Major League Baseball

LANCE PARTY HAS YANKS GROOVING - CRUCIAL HITS MAKE VETERAN A TRUE MEMBER OF THE CLUB

Published Oct. 8, 2010 10:23 p.m. ET

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MINNEAPOLIS - Lance Berkman resided in an interesting place as he came to bat in the fifth inning last night. Technically, he was a Yankee. He had the uniform, drew a paycheck signed by a Steinbrenner, enjoyed the company of a clubhouse saturated with All-Stars.

But even Berkman admitted he wasn't really a Yankee. He acknowledged that "they were making the playoffs with or without me." And since his July 31 acquisition, it has essentially been without him. There were days he seemed to be hitting with a wet sock rather than wood, so stingless were his atbats, so lacking in meaning were his regular-season efforts.

Thus, with the score tied 1-1 in Division Series Game 2, Berkman was still searching. He had talked quite a lot about having a moment or two in the playoffs that would make his brief stay with the Yankees more than a footnote, more than an unfortunate pitstop in a terrific career gone to seed.

Carl Pavano threw a 2-0 changeup that dipped down in the zone. At that moment, Berkman had accumulated 107 Yankee atbats and registered one homer. Heck, there were a lot of batting practices against 60 mph pitches from coaches when Berkman could not get a ball out of the park. In the Yankee Game 2 lineup, the only player less likely to be able to get over the deep centerfield wall at Target Field than Berkman was Brett Gardner.

Yet Berkman did not just get it over the wall to put the Yankees ahead 2-1, "he got it over our bullpen," hitting coach Kevin Long said. "That ball was crushed."

It was his first postseason homer since Oct. 17, 2005, NLCS Game 5, Astros vs. Cardinals; coincidentally that homer also coming in support of Andy Pettitte.

In those days, Berkman was renowned for gap-to-gap might that was mainly absent as a Yankee before last night. He went over center fielder Denard Span's head again in the seventh inning, launching a double so far that it actually scored Jorge Posada all the way from first with the run that would put the Yanks ahead for good.

"You don't feel you are part of the team until you do something to help the team," Berkman said.

So now he is a Yankee, the offensive star in a 5-2 triumph that sent the Twins to their eighth straight playoff loss to the Yankees. Minnesota now must win three in a row - the first two in The Bronx - to avoid being eliminated by the Yanks in the Division Series for the fourth time since 2003.

With a two-games-to-none lead, the Yanks will go for the sweep tomorrow, probably without Berkman in the lineup against southpaw Brian Duensing. He also did not start the opener against lefty Francisco Liriano, such is the sad state of the switch-hitter's righty swing. Such is his status as a Yankee.

After spending the majority of his career as a play-againsteveryone No. 3 hitter and first baseman for the Astros, Berkman has been relegated to a platoon, eighth-place-batting DH - an accidental tourist on the world's most famous traveling team. Yet, he considers this heavenly nevertheless. He recognized the rules of engagement when he waived his no-trade clause in what he agrees "is the worst year of my career."

So he didn't come to New York to hit third. He came to put a coat of paint on that season. He wanted to know for sure if his lost passion was about meaningless games in Houston or something gone dead in his batteries forever. He says now "in my heart, I know this was the right move."

And he turned out to have something left in more than his heart. He still had enough that after getting a favorable call - Pavano's 1-2 pitch in the seventh was probably strike 3 - he could still capitalize. He walloped the next pitch for a double that ultimately brought an infuriated Twins manager Ron Gardenhire out to complain and, ultimately, to get ejected over that likely missed call. Berkman now had five hits in 12 career at-bats off Pavano, all for extra bases.

But the homer and double last night were particularly sweet. They allowed him to step inside the velvet rope and really join the Yankees.

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