The Quadrangle

Issue date: 10/6/04 Section: Sports

September 30, 2004

The Yankees played host to the American League Central Division champion Minnesota Twins in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The series opener was rained out on Tuesday, forcing a doubleheader on Wednesday. As the Yankees pulled out a rare doubleheader sweep, and with their magic number at one, they were poised to clinch their seventh consecutive American League East Division title.

In the final home game of the regular season, a crowd of 48,454 saw a marquee pitching matchup between Brad Radke of the Twins and Javier Vazquez of the Yankees. By the end of the third, the Twins took an early 2-0 lead, capped off by a Torii Hunter solo homerun. The Yankees mounted a comeback and tied the game with successive RBI singles by Jorge Posada and John Olerud. Vazquez settled down to retire nine in a row following Hunter's homerun, but gave up another solo homerun, this time to Justin Morneau, in the sixth. The Yankees, however, got into the Twins' bullpen and John Olerud launched a solo homerun off of J.C. Romero, tying the game at 3. The homerun gave Olerud his second RBI of the night and his ninth homerun of the season. The Twins were not done. In the seventh, Henry Blanco's RBI double down the left-field line gave Minnesota the lead for the second time. In the bottom of the frame, Hideki Matsui answered back with a solo homerun of his own, knotting the game at 4. Matsui's homerun, his 31st of the season, tied the franchise record of 240 homeruns that was set in 1961. The Yankees' bullpen held the Twins to 4 runs with Tanyon Sturtze and Tom Gordon each tossing a scoreless inning.

In the hallowed cathedral of sports, where the ghosts of Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio linger, one would expect something miraculous to occur. It was the bottom of the ninth and Hideki Matsui was issued a walk. Bernie Williams, penned the "Elder Statesman" of the team, was up at bat. Bernie, who has had a sub-par season due to injury and inconsistency, has always been known to come through in the clutch. The crowd rose as one chanting, "Bernie! Bernie!" With one swing of the bat, Bernie ended the game in dramatic fashion with a two-run walk-off home run against Aaron Fultz, that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Bernie's homerun set a new franchise record, with the watermark now set at 241.

When Bernie crossed home plate, his teammates mobbed him. Subsequently, hugs and high-fives went around as the Yankees celebrated their division title. Derek Jeter stated, "It's only fitting that Bernie came up with the big hit. He's been here the longest; he's battled a lot this year so it was a great feeling. These are the things that people remember." Although the Yankees are proud of their accomplishments, they are well aware that this is the first leg of a four-part journey. As manager Joe Torre stated, "We start in February, and you have to take time out to breathe in and out. You have to congratulate yourself, acknowledge that you did something you should be proud of and then move on to phase two. You can't stay wound so tight continuously. You have to take time to celebrate what you've accomplished."

With the victory, the Yankees completed the three-game series sweep and notched their 100th win of the season. The victory represents the third consecutive season of having compiled 100 wins and join the 1929-31 Philadelphia A's, the 1969-71 Baltimore Orioles, and the 1997-99 Atlanta Braves as the only teams to accomplish the feat. The victory also gives the team home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, as they will have the best record in the league.

The Yankees conclude their season with a three-game series in Toronto. The regulars will be rested and will prepare themselves for the October grind. The quest for a 27th championship begins on Tuesday where the Yankees will face Minnesota, the Anaheim Angels or the Oakland Athletics. This is where the fun begins.

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