Minnesota Twins take AL Central 6-5:

Storm back from 7 games out to overtake Detroit Tigers

The ghosts of the Metrodome prevailed Tuesday night, giving the Minnesota Twins more than just a second wind.

The Twins capped their stunning comeback to the American League Central title in fitting style, as they overcame a three-run deficit and endured several game-changing twists during before seizing a 6-5 victory in 12 innings over the Detroit Tigers in the division tiebreaker.

A Metrodome regular-season record of 54,088 became delirious when Alexi Casilla's single with one out off closer Fernando Rodney scored Carlos Gomez with the winning run.

The Twins (87-76) advance to the AL Division Series, where they will open Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium with Brian Duensing facing CC Sabathia.

"I had that emotion inside where you just want to clap when it's over -- win or lose -- because it was such a wonderful baseball game," said Bobby Keppel, the Twins' seventh reliever who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the 12th. "That game was special."

It marked one of the most memorable games in the 28-year history of the Metrodome. The Twins will move to outdoor Target Field next season, but everyone seemed aware of the zany circumstances that have seemed to favor the home team here over the years.

"You just know how it is here," said Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, who unsuccessfully contested a Keppel pitch grazed him with the bases loaded that would have given the Tigers the lead in the top of the 12th.

"They're prone to coming back. But that doesn't change the way we go about it. We just have to play harder. And we did. It just didn't work out."

As excited as the Twins were, the Tigers (86-77) were just as disappointed after moving into first place May 8 and holding a seven-game lead on Sept. 7, only to skid into a tiebreaker at the Metrodome because the Twins took the season series.

"I'm still calling it one of the best games I've ever played in," said Inge, who had an RBI double in the 10th that gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead. "I'm going to take the outcome out of it. Pitch-to-pitch, inning-to-inning, out-to-out, at-bat to at-bat, it's the best game, by far, I've ever been in.

The Tigers surged to a 3-0 lead in the third behind Miguel Cabrera's two-run home run. Before the game, Cabrera told reporters he had apologized to his teammates for a domestic dispute with his wife that prompted police officers to arrive at his home around 6 a.m. Saturday.

The Twins, however, rallied behind home runs by Jason Kubel and Orlando Cabrera (that barely cleared the left-field wall) for a 4-3 lead after seven innings.

Magglio Ordonez tied the game with a homer in the eighth, but his line drive in the ninth turned into an inning-ending double play with Miguel Cabrera on deck. And in the 12th, umpire Randy Marsh ruled that Keppel's pitch eluded Inge's jersey, although television replays indicated otherwise.MORE