124-669: The 2019 Minnesota Twins season was the 59th season for the Minnesota Twins franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota , their 10th season at Target Field and the 119th overall in the American League . It was the first year under new manager Rocco Baldelli who was hired on October 25, 2018 following the firing of previous manager Paul Molitor on October 2. It was also the first season since 2004 without longtime Twin Joe Mauer on
248-518: A Minneapolis Millers uniform and one in a St. Paul Saints uniform, shaking hands across the Mississippi River within an outline of the state of Minnesota. The "TC" remained on the Twins' caps until 1987, when they adopted new uniforms. By this time, the team felt it was established enough to put an "M" on its cap without having Saint Paul fans think it stood for Minneapolis. The "TC" logo was moved to
372-497: A 16–54 start, the Twins were on the verge on becoming the worst team in MLB history. They turned the season around somewhat, but still lost 102 games, finishing with what is currently the second-worst record in Twins history (beaten only by the 2016 team, which lost 103 games), despite the .301 average, 23 homers and 92 RBI from rookie Kent Hrbek . In 1984, Griffith sold the Twins to multi-billionaire banker/financier Carl Pohlad . Pohlad beat
496-568: A 6–5 tiebreaker game that concluded with a 12th-inning walk-off hit by Alexi Casilla to right field, that scored Carlos Gómez . However, they failed to advance to the American League Championship Series as they lost the American League Divisional Series in three straight games to the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees. That year, Joe Mauer became only the second catcher in 33 years to win
620-579: A baseball. They sent one of the boys 12 miles on horseback to make the purchase. The ball burst the second time that it was struck. Griffith later found out that the boy who purchased the ball only spent a quarter, keeping the leftover dollar. At the age of 17, Griffith had made $ 10 pitching in a local baseball game in Hoopeston, Illinois . Griffith entered the American Association in 1891, pitching 226 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings and winning 14 games for
744-604: A covered wagon west toward the Oklahoma Territory . Along the way, the family encountered hungry and disenchanted people returning from the Oklahoma Territory, so they decided to settle in Missouri. Griffith grew up with five siblings, four of them older. When Griffith was a small child, his father was killed in a hunting accident when fellow hunters mistook him for a deer. Sarah Griffith struggled to raise her children as
868-546: A former Senators pitcher, was placed in charge of the Chattanooga Lookouts at Engel Stadium . Engel was the first to scout Cronin for the club and said, "I knew I was watching a great player. I bought Cronin at a time he was hitting .221. When I told Clark Griffith what I had done, he screamed, "You paid $ 7,500 for that bum? Well, you didn't buy him for me. You bought him for yourself. He's not my ballplayer – he's yours. You keep him and don't either you or Cronin show up at
992-455: A larger offer by New York businessman Donald Trump by promising to keep the club in Minnesota. The Metrodome hosted the 1985 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . After several losing seasons, the 1987 team , led by Hrbek, Gary Gaetti , Frank Viola ( A.L. Cy Young winner in 1988 ), Bert Blyleven , Jeff Reardon , Tom Brunansky , Dan Gladden , and rising star Kirby Puckett , returned to
1116-590: A longtime friend, announced plans to form the American League , Griffith was one of the ringleaders in getting National League players to jump ship. Using the cover of his post as vice president of the League Protective Players' Association (a nascent players' union), Griffith persuaded 39 players to sign on with the new league for the 1901 season . Griffith himself signed on with the Chicago White Stockings as player-manager . He won 20 games for
1240-671: A member club of the American League (AL) Central Division . The team is named after the Twin Cities moniker for the two adjacent cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul . The franchise was founded in Washington, D.C. , in 1901 as the Washington Senators . The team moved to Minnesota and was renamed the Minnesota Twins for the start of the 1961 season . The Twins played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and in
1364-507: A new "Twin Cities" wordmark (with the underline below "win Citie") in navy. The set, which lacked red, also featured two crossed navy flags representing both Minneapolis ("M") and St. Paul ("STP"). An alternate all-navy cap with the "TC" insignia is used, except the "TC" is in cream and also lacked red elements. This design also became the basis of the all-navy alternate home "TC" helmet. Added in 2024
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#17328483430021488-588: A perceived reluctance of fans in Saint Paul to support the team. Griffith was determined not to alienate fans in either city by naming the team after one city or the other. He proposed to name the team the "Twin Cities Twins", but MLB objected and Griffith therefore named the team the Minnesota Twins. The team was allowed to keep its original "TC" (for Twin Cities) insignia for its caps. The team's logo shows two men, one in
