Alex Kirilloff homered and drove in three runs, and Minnesota held on late to win the division crown for the third time in five seasons under manager Rocco Baldelli.
Pablo López pitched six innings for the Twins, allowing three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts. Jhoan Duran gave up a run in the ninth but got the final out with the bases loaded to secure his 27th save of the season.
With lines from a recent college football game played at Target Field still visible, the crowd was eager to celebrate another extended fall for the Twins. It's their 15th trip to the postseason since the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins. Minnesota hasn't won a postseason game since 2004, taking the first game of the Division Series 2-0 in New York with Johan Santana on the mound. Under Baldelli, the Twins were swept in two games by the Houston Astros in a 2020 first-round series and swept in three games by the Yankees in the 2019 Division Series.
Davis Daniel took the loss as the bulk pitcher behind opener José Suarez. Daniel was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier in the day and gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings in his second career major league appearance.
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