# Yankees stay sharp after playoff clinch

> New York dominates Minnesota to keep pace in AL East race despite Tampa Bay's continued winning.
- Title: Yankees stay sharp after playoff clinch · New York Post
- Summary: New York dominates Minnesota to keep pace in AL East race despite Tampa Bay's continued winning. The Yankees avoided a post-clinch letdown by beating the…
- Keywords: yankees, twins, al east, tampa bay rays, playoff clinch, cody bellinger, spencer jones, max fried, baseball, mlb, minnesota, wild card
- Source: New York Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/15/sports/yankees-beat-twins-again-to-avoid-post-playoff-clinch-hangover
- Published: 2026-09-16T02:53:20+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: yankees, twins, al east, tampa bay rays, playoff clinch, cody bellinger, spencer jones, max fried, baseball, mlb, minnesota, wild card
## Yankees clinch, no hangover
The Yankees beat the Twins 8-1 on Tuesday at Target Field, showing no signs of letdown after clinching a playoff spot the day before.
## Rays keep winning, Yankees fall back
Tampa Bay won again thanks to a walk-off home run from Junior Caminero, leaving the Yankees 3.5 games back in the AL East with 11 games remaining.
## Bellinger homers early, sets tone
Cody Bellinger went 3-for-4 with a walk and hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give Max Fried an early 2-0 lead.

> We got to show up and win. We expect to win every day and we got to keep on rolling.
## Fried delivers best start yet
Max Fried completed seven innings for the first time since April 22, allowing just one run and six hits while striking out six across 88 pitches.

> It definitely was nice to be able to put what felt like a full start together.
## Jones crushes three-run bomb
Spencer Jones hit a three-run home run off lefty Taylor Rogers in the sixth inning to put the Yankees ahead 7-1 and break the Twins' back.
## Jones excels against lefties
Jones is batting .435 with a 1.251 OPS against left-handed pitchers and has now homered three times off lefties in his 10 big league home runs.
## Ramos shines in limited role
Heliot Ramos went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI double while starting for Aaron Judge, batting .275 with a .896 OPS over his last 16 games.

> I work hard every day for whatever is happening right now. I stay positive just cheering the boys.
## Yankees dominate Twins lineup
Every member of the Yankees starting lineup recorded at least one hit, with 14 total hits against the Twins pitching staff.
## Wild card lead grows to six games
The Yankees moved six games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card spot, securing their postseason position.
## Big series with Rays looms
The Yankees face a four-game set against Tampa Bay next week, a crucial matchup that could reshape the AL East race.
## Key takeaway

The Yankees avoided a post-clinch letdown by beating the Twins 8-1, but still trail the Rays by 3.5 games with 11 games left.