By Mychael Urban / MLB.com

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Jermaine Dye hit a go-ahead solo homer, the A's fourth of the day, to break a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning and Barry Zito pitched six strong innings as Oakland took Game 3, 6-3, and now stands just one game from erasing two years of postseason frustration.

The A's took a 2-0 lead into the record books in the top of the first inning, which Ray Durham opened with a line drive up the middle. Hard-charging Twins center fielder Torii Hunter charged a little too hard, and the ball bounced under his glove and to the wall for the first inside-the-park home run in A's playoff -- and division series -- history.

Two pitches later, Scott Hatteberg was rounding the bases after a moon shot over the wall in right field. No team in history had ever opened a game with back-to-back homers.

Zito ripped through the first inning on 10 pitches, nine of them strikes. But an error -- Scott Hatteberg and Mark Ellis collided on Torii Hunter's popup -- and two walks in the second loaded the bases before Zito struck out Luis Rivas with the bases loaded to escape the second before rolling through the third. The teams swapped runs in the fourth, though it took the Twins quite a bit more effort to get theirs.

Terrence Long put the A's up 3-0 with a blast into the upper deck down the right-field line with two out in the top of the inning and Minnesota answered with a bit of a pop-gun rally in their half.

Hunter led off with a double down the left-field line, and Doug Mientkiewicz followed with a bloop single that put runners at the corners. After Michael Cuddyer struck out, A.J. Pierzynski popped another ball into shallow left field, and Hunter scored when it bounced off Tejada's glove.

Until the fifth inning, the largest baseball crowd in Metrodome history -- of 55,932 -- didn't have a lot to cheer about, but Corey Koskie changed that with an RBI triple to cut the lead to 3-2. Hunter drilled a single up the middle to tie the game. More >

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By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

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MINNEAPOLIS -- A few records were broken at the Metrodome in Friday's Game 3 of the American League Division Series. But none of them benefited the Twins where it mattered the most -- on the scoreboard.

Starter Rick Reed (0-1) surrendered an ALDS record four home runs against the Oakland A's in a 6-3 Minnesota loss. Oakland now leads the series, 2-1, and can advance to the next round of the playoffs with a win in Game 4 Saturday.

A club-record 55,932 fans packed the Metrodome for the first post-season game played there since 1991. The sold-out crowd created a deafening roar throughout the game, often making communication difficult.

The scene may have been different than the previous two games, but like Games 1 and 2, the Twins began Game 3 by trailing early. Ray Durham stunned the crowd by hitting an inside-the-park home run to start the game.

Scott Hatteberg, the game's second batter, followed Durham with a conventional homer that cleared the right-field wall and made it 2-0. It was the first time in postseason history that a team led off a game with back-to-back homers.

Terrence Long later added a homer in the fourth inning to put Oakland up 3-0. Reed did not appear flustered and pitched well otherwise. He tied a Twins postseason record by striking out eight batters.

A's starter Barry Zito (1-0) allowed three runs on five hits over six innings; he allowed four walks and threw eight strikeouts. Zito held the Twins hitless through three innings, but Hunter broke the string with a leadoff double to left field in the fourth. Hunter then moved to third on Doug Mientkiewicz's single.

With one out, A.J. Pierzynski hit a shallow pop-up to center field that popped out of Miguel Tejada's glove for a single; that scored Hunter to put Minnesota on the scoreboard. More >

Related Links • Early blows set tone for A's win • Molony: Fans got money's worth • Twins miss opportunities against Zito • Pierzynski: 'We're still confident' • Twins turn to Milton to prolong series • MLBeat: Crowd did its part in Game 3 • Memorable night for Hatteberg • Homer blankies on a cold day • A's silence dome, get momentum • Fitzmorris: Dye, Rincon key win • Twins post-game quotes • A's-Twins wrapup: Game 2 coverage hub