Playoffs set to start with 3 Cy Young winners

Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins need no added motivation to beat the Yankees. They found some wher anyway.

Prepping for their first-round on playoff series, the AL Central champions hung a picture in their clubhouse of the back page of a recent (New York) Daily News that read "Bad news: Yanks must go on road for the playoffs. Good news: They play the Twins. E-Z Pass."

"Yes, we've had our issues with them," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said Tuesday. "They find a way and that's what we have to do. We have to find a way. We are pretty good at that this year and I expect us to do it."

The time for talking is over and the pressure is on. Everyone knows what's at stake in the October.

Ryan Howard and the Phillies are swinging for their third straight pennant. Texas is trying to win a playoff series for the first time. The wild-card Yankees hope to repeat as World Series champs.

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