2017 AL Wild Card Game Twins at Yankees lineups: Yankees start Hicks in center
Here are the lineups for Tuesday night's winner-take-all Wild Card Game
NEW YORK -- Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins will meet in the winner-take-all AL Wild Card Game. The winner moves on to face the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. The loser goes home. Here is the full postseason schedule.
Both teams announced their starting lineups Tuesday afternoon. Here is the starting nine the visiting Twins will run out there:
- 2B Brian Dozier
- 1B Joe Mauer
- SS Jorge Polanco
- LF Eddie Rosario
- 3B Eduardo Escobar
- RF Max Kepler
- CF Byron Buxton
- C Jason Castro
- DH Robbie Grossman
RHP Ervin Santana
With Miguel Sano not on the roster due to an ongoing shin injury, that is Minnesota's starting lineup. Manager Paul Molitor has been rolling with that basic batting order since Sano went down in mid August. No surprises here.
Now here is the batting order the home Yankees will use in the Wild Card Game:
- LF Brett Gardner
- RF Aaron Judge
- C Gary Sanchez
- SS Didi Gregorius
- 2B Starlin Castro
- 1B Greg Bird
- CF Aaron Hicks
- DH Jacoby Ellsbury
- 3B Todd Frazier
RHP Luis Severino
Manager Joe Girardi decided to go with Hicks, the former Twin, in center field over Ellsbury because of his superior arm. The Twins are very aggressive on the bases and Ellsbury has one of the weakest outfield arms in the game. They'd run wild on him. Hicks, on the other hand, has one of the strongest arms, and is better able to combat the runner game.
Ellsbury does remain in the lineup at DH, however, meaning the Yankees have both Chase Headley and Matt Holliday on the bench should a pinch-hitting situation arise.
















