NEW YORK -- When the American League Division Series matchups were set late last week, there was a natural inclination to select a favorite based solely upon shared history. The Yankees have dominated the Twins in years past, but that lopsided rivalry provides them with no comfort heading into October.

Dating to 2003, 15 of the Twins’ last 18 postseason games have been played against the Yanks. Minnesota has won just two of those contests, and it has lost 13 straight playoff games -- 10 to New York. No wonder Twins president David St. Peter said that it’s time for his club to “slay the dragon.”

“I'm excited about it,” Aaron Judge said. “I've faced them once already in the postseason [in the 2017 AL Wild Card Game]. I think they've got a better team this year -- better rotation, better lineup. You can tell by the home run power they have. I'm excited about our chances. We go out there and we play our game, we'll get the results we want.”

That ’17 Wild Card Game, when Luis Severino gave up three first-inning runs only for the Bombers’ bats to come charging back, represented the fifth time since 2003 that the Yanks have ended Minnesota’s season. The Twins watched the Yanks celebrate in ’03, '04, '09 and '10 as well, not that Aaron Boone -- a member of that 2003 club -- believes it matters.

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“I think that’s silly,” Boone said. “We know what they have and if we don’t execute, you are in trouble against that team. It comes down to, we have to go play our best. If we do that, we’ll take our chances.”

Clearly, the Twins haven’t forgotten. Speaking to SKOR North radio last week, St. Peter said that his club needs the Yankees’ shadow to disappear.

“That’s my history -- it isn’t [manager] Rocco Baldelli’s history, it certainly isn’t [outfielder] Nelson Cruz’s history,” St. Peter said. “So I think that’ll be overblown. Organizationally, I just say it’s time to slay the dragon, right? … No time like the present to break that curse.”

These “next man up” Yankees have a Kraken (Gary Sanchez) and memorably called their hitters “savages” this year, so why not add dragons to the mix?

New York won four of six against the Twins this season, taking two of three in a May 3-5 series at Yankee Stadium before engaging in one of the most memorable sets of the year July 22-24 at Target Field.

“We got out of Minnesota by the hair of our chinny-chin-chin,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “They’re legit.”

That week, 57 runs were scored between the two clubs, including an epic 14-12 slugfest on July 23 that was decided by Aaron Hicks’ game-saving catch in the 10th inning. Gardner said he doesn’t expect that many runs to be scored in the ALDS.

“The postseason is a little different animal,” said Brett Gardner, “but they have a really good team. They’ve got good pitching, a really good offense, and can hurt you in a lot of ways. They play good defense and it’ll be a tough matchup.”

The clubs paced the Majors in homers this year, with Minnesota (307) claiming the all-time record, one ahead of the Yanks’ 306.

Gardner said that those numbers, particularly the types that were put up in that July series, will be difficult to come by. The Yanks’ starters in that set at Target Field were CC Sabathia, Domingo German and J.A. Happ, none of whom are expected to start in the ALDS.

“Postseason things are a little bit different,” Gardner said. “The game moves a little more slowly and pitching’s pretty important. If a guy gets in trouble sometimes during the course of the season, you’ll leave him out there. In the postseason, you pull the plug and go to the next guy, so I don’t know if that was a great glimpse of what’s to come in the postseason.”

Despite finishing the regular season with four losses in their final five games, the Yankees believe they have everything they need to keep this dragon breathing fire into the next rounds.

“The crazy thing about the playoffs is, anything can happen,” Judge said. “Guys that don't usually hit homers can hit homers. Guys that are supposed to do something else don't show up. This is going to be some fun.”