It was after the matchup was set and the Minnesota Twins knew they would visit Yankee Stadium for the American League wild-card game when Neil Allen made the connection with his best starting pitcher. Ervin Santana would be facing the Yankees in a knockout game, and Allen, the Twins’ pitching coach, had seen it before.
“You took money out of my pocket!” Allen told Santana on the bench in Minnesota on Saturday night.
Santana laughed. “Hopefully, I can put some money back in,” he replied.
Twelve years ago, Allen was the Yankees’ bullpen coach when they faced the Los Angeles Angels in the decisive fifth game of a division series in Anaheim.