jonathan Papelbon has been walking more men and allowing more runners than before, yet his end results have been largely successful. He is still unscored-on in the postseason and will doggedly fight to keep it that way.

On the bench, the Sox will opt for Jed Lowrie as backup infielder, but will wait until the eleventh hour to decide whether outfielder Rocco Baldelli, who strained his hip on Friday night, makes the roster; he'd hope to face lefty Kazmir in games 3 or 4 if he is able to play. Brian Anderson will take the slot if he is skipped, and Joey Gathright will play the role of speedster. Meanwhile, the Angels have a plethora of veterans on their bench, including Gary Mathews Jr. and Reggie Willits, and a backup catcher in Jeff Mathis who saw nearly as much playing time (84 games) as starter Mike Napoli. Howie Kendrick and Maicer Izturis could split time at second base; the latter has matured from a defensive specialist into an Angels-style pesky hitter.

Advantage: Red Sox

CONCLUSION
The Angels' weaknesses match up too conveniently with Boston's strengths for us to ignore them. Unless Boston suffers some kind of implosion, expect them to prevail.

Prediction: Red Sox in four.


AL DIVISION SERIES PREVIEW: TWINS versus YANKEES

THE SCOOP
The Yankees were the first team to clinch a postseason berth; the Twins were the last. Minnesota comes into the Bronx with their bullpen taxed, but riding the high of beating the Tigers in a knock-down-drag-out playoff. The Yankees have had plenty of time to set up their rotation, visit their sports psychologists, and rest up while lying in wait for their opponent. Bronx has dominated Minny this year, winning all seven regular season match-ups, but if they lose the opener, expect New York to play tighter than a gnat's heinie.

Yankees vs. Twins 2009 Regular Season, Head to Head:

      AVG   R    H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  SB  CS  OBP    SLG

NYY  .300   41   73   12  2   10  41   3   4   .380  .490

MIN  .232   25   57    7  0   10  22   5   1   .337  .382

LINEUP
The Yankees cruised to the lead in nearly every offensive category recorded and probably some yet to be invented. It's easier to list their weaknesses than their strengths. Hideki Matsui is an easy out if his knees are acting up. Youngsters Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano redeemed themselves this year after 2008 struggles, but toward the end of the season Cabrera slowed down; both are sensitive to criticism. And no one is more sensitive to criticism than Alex Rodriguez, whose postseason hitting woes (0-for-27 with RISP since game four of the 2004 ALCS, et al.) will be harped on incessantly by the media unless he goes 4-for-5 with a homer in the the opener.

Minnesota's postseason chances were supposed to be dead in the water when they lost Justin Morneau for the year to a fractured vertebra, but all they've done since then is win. They compiled a team batting average of .291 in August, .283 in September, doing so with fewer homers but more doubles and men on base following Morneau's departure. Leadoff man Denard Span has a .392 OBP, DH Jason Kubel is at .382, and Michael Cuddyer is at .342. Even light-hitting second baseman Nick Punto (.228 BA), usually in the #9 hole, logs a .337 OBP. They're all there to be driven in by Joe Mauer, who simply can't be pitched to with men on. Expect the Yankees to pitch around him while going after the others.

Advantage: Yankees

ROTATION
The Yankees are leaning toward using a three-man rotation with CC Sabathia taking the ball in game one. Sabathia has thrived in New York, and although he was not lights-out all year, he has owned the Twins. Fellow free-agent pickup A.J. Burnett will take the hill in the game two at Yankee Stadium, where he has pitched better than on the road, and will work with favorite backstop Jose Molina. Burnett floundered at times this season, ceding too many homers and too many walks, a bad combination; his August ERA was 6.03. He seemed to pull himself together in his final five starts, all of which were to Molina, dropping his season ERA from 4.33 to 4.04. Lefty veteran Andy Pettitte pitches game three at the Metrodome. In twelve career starts, Pettitte is 5-4 under the Minnesota roof, allowing only four home runs and holding the Twins to a .251 average, impressive for a ground ball pitcher on fast turf. The Yankees will take a relatively low total of ten pitchers into the first round.

Minnesota's arms are a bit fatigued from their stretch run to the AL Central title, including their final playoff where they needed seven pitchers to get from the seventh inning to their walk-off win in the twelfth. Manager Ron Gardenhire will carry twelve pitchers, and is left with only one choice for his game one starter: Brian Duensing. The rookie lefty appeared 24 times this season and even spent time at Class AAA Rochester, but beginning with an August 22 start against Kansas City has been a fixture, with a 5-1 record and a 2.73 ERA. Nick Blackburn and former Yankee Carl Pavano will likely follow in the rotation, with Tuesday's starter Scott Baker taking the hill if the Series goes to a fourth game. None of the three have had a dominating season, though Pavano has been happier since his trade from Cleveland.

Advantage: New York

BENCH AND BULLPEN
The Yankees have Mariano Rivera, the Twins have Joe Nathan. Nathan saved a club-record 47 games this season, but the edge has to go to the maestro of 76 postseason appearances and 0.77 postseason ERA. The rest of the Yankees bullpen is less tested. Phil Hughes, once touted as an ace in the making, has settled into the eighth-inning role this year, while Joba Chamberlain held down a rotation slot most of the year but was hampered by the innings limit imposed to protect his arm. After struggling most of August and September, Joba had a bullpen appearance in the season's final week, and will join the 'pen; Brian Bruney was sent to Tampa to work out in case he should be added in the second round. Phil Coke will take the lefty role.

