A-Rod’s three homers, Murphy’s three-run shot lead Yanks to 8-5 come from behind win over Twins

Source: FanGraphs

Holy smokes. I need a cigarette after that game. The Yankees battled back from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Twins 8-5 on Saturday night thanks to the oldest player on the roster and the second youngest player on the roster. What a win. It’s Saturday night, so let’s recap with bullet points:

• Ten More Years!: Alex Rodriguez had had enough. The Yankees fell behind 5-0 (more on that in a bit), so he put the team on his back and carried them back into the game. Solo homer into the third deck in the fourth inning, two-run homer into the bullpen in the seventh, then a game-tying solo homer to center off Glen Perkins in the ninth. Three homers to lead the comeback. And they say he ain’t clutch.
• Serial Killed: A-Rod merely tied the game in the ninth. His teammates took care of the rest. Mark Teixeira singled but was erased on Carlos Beltran’s fielder’s choice. Beltran moved to third on Chase Headley’s single to put the go ahead run at third with one out. Backup catcher/serial killer John Ryan Murphy just needed to hit a ball to the outfield, and he did that and then some. Murphy hit a three-run homer over the high wall in right-center field (oppo blast!) to give the Yankees the 8-5 lead. It was in a two-strike count too. What a stud. What a moment.

  

• No No CC: The Yankees shouldn’t allow CC Sabathia to make another start, but you and I both know they will. He allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in 5.2 innings on Saturday, against a Twins lineup loaded with righties and switch-hitters. It was easy to foresee a rough night. Sabathia hasn’t gotten righties out at all this year. As long as Sabathia is in the rotation, the Yankees are not giving themselves the best chance to win. Simple as that.
• Unsung Hero: A-Rod hit the three homers and Murphy gave them the lead, but Adam Warren is the unsung hero of the game. He replaced Sabathia in the fifth, escaping his bases loaded jam with a strikeout, then tossed two more scoreless innings to give the Yankees a chance to get back in the game. Warren stopped the bleeding and deserves the win. Andrew Miller tossed a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in 23 chances.
• Leftovers: The three-homer game was the fifth of A-Rod’s career and his third with the Yankees. He last did it against the Royals in 2010. The other was the three-homer, 10 RBI game against Bartolo Colon in 2005. You remember that, right? … Teixeira had two hits and then Jacoby Ellsbury, Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Headley, and Murphy had one each … Brian McCann struck out with Ellsbury at second representing the tying run in the eighth, but who cares after that ninth inning.

Here are the box score, video highlights, updated standings, postseason odds, Bullpen Workload page, and Announcer Standings page. That’s a lot of stuff. The Yankees and Twins will wrap up this three-game series Sunday afternoon. Nathan Eovaldi and Kyle Gibson will be the pitching matchup in the matinee.