Yankees fans can argue that the only reason the Twins beat their team Thursday night is because of a missed call by the umpires and replay officials.
With the game tied 2-2 and one out in the eighth inning, Twins outfielder Jake Cave hit a grounder to first baseman Marwin Gonzalez, who flipped the ball to the pitcher Wandy Peralta, who stepped on the bag a moment before Cave.
The first-base ump called Cave safe, prompting a quick challenge from the Yankees.
The replay officials stood with the call on the field, apparently coming to the conclusion that Peralta didn’t have full control of the ball, though that’s entirely speculation because a reason was not provided during the game.
Clearly out and is still called safe after review and Boone can't believe it pic.twitter.com/kXkWsNWiPe
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 9, 2022
It proved to be the decisive call because two batters later Carlos Correa crushed a two-run homer to put the Twins up 4-2. Minnesota’s bullpen gave one run back in the bottom of the eighth, as is tradition, and then held on by getting out of a one-out, based-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone was asked about the call after the game.
“What do you think?” Boone responded to a reporter. “I think he’s out. We’ve got to live with the [call] stands. That’s just how our system goes.”
If Cave had been called out, Correa never would’ve come to the plate in the eighth inning. Instead, the questionable call gave the Twins life and helped them score the game-winning run.
Minnesota will take it any way they can because the Yankees have blasted them 114 of 154 games dating back to 2002, and the victory snapped a 10-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium.
New York is 24-2 against the Twins in the Bronx since 2015 and 53-14 at home against Minnesota since 2002.