1612-521: A period of prolonged success in the 1920s and 1930s, led by Walter Johnson, as well as fellow Hall-of-Famers Bucky Harris , Goose Goslin , Sam Rice , Heinie Manush , and Joe Cronin . In particular, a rejuvenated Johnson rebounded in 1924 to win 23 games with the help of his catcher, Muddy Ruel , as the Senators won the American League pennant for the first time in its history. The Senators then faced John McGraw 's heavily favored New York Giants in
1736-826: A player for the Reds (1909–1910) and Senators (1912, 1913 and 1914). Griffith returned to the National League as manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1909 . Late in the 1911 season, the American League's Washington Senators needed to raise money to pay for the construction of their new park, National Park, which had been hurriedly built just days before the start of the season after its predecessor, Boundary Park , burned down. Principal owner Thomas C. Noyes had been friends with Griffith, and asked one of his minority partners, Ed Walsh, to come to Washington as manager in 1912 . At
1860-433: A profit for 21 straight years. He was known for his faith in young players. He twice entrusted 27-year-old players to manage his teams— Bucky Harris in 1924 and Joe Cronin in 1933 . Griffith's wagers appeared to pay off, as the Senators won the pennant in both years under their new youthful managers. In Harris' case, they won the 1924 World Series . Cronin came to the team as a player when Griffith's friend Joe Engel ,
1984-480: A red alternate uniform, which features the "TC" insignia outlined in Kasota gold on the left chest. Letters and numerals are in navy outlined in white with Kasota gold drop shadows. The "Minnie and Paul" alternate logo appears on the left sleeve. The uniform is paired with a navy-brimmed red cap with the "TC" outlined in Kasota gold. In 2019, a new home navy alternate was released, featuring the classic "Twins" script (with
2108-517: A regular player was 1907 after he nearly suffered a breakdown from overwork in April 1907. After a falling-out with the Highlanders' ownership, Griffith was fired during the 1908 season. The team had started strong, but the team's pitching faltered as the season progressed and Griffith was criticized for trading away Jimmy Williams in exchange for a disappointing prospect. He made brief appearances as
2232-630: A repeat division title in 1970 , behind the star pitching of Jim Perry (24–12), the A.L. Cy Young Award winner, while the Orioles again won the Eastern Division Championship behind the star pitching of Jim Palmer . Once again, the Orioles won the A.L. Championship Series in a three-game sweep, and this time they would win the World Series . After winning the division again in 1970, the team entered an eight-year dry spell, finishing around
2356-553: A series of events that almost cost Griffith control of the team. In 1949 , after a string of mostly humdrum seasons, the Richardson estate sold its stake to John Jachym , a businessman who had been a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers . Griffith long believed he had the right to match any offer made by the Richardson estate, and was surprised when Jachym arrived at Griffith Stadium as part-owner. Jachym had no intention of being
2480-572: A shot at clinching the American League championship. The Twins and the Red Sox started the weekend tied for 1st place and played against each other in Boston for the final two games of the season. The Red Sox won both games, seizing their first pennant since 1946 with a 92–70 record. The Twins and Tigers both finished one game back, with 91–71 records, while the White Sox finished three games back, at 89–73. In 1969,
2604-526: A silent partner, but Griffith was able to persuade his board to rebuff Jachym's effort to have any say in team affairs. He was particularly angered when Jachym expressed his fondness for longtime Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey , whom Griffith had long detested. When Jachym proposed buying the Buffalo Bisons of the International League , which would have given the Senators a Triple-A team for
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#17328483430022728-604: A sleeve on the jerseys, occasionally appeared as an alternate cap design, and then was reinstated as the main cap logo in 2010. Both the "TC" and "Minnie & Paul" logos remain the team's primary insignia. The Twins were eagerly greeted in Minnesota when they arrived in 1961 . They brought a nucleus of talented players: Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison , Camilo Pascual , Zoilo Versalles , Jim Kaat , Earl Battey , and Lenny Green . Tony Oliva , who would go on to win American League batting championships in 1964 , 1965 and 1971 , made his major league debut in 1962 . That year,
2852-413: A tail underline accent after the letter "s") in red outlined in navy and Kasota gold. Letters and numerals also take on the same color as the "Twins" script. As with the home white uniforms, it is paired with the all-navy Kasota gold "TC" cap. The gold-trimmed "TC" insignia also appears on the left sleeve. The following year, a throwback-inspired powder blue uniform was unveiled. A modern buttoned version of
