MINNEAPOLIS — As the smell of champagne and beer engulfed the Yankees’ clubhouse late Monday night, a common theme ran through the raging party.
And it had more to do what lies ahead than what just happened.
After the Yankees had finished off the Twins with a 5-1 victory in Game 3 of the ALDS and advanced to the ALCS for the second time in three years in front of a sold-out Target Field crowd of 41,121, the focus shifted quickly to what is next.
“Keep it rolling, keep it rolling,’’ Aaron Judge implored his teammates as he moved through the clubhouse with his left hand enveloping a bottle of champagne and can of beer.
Just outside the plastic curtain and near the entrance to the bedlam inside the clubhouse, a dry Hal Steinbrenner explained how his injury-riddled team made him feel good but unfinished business was around the corner.
“My family is so proud of this team and all the adversity it faced this year,’’ Steinbrenner said when asked about the staggering amount of injuries, many to key players, that didn’t destroy a season.
Then he paused before looking at the immediate future.
“But we are not there yet,’’ Steinbrenner said. “This is Step 1.’’
Where the Twins are concerned, it was the latest October humiliation at the hands of the Yankees, who have won 13 straight postseason games against the Twins and 16 of the last 18.
Unlike the first two games of the series in which the Yankees won 10-4 and 8-2, the clincher was closer. While Gleyber Torres and Cameron Maybin homered, the Yankees wouldn’t have avoided a Game 4 without defensive gems by Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu, Didi Gregorius and Torres.
Luis Severino danced in and out of trouble in four innings in which he gave up four hits and two walks but didn’t give up a run. Most impressive was Severino loading the bases without an out in the second and not giving up a run. Chad Green didn’t allow a run in 1 ¹/₃ innings and Aroldis Chapman posted a five-out save, which ended with him striking out Nelson Cruz looking at a 100 mph fastball. Afterward the closer had a wrap on his left hand that was hit by a bottle during the celebration.
Torres and LeMahieu teamed to rob Eddie Rosario of an RBI single in the fifth, when Torres slid on his knees in the outfield grass to grab a ground ball and fired a strike to LeMahieu who had to cover quite a distance to get to the first base bag. Judge made a jumping catch of Miguel Sano’s fly ball to right in the sixth with a runner on second. Gregorius made a diving grab of Jorge Polanco’s line drive for the second out of the ninth with two on.
The 22-year-old Torres, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles, is the fifth youngest Yankee to homer in the postseason.
“I feel good, I feel happy. I do the job. I help my team in every situation,’’ said Torres, who finished the three-game sweep 5-for-12 (.417) with four RBIs. “We won the game, that is most important and now it’s time to celebrate.’’
The Yankees will fly home Tuesday and begin focusing on the start of the ALCS, which begins Saturday against the Astros or Rays. The Astros lead the other ALDS, 2-1, with Game 4 set for Tuesday.
Asked which team he wants to play, Aaron Boone tabled an answer for when he knows.
“You know what? We’ll enjoy watching the series unfold and we will get ready for whoever it is,’’ Boone said.
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