The Yankees already have faced and beaten the Twins five times this century in the postseason, and while the playoffs are fickle — particularly the one-game wild card — when the Yankees looked across the field they saw an inferior team.
This time they will see a Minnesota squad much like themselves — a 100-win club with power up and down the lineup, real questions about rotation depth/quality and a strong, deep (if relatively unknown) bullpen.
“There really is some schoolyard bully to their game — they can ambush you, hit you and hit you some more from a lot of places in the lineup, and if they get the lead they are tough,” said a scout who covers the Twins.