Twins Push Yankees' Season To The Brink

Where were you in September 1993?

I was reading My Side of the Mountain in Mrs. Wilpon's fifth grade class at Irwin Elementary School in East Brunswick, New Jersey. 

I don't bring this up because my teacher was married to a relative of New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon, but because it was the last time the New York Yankees played meaningless regular season games—something they could be doing again very soon.

With a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins, the Yanks fell 5.5 games out of a playoff spot with just 41 contests remaining and are in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since I was 10-years-old.

It was the same old story on Wednesday afternoon, as the New York bats could only muster two runs on five hits against the Hall of Fame staff of Kevin Slowey, Craig Breslow, Dennys Reyes, Jesse Crain, and Joe Nathan.

It didn't help that All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter was forced to sit the game out after fouling a ball off his foot the night before. 

Despite the fact that manager Joe Girardi said the Captain would be available to pinch hit, and the fact that Jeter picked up three hits following his injury Tuesday night, the skipper opted not to insert the future Cooperstown inductee when the Yanks were down three with two on and no one out in the top of the eighth. 

Instead, Girardi pinch hit for Melky Cabrera with Richie Sexson, which is pretty much the same thing as pinch hitting for a log with a log. Sexson promptly struck out.  New York managed just one run that inning on a lucky wild pitch.

No one in this lineup is hitting besides Johnny Damon, who is apt to be benched at any moment due to his severe "turf sensitivity."  The rest of the guys have combined to score just 26 runs in the past seven games.

I'd say the season is over, but the Yankees do get to play three games against the Kansas City Royals this weekend.  But if they lose any of those, I'm going to have to dust off my copy of My Side of the Mountain.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man"is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and authorhouse.com.  Jordan can be reached at [e-mail].