Hicks Leads Yankees to Win Insane Game In Minnesota

Every time the Yankees get into a weird game that goes into extra innings, I figure that John Sterling must have flashbacks to when he was a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves against the Mets on July 4, 1985. That game went 19 innings, and 2 rain delays pushed it all the way to 3:55 AM. A game-tying home run by relief pitcher Rick Camp in the 18th inning sent it to the 19th, and Sterling called that game "the nuttiest in history of baseball." The Mets finally won it in the 19th, 16-13.

Last night's game, between the Yankees and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, didn't go that far. But it was one of the craziest games you'll ever see. It was like Crazy Eddie's prices: In-saaaane!

If this game had been in the postseason, or against the Boston Red Sox, it would be one of those all-time classics that we talk about forever. We may end up doing so anyway. Unless he has a bigger game in the postseason (I hope he does), this will be remembered as The Aaron Hicks Game.

Let's start at the beginning. For the 1st time in the game, but not the last, we had to invoke the Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Hicks drew a walk to open the game. Edwin Encarnación doubled, and so did Didi Gregorius, getting both of them home. 2-0 Yankees.

But Domingo Germán allowed a run in the bottom of the 2nd, and back-to-back home runs to lead off the 3rd, making it 3-2 Twins. He imploded in the 4th, and it was 8-2 and looking over for the Yankees. It looked like, for the 2nd night in a row, the Twins had a big win over a potential Playoff opponent.

But in the top of the 5th, the Yankees reminded us that they can be, as manager Aaron Boone said, savages in the batter's box. Aaron Judge and Encarnación singled, and Didi hit one out, to make it 8-5. When it was all over, Didi had 5 hits and 7 RBIs -- and still might not have been the most consequential Yankee of the game.

David Hale was sent out to pitch the bottom of the 5th, and he gave back a run. The Yankees got 1st and 3rd with 1 out in the 7th, but a double play ended their threat.

Then came the top of the 8th. One of those deadly leadoff walks was drawn by Gleyber Torres. Doubles by Gio Urshela, Mike Tauchman and Judge -- the last 2 hitting the high right field wall near the top, not quite going out -- made it 9-8. Luke Voit drew a walk, was replaced by DJ LeMahieu as a pinch-runner, and another double, by Didi, gave the Yankees a hard-earned 10-9 lead and stunned the Minnesota crowd.

But with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th, Eddie Rosario reached on an infield single, and Miguel Sanó blasted a 457-foot shot off Zack Britton, restoring the lead to the Twins, 11-10. #YankeesTwitter was angry, but deflated.

The Yankees got down to their last out. It seemed hopeless. But Tauchman drew a walk, and what we needed with Aaron Hicks up was a variation on that old Variety headline: HIX STIX SPINZ TWINZ. We got it, a 419-foot home run. Yankees 12, Twins 11.

All Aroldis Chapman had to do in the bottom of the 9th was get 3 outs, any way he could, without allowing a run. Instead, well, you know what I say about walks. He walked the 1st 3 batters he faced. Bases loaded, nobody out. And Boone didn't get anybody warmed up in the bullpen. Cliché Alert: Boone had chosen this hill to die on.

A sacrifice fly got the 1st out, but also got the tying run home. At this point, we Yankee Fans were sure the game was lost, and that it was the worst loss of the season. Cliché Alert: Never assume, because when you ASSUME, you make an ASS of U and ME. Chapman had made an ass of himself, and either of the next 2 batters should have ended it. But they hit line shots that were caught by Hicks and Gregorius.

On to the 10th inning, as if the 1st 9 weren't already insane. With 1 out, singles by Gregorius, Austin Romine and Torres gave the Yankees back the lead. A wild pitch got another run home.

Bottom of the 10th. Adam Ottavino on the mound. His task was easier than Chapman's: Get 3 outs while allowing 1 run or less. Which brings up the craziest part of this crazy game: If Ottavino completed said task, Chapman stood to become the winning pitcher of a game in which he had horribly blown a save.

Ottavino struck Sanó out, and it looked like the threat was over. It wasn't. Those deadly walks came into play again, and that's how he put Marwyn González and Luis Arráez, the tying runs, on base. "Here we go again," we all said.

He got Ehire Adrianza to ground into a fielder's choice. One out to go. But he walked Mitch Garber to load the bases.

The batter was Max Kepler. Following Donald Lutz of the 2013 Cincinnati Reds, Kepler is the 2nd German-trained player to make the major leagues, and he sent a drive to left-center that looked like it would clear the bases and give the Twins a 15-14 win, and give the Yankees an embarrassing and infuriating loss.

But Hicks went on the run, and made a diving catch for the final out. Finally, just as Hicks opened the proceedings, he had closed them. Yankees 14, Twins 12. WP: Chapman (3-2). SV: Green (1). LP: Kohl Stewart (2-2 -- Kohl Stewart? Does that mean he sells clothes and root beer?).

Anyway, the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays last night, so now both teams are 10 games behind the Yankees. But in the all-important loss column, the Red Sox trail us by 11 games, the Rays by 12.

The series concludes tonight, if anybody has any energy left. J.A. Happ starts against Jake Odorizzi. Then, for the Yankees, on to Boston to face The Scum.