2976-475: A widow, but Clark Griffith later said that his neighbors in Missouri had been very helpful to his mother, planting crops for her and the children. Fearing a malaria epidemic that was sweeping through the area, the Griffith family moved to Bloomington, Illinois . A childhood incident taught him about the money side to baseball, Griffith recalled. When he was 13, he and a few other young boys had raised $ 1.25 to buy
3100-560: A year for three years, plus the potential to double TV and radio money. The American League opposed the move at first, but in 1960 a deal was reached. Major League Baseball agreed to let Griffith move his team to the Minneapolis-St. Paul region and allowed a new Senators team to be formed in Washington for the 1961 season. Asked nearly two decades later why he moved the team, Griffith replied, "I'll tell you why we came to Minnesota, it
3224-472: Is a City Connect uniform, visually representing the state's nickname of "Land of 10,000 Lakes". The predominantly sublimated blue uniform with yellow accents featured the "MN" abbreviation on the left chest, with the yellow four-point star representing the north star. The sleeve patch contained a loon flying through ripples of water, with baseball stitching comprising the eyes and the north star representing its beak. Caps are blue with yellow brim, and contained
3348-600: Is also remembered for attracting talented players from the National League to play for the upstart American League when the Junior Circuit was in its infancy. Griffith has the second-most ties by a manager in MLB history, with 59. He trails only Connie Mack , who has 76 ties and holds the record for managing the most games in MLB history, with a total of 7,755 games, 4,838 more than Griffith. Additionally, 25 managers have managed more games than Griffith’s 2,917, making
3472-485: Is no evidence that Griffith came to the 1947 induction or any other ceremony. In October 1955, Griffith was in the hospital with neuritis when he suffered a stomach hemorrhage. Though he appeared to be improving, Griffith died a few days after he was hospitalized. He was nearing his 86th birthday. After his death, newspaper accounts described Griffith's longtime relationships with U.S. presidents. During World War I , he successfully petitioned Woodrow Wilson to allow
3596-500: The 1924 World Series . The two teams traded wins back and forth with three games of the first six being decided by one run. In the deciding 7th game, the Senators were trailing the Giants 3–1 in the 8th inning when Bucky Harris hit a routine ground ball to third that hit a pebble and took a bad hop over Giants third baseman Freddie Lindstrom . Two runners scored on the play, tying the score at three. An aging Walter Johnson came in to pitch
3720-481: The 85th Major League Baseball All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby in 2014. In mid 2020, following protests over the murder of George Floyd , a statue of former owner Calvin Griffith was removed from Target Plaza outside of the stadium due to his history of racist comments. Starting in 2023, the Twins made a drastic overhaul to their uniforms. The white home uniform features the updated "Twins" script (with
3844-556: The A.L. Rookie of the Year ; Scott Erickson , 20-game winner; new closer Rick Aguilera and new designated hitter Chili Davis . The World Series in 1991 is regarded by many as one of the classics of all time. In this Series, four games were won during the teams' final at-bat, and three of these were in extra innings. The Atlanta Braves won all three of their games in Atlanta, and the Twins won all four of their games in Minnesota. Up until then, it
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3968-579: The Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 .) Nevertheless, the Twins argued that the Metrodome was obsolete. Furthermore, they said sharing a stadium with the NFL 's Minnesota Vikings, as they had been doing since their 1961 move to Minnesota, limited the team's revenue and made it difficult to sustain a top-notch, competitive team. The team was rumored to contemplate moving to New Jersey , Las Vegas , Portland, Oregon ,
4092-617: The Baltimore Orioles , winners of 109 games, in the first American League Championship Series . The Orioles would go on to be upset by the New York Mets in the World Series . Martin was fired after the season, in part due to an August 1969 fight in Detroit with 20-game winner Dave Boswell and outfielder Bob Allison , in an alley outside the Lindell A.C. bar. Bill Rigney led the Twins to
4216-425: The Chicago White Stockings (1901–1902) and New York Highlanders (1903–1907). He retired as a player after the 1907 season, remaining manager of the Highlanders in 1908. He managed the Cincinnati Reds (1909–1911) and Washington Senators (1912–1920), making some appearances as a player with both teams. He owned the Senators from 1920 until his death in 1955. Sometimes known for being a thrifty executive, Griffith
