MINNEAPOLIS — Alex Rodriguez finally delivered the playoff performance he needed and his talent demanded, powering the New York Yankees back to the American League Championship Series.
During a first-round sweep of the Minnesota Twins, Rodriguez’s performance was nothing like all those oh-fers of Octobers past.
Rodriguez and Jorge Posada hit seventh-inning home runs to spoil Carl Pavano’s opportunity to frustrate New Yorkers one more time, and the Yankees advanced to their first ALCS in five years with a 4-1 victory Sunday night.
Rodriguez got off to a rocky start this year when he admitted in spring training to using steroids when he was with the Texas Rangers. Then he had hip surgery and missed the first month of the season as the Yankees stumbled out of the gate.
But baseball’s highest-paid player returned with a more positive outlook, and New York surged to the top of the AL East.
Still, the third baseman entered this postseason in an 0-for-27 slide with runners on base dating to Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.
“I knew that I couldn’t change all the 0-for-4s, 0-for-5s and all the guys I left on base,” said Rodriguez, who went 5-for-11 with two homers and six RBIs in the three games. “I’m content right now, both on and off the field.”
Mariano Rivera got the last four outs in the final baseball game at the Metrodome, preserving Andy Pettitte’s record-tying 15th career postseason win.
A pitching duel between former teammates Pettitte and Pavano ended with another first-round playoff victory in Minnesota for the Yankees, who also eliminated the Twins here in 2003 and 2004.
“It seems like just yesterday that we were pouring champagne for winning the division, and now it’s over,” Twins catcher Joe Mauer said. “It just burns that we’re done. I’m still trying to figure that one out.”
Pettitte, who retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced, left Joba Chamberlain a 2-1 lead with one out in the seventh. He matched John Smoltz for postseason victories, getting his first such win for the Yankees since the 2003 World Series against Pavano’s Florida Marlins, who won it all that year.
