What happens when Teixeira sees a beach ball?

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I feel the need to immediately link you to my post from earlier today. It mainly alludes to me not being worried about Mark Teixeira. In case you haven’t noticed from the photo album, I was right not to worry.

Teixeira put me out of my misery in the bottom of the 11th inning last night when he pulled a top-spin line drive down the left field line. It grazed the top of the fence and bounced into the seats for his first career postseason home run to knock off the Twins in walk-off fashion yet again. The 11-inning, 4-3 victory gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the series heading to Minnesota.

Quick ‘Cap:
The unsung hero of the night was David Robertson, the reliever that was in Dr. James Andrews’ office in September. He took over for Damaso Marte in the top of the 11th inning with runners on first and second, nobody out. He allowed a single, but then found a way to work his way out of the mess and walked off the mound unscathed.

The Yankees should have won it in the 10th inning with pesky Brett Gardner at third base with one out, but Johnny Damon lined out to shortstop and Gardner was doubled off third.

However, I can’t be greedy because the Yankees shouldn’t have even made it to extra innings! Down 3-1 in the ninth, Teixeira led off with a single and Alex Rodriguez followed with a two-run tater off closer Joe Nathan, who has a horrendous postseason record.

The Twins had just gone up 3-1 in the eighth with RBI singles off Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera, but like all year long, the Twins could not hold a lead against the Yankees and bit the bullet of a walk-off for the fourth time this year in the Bronx. Full box score here.

Thoughts:
To say that I was excited when A-Rod crushed the game-tying home run would be a tremendous understatement. I let everyone in my suite, and our neighbors know that the Yankees had tied it up. When Tex hit the walk-off, I was speechless. All I could do was smile at my fellow Yankee fans. Because it was the playoffs, this game gave me the biggest rush of the entire season, including the 15-inning marathon with the Red Sox.

I didn’t even have time to mention how good A.J. Burnett was in his first career postseason start. He walked his share of guys, but avoided trouble by using his devastating slider.

Oh, and let me ask now, what was all the fuss over Jose Molina catching him? If you were wondering, it was Francisco Cervelli — not Jorge Posada — who caught the final inning. Gardner pinch ran for Posada in the 10th. With an offense like the Yankees have, the guy who catches doesn’t make that big of an impact. Calm down, people.

Line of the Night:
The bash brothers: 4-for-9, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R. I am referring to Tex and A-Rod if you couldn’t have guessed.

Up Next:
The Yanks will look to use the brooms they are bringing on the plane to Minnesota. And wouldn’t it be nice to seal the deal against that failure Carl Pavano?

Note: I will be continuing the theme of “seeing beach balls” next year to honor the team’s hottest hitters. It seems to be good luck, right?