4340-619: The Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina area , and elsewhere in search of a more financially competitive market. In 2002, the team was nearly disbanded when Major League Baseball selected the Twins and the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals franchise) for elimination due to their financial weakness. The impetus for league contraction diminished after a court decision forced the Twins to play out their lease on
4464-506: The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome from 1982 to 2009. The team has played at Target Field since 2010. The franchise won the World Series in 1924 as the Senators, and in 1987 and 1991 as the Twins. From 1901 to 2023, the Senators/Twins franchise's overall regular-season win–loss–tie record is 9,259–9,955–109 (.482); as the Twins (through 2024), it is 5,036–5,091–8 (.497). The team
4588-511: The New York Giants would move after the season), Griffith began courting Minneapolis–St. Paul, a prolonged process that resulted in his rejecting the Twin Cities' first offer before agreeing to move. Home attendance in Washington, D.C., steadily increased from 425,238 in 1955 to 475,288 in 1958, and then jumped to 615,372 in 1959. However, part of the Minnesota deal guaranteed a million fans
4712-1116: The New York Yankees in the ALDS , however they were swept 3 games to 0 in a best-of-5 series, extending their record for the longest playoff losing streak in MLB history to 16 games. Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging average Source: [1] Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts Source: [2] Infielders Outfielders Other batters Coaches Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis . The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as
4836-457: The St. Louis Browns and Boston Reds . Griffith began the following season with the Chicago Colts . In 1893, the pitchers box was moved back; it had been 55 feet from home plate and was moved to the modern distance of 60 feet, six inches. Following that change, offensive numbers increased across baseball and many pitchers had to adjust their approaches. Cap Anson was the player-manager of
4960-409: The screwball that Christy Mathewson had developed. He also often scuffed balls with his spikes or rubbed them in the grass. In 1894, Griffith began a string of six consecutive seasons with 20 or more victories, compiling a 21–14 record and 4.92 earned run average (ERA). Griffith lowered his ERA over the following years to a low of 1.88 in 1898, the lowest mark in the league. When Ban Johnson ,
5084-414: The .500 mark. Killebrew departed after 1974. Owner Calvin Griffith faced financial difficulty with the start of free agency , costing the Twins the services of Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle , who left as free agents after the 1977 season, and Carew, who was traded after the 1978 season. In 1975, Carew won his fourth consecutive AL batting title, having already joined Ty Cobb as the only players to lead
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5208-470: The 1955 Broadway musical Damn Yankees . Their fortunes began to improve with the arrival of 19-year-old pitcher, Walter Johnson , in 1907 . Johnson blossomed in 1911 with 25 victories, although the team still finished the season in seventh place. In 1912 , the Senators improved dramatically, as their pitching staff led the league in team earned run average and in strikeouts . Johnson won 33 games while teammate Bob Groom added another 24 wins to help
5332-552: The 1965 season. The team combined for a total of 307 home runs, the most in MLB history for a single season. The team's slugging prowess has earned them the nickname the Bomba Squad . In the 2019 ALDS , the Twins opponents were the New York Yankees, who finished one home run behind at 306 and the second team to break the 300 home run mark. The Twins were swept again, and extend their postseason losing streak to 16, dating back to
5456-513: The 2004 ALDS. On September 17, 2019, Miguel Sanó hit a 482-foot home run to make the Twins the first team in major league history to have five players with at least 30 home runs in a season. In 2023 the Minnesota Twins struggled through the first half, falling under .500 just before the All-Star break before beginning a late season surge that saw them take control of the AL Central. They finished as
5580-493: The AL Central. Following Brian Dozier 's 34 home runs , Miguel Sanó , Byron Buxton , and Eddie Rosario all had breakout years, while Joe Mauer hit .305. They ended up making the playoffs, which made them the first ever team to lose 100 games the previous year and make the playoffs the next season. They lost to the Yankees in the wild card round. The 2018 season did not go as well. The Twins went 78–84, and did not return to
5704-927: The AL MVP award. Iván Rodríguez won for the Texas Rangers in 1999, previous to that, the last catcher to win an AL MVP was the New York Yankees Thurman Munson in 1976. 2010 marked Minnesota's inaugural season played at Target Field , where the Twins finished the regular season with a record of 94–68, clinching the AL Central Division title for the 6th time in 9 years under manager Ron Gardenhire . New regular players included rookie Danny Valencia at third base, designated hitter Jim Thome , closer Matt Capps , infielder J. J. Hardy , and infielder Orlando Hudson . In relief pitching roles were late additions Brian Fuentes and Randy Flores . On July 7,
