NEW YORK -- There wasnt much reaction at Yankee Stadium when Phil Hughes name was announced during pregame introductions Sunday. Noah Fant Broncos Jersey . A small smattering of boos, maybe. Mostly, collective apathy from a crowd still filing in. Then the right-hander went out and showed New York fans hes no longer the floundering pitcher they last saw. Looking all grown up on the mound with a well-manicured beard, Hughes threw eight poised innings in his return to the Bronx and wound up a winner when the Minnesota Twins rallied past the Yankees 7-2 behind big hits from Josh Willingham and Brian Dozier in a six-run ninth. "It was a little bit strange," said Hughes, who tipped his cap to New York pitching coach Larry Rothschild while walking onto the field. "But once I got on the mound, it just kind of cleared away and I was just able to focus on how I was going to pitch. After the first inning, I was just hoping I wouldnt start walking toward their dugout." Willingham belted a tying homer on the first pitch from closer David Robertson, denying rookie Chase Whitley his first major league victory. Robertson (0-2) then walked two batters and gave up Doziers two-out double, putting the Twins on top 3-2. Eduardo Nunez, also let go by the Yankees, lined a two-run double on Matt Daleys first pitch. Oswaldo Arcia added a two-run single off Matt Thornton to make it 7-2, all but sealing Minnesotas second victory in the three-game series. Hughes (6-1) held his former team to three hits -- all in a row to begin the fourth -- and retired his final 15 batters during his sixth straight win. "I dont think it means more than any other start," he said. "A little bit more nerves than usual, but thankfully I was throwing strikes early and was able to make some pitches," Hughes explained. "Obviously, it was a half-inning away from being a different story, but the guys rallied there in the ninth and it was a solid win for us." Hughes never quite lived up to lofty expectations in New York, though he did make his mark during seven seasons in pinstripes. He was a key member of the bullpen in 2009, helping the Yankees to a World Series championship, and made the All-Star team while winning 18 games the following year. But he faded to 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA last season, struggling with the homer-friendly dimensions at Yankee Stadium. With the second-highest flyball ratio among major league starters, he went 1-10 with a 6.32 ERA at home. "He didnt need too much real estate here today," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. Minnesota, which plays at pitcher-friendly Target Field, signed Hughes to a $24 million, three-year contract in December, and hes off to a terrific start with his new team. He was 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA in his previous seven starts, and acknowledged Friday there would be "some weird at-bats" when he faced his former teammates. "We all know how big this is for him," Gardenhire said before the game. Hughes came right after the Yankees with 91-94 mph fastballs and cutters. He faced the minimum through three innings and only had trouble in the fourth. Brett Gardner tripled off the auxiliary scoreboard in right-centre and Derek Jeter singled. After a single by Jacoby Ellsbury and a rare walk to Brian McCann, Hughes did not permit another baserunner. "He never stopped attacking," Gardenhire said. Ichiro Suzukis bases-loaded sacrifice fly gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. It stayed that way until the ninth, when Robertson was charged with five runs in two-thirds of an inning. He was booed off the mound after his second blown save in 14 chances since taking over as closer for Mariano Rivera. "I just made some big mistakes and it cost us the game," Robertson said. "I stunk today, what can I say? ... Im itching to get out there to prove I can still do this." Hughes struck out six and walked two, throwing 72 of 100 pitches for strikes against a lineup missing injured sluggers Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran. "These are the guys we have and theyve got to find a way to get it done," manager Joe Girardi said. Trevor Plouffe had a two-out RBI single for the Twins in the third. Hughes went 178 straight batters without issuing a walk before McCann drew a free pass on a full count leading off the second. "He was more mad about that than anything else," Gardenhire said. Dozier turned an artful double play to end the inning. The second baseman grabbed a bouncer toward the middle and went into a neat pop-up slide, touching the bag with his glove before throwing to first just in time to get Suzuki. NOTES: Beltran (elbow) is headed to Tampa, Florida, to begin taking at-bats in extended spring training Monday. ... New York RHP David Phelps (1-2, 3.38 ERA) faces Seattle ace Felix Hernandez (7-1, 2.57) on Monday night in the makeup of an April 30 rainout. ... Minnesota RHP Kyle Gibson (4-4) starts Monday night in Milwaukee against ex-Twin Matt Garza (2-4). Karl Mecklenburg Youth Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos retired John Elways No. Bradley Chubb Jersey . - First-timer Chris Harris Jr. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Tom-Jackson-Broncos-Jerseys/ . -- Brendan Leipsic had two goals and an assist and Nicolas Petan extended his point streak to 11 games as the Portland Winterhawks slipped past the Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Justin Thomas won the Nationwide Childrens Hospital Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Richard Sterne with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Thomas hit a wedge from 75 yards to 2 1/2 feet to set up his winning birdie on the par-4 18th. Sterne blew a late three-stroke lead, then missed a birdie putt in the playoff after leaving his approach 20 feet short. "I just tried to stay patient today and you have to do that here," Thomas said. "I dont want to say its a relief to win, but its hard to win with the level of play out here. ... It means youre the best that week and you beat everybody you played against. Its a really cool feeling and its tough because it doesnt happen very often, especially in professional golf." Playing the four-event Web.com Tour Finals for PGA Tour priority after wrapping up a tour card with a top-25 finish on the Web.com regular-season money list, Thomas earned $180,000 to jump from fifth to third with $470,470 with one event left. The 21-year-old former Alabama player shot a 1-under 70 to match Sterne at 6-under 278 on Ohio States Scarlet Course. "Its crazy," Thomas said. "I feel like of all the chances I had, its crazy how this one kind of worked out, but sometimes thats how it happens. I believe everything happens for a reason and it just happened to be my week." Thomas, from Louisville, Kentucky, also earned a spot next year in the Memorial Tournament at nearby Muirfield Village. He was the 2012 college player of the year as a freshman and led the Crimson Tide to the 2013 NCAA title. Sterne, from South Africa, bogeyed Nos. 15-17 and parred the 18th for a 70. Sidelined for four months after hip surgery in March, the six-time Euroopean Tour winner and 2013 Presidents Cup player was playing for the 10th straight week. Custom Denver Broncos Jerseys. He three-putted the par-4 15th to start the slide. "I struggled all day to roll the 30-, 40-footers up close and I came up short couple times. I thought, This time, just give it a little bit more. And it rolled on 5, 6 feet past," Sterne said. "That was the first short putt I missed all day." Sterne earned $108,000 for a Finals total of $111,800, more than enough for a PGA Tour card. He got a spot in the series as a non-PGA Tour member who would have been between 126th and 200th in the PGA Tours FedEx Cup standings. Sean OHair (67) and South Koreas Whee Kim (69) tied for third at 5 under. The top 25 players on the Web.com regular-season money list are competing against each other for PGA Tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals and the final leader getting a spot in The Players Championship. Mexicos Carlos Ortiz, already fully exempt on the PGA Tour as a three-time Web.com winner this season, leads the list with $515,403. Canadas Adam Hadwin, the Chiquita Classic winner last week, is second with $499,667. The other players -- Nos. 26-75 from the Web.com money list and Nos. 126-200 in the FedEx Cup standings -- are fighting for another 25 cards based on their earnings in the four tournaments. If a player from the top 25 on the Web.com regular-season list leads the series but doesnt top the Web.com list, he will cross over to the Finals list and get a full exemption. Hadwin tops the standings with $206,000, Thomas is second with $193,833, and Hotel Fitness Championship winner Bud Cauley is third at $180,000. The Web.com Tour Championship is next week in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. ' ' '