I’m sure by now every Yankees fan knows the Bronx Bombers were 7-0 against the Twins during the regular season. What some may not realize is only one of those games was decided by more than 2 runs. If you take away the July 7th 10-2 blowout, you’re looking at a Yankees team that went 6-0 against the Twins but only outscored them 31 to 23 in those 6 games. They’ve played very close baseball games against this team, which is a little scary come playoff time. One bad bounce or one ball lost in that Metrodome roof and we could suddenly find ourselves in a hole.

One thing we have going in our favor is that the Twins depleted their bullpen in their successful effort to take down the Tigers. The 12-inning affair last night is going to mean fewer relievers available for game 1 at 6:00 tonight. If Joe Nathan does get the opportunity to pitch, he’ll probably be tired and more likely to leave a meatball out over the plate. I’m not saying to expect typical Yankee heroics if this game is close, I’m just saying… alright, yeah, you can expect some Yankee heroics.

We’ve got home field advantage in this series (and throughout the postseason, should we move on), which will probably have a bigger impact than in the ALCS or World Series. As much as Yankee Stadium is a benefit to this team, the Metrodome is a detriment. I’ve been there, and it’s a different place in the postseason. It’s absolute hell for an opposing team. The crowd noise and the vibrations in that dome create a seismic event unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in the Bronx or in any other baseball stadium. If it’s a close game in the late innings and the Twins are rallying, you’ll experience crowd noise so horrifying in that place you’ll think the whole structure is going to be swallowed up by the earth. The Yankees are lucky they might get away with only having to play 1 game there, although they’ll have to win that game to ensure they don’t have to play a second.

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