Yankees clinch a three-game sweep of Twins in a rout unseen since 1999

The Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees completed their three-game series Thursday afternoon with a game that could not come soon enough for the Twinkies. The Yankees completed the sweep with a 5-0 victory at Target Field (box score). Since 2002, the Yankees have a staggering 120-44 record versus Minnesota, averaging 118 wins over 162 games.

Anthony Volpe hit a leadoff homerun. Thursday, the Red Hot Aaron Judge doubled twice, Clarke Schmidt struck out eight in a career-high eight innings, and the Twins went scoreless for the second consecutive day. Ryan Jeffers hit a leadoff home run on Tuesday night, and Minnesota did not score again for the rest of the series. Following Jeffers’ homer, there had been 28 consecutive scoreless innings.

“Dominant. “Just in complete control,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Schmidt, who improved to 5-1 with a 2.49 ERA on the season. “I felt his stuff was fantastic. He’s doing an excellent job spinning the ball. He simply carried out his game plan exceptionally effectively.”

According to YES Network researcher James Smyth, this is the first time the Yankees have limited an opponent to one run or fewer in a three-game series since the 1999 ALDS against the Texas Rangers. New York outscored the Rangers 14-1 in the three-game sweep. This is the first time the Yankees have accomplished this in a regular season series since 1952.

Yankees sweep the Twins with a 5-0 win

Yankees Allow 0-1 Run in 3-Game Series (All 1 Run)
Oct 1904 vs SLB
Aug 1906 vs CLE
Sep 1906 at BOS
Sep 1920 vs PHA
Sep 1952 vs BOS
1998 ALDS vs TEX
1999 ALDS vs TEX
May 2024 at MIN

— James Smyth (@JamesSmyth621) May 16, 2024

The Yankees have been tormenting the Twins for a long time, and this season, they are bullying everyone. With Thursday’s win, New York advanced to an AL-best 30-15, leading the league in runs scored (216) and runs allowed (149). They’ve done so despite Judge’s quiet April and the reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole’s inability to pitch due to an elbow ailment.

Thursday’s setback put the Twins to 24-19 on the season. Even after the sweep, the Twins have 17 wins in their last 23 games. They will visit Yankee Stadium from June 4-6, and I hope Minnesota can escape the Yankees in the postseason, if both teams qualify.