Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Two in a row: 2010 AL Central Division Champions

As I'm sure you know by now, the Minnesota Twins clinched the AL Central Division title. The celebration came late Tuesday night after their 6-4 win over Cleveland, and then another White Sox loss out in Oakland.

It was pretty cool to see former-Twin Craig Breslow pitch the ninth inning, and get Paul Konerko to ground out to second for the out that sealed the deal for the Twins. Thank you Oakland!

Before the game, the players and manager Ron Gardenhire were talking business as usual. Gardy said he would be at home by the time the Sox game ended. Yeah, right. That theory didn't pan out after the Twins comeback-win was final, and the out-of-town scoreboard showed the Sox being down early.

Late-night party
Watching the celebration on FSNorth was pretty cool to see, as it has always been. It was nice that they were able to clinch at home (even if it wasn't on the field) and christen the new clubhouse in Target Field's inaugural season.

It was also nice to see a cluster of fans stick around for the celebration. Slowly, players came out onto the field to high-five fans, and spray them with beverages. Jon Rauch threw a bucket of cold water(?) over the dugout and onto the fans. I wish I could have been there with those true fans.

The night was also special for Gardy because the win marked No. 800 for him in his managing career. He's helped the team to division titles in 2002, '03, '04, '06, '09 and now '10, with just a few ejections along the way. If he doesn't get awarded the Manager of the Year title this year, it'll be a crime.

The work isn't done
Cold-beverage spraying was still going strong around midnight - 12 hours before the afternoon, series finale with the Cleveland Indians. Many thought Wednesday would be a "hangover" game for the Twins, especially with their second-string lineup in their first effort to rest some of the everyday players. But they won 5-1 to improve their record to 92-60.

After Tampa Bay beat the Yankees that evening, the Twins were officially tied with New York for the best record in the American League. That's the new goal the Twins will be working toward in the remaining games, along with getting healthy and mentally prepared for the postseason, in order to secure home-field advantage throughout the AL Championship Series.

With Texas seemingly out of the best-record race, the Twins will be playing either Tampa Bay or New York, based on who finishes as the AL East Champ and the Wild Card. Either way, it'll be a test for the Twins, as they have had trouble with the East teams this season, especially the Yankees.

Since the Twins have become the first team in baseball to clinch a division and playoff berth, it should work to their advantage. Unlike last year with a race to the finish in Game 163, they can have a chance to prepare for the postseason and hopefully make a deeper run into the playoffs.

A few notes
Nick Blackburn made history Wednesday by getting his 10th win of the season. It marked the first time in Twins history when they had six, 10-game winners on their pitching staff.

The 92-60 overall record includes a 52-25 record at Target Field, and a 40-35 mark on the road. In the World Series season of 1987, the Twins went 85-77, and 95-67 in 1991.

Francisco Liriano has been named the Game 1 starter in the AL Division Series. Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing and Nick Blackburn will round out the rotation. Liriano is 14-8 and 6-1 in his past 10 games, but his nerves in big situations make me a little nervous.

The Homer Hankies have returned, this time with the colorful symbol of Minnie and Paul shaking hands that has become the staple logo at Target Field.

It's nice to enjoy another division title, but I think we all know that the goal is bigger than that. Anything less than getting through to the ALCS will be a bit of a disappointment.

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