‘We like hotels’: Twins prep for playoffs in New York
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The Minnesota Twins take off for New York on Wednesday for their first playoff series since 2010.
The record-setting Twins roster has apparently found a formula that works, and manager Rocco Baldelli wants to stick with it.
“There will be no dress code on the plane. There will be as few changes as possible. Our group has its own style,” he told reporters Tuesday. “We do what we think is right. I think it’s a very nice environment to show up to every day. Hopefully it’s a calming environment.”
Baldelli, 38, is in his first year managing the Twins. His laid-back approach is well known.
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The Twins begin their five-game series against the Yankees in New York on Friday night. With 103 wins compared to the Twins’ 101 victories, New York has home field advantage.
But Minnesota players say they aren’t afraid of playing away in Yankee Stadium. After all, they have more wins on the road than any other MLB team this season. The Twins’ away record was better than at Target Field in the regular season.
“I think we like hotels,” designated hitter Nelson Cruz joked at a press conference.
Catcher Mitch Garver chimed in with another theory: “Maybe we like to hit first.”
The real key, though, is the players’ relationships with each other, Cruz said. When away, they’ll still get together for dinner or hang out in each others’ hotel rooms.
“We make sure we stay connected,” Cruz said. “That chemistry will show up on the field. We take care of each other.”
They’ll need to continue those rituals heading into what will be a competitive playoff series with plenty of home runs. The 2019 Twins and Yankees both broke the regular season home run record. The Twins’s 307 home runs put them one ahead of the Yankees.
Garver doesn’t seem intimidated by the runner-up.
“We got guys that can hit the ball all over the place,” he said. “We can hit the ball out of any stadium.”
In the past two playoff series, the Yankees swept the Twins. And in 2017, Minnesota lost a wild-card game to New York. The upcoming division series is a chance for the team to prove itself.
At 39, Cruz has several playoff series under his belt, including two trips to the World Series with the Texas Rangers.
While some on the team have said the entire season has felt like one long playoff run, Cruz said October baseball comes with extra gravity.
“These opportunities don’t come every day or every year,” Cruz said. “Definitely you have to take advantage of every chance you get, but we’re prepared.”