The top Yankees victories of the 2010s

6. vs. Minnesota Twins (October 3, 2017 @ Yankee Stadium)– The 2017 American League Wild Card Game. It was the biggest game at Yankee Stadium in almost two years. The Yankees had been there once before in 2015, but that didn’t turn out well at all. Looking to play in their first postseason series in five years, the Bombers would send their young hurler Luis Severino to the mound to take out their surprising opponents— the Minnesota Twins, a team which had lost over 100 games the year prior.

Like mosquitoes to a light on a muggy summer night, the Twins swarmed all over Severino. Before the second out of the game was even recorded, the score was 3-0 Minnesota. Manager Joe Girardi made the bold move to take out the flustered starter and go to his bullpen. Chad Green came on in relief of Sevy and struck out the next two batters to finally end the top of the first.

The Yankees wasted no time in answering back against Twins’ starter Ervin Santana. Didi Gregorius hit a game-tying three-run home run in the bottom of the first, electrifying the stadium and shaking it to its very foundation. Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge also went yard and the Yankee bullpen proceeded to throw eight more innings of one-run ball. The Yankees went on to win 8-4, giving them a date with the defending American League Champion Cleveland Indians.

Analysis: It had been a long time since the crowd at Yankee Stadium had been that noisy. This game reminded Yankee fans just how fun and nerve-racking postseason baseball truly is. The Gregorius home run really ignited the stadium, which has been occasionally ridiculed for being too silent. This game showed that the Yankees were back to being a perennial playoff contending team for the foreseeable future.