If you’re old enough to remember 1987 and 1991, you probably are very familiar with what 2009 feels like.

The Minnesota Twins clinched the American League Central Division title Tuesday at the Metrodome in a wild game reminiscent of those from the two World Series years.

With the victory comes a match-up with the New York Yankees in the playoffs — and plenty of excitement in Austin and across the state.

Corey Anderson, manager of Austin’s Games People Play, said people have been clamoring for Twins gear in recent weeks, especially over the weekend in what were supposed to be the final games at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

“There’s a lot of excitement,” he said. “Anytime there’s a big win, there’s a buzz.”

And why not? The Twins remarkable division title made history — they are the first team in Major League Baseball to erase a three-game deficit in the standings with only four games to play.

“It’s unbelievable,” Anderson said. “As a fan at home, I could hardly sit down.”

When the Twins finally downed the Detroit Tigers in the 12th inning, players ran across the field, celebrating in their fresh “division champion” T-shirts.

Anderson said a shipment of those shirts, along with championship hats, are expected to arrive at the store Friday.

He said within a half-hour of the store opening Wednesday that they had received a call from someone looking for the gear.

While Anderson said he expects the three dozen T-shirts and dozen hats to be hot items, he anticipates much higher demand for American League championship apparel if the Twins advance to the World Series — so Games People Play has its order in already.

“That’s (the gear) people want to buy,” Anderson said.

To get to the World Series, the Twins will have to beat the Yankees and then the winner of the Los Angeles Angels-Boston Red Sox series.

The Twins fell to the Yankees Wednesday 7-2 and will play again in New York Friday. After that, it’s on to the Metrodome for at least one game Sunday and possibly Game 4 Monday.

Seats for the Dome playoff games are, not surprisingly, a very popular commodity, with the Twins Web site noting Wednesday that tickets were not available.

For people not willing to spend big bucks to get tickets through a resale source like StubHub.com, going to a local sports bar like B and J could be a good option.

B and J bartender Adam Wradislavsky said Wednesday that the bar got packed around 3:30 for the big game Tuesday.

“It got busy,” he said. “It filled up pretty good.”

And Wradislavsky expects the crowds to only grow as the Twins embark on a playoff run.

“Oh yeah, we have some regular Twins fans here,” he said. “We’re never short of someone to talk about the game.”