For the first time since 2001, the Minnesota Twins have won their season series against the New York Yankees.
On Tuesday night, the Twins prevailed at home over the Yankees by a score of 6-2, and that pushed their record versus the Yankees in 2023 to 4-2. The two teams will meet for the final time during the regular season on Wednesday, which means the Twins have already won the majority of the seven games they will have played. By taking the season series, Minnesota also ensures it will hold the tiebreaker over the Yankees in the event the two teams tie for a postseason wild-card berth or for seeding among division winners.
Back in 2001, the Twins won four of six against the Yankees. From 2002-2022, however, the Yankees won every season series against Minnesota and went a combined 98-38 in those games. As well, in postseason play between the 2002 and 2022 the Yankees were 16-2 against the Twins. Add it all up, and the Yankees were 114-40 head-to-head versus the Twins between 2002 and 2022.
In Tuesday's win, Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach both hit two-run home runs.
"Twenty-two years? I was 6," Buxton told reporters post-game when informed the Twins had ended a drought against the Yankees that had persisted since 2001. "This one felt extra good after hearing that then."
Minnesota starter Joe Ryan picked up the win and became MLB's first five-game winner of 2023. He also became the first Twin since Jerry Koosman in 1979 to win his first five starts of the season. On Tuesday, Ryan allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. With the effort, Ryan lowered his ERA for the season to 2.81.
The win pushes the first-place Twins to 14-10 on the season. They're the only American League Central team that presently has a winning record. Meantime, the Yankees are now 13-11 on the season and have registered their first three-game losing streak of 2023. They're presently in fourth place in the AL East and seven games behind the Rays.