5828-422: The American League"; their hard luck drove the plot of the musical and film Damn Yankees . Cecil Travis , Buddy Myer ( 1935 A.L. batting champion ), Roy Sievers , Mickey Vernon ( batting champion in 1946 and 1953 ), and Eddie Yost were notable Senators players whose careers were spent in obscurity on losing teams. In 1954 , the Senators signed future Hall of Fame member Harmon Killebrew . By 1959 , he
5952-459: The American League's first 12 years, the Senators had never had a winning record or finished higher than sixth. To entertain the fans, Griffith hired Nick Altrock as a first base coach in his first season with Washington. Described as a "natural buffoon", Altrock engaged in lighthearted fun while coaching first base. He wrestled with himself, copied the motions of the pitcher and made the fans laugh with other antics. Griffith also engineered one of
6076-588: The Class B (equivalent to a short-season A team before 2021, and a Low-A team since 2021) Charlotte Hornets , and the Class D (equivalent to a Rookie-level team today) Orlando Senators . This was a major reason why the Senators were unable to put together a consistent winner, especially after World War II. Through all of this, Griffith's hold on the team appeared secure. When Richardson died in 1942, his twin brother, George , inherited his stake and voiced full confidence in Griffith. However, George died in 1948, triggering
6200-511: The Colts during Griffith's tenure and he utilized a rotation of only three starting pitchers. Just before Griffith's arrival on the team, pitcher Bill Hutchison had thrown more than 600 innings in a single season for Anson, which may have contributed to a decline in Hutchison's career. Griffith tried a new pitch to increase his longevity. By modifying the grip of a curveball , he threw a pitch similar to
6324-440: The Giants exacted their revenge, winning in five games. Following the loss, the Senators sank all the way to seventh place in 1934 and attendance began to fall. Despite the return of Harris as manager from 1935 to 1942 and again from 1950 to 1954, Washington was mostly a losing ball club for the next 25 years contending for the pennant only during World War II. Washington came to be known as "first in war, first in peace, and last in
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#17328483430026448-452: The Griffiths ever decide to sell. However, Griffith stubbornly resisted all efforts to modernize. For example, it would be 1955 before he hired as manager anyone who wasn't a current Senators or ex-Senators player. Additionally, he actively supported the St. Louis Browns ' move to Baltimore , a mere 30 miles north, as the Baltimore Orioles , even though it would have almost certainly cut into
6572-505: The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, including the turf floor and the white roof, gave the Twins a home-field advantage that helped them win the World Series in 1987 and 1991, at least in the opinion of their opponents. The Twins went 12–1 in postseason home games during those two seasons, becoming the first and second teams to sweep all four home games in a World Series. (The feat was repeated by
6696-479: The Metrodome. However, Twins owner Carl Pohlad continued his efforts to move, pursuing litigation against the Metropolitan Stadium Commission and obtaining a state court ruling that his team was not obligated to play in the Metrodome after the 2006 season. This cleared the way for the Twins to move or disband before the 2007 season if a new deal was not reached. In response to the threatened loss of
6820-416: The Minnesota state outline with a yellow star representing the Twin Cities and the northern lights reflected in a water line of a lake. The right side of the caps featured the "10,000 Lakes" moniker. From 1961 to 1971 the Twins sported uniforms bearing the classic "Twins" script and numerals in navy outlined in red. They wore navy caps with an interlocking "TC" on the front; this was adopted because Griffith
6944-424: The Senators finish the season in second place. Griffith joined the team in 1912 and became the team's owner in 1920. (The franchise remained under Griffith family ownership until 1984. ) The Senators continued to perform respectably in 1913 with Johnson posting a career-high 35 victories, as the team once again finished in second place. The Senators then fell into another decline for the next decade. The team had
7068-494: The Senators' attendance. In 1939, sportswriter Bob Considine expressed disappointment that Griffith had not already been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He referred to Griffith as "the real father of the American League", citing the fact that Griffith had been a key force in attracting National League players to join the American League teams in their initial years. He wrote that Griffith "belongs in any hall of fame where
