MINNEAPOLIS – Gary Sheffield homered twice and keyed a four-run rally in the ninth inning last night, sending the Yankees to a seesaw, 13-10 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Down 9-3 and minus Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter after he crashed into the fence, the Twins came back and almost swept the three-game series between AL division leaders.

Shannon Stewart hit a two-out, two run triple past Sheffield’s lunge in right field, giving the Twins a 10-9 lead in the eighth.

But the Yankees bounced back against All-Star closer Joe Nathan (1-1), who had not allowed a run in 29 innings.

Sheffield hit a tying home run with one out. Alex Rodriguez, just back from a four-game suspension, followed with a single and a stolen base. That set the stage for Hideki Matsui, who grounded a go-ahead single.

Later in the inning, pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra had an RBI single, and another run scored on a throwing error by center fielder Lew Ford.

Ford entered as a replacement for Hunter, who strained his neck when he ran into the padded wall while sprinting after Jorge Posada’s double in the fifth. Hunter stayed down on the warning track for several minutes, left the field on a cart and was day to day.

Tom Gordon (4-3) got the win despite allowing Stewart’s triple. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 41st save.

After being outscored 15-4 in the first two games of the series, the Yankees broke open a 1-all game with a five-run fifth off starter Carlos Silva.