Twins fans rejoice: the Yankees are out (and somehow that feels like a win for Minnesota)

Why the Yankees’ departure feels like a win for Minnesota

The New York Yankees have been ousted starting with the 2025 MLB postseason – Are there nicer words in the baseball world? Their ALDS exit now extends them sixteen-year drought without a World Series championship, the second-longest in their franchise history. Twins Territory, join us in this short message to the team in pinstripes: “Cry me a river.” Sarcasm aside, Twins fans can enjoy something rare after Toronto sealed the deal with a 5-2 win in New York: unadulterated, guilt-free joy at someone else’s expense – at the Yankees’ expense!

So why does it feel like the Twins just pulled off a postseason victory, even though they’re watching the events from home? Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to remind ourselves, or perhaps inform newcomers, why every Yankees loss feels so good.

A brief (and painful) history: Yankees vs. Twins in the postseason

It’s no secret that when it comes to playoff baseball, the Yankees have historically treated the Twins as their personal punching bag. From 2003 through 2019 (the last time they played each other in the postseason), the two teams faced each other six times in the playoffs. New York won all six series in that time frame. The numbers are downright cruel, so be patient:

Head-to-Head postseason record (2003-2019): Yankees 16 – Gemini 2
Series record: Yankees 6 – Gemini 0
Runs Scored: Yankees 100 – Gemini 47

Okay, that’s enough. We get it. Every game felt like a repeat of the same tragic plot: a season of promise, hope going into the playoffs, “oh we’re playing the Yankees AGAIN,” the inevitable meltdown or walk-off courtesy of the Bronx Bombers, Twins fans crushed. Sickening for those of us who have experienced it again and again. No matter how well the season went, when the Twins met the Yankees, they seemed to be a different team – and we despised New York for what they would do to our team. But we’re here for the good news, let’s get back to that.

Meanwhile in 2025…

The empire has fallen! Well, for this year anyway. The Yankees’ once-iron grip on October has been slippery at best in recent years, despite reaching the postseason in eight of the past 10 seasons. In 2024, the Yankees lost to the Dodgers (we’ll call them the NL Yankees) 4-1 in the World Series after missing the 2023 playoffs entirely. With their last World Series victory in 2009, they are in their longest stretch without a championship since the mid-1980s, when the Twins were still playing in the Metrodome and Kirby Puckett was just beginning his legendary career.

As always, the Yankees are bowing out in the playoffs the blame game begins immediately. Is Yankees manager Aaron Boone the problem? What about Brian Cashman, the team’s general manager? Did Aaron Judge meet the MVP standard? Did Costly mistake by Jazz Chisholm close the deal on the Yankees’ postseason exit in 2025? Some social media posts place the blame squarely on Cashman, with some even going so far as to say they wasted the prime of Judge’s career. Again, it’s hard to feel bad for a franchise with a payroll the size of a galaxy and a reputation similar to that of 1990s Empire. Star Wars movies.

I want to give the Toronto Blue Jays a lot of credit for the way they played. The Jays quit 34 runs in the four game series with the only loss coming in game three when former Twins pitcher Louis Varland surrendered a moonshot to Judge in the fourth inning. This series showed why Toronto was able to win the AL East this season with 94 wins: big hits when they needed them and resilience to bounce back from the deflating loss in game three.

Silver linings and small victories

Twins fans have endured more than most fans in recent decades when it comes to postseason heartbreak. Not all, but most. Watching the mighty Yankees stumble while Minnesota rebuilds, reshapes (blows up?) its roster feels like a bit of poetic justice or like balance is being restored… no matter how small. It reminds us that even the greatest dynasties fade in and out and that hope – like the celebration in Royce Lewis’s photo above – can come when you least expect it. I doubt I’m the first to admit that my reaction to the Blue Jay’s win last night was a lot like Royce’s on September 21st.

While the Twins haven’t gone anywhere this year, the hope remains that the core of the team is young, that they get healthy, that the farm system continues to thrive, and perhaps most importantly today: the Yankees are also at home. Silver linings and small victories, Twins Territory.

Obviously there’s no banner to raise for this kind of “win,” but for the Twins faithful it’s a nice way to start the upcoming AL Championship Series – the Yankees stumbled first and that’s a Great start of the 2025 postseason.