7192-459: The Senators. Minor was more than willing to sell, believing he could no longer devote attention to the team. Griffith boosted his holdings to 44 percent, while Richardson bought a 40.4 percent stake. Richardson and Griffith quickly came to an agreement that allowed Griffith to vote Richardson's shares as well, effectively giving Griffith a commanding 84 percent controlling interest. This all but assured his election as team president that November. At
7316-547: The Twins defeat the Red Sox, 5–2. On May 18, 2011, Target Field was named "The Best Place To Shop" by Street and Smith 's SportsBusiness Journal at the magazine's 2011 Sports Business Awards Ceremony in New York City. It was also named "The Best Sports Stadium in North America" by ESPN The Magazine in a ranking that included over 120 different stadiums, ballparks and arenas from around North America. The stadium hosted
7440-475: The Twins finished the regular season tied with the White Sox on top of the AL Central, forcing a one-game playoff in Chicago to determine the division champion. The Twins lost that game and missed the playoffs. The game location was determined by rule of a coin flip that was conducted in mid-September. This rule was changed for the start of the 2009 season, making the site for any tiebreaker game to be determined by
7564-431: The Twins modified their road uniforms upon moving to Target Field. The pinstriped home uniforms remained, but the road primary now featured an updated "Minnesota" script (with an underline below "innesot") in red trimmed in navy. Letters are in navy while numerals (both on the chest and on the back) are in red trimmed in navy. The team's primary logo appears on the left sleeve. Meanwhile, the navy alternate road uniform shared
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#17328483430027688-473: The Twins replaced the red uniforms with a home navy alternate, which features the "Twins" script and back numerals in red outlined in white, and player names and chest numerals in white outlined in red. Both uniforms contained the "TC" (later modern "Minnie and Paul") and primary logo sleeve patches respectively. The Twins also brought back the navy-brimmed red cap for a few games with the home navy alternates. The road navy alternates remained in use until 2009, with
7812-579: The Twins won 91 games, the most by the franchise since 1933 . Behind Mudcat Grant 's 21 victories, Versalles' A.L. MVP season and Oliva's batting title, the Twins won 102 games and the American League Pennant in 1965 , but they were defeated in the World Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games (behind the Series MVP , Sandy Koufax , who compiled a 2–1 record, including winning
7936-530: The Twins won the division on the last day of the regular season (the only day all season they held sole possession of first place) but lost to the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS . Ozzie Guillén coined a nickname for this squad, calling the Twins " little piranhas ". The Twins players embraced the label, and in response, the Twins Front office started a "Piranha Night", with piranha finger puppets given out to
8060-541: The Twins, the Minnesota private and public sector negotiated and approved a financing package for a replacement stadium— a baseball-only outdoor, natural turf ballpark in the Warehouse District of downtown Minneapolis— owned by a new entity known as the Minnesota Ballpark Authority. Target Field was constructed at a cost of $ 544.4 million (including site acquisition and infrastructure), utilizing
8184-409: The Twins. The younger Griffith held on to the team until 1984, when he sold it to Carl Pohlad –ending the Griffith family's 65-year ownership of the franchise. Another nephew, Sherry Robertson , played infield and outfield for the Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s and 1950s. A monument was erected in honor of Griffith at Griffith Stadium. After the stadium was demolished in 1964,
8308-433: The World Series after defeating the favored Detroit Tigers in the ALCS , 4 games to 1. Tom Kelly managed the Twins to World Series victories over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987 and the Atlanta Braves in 1991 . The 1988 Twins were the first team in American League history to draw more than 3 million fans. On July 17, 1990, the Twins became the only team in major league history to pull off two triple plays in
8432-411: The back, the player names are in navy and numbers are in red. Likewise, the new navy Minnesota map with red star was featured on the left sleeve. Navy pinstripes were also added. The road cap is also all-navy, but with the white "M" and a red star on top representing the north star ; this design also serves as the basis of their road batting helmet. The alternate navy uniforms, worn both at home and on
8556-469: The ballpark." Cronin later married Griffith's niece, Mildred June Robertson. He also leaned heavily on Joe Cambria , a scout who frequently found talented Cuban players for Griffith. Ironically given his faith in young players, Griffith either would not or could not spend money on a farm system , preferring to mine prospects from independent minor league teams. For a time, the Senators had only three minor league teams–the Class A1 (now Double-A ) Lookouts,
