NEW YORK -- Don't let Brian Duensing's calm demeanor fool you. When the left-hander takes the mound tonight at Yankee Stadium, he'll have the entire Minnesota Twins season resting on his shoulders, even if he's hardly breaking a sweat.
"Nothing fazes him," Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said.
Sure it does. Duensing is as awestruck as anybody by all this. The Omaha native simply has an uncanny ability to never show it on the mound.
For example, consider his only other postseason start, in Game 1 of last year's Division Series at Yankee Stadium.
That was Duensing's first trip to New York City. He remembers pulling up to the colossal stadium on the team bus and texting one of his buddies: "What the heck is going on? How did this happen?"
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One night earlier, the Twins had defeated the Tigers in a 13-inning division tiebreaker. Duensing knew he'd be starting Game 1 if the Twins advanced, but it didn't really hit him until the champagne and beer started flying.
"I was grabbing anything I could to dump on anybody," he said. "I wanted to enjoy it in case it never happened again. I knew it would look bad if they showed me on TV with alcohol in my hands, but I honestly did not have one drop to drink."
Now 27, Duensing never had been part of a celebration like that.
"I walk in, and somebody hands me a bottle of champagne, and I'm about ready to shake it, and Matt Guerrier comes up behind me and dumps something on me that was freezing cold. I went 'Geez!' and raised my arm, and I smoked him in the temple with the bottle. He almost dropped."
"I said, 'I'm sorry. I'm a rookie.' And he said, 'Hey, it happens.'"
The Twins reached their Manhattan hotel at 4:30 a.m. Eastern, Duensing slept until 1 p.m., and the game started five hours later.
"I feel like I was kind of a duck on water," Duensing said. "On top, I looked calm, but inside I was going a hundred miles per hour. I got out of the first inning without giving up a run, and I remember thinking, 'Wow.'"
Duensing gave up five runs in 4 innings that night but impressed Anderson and manager Ron Gardenhire with his poise.
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"He's kind of like a (Brad) Radke," Anderson said, evoking the former Twins pitcher, who won 148 games. "He goes about his work, and he's a professional all the way. He'll look you in the eye when you're trying to talk to him about how to apply things. I just think he's a pitching coach's dream."
Gardenhire said Duensing reminds him of Michael Cuddyer because he's so selfless and willing to do anything the team needs.
Duensing began the year in long relief but gradually climbed the bullpen pecking order, posting a 1.67 ERA in 39 appearances. On July 23, with Nick Blackburn struggling and the Twins sitting five games above .500, they moved Duensing into a starting role.
Duensing went 7-2 with a 3.08 ERA down the stretch, and the move stabilized the entire rotation, helping the Twins pull away for another division title.
When it came time to set the playoff rotation, Gardenhire and Anderson hoped to be leading, not trailing, 2-0 in the series. Now, facing elimination, riding an 11-game postseason losing streak and knowing they are 6-29 against the Yankees in New York during the Gardenhire era, the Twins are comfortable knowing the ball will be in Duensing's hand.
Without any soliciting after Thursday's Game 2 defeat, losing pitcher Carl Pavano said: "I feel pretty good about Brian Duensing. He's been throwing the ball really well, and I think he matches up pretty good against a lot of these (Yankees) lefties."
Duensing had a hard time getting his left shoulder loose last Saturday against Toronto, and the Twins are concerned that he walked four batters in each of his final three starts. But Duensing said the shoulder is a nonissue and believes loosening his grip on the baseball will help with his command.
Besides, it's not like Duensing to squeeze too hard. Unlike last October, he's had a long time to prepare for this playoff start. His parents and in-laws are coming, so he made just one request.
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"I told them not to wear any Duensing shirts," he said. "I don't want them getting mobbed out there or anything like that."
ALDS: Game 3
Who: Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees.
When: 7:37 p.m. today.
Series: Yankees lead the best-of-five-game series 2-0.
TV/radio: TBS (GF Channel 57); KNOX (1310 AM).
Starting pitchers: Twins, Brian Duensing (10-3); Yankees, Phil Hughes (18-8).
