OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- On the verge of contraction 11 months ago, the Minnesota Twins now find themselves on the verge of a World Series appearance.

Brad Radke tossed 6 2/3 superb innings and closer Eddie Guardado survived a wild ninth as the Twins stunned the Oakland Athletics, 5-4, in Game Five of their American League Division Series.

The Twins, the target of contraction talks this offseason, advanced to the League Championship Series. They will host the Anaheim Angels in Game One of the best-of-seven series on Tuesday.

"In the offseason when (the contraction) happened we were kind of down about it, but we stayed strong and it's a strong baseball team," Radke said. "We don't really think about that.

"I don't want to say it's destiny, but we just have to go out there and play our game. We just have to take this game and go on into Tuesday and just play our game, pitch our game and just play our defense."

Playing in one of the game's smallest markets and fielding a team with one of the league's lowest payrolls, the Twins cruised to the AL Central Division title but were heavy underdogs against the A's, who were making their third postseason appearance in as many years.

After splitting the first two games in Oakland, the A's won Game Three in Minnesota but for the third time in as many Division Series appearances failed to close the deal.

Minnesota routed Oakland on Saturday and, despite the short turnaround, managed to do just enough to get by Sunday - and Radke was the key.

After winning Game One, Radke (2-0) came through in the biggest outing of his eight-year career. The 29-year-old righthander allowed five singles and a homer. He did not walk a batter and struck out four.

"Brad started out good and finished up good," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He has been our man for a long time here. And he did it again today. He picked up our baseball team again and it was vintage Brad Radke, used all his pitches, got us through the seventh inning, and it was pretty good."

"Brad is a competitor, he will fight you, and he wants to win," Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "I know he was nervous, he will never tell me he was nervous, but I was nervous. This was a game we had to win to keep playing and stay around. He threw incredible. He made one mistake and Ray Durham hit out of the park. Other than that, he was lights out. He didn't miss too many spots."

J.C. Romero tossed a scoreless inning and LaTroy Hawkins got the final out in eighth. With the Twins clinging to a 2-1 lead heading into the ninth, Pierzynski gave closer Guardado some breathing room with a two-run homer off Billy Koch.

David Ortiz added a two-out, run-scoring double off Koch that seemed insignificant at the time but proved crucial.

Guardado inherited a 5-1 lead to start the bottom of the ninth but gave up a leadoff single to Eric Chavez and a one-out double to David Justice. Mark Ellis then lined a homer to left that got Oakland within 5-4.

Guardado retired Terrence Long on a flyout but Randy Velarde blooped a single into right field, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Guardado fell behind Durham but got the A's designated hitter to foulout to second baseman Denny Hocking.

When Hocking hauled in Durham's popup, the Twins mobbed Guardado at the mound. Making its first postseason appearance since 1991, Minnesota improved to 7-3 in elimination games.

"I am telling you, that was an emotional last inning," Gardenhire said."I was torn whether I should go get him. I have left him out there, he has been our guy all year long, and you get to that situation, should you go get him? This is about winning, and I left him out there, I said, `He has got to get Durham out,' and it was the hardest decision I have had all year, and it was very tough, but I wanted that young man out there."

"To have Denny Hocking catch the great out, what a great feeling for him, and guys on the mound, guys that have been here a long time and been through some bad seasons," Pierzynski said.

The A's finished tied for the most wins in baseball but lost in Game Five for the third straight year. They fell to 2-8 in elimination games.

Mark Mulder (1-1), who beat the Twins in Game Two, allowed two runs and nine hits in seven innings.

"They just out-played us," Mulder said. "We played a good game but they were just better. We didn't make any mistakes and neither did they. They just beat us. But that's what this series was good baseball."

The Twins were aggressive early but it cost them. Cristian Guzman doubled with one out in the first but easily was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.

Oakland got a leadoff single from Durham in the bottom of the first. He stole second with two outs, but Chavez flied out to the warning track in right field.

Minnesota did push across a run in the second but missed out on a chance for more. Matt LeCroy beat out an infield hit and Torii Hunter doubled into the left field corner. Doug Mientkiewicz lined out and, after rookie Michael Cuddyer was walked intentionally, Pierzynski popped out.

Hocking singled up the middle and LeCroy scored easily, but Hunter was held at third and stranded there when Jacque Jones struck out on four pitches.

The Twins tacked on another run in the third when Guzman opened the inning with a double and scored on LeCroy's single.

Durham's third career postseason homer, a two-out shot in the third halved the deficit.

The Twins again played it conservatively in the fourth, holding up Cuddyer at third on a one-out double by Hocking. Again, Jones struck out and Guzman flied to right-center to end the inning.

Oakland stranded a runner in the fourth and did nothing with a leadoff single by Ellis in the fifth. The A's left a runner on in the sixth and wasted another leadoff single in the seventh.

Durham had a one-out single in the eighth but Romero struck out pinch hitter Adam Piatt on four pitches. Hawkins then struck out Tejada on a high fastball to end the inning, setting the stage for the wild ninth.

Koch started the ninth and walked Dustan Mohr on a 3-2 pitch. Pierzynski hit Koch's next offering over the wall in right field for his first career postseason home run.

Pierzynski was 7-for-16 with with four runs scored and four RBI in the series.

Koch rebounded from the Pierzynski home run to retire the next two batters but Guzman beat out an infield single and stole second. After Corey walked on a 3-2 pitch, Ortiz doubled into the right-center field gap, plating Guzman with what proved to be the decisive run.

The game could be the final contest for Justice, who has intimated he will retire.

"I'm going to take some time," Justice said. "But I'm still 99.9 percent sure I'm going to retire. I just felt this was our year. And not to be going on hurts a little. We never played our best out there."