The Twins’ 2017 season came to a close with an 8-4 loss to the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game on Tuesday.
The game got off to a promising start for Minnesota who received first inning home runs from Brian Dozier and Eddie Rosario.
After Eduardo Escobar and Max Kepler singled, Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled starting pitcher Luis Severino and Chad Green finished off the inning.
Related: Watch: Brian Dozier and Eddie Rosario smack home runs
Unfortunately, New York responded in the bottom half with three runs of their own, thanks to a three-run blast from Didi Gregorius. Brett Gardner added another homer in the second inning and the Yankees led 4-3.
But the Twins tied it right back up in the third when Byron Buxton hit an RBI groundout.
As Minnesota trotted out for the bottom half, manager Paul Molitor lifted Ervin Santana for Jose Berrios, but the pitching change didn’t matter as New York clawed right back with a Greg Bird RBI single tying the game at four.
Related: Watch: Byron Buxton’s insane catch in the American League Wild Card Game.
New York would pour it on from there, tallying two more runs in the fourth and another in the seventh, solidifying the win. They’ll move onto the Divisional Round to play the Cleveland Indians.
With Tuesday’s defeat, the Twins have tied an MLB record of 13 consecutive playoff losses.
Although Minnesota’s season is over, they had a remarkable year considering they lost 103 games in 2016. With multiple young players like Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco taking the next step, the future appears bright for the Twins.
Now the team has to find a way in the offseason to supplement their offense with better pitching.
