With the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins battling it out in the Bronx, flashbacks to a glorious May weekend in 2009 will ensue.
Any 21st century oriented Yankee fans have a distinct spot in their hearts for the 2009 championship team. A team that exemplified second half dominance and the postseason brilliance that has highlighted this franchise.Although that particular team was well known for steamrolling through the playoffs, including an ALDS sweep of the Twins, one of their better remembered series was a mid-May Yankee Stadium four-game set with that same Twins team.
The brilliant weekend created the mentality of “Who wants pie?”, which was carried out for the rest of an 103-win season. It created the winning mystique that the club carried to their 27th championship. Ultimately, it brought the club together.
Three walk-off wins in a row and four come-from-behind wins highlighted a magical weekend that started to make a stadium in its inaugural season feel like home.
With that said, let’s take a look at each individual outcome and how they impacted the theme of resiliency that resided with the team.
Friday, May 15 – NYY: 5 MIN: 4
In danger of falling below .500 once again, the Yankees trailed the Twins 4-1 heading into the seventh. Despite the result being a walk-off in the ninth, it was one jolt in that frame that may have sparked a fire in the team.
Brett Gardner stepped up and looped one down the left-field line that evaded Denard Span and rolled past him. Fans at the stadium watched the speedster jet around the bases for an inside-the-park home run that ignited the team.
It was Gardner who stepped up again in the bottom of the ninth and hit a triple of Twins’ closer Joe Nathan to start a rally. Mark Teixeira followed with a double to score him and make it a 4-2 game which helped set up a two-out bases loaded situation for Melky Cabrera.
Cabrera blooped one into left-center field for two-run walk-off base hit to kick off the 2009 rally cries.
Saturday, May 16 – NYY: 6 MIN: 4 (11)
Mark Teixeira had a four-hit, four RBI day including a big two-out RBI single off Nick Blackburn in the bottom of the eighth inning to knot the game at four.
The Yankees and Twins traded zeroes until the bottom of the 11th inning, when Alex Rodriguez stepped up with Teixeira on first.
A-Rod had recently returned to the lineup coming off hip surgery and steroid allegations that put his legacy and future in question. Let’s just say he had a lot to prove.
He started proving it by blasting a two-run shot into the left field seats off Craig Breslow to make it two consecutive walk-off wins in the Bronx. Rodriguez would eventually go on to have a renaissance postseason with multiple huge home runs. The walk-off in May signified the start.
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Sunday, May 17 – NYY: 3 MIN: 2 (10)
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh, it was impossible to count the Bronx Bombers out once again.
Alex Rodriguez crushed another long ball to cut the lead in half and Melky Cabrera tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Hideki Matsui.
The bullpen held down the fort and set the stage for the bottom of the 10th inning. Johnny Damon, who ended up having a superb ’09 season, stepped up and rocketed a walk-off solo shot into the second deck in right field to provide the ultimate magical feel to the weekend.
If the Yankees trailed, they were down but not out. If you gave them a chance, they took the chance by storm.