Twins sweep Blue Jays with 2-0 win, advance to American League Division Series

After the Twins clinched a spot in the postseason, players kept insisting this was a different type of Twins team. A few reasons behind their confidence: Pablo López, Sonny Gray and a surging bullpen.

One day after the Twins vanquished the franchise's 18-game postseason losing streak, the Twins won their first postseason series in 21 years.

Strong pitching, as it did throughout the regular season, carried the Twins into the American League Division Series after they dispatched the Toronto Blue Jays with a 2-0 victory Wednesday at Target Field, sweeping the best-of-three wild-card series.

"I don't really want to compare" to other Twins playoff teams, outfielder Max Kepler said, "but we have a nasty pitching staff, we play the game hard and we play good defense."

It was the first time the Twins won a postseason series since they advanced to the American League Championship Series in 2002, ending an eight-series playoff losing streak.

Next up for the Twins are the Houston Astros, the defending World Series champions, in the ALDS. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at Minute Maid Park.

"We wouldn't be in this spot without our pitchers," Carlos Correa said after the Twins permitted one run in two games.

The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning with only one ground ball leaving the infield. Toronto starter José Berríos, who struck out five in three innings, issued a leadoff eight-pitch walk to Royce Lewis. Blue Jays manager John Schneider opted to turn to the bullpen and bring in lefthander Yusei Kikuchi.

Kepler, in a lefty-on-lefty matchup, beat out an infield single on a ground ball to second base. The typically stoic Kepler punched his arm in the air when the first base umpire signaled safe. Kikuchi walked the next batter, Donovan Solano, to load the bases with none out for Correa.

The Twins signed Correa to a six-year, $200 million contract, the largest free-agent deal in franchise history, for moments like this. As Correa stood in the batter's box, the Target Field crowd roared, "Let's go, Twins!"

The roars turned into deafening cheers when Correa hit a ground ball just out of reach for Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, giving the Twins their first lead with an RBI single to center field. When Correa reached first base, he looked toward the crowd and shouted in joy.

"When the stage gets big, Carlos gets bigger," López said. "When the lights are bright, he's ready to shine. He's just unbelievable."

Another run scored on a double play, and that's all the help Twins pitchers needed. Gray pitched out of several jams Wednesday, but he perfected his Houdini act in the fifth inning. After George Springer singled and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a walk, both players advanced a base on a wild pitch. The tying run was on second base for Bichette, who singled in each of his first two at-bats.

Before delivering another full-count pitch, Gray flipped around and fired a throw to second base. Correa sneaked behind Guerrero and applied the tag from his knees for a game-changing out. As the crowd erupted, the shortstop jogged to the mound and gave Gray a chest bump to celebrate. After a replay review confirmed the out, catcher Ryan Jeffers waved his arms for the crowd to yell louder.

"That's a deflating thing for an offense," reliever Caleb Thielbar said, "to get the bat completely taken out of your hand."

The sixth inning provided more evidence that maybe this year's club is different than other Twins teams. The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out after two singles off reliever Louie Varland, and an infield single off Thielbar.

Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman hooked a foul ball down the left-field line by about a foot. One foot in the other direction turns into at least two runs, if not a bases-clearing double.

"That's how I feel like we were the last three times I was in the playoffs," Byron Buxton said. "Like it just never felt like a ball went our way."

Chapman, on the next pitch, bounced a ball to Correa to begin an inning-ending double play. As Twins players excitedly ran off the field, Chapman stood with his hands on his knees and dropped his head at the missed opportunity.

The Blue Jays never had another runner in scoring position. Twins relievers Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran retired nine of the final 10 batters with five strikeouts to set off a celebration that hasn't happened for a Twins team in the past two decades.

"We had an opportunity to do something," López said, "and we did it."