Just as the Twins tie for AL Central lead, here come the Yankees
Whoever wrote the script for the 2022 MLB season must get a kick out of torturing Minnesota fans because just as the Twins move back into a tie with the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central, here come the New York Yankees.
To prove themselves worthy of the playoffs, the Twins begin the final 30-game stretch of the season with four games in their personal baseball dungeon: Yankee Stadium, where they are 13-50 since 2002.
And the script writer must be a Yankees fan because just when the Yankees need a break, here come the Minnesota Twins – the personal punching bag of the Bronx Bombers for the past 18 years.
If you take every game between the Twins and Yankees since 2002, the Twins are 37-96 – a .278 winning percentage that would translate to a 45-117 record over a full season. The worst record in a 162-game schedule in MLB history is 43-119, set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers. So yes, the Twins are basically the worst team in MLB history when they face the Yankees.
Is there ever a good time for the Twins to face the Yankees? No. Never.
But, if there ever was such a time, this is it because New York has collapsed with just 19 wins in their last 50 games, watching their 15 1/2-game lead in the AL East fall to five, giving hope to the Rays and Blue Jays in what once looked like a forgone conclusion.
The last time we wrote about the Twins facing the Yankees it was early June and the Yankees were on pace to win 117 games. Now they'll be lucky to reach 100. Things have changed with New York, but until Minnesota can get the Concrete Jungle off their back ... it's just another day waiting for an inevitable disappointment.
Putting more pressure on the Twins is that while they're facing the Yankees, the Guardians are in Kansas City for three games against the out-of-contention Royals.
You see where this is going...
If the Guardians take care of business like they should in KC, all the pressure is on the Twins to come up with answers in New York to avoid falling behind Cleveland entering the pivotal stretch of September when the Twins and Guardians play each other eight times from Sept. 9-20.
Game 1 of the four-game set in the Bronx starts at noon Monday.
