The Yankees’ season was already on life support on Monday, the Bombers having lost eight of nine.
They didn’t get a hit on Monday until Joey Gallo’s bunt single to lead off the fifth.
And then the Yankees finally came to life — thanks mostly to Aaron Judge, whose three-run homer tied it in the bottom of the eighth — and Gary Sanchez, who won it in the 10th.
With free-runner Gleyber Torres at second base, Gio Urshela failed miserably in trying to bunt him over and whiffed for the first out before Sanchez ripped a game-winning single to left to score Torres.
It gave the Yankees a much-needed 6-5 win over the hapless Twins, as the Yankees stormed back from a 5-0 deficit and improved to 1-35 in games they trailed by more than four runs.
Down 5-2, Aaron Boone went to his bench in the eighth, with Anthony Rizzo pinch hitting for Tyler Wade. Rizzo walked on four pitches before Sanchez — hitting for Kyle Higashioka — flied to left.
DJ LeMahieu flied to right before Gardner drew a walk on a questionable full-count call by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli went to right-hander Alex Colome — before being ejected for arguing the call to Gardner — to face Judge, who drilled a three-run homer to right-center to tie the game at 5-5.
Aroldis Chapman started the top of the ninth and retired the first two batters before Luis Arraez doubled to left to bring up Byron Buxton, who walked on four pitches before Chapman got Polanco to fly to center to end the threat.
After the Yankees failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, Clay Holmes threw a scoreless 10th.
In the makeup of a game that was postponed due to Hurricane Henri on Aug. 22, the Twins arrived to New York after playing a home game on Sunday — and have a doubleheader scheduled in Minnesota on Tuesday.
But you’d never guess it, as Luis Gil gave up a two-run homer into the right-field bleachers to Jorge Polanco just three batters into the game. He followed that by walking Josh Donaldson. After Gil whiffed Max Kepler for the second out, he allowed another two-run blast, this one by Miguel Sano, to put the Yankees in a quick 4-0 hole.
Minnesota right-hander John Gant lasted just a dozen pitches before leaving with a lower abdomen strain with two outs in the first. He got LeMahieu and Gardner on groundouts before walking Judge on four pitches.
Gant was replaced by Luke Farrell, who tossed 2 ¹/₃ no-hit innings.
After Sano’s home run, Gil retired 12 of the next 13 batters — but the one base runner was Buxton, who led off the third with Minnesota’s third homer of the afternoon to make it 5-0.
The Yankees were held hitless until Gallo’s leadoff bunt single off Caleb Thielbar in the fifth. But Gallo was erased by Luke Voit’s double play and Torres flied out.
The Yankees finally got on the board in the sixth.
Wade drew a leadoff walk from Kyle Barraclough and stole second before moving to third on a Higashioka fly out to right in foul territory.
LeMahieu then sent a shot to the track in right, but Kepler made an excellent catch while slamming into the wall, limiting LeMahieu to a sacrifice fly.
Gallo homered with one out in the seventh to get the Yankees back to within 5-2.
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