Heading home down 0-2
Having an off-day between the two games was great for me. I was by myself the whole day. I actually went to lunch with clubhouse manager Rod McCormick, bullpen catcher Nate Damman and bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek. Then I went and walked through Central Park for three hours. I came back and took a two-hour nap before going out for a nice dinner.
It was nice to rest after what we went through this past weekend. It was exhausting. To be able to sleep and get away from baseball, from people, it was nice. I love Central Park. I don’t want to say anything bad about New York, but it’s one of the few things I really enjoy about the city.
You couldn’t sense a huge difference when we arrived at the ballpark on Friday. Because I think we came to the ballpark on Wednesday with energy. It was just that as the game went on that night, we lost it. Today, I think we sustained it. We showed the fire and went out and played well. But we just couldn’t hold them down.
A.J. Burnett is a tough pitcher. He’s got great stuff and he’s made $100 million for a reason. We weren’t discouraged or down when we missed chances early, because Nick Blackburn was pitching so well. He was giving us a chance to stay in the game. We broke through, scored some runs, and obviously we were excited about that.
When the eighth inning was over, we were pretty confident having taken a 3-1 lead. It felt like we were going to get out of here with a split, which is what we wanted anyway. With a two-run lead heading into the ninth, we definitely felt really good about the situation, because we had the best closer in the game on the mound for us. It’s just unfortunate that things like what happened to Joe Nathan have happened to us this year.
Nothing needs to be said in the dugout after that. You know what needs to be done — we have to go out and score. Unfortunately, we didn’t in the 10th, but we were able to get ourselves in another situation to score with the bases loaded and no outs.
Then Joe Mauer hits a fair ball down the line for a ground-rule double and it’s ruled foul. There goes all the breaks.
At the time, we didn’t have any idea in the dugout that Mauer’s ball was fair, because we couldn’t see it. It wasn’t until Nathan and Brian Buscher came out of the clubhouse, saying ‘What’s going on? It was obviously a fair ball.’ We couldn’t tell, and two pitches had gone by after that, so there was nothing we could do about it.
Then the inning didn’t go our way. Delmon Young lines out, hits a bullet right at Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Gomez grounds out and Brendan Harris flies out. It was just a series of unfortunate events.
We head home down 0-2 and on the verge of elimination. But prior to this series, we were in this situation for about six games where if we lost we were done, going back to that last game in Detroit, all the three games against Kansas City and then game No. 163. If we lost any of those games, we were done and wouldn’t be in this situation. We’ve been here before where we had to win. Now we have to win three games in a row.
Michael Cuddyer's Blog 
Its ok Michael,Come play for the Braves, after all it is Bobby’s last year. Don’t you want to play for Bobby??
What a game … Wishing the call down the line wasn’t blown. Couldn’t Gardy PR for Joe. Darn.. so many things happened.
Buz – http://buzblog.mlblogs.com/
That was a tough loss tonight. I can’t remember ever being on such a rollercoster ride of emotions. The Yankees always seem to have our number. But you all are coming home, and will put on another great show to close out the dome this year. All of us Twins fans will be cheering you on. You have gotten this far by fighting to the end with all your heart and we know you will all continue to fight until the last out of the last inning. That’s what I love about the Twins. You never quit and don’t let down. Just remember David did beat Goliath and we believe in you! Good Luck!
Keep your heads up…we know you can beat these guys, you were so close last night. I am proud to be a Twins fan, win or lose. You guys play with your heart, soul, and all the passion in the world. Go beat those Yankees tomorrow night and prove to everyone that you’re the better team! We love you!!!! Go Twins!!!
This is outstanding. I’m glad I found it. A friend posted it on facebook.
If the Twins would have identified the bad call, could it have been over turned? No replay I thought.
Commentator on ESPN was rude and extremely disrespectful towards the Twins. Not cool.
Twins had a chance in both games and if anything they Yankees have to be concerned about visiting the dome and thankful that they were given the second game.
I really enjoy your perspective and thanks again!
It was great to hear Buck Showalter on ESPN this morning talking about how this series is still far from over. We know what can happen in the Dome. Keep up the stellar work at first, Michael.
(And have you ever seen an ML ump blow such an obvious call. He was eight feet away staring right at it, the ball hits Cabrera’s glove, then lands fair. Cuzzi missed it twice. Wow.)
