Photo by Paul Beaty / Associated Press

If you blinked, you missed it. The Minnesota Twins fell 1-0 to the Chicago White Sox in a one-game playoff to determine the American League Central Division champion that took 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Jim Thome’s seventh-inning homer and John Danks’ effort on the mound bested Nick Blackburn’s play in the final game of the regular season. The White Sox will play the Tampa Bay Rays in an AL Division Series beginning Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Twins’ bats failed to back up the pitching of Blackburn, Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan. Nos. 3 and 4 hitters Justin "Morneau-for-4" and Joe Mauer went a combined 0-for-6. Mauer’s lucky the game didn’t go extra innings, or else he would have had a chance to go 0-for-7 and lose the AL batting title. He finished with a .328 average to edge Boston’s Dustin Pedroia (.326). Pedroia’s team, however, gets to go to the playoffs. Not a bad consolation prize.

I didn’t even get a chance to wave my 1987 Homer Hanky.

See you next year, Twins.