Below The Beltway

In the end, the Yankees-Twins match-up wasn’t much of a contest:

MINNEAPOLIS — It took five years of wandering, five years of wild spending and first-round heartbreak and changes both awkward and grand. But the Yankees are back in the American League Championship Series, back where it all went off course in 2004, back with a chance at the World Series

They got there by sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the division series with a 4-1 victory in Game 3 on Sunday, closing the Metrodome for baseball. Alex Rodriguez, as dangerous now as he was lost in past Octobers, slammed a tying home run for the second game in a row, driving in six runs while batting .455 in the sweep.

The homer came with one out in the seventh inning off the former Yankee Carl Pavano, just after the Twins had taken a lead for the third game in a row. Two batters later, Jorge Posada drove another homer off Pavano to put the Yankees ahead.

The Yankees will host the Los Angeles Angels in Game 1 of the A.L.C.S. on Friday at Yankee Stadium. The last time the Yankees were there, they blew a three-games-to-none lead against Boston, the low point of the Joe Torre era.

Now the Yankees have a new manager, Joe Girardi, a new ballpark and new stars like C. C. Sabathia. He can start Game 1 against the Angels on normal rest because the Yankees won this series so quickly.

Mariano Rivera ended it by getting Brendan Harris on a groundout to shortstop, saving a victory for Andy Pettitte. But the real save came in the eighth, an inning that started when Nick Punto doubled off Phil Hughes.

Denard Span chopped a ball up the middle and Derek Jeter corralled it behind second base. The third-base coach Scott Ullger held up Punto, but he could not stop his momentum, sliding on the artificial turf after rounding third. That gave Posada enough time to take Jeter’s throw and fire to Rodriguez, who tagged out Punto.

Rivera came on with two outs, shattering Joe Mauer’s bat on an inning-ending grounder to first. It was the last plate appearance this season for Mauer, who hit .365 and is the strong favorite to be A.L. Most Valuable Player.

Congratulations guys !

And, the Yankees will be facing the Los Angeles Angels, who completed a rather surprising sweep of the Red Sox last night.