Twins' pitching coach Rick Anderson said after the clinch that they would carry all seven relievers who pitched in the one-game playoff, Nathan, lefties Ron Mahay and Jose Mijares, and righties Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, and Bobby Keppel. Francisco Liriano will be a third lefty and may get the first call, especially since Mijares has struggled--seven of the last nine batters against him have reached base. In Liriano's career he has faced the Yankees in three regular season games, two back when he was a starter, and the 13 total innings are not much to go by: 12 Ks, but 9 walks, 11 hits (including two homers), and a 2.77 ERA.

Minnesota's need for more pitching will cut into their bench; at press time they had not chose whether to infielders Alexi Casilla or Brian Buscher or backup catcher Mike Redmond. The Yankees can platoon Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner with speedster Gardner doing the lion's share of late-inning pinch-running. Eric Hinske will provide power off the bench and can play the corner outfield or third base if needed. Ramiro Pena will likely be the backup infielder, with Freddy Guzman providing extra wheels.

Advantage: New York Yankees

CONCLUSION
The Yankees should dominate, but Minnesota has proved the skeptics wrong all month, so don't expect them to go quietly.

Prediction: Yankees in four.
Back to top

He is the only man to have worn the uniform of all four Major League Baseball teams in New York City.
Back to top

Joe Mauer has now won three out of the last four AL batting titles and two in a row. The last person to win in back-to-back years was Nomar Garciaparra in 1999 and 2000. Mauer still has some work to do if he is to equal Wade Boggs, the last man to pace the AL four years in a row (1985-88) or five of six (Boggs also was the top hitter in 1983).

Year  Player Name         AVG

1999  Nomar Garciaparra  .357

2000  Nomar Garciaparra  .372

2001  Ichiro Suzuki      .350

2002  Manny Ramírez      .349

2003  Bill Mueller       .326

2004  Ichiro Suzuki      .372

2005  Michael Young      .331

2006  Joe Mauer          .347

2007  Magglio Ordóñez    .363

2008  Joe Mauer          .328

2009  Joe Mauer          .365

Back to top

It was on this date in 1936 that he was fired from his first managerial post after never finishing higher than fifth place (in an eight team league), only to move to Boston and lose miserably there, too. He wouldn't find success as a big league skipper until six years later, following a few turns in the minor leagues.

Back to top

A new book about one of the all-time great World Series games is hitting shelves just in time for this year's postseason baseball excitement.

GAME SIX: Cincinnati, Boston, and the 1975 World Series by Mark Frost takes a detailed look at what is colloquially known in Beantown as "The Fisk Game." Weaving storylines as diverse as Fidel Castro's pre-despot career and the history of professional ball in Cincy with player backstories and pitch-by-pitch action, the book follows on the success of similar "one historic night at the ballyard" books and becomes the latest must-read in this burgeoning genre.
Back to top

Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel was an athletic young man who found his left-handedness more of an asset in baseball than in dentistry, the career he had thought he would pursue when baseball jobs ran out. He was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1912 and was called up late in the season. He stayed with the Dodgers until 1917, then spent time with the Pirates, Phillies, Giants, and Boston Braves.

It was while with the Giants in 1923 that Stengel hit his famous round-tripper in the original Yankee Stadium. It was the top of the ninth in the opening game of the World Series, the score tied 4-4, and Joe Bush was pitching in his sixth inning of work, having relieved Waite Hoyt with one out in the third. With two outs, Stengel stepped to the plate and hit a ball into the deep left-center gap where the wall extended more than 470 feet from home plate. Stengel scampered around the bases, one of his shoes nearly coming off as he ran, for an inside-the-parker which would prove to be the difference in the game. He hit another one, the over-the-wall variety, in game three, another game-winner, but McGraw's Men lost the series.

His first managerial post found him back in Brooklyn from 1934-1936, and 73 years ago today, the Dodgers fired him. He had no better luck with the Boston Braves from 1938-1943. The following year Stengel would have his first managerial success, captaining the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, where he was hired despite vehement objections by owner Bill Veeck. (Veeck was in the Marines at the time, serving in the Pacific theater and at the Panama Canal, and could only express his opinions in letters, which his proxies ignored.) The Brewers won the American Association and then Stengel was lured over to the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League. His success there caught the attention of the Yankees front office.

The rest, as they say, is history. He came to the Bronx in 1949 and promptly managed the Yankees to five consecutive World Championships, and then in the following years five more pennants and two more titles. He was at the helm until Bill Mazeroski's walk-off homer in Game 7 led Pittsburgh to upset the Yankees in the 1960 Fall Classic. Management claimed Stengel was sacked because he was too old, leading Stengel to famously quip that he would never make the mistake of turning 70 again.

He didn't stay out of the bigs long. A year later he was hired to lead the expansion New York Mets, who wanted a publicity boost for the young team trying to fill the National League void left by the departure of both the Dodgers and Giants for the West Coast. Thus Stengel became the only man to wear the uniform of all four New York major league franchises, the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, and Mets.

Back to top

The Baseball Early Bird is a free daily newsletter published jointly by the two leaders in the field of baseball reference: Sports Reference LLC--which produces Baseball-Reference.com--and 24-7 Baseball, L.L.C.--which produces the ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia and the ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia.

Gary Gillette, whose high point as a ballplayer was being selected as MVP of his Little League team, is the Early Bird's Executive Editor and Co-Publisher. Sean Forman is the Early Bird's technical guru and Co-Publisher. Stuart Shea and Doug White pinch hit as editors for today's issue

Cecilia Tan wrote today's issue.

Feel free to send us your comments, suggestions and criticism. E-mail the Early Bird.
Back to top