4 ways the Twins can conquer their Yankees demons

The Minnesota Twins will once again try match-up with the New York Yankees, here’s how the Twins can finally beat their playoff nemesis.

The Yankees and Twins have faced off with each other five times since 2003, making Friday night’s match-up the sixth time the two teams have met in the last 16 seasons. But this Twins club isn’t like the teams in the early 2000s winning 101 games this season, narrowly edged out the Yankees to lead the league in home runs, have some elite arms in their rotation and bullpen.

However, the Yankees have shown resilience all season dealing with multiple injuries and should be as close to full health as they’ve been this year. The Yankees can mash at the plate, have a bullpen that can take games over, and won four of their six games against the Twins this season.

So, here’s what needs to happen for the Twins to upset the Yankees this fall.

Jose Berrios needs to be the best pitcher in this series

The 25-year-old Berrios struggled in the final month of the regular season for the Twins, posting a 4.31 ERA in five starts in September, getting beat up by the only two teams Berrios faced that month with winning records. That’s never a good sign but Berrios didn’t see an uptick in walks and he wasn’t getting hit hard in September, which suggests he may have just been off.

The Yankees have also nailed Berrios when facing him, especially at Yankee Stadium.

But if Berrios can replicate the numbers he posted the first four months of the season, a 2.80 ERA with 130 strikeouts and just 30 walks in 22 starts, it could tilt the scale towards Minnesota in a series that’s so evenly matched. The Twins young star can be filthy on the mound and has the stuff that can dominate in the postseason, and the Yankees will be a great measuring stick in Berrios’ development.