No matter what happens know that the whole state of Minnesota (plus out of state fans like myself) are behind you guys 100%! We all have faith in you boys, and we are so proud of you!! The way you guys have played in the last month is nothing short of amazing! And no matter what happens with the rest of the post season, know that you guys are the best that there is, win or lose. Your positive attitudes, your drive, your team camaraderie, and your spirit makes you the best!! Good luck with the rest of the games!!!
Michael,
You and the whole Twins organization ROCK!!! You have so much class, regardless of the bad calls or a player mistake, you continue to keep your cool….unlike some of us fans watching it on TV and scaring the house pet to an unknown hiding place until “she” calms down!!! I live in Indiana now, but my heart is and always will be with my home state of Minnesota and my Twins!!! I, like the rest of your devoted fans, will continue to root for you and support you, regardless of how it all ends, but we will never say Die until the last out!!! You have proven that sometimes your rallies just begin with 2 outs in an inning!!! I can’t wait for you all to get home to your turf and your fans and see what a difference it will make in your game!!! 1 Game at a time, just like you’ve had to do the last month….nothing short of a miracle!!! I believe The One up above is rooting for you too and is on your side!!! Go get ’em and shut ’em down!! And go Torii and the Angels against the Sox!!!
Come on Michael! What has happended to you guys? You are a better team than the Yankees! Go out there and prove it! Don’t be so intimidated by them! Get fired up, relax and kick some butt!
Bill in Rochester, MN
You guys are the best!!! You have great attitudes win or lose and we’re proud of you. Remember. . . It’s not over ’til we say it is!!!
No matter what happens on Sunday, you are not going to lose this fan. Being in the post season is amazing in and of itself, especially considering how far you guys came at the end of the season to get here. I think I can speak for most, if not all, Twins fans when I say that we are super proud of you guys and proud to call ourselves fans of a team that plays with as much heart and class as you guys do.
Michael, We are loyal fans from Webster, SD. We were there on Tues. and will be back tomorrow and Mon. You guys have a way of keeping us on the edge of our seats or not in our seats at all. The season has been wonderful and we are looking forward to continuing it, however, win or lose you guys show alot of class and spirit. Loved the lapper around the field on Tues. We are certainly glad to have met both you and your father in person. He was certainly nice to visit with. We feel we have a little more connection to you. We miss Justin, but couldn’t think of anyone we would rather have at first. Our best for the rest!!
Very tough game on Friday (I’m sure even tougher to play in than watch). Although I was born in New York, it’s so hard to relate to the City’s fans and players. Sadly, they lack class. In the interview after the game, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriquez couldn’t bring themselves to praise your team’s play. Instead, they focused on their achievements, with A-Rod uttering something about his team being tight at the beginning of the game and about how, once they relaxed, they were able to turn things around. Pathetic.
I’m still hoping the team with the most character and class wins – go Twins!
We love the Twins at our house. Thanks for the Blog and for being a baseball team with class! Our 4 year old daughter and 1 year old son can’t wait for the Twins to be on TV at night. Pretending to be “Cuddy” is my son’s favorite thing to do as he runs the bases in the living room while the game is on. He can’t say much be he can say “me cuddy, Joe Mauer, Baker, and Ron Gardenhire. Good luck the rest of the playoffs! You all deserve this! Thanks.
Thanks for taking the time to do this Michael. Best-o-luck tonight. You guys deserve it more than the Yanks.
it’s not looking good as I am watching the top of the 9th on Sunday. But Michael, we are still proud of you and the Twins. I had to laugh as one of the blogs said we scare our animals…..I have a few cats, and I have to say “who is going to be a Twins cat”. Regardless of my emotion, I have to be “loving” to my cats and try not to upset them; thanks again Michael for your blogs and devotion. Enjoy the off season. Sincityjird@yahoo.com
I’m sad that the Twins lost tonight, but I am so proud of you, Michael, and the entire Minnesota Twins organization. The Twins go out there every game and play with their heart and soul. They have so much to be proud of this season. So many others around the league counted them out, the Twins did not give up. You could not ask for a classier bunch of guys than the players on the Minnesota Twins team. Thank you so much for doing this postseason playoff blog. It is great to hear your thoughts. You are a class act. Your interview after the game tonight on FSN continues to show why I love the Minnesota Twins. Please let your teammates know how proud we are of all of them, too. Thanks again Cuddy!
Kim~