Yankees win 11th consecutive playoff game versus Twins

Despite jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead over Yankees starter James Paxton, the Twins bullpen imploded, allowing the Bombers to chip away thanks in large part to the long ball, en route to a 10-4 victory.

Following 10 consecutive victories, James Paxton left his final regular-season start after tweaking his left glute. And although the Yankees cleared the Big Maple for Game 1 of the ALDS following medication and rest, Paxton’s first career playoff appearance was merely OK.

Paxton was able to work around his problem area (early-inning home runs) and toss 4.2 innings of three run ball on five hits while striking out eight and walking one.

However, after smacking a club record 306 home runs — one behind the Twins for the MLB record, the Yanks’ usual cast of characters propelled them to a steady performance of long balls, clutch hitting and some nifty glovework to take Game 1 of the best of five series.

American League MVP candidate, D.J. LeMahieu, continued to prove he is the free-agent steal of the century, driving in four runs — including a sixth-inning solo home run (his first career postseason homer) — and then a game-breaking three-run double just one inning later.

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After leading the Yankees in hits (197), batting average (.327) and being tied for RBIs (102) and runs (109), it’s only fitting that LeMahieu further inspired his squad to hang tough, until Twins rookie manager Rocco Baldelli questionably pulled starter Jose Berrios after four innings of one-run ball.

Having allowed four hits, three walks and six strikeouts across 88 pitches, Baldelli must have known Berrios was on borrowed time, considering the Yanks’ bats began to wake up in the third inning, thanks in part to an Edwin Encarnacion RBI double (2-for-5 with two doubles on the night) — and Gleyber Torres fielder’s choice which scored two runs.

Torres’ fifth-inning battle from an 0-2 count — leading to a go-ahead two-run double was the straw that broke the camels back — further proving that at 22, Torres may be the most crucial cog in the Yankees lineup.

Aaron Judge, a real two-way star, made two stellar grabs in right-field. The first was a diving catch in the third inning to rob Jorge Polanco. Then in the seventh, with a man on second and two outs, Eddie Rosario laced a shot to right off of Zack Britton.

With the score 7-4 (thanks in part to a Brett Gardner solo shot in the bottom of the sixth) and the Twins trying to mount a comeback, Judge tracked the ball of a dead-run –diving to his left to make the snag before it hit the ground to end the inning.

In 132 best-of-five ALDS games, the team that wins Game 1, goes on to win the series 72 percent of the time (95-37). The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the hill on Saturday in hopes of going up 2-0 before the series shifts to Minnesota.