NEW YORK (AP) - With the Yankees barely clinging to a late lead in a game with October implications, Aroldis Chapman made fast work of Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins.
Really fast.
Throwing all four pitches at least 100 mph, Chapman worked out of big trouble in the eighth inning and New York edged Minnesota 2-1 on Monday night to increase its AL wild-card cushion.
“Just a huge performance from him,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said .
Aaron Judge hit his 44th home run , Todd Frazier’s sacrifice fly snapped a sixth-inning tie and Jaime Garcia gave the Yankees a splendid outing against the team that traded him this year after only one start. New York, still three games behind first-place Boston in the AL East, won the opener of a three-game series that could serve as a potential playoff preview.
Despite going 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position, the Yankees won for the eighth time in 10 games. They have a five-game advantage for the league’s top wild card with 12 to play.
Minnesota is in the second spot, 1 1/2 games ahead of the idle Los Angeles Angels for the final postseason berth. So if the standings hold, New York will host the Twins in the one-game playoff on Oct. 3.
Minnesota has been eliminated by the Yankees in each of their four postseason matchups, all from 2003-10.
“Knowing where we both are in the standings, yes, it does feel a little bit different,” Girardi said.
Chapman replaced a wild Dellin Betances with the bases loaded and one out. The left-hander struck out Mauer, who hit a grand slam Sunday, and retired No. 3 hitter Byron Buxton on an easy fly .
“You don’t want those runs to score because they belong to your teammate,” Chapman said through a translator. “You definitely want to be more aggressive when you face the batters in a situation like that.”
The fastballs to Mauer were clocked in order at 100, 101 and 102 (mph).
“Ball was cutting pretty good,” the three-time batting champion said. “You kind of have to tip your cap. Love to have that opportunity again, but he made his pitches.”
Chapman then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save in 23 chances. It was his third career regular-season save that required at least five outs - and first since August 2013 with Cincinnati.
The fireballing closer also had one in the World Series last year for the Chicago Cubs.
“Today we were lucky. Chapman did an unbelievable job. I put him in a tough situation, but I can’t keep doing that. I have to be better,” said Betances , who was booed. “Thank God we got the win. It would have been a tough one to swallow.”
Judge homered to right-center in the first off hard-luck loser Ervin Santana (15-8), who was 4-0 in 10 starts since his previous loss July 21 against Detroit.
David Robertson (9-2) retired all four hitters he faced, improving to 5-0 since the Yankees reacquired him from the Chicago White Sox in July.
Winless in seven starts with New York, Garcia struck out five of his first six batters and did not permit an earned run in 5 2/3 innings. Using a quality slider as his put-away pitch, he finished with nine strikeouts - all in the first four innings - to equal a season high.
“The ball was moving all over the place. Just couldn’t get anything going,” Mauer said. “He’s got the ability to do that. We knew that.”
Garcia was traded by Minnesota to the Yankees in late July, one day after a 6-3 win at Oakland in his lone start for the Twins - the team’s only victory during an eight-game stretch. They had acquired the veteran lefty from Atlanta to reinforce their rotation, but quickly moved him before the non-waiver deadline when that short-lived slump dropped them below .500.
“Even though I was only there for a week, I came close to some of those guys,” he said. “I really admire the way they do things over there.”
Frazier made a diving stop at third base on an RBI groundout by Robbie Grossman in the fifth that tied it 1-all. Garcia then got Jason Castro to ground into an inning-ending double play.
“Just fabulous,” Girardi said. “Just an outstanding start, and these guys have been swinging the bats.”
Minnesota, which began a 10-game road trip, had homered in 16 consecutive games, matching a club record.
BULLPEN BANTER
Girardi on Betances’ struggles: “We have to get him straightened out because he’s really important to us moving forward. … You like to have roles, but if you have to make adjustments, you make them.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: All-Star 3B Miguel Sano (left shin) is headed back to Minnesota on Tuesday after accompanying the team to New York for a personal matter. Sano is healing slowly, but the Twins hope to have him back before the season ends - perhaps only as a DH.
Yankees: OF Aaron Hicks (strained left oblique) did some tee and soft toss work. He said he feels really good and is close to taking batting practice. … DH Matt Holliday was rested in favor of switch-hitter Chase Headley, even though Holliday is 5 for 12 (.417) with two home runs against Santana. Headley singled and scored on Frazier’s sac fly .
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (12-7, 3.84) starts the middle game of the series. He beat the Yankees 6-1 in Minnesota on July 19.
Yankees: CC Sabathia (11-5, 3.85 ERA) gets the ball on seven days’ rest. The lefty is 18-9 with a 3.16 ERA against Minnesota, including 6-1 in 10 starts for the Yankees.
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