"I've just got this feeling," center fielder Torii Hunter said. "I can't explain it. I look at the guys, and I see them talking and laughing and joking. ... They're not like quiet and seeming like they're scared. Ready! These guys are ready to play."

Two outs from taking a 2-0 lead in this best-of-five matchup, the Twins let the Yankees score twice in the 12th inning for a 7-6 victory after getting two runs off Mariano Rivera to tie it in the eighth.

"I thought we had that game won," said Hunter, whose homer put the Twins ahead in the top of the 12th.

After a similar split at Yankee Stadium last year, New York outscored Minnesota 11-2 in the next two days at the Metrodome to advance to an AL championship series matchup with Boston.

The Twins insisted they aren't in awe of baseball's highest-paid team, which had the best record in the American League at 101-61.

"They are not intimidated by anything," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

Carlos Silva pitches for the Twins tonight against Kevin Brown, and Game 1 winner Johan Santana is likely to start Game 4 on Saturday night against Orlando Hernandez or Javier Vazquez.

"So now they're going to say we're done," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Everybody says, 'Well, they can't handle a loss like that.' ... I'll guarantee it: This team will come out fighting."

Closer Joe Nathan threw 53 pitches, his longest outing in more than four years, and had made 43 straight appearances since June 17 of one inning or less before losing Wednesday's game.

Torre defended Gardenhire's decision to leave his closer in, saying, "I would have done exactly the same thing he did last night."

Following the departures of Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and David Wells, the Yankees' rotation is its weakest in years.

If the series returns to the Bronx Sunday night, Mike Mussina would start Game 5.

Santana, 13-0 in his last 15 regular-season starts, threw a light bullpen session Thursday that went well and appears ready to pitch on three days rest.

Torre will insert Kenny Lofton in the Game 3 lineup in place of Ruben Sierra and said he will decide today on his Game 4 pitcher. Hernandez, who has been complaining of a tired arm, appears to have the edge over Vazquez.

Brown, whose first season with the Yankees has been tainted by an ailing back and an embarrassing tantrum in which he broke his left hand while punching a clubhouse wall, has pitched twice since Sept. 3.

Both Brown and Silva rely heavily on sinkers to get groundball outs, which means slick infield defense will be a big key.

Return to Reds front page...