MINNEAPOLIS -- The Yankees have won 27 World Series titles, but they've never made it past the first round as a wild-card team.
Without home-field advantage, they lost the best-of-five division series as the wild card team in 1995 (to Seattle), 1997 (to Cleveland) and 2007 (to Cleveland).
No wonder New Yorkers were grumbling as the Yankees stumbled over the season's final two weeks. On Sept. 21, when the Twins clinched the American League Central, the Yankees held a 2½-game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East.
The Twins went 3-8 after clinching, but they weren't the only team having problems. The Yankees went 4-8 down the stretch, though it was clear they were heading to the playoffs, so their biggest priority was getting ready for the division series.
"The goal is not to win the division," manager Joe Girardi said. "The goal is to win the whole thing."
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The Yankees could negate Minnesota's home-field edge by winning Game 1 on Wednesday at Target Field behind 21-game winner CC Sabathia, who went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts last year, including his Game 1 victory against the Twins in the AL Division Series.
Beyond Sabathia, Girardi hasn't announced his rotation, but he is expected to start veteran Andy Pettitte in Game 2, followed by Phil Hughes in Game 3.
A.J. Burnett has posted a 6.61 ERA over the past two months, but the Yankees might not need him in the first round. They could send Sabathia back to the mound on three days' rest for Game 4, with Pettitte available to pitch on regular rest for Game 5.
Pettitte looms as New York's biggest question mark. He missed two months because of a groin injury before returning Sept. 19 and went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three starts to end the season.
Pettitte had some back stiffness in his start against Boston on Sept. 24, then returned to pitch only four innings Saturday, but you have to believe Pettitte and the Yankees know what it takes to get him ready for the postseason.
In 40 career postseason starts, the lefthander is 18-9 with a 3.90 ERA, including last year's clinching Game 3 victory over the Twins in the first round.
"Every year's a new year, so I don't think they're too concerned with how many times we've beaten them in the past," Pettitte said. "They're going to be a tough opponent, no doubt."
The Yankees had Hughes, 24, skip a start in early September and were careful with his workload as he racked up 18 wins. He appeared to finish strong, going 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA in his final three starts and then striking out two in a scoreless inning of relief Saturday.
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All season, there have been signs that the Yankees' old guard is starting to wear down:
Derek Jeter, 36, batted .270 after batting .334 last year. Jorge Posada, 39, had 57 RBI after driving in 81 last year. Pettitte, 37, had his issues but still went 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA.
Alex Rodriguez, 35, had a fairly quiet season but still finished with 30 homers and 125 RBI. Mariano Rivera, 40, had a stretch of three blown saves in six chances in September but finished with two strong outings, leaving his ERA at 1.80.
Meanwhile, second baseman Robinson Cano is an MVP candidate after batting .320 with 29 homers and 108 RBI. Throw in 2009 championship holdovers Mark Teixeira (33 homers), Nick Swisher (29 homers) and Brett Gardner (47 stolen bases), along with newcomers Curtis Granderson (24 homers) and Marcus Thames (12 homers), and the Yankees remain one of baseball's most formidable teams.
Beyond losing home-field advantage, their late-season stumble was pretty irrelevant. Besides, winning another AL East title would never satisfy their fans.
"In New York, you're expected to make the playoffs, but it's only Step 1," Girardi said. "We all know what the goal is."
