I’m not gonna lie, that was an awesome baseball game to watch, but the Twins got jobbed out of the go ahead run in the top of the 11th inning.

Conspiracy? It makes one wonder. Would the Twins then have been able to hold off the Yankees and win? Who knows. But, not only did Joe Mauer’s hit down the left field line glance off of Melky Cabrera’s glove in fair territory, it also bounced on the warning track at least 6 inches on the right side of the foul line. It wasn’t even close. That’s a play that cannot be missed by a Major League Baseball Playoff Series umpire crew, end of story.

Thats all I’m goinng to say about it, so on to the game:

Could the Twins be any more exciting, gut wrenching, elation inducing, and head scratching to watch, all at the same time?

My heart rate was elevated from about the 5th inning on while watching the game.

Nick Blackburn held the Yankees hitless through 4 innings while A.J. Burnett also kept the Twins off the board while surrendering 5 walks.

In the fourth inning, Matt Tolbert delivered a two out single up the middle that would have drove in Delmon Young from second base, but Carlos Gomez slipped rounding second, and was tagged for the third out by Derek Jeter before Young crossed homeplate. (head scratching)

In the sixth, Brendan Harris, who replaced Matt Tolbert after an injury, delivered an off the wall triple and that drove in Young for the games first run. (exciting) The Yankees answered in the bottom half with a run of their own as Alex Rodriguez singled in Jeter.

With two outs in the top of the eighth, Carlos Gomez walked, and Harris delivered a hit-and-run single to move him to third. Nick Punto then delivered a clutch line drive to bring in Gomez and Yankee manager Joe Girardi then made the move to closer Mariano Rivera.

It was at this point that the broadcaster’s pointed out the fact that in his postseason career, batters hitting with 2 outs and runners in scoring position against Rivera were 3-50, a 0.060 average. Denard Span proceeded to make the mark 4-51, and the Twins took a 3-1 lead. (elation inducing)

Joe Nathan took the hill in the bottom of the ninth to try and shut the door on a comeback, but it wasn’t meant to be. A hard single by Mark Teixeira was followed by a 2-Run blast from Alex Rodriguez to tie the game. (gut wrenching)

After working himself into another jam in the 10th, compounded by a throwing error on a pickoff attempt to second, with a drawn in infield, Nathan was replaced by Jose Mijares, who got Damon to line out to Orlando Cabrera, who then doubled off a breaking for home Brett Gardner at third to escape it. (exciting/elation inducing)

In the eleventh, despite the stolen Mauer double, the Twins were able to load the bases with nobody out after three consecutive singles. But the youth and playoff inexperience caught up with them as the next two batters, Young and Gomez, swung at the first pitch and produced 2 easy outs. David Robertson then got Harris to fly out to center and end the threat. (gut wrenching)

Mark Teixeira then delivered the walk-off blast and sends the Twins back home down two games to none in the best of 5 series.

Random Thoughts:

-The Twins left too many batters on base and though they delivered in some big situations, they also failed at other key times.

-Me thinks Joe Nathan needs to quit messing around with all these secondary breaking pitches and get back to throwing his fastball at 97-98 miles-per-hour. Three consecutive sliders to Rodriguez put him in a 3 ball hole, and he was forced to serve one up to one of the best power hitters in the game, and that can’t happen with the game on the line.

-Carlos Gomez has got to understand that he’s not going to be able to take third from first on a line drive to center. And on a hit when a run is going to score, you have got to do whatever is necessary to prolong a play if you’re caught like he was.

Anyway, I’m exhausted after that one, and here’s to hoping the Metrodome keeps delivering some magic on Sunday…