8680-415: The biggest turnarounds in major league history, leading the Senators to second place. In nine years, his Washington teams only twice finished below fifth in the eight-team league. Through this time, Griffith frequently clashed with the Senators executives, who were sometimes unwilling to spend the money he felt necessary to make the team a consistent winner. Noyes had died in the middle of the 1912 season and
8804-411: The bottom of the 10th inning, after Morris had pitched ten shutout innings against the Braves. The seventh game of the 1991 World Series is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the history of professional baseball. After a winning season in 1992 but falling short of Oakland in the division, the Twins fell into a years-long stretch of mediocrity, posting a losing record each season for
8928-487: The continuation of baseball. He did the same with Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II . He had also begun a tradition of presidents throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a season's first Opening Day game, which started with William Howard Taft . When the Baseball Hall of Fame was being built and was looking for baseball memorabilia, Griffith donated several photographs of these presidential first pitches. League president Will Harridge called Griffith "one of
9052-453: The division in six of those ten years ('02, '03, '04, '06, '09 and '10), and nearly winning it in '08 as well. From 2001 to 2006, the Twins compiled the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons since moving to Minnesota. Threatened with closure by league contraction , the 2002 team battled back to reach the American League Championship Series before being eliminated 4–1 by that year's World Series champion Anaheim Angels . In 2006,
9176-422: The elective body is composed of sports writers, for no other reason than that no sports writer ever came away from the old guy without a story. Some of them were even kindly stories." Griffith had appeared on ballot for the second Baseball Hall of Fame election (1937), but he received 2% of the possible votes. In 1938, he received votes on only 3.8% of the submitted ballots. He received votes on 7.3% of ballots
9300-529: The final time in his career and led the White Stockings to the first AL pennant with an 83–53 record. At Johnson's suggestion, Griffith left Chicago in 1903 to take over as manager of the New York Highlanders . The Highlanders had just moved from Baltimore , and Johnson knew that for the league to be successful, it needed a strong franchise in the nation's biggest city. Griffith's last year as
9424-648: The first 10,000 fans. Scoreboard operators sometimes played an animated sequence of piranhas munching under that caption in situations where the Twins were scoring runs playing " small ball ", and the stadium vendors sold T-shirts and hats advertising "The Little Piranhas". The Twins also had the AL MVP in Justin Morneau, the AL batting champion in Joe Mauer , and the AL Cy Young Award winner in Johan Santana . In 2008,
9548-499: The first time, Griffith turned the request down out of hand. Frustrated at being shut out, Jachym sold his stake to H. Gabriel Murphy six months later. However, Griffith understood that unless the team improved, the next vote would go against him. To protect himself, Griffith persuaded Murphy to sell him enough stock to give him 52 percent of the club, making Griffith majority owner in name as well as in fact. In return, Griffith gave Murphy right of first refusal on his shares should
9672-456: The franchise's second and third World Series (and first and second in Minnesota). The name "Twins" was derived from "Twin Cities", a popular nickname for the two cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and sometimes used in reference to the entire Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan region. The NBA 's Minneapolis Lakers had moved to Los Angeles in 1960 due to poor attendance, blamed in part on
9796-410: The game's all-time great figures." Griffith was survived by his wife, who died of a heart attack two years later. He and his wife had no children, but they raised several relatives. One of those relatives was Calvin Griffith , who was informally adopted by Clark and Addie at the age of 11. Calvin took over the team after his uncle's death and led efforts to have the club moved to Minnesota and become
9920-504: The helmets regardless of uniform. Pitchers Clark Griffith As manager As owner Clark Calvin Griffith (November 20, 1869 – October 27, 1955, ), nicknamed " the Old Fox ", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher , manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Reds (1891), and Chicago Colts/Orphans (1893–1900). He then served as player-manager for
10044-449: The home navy version worn for the last time in the 2013 season. The Twins also wore three other alternate uniforms in the past. In 2006, the Twins wore a sleeveless variation of their regular home uniforms with navy undershirts, which they wore until 2010. They also wore a buttoned version of their 1973–86 home uniforms in 2009, before giving way to the throwback off-white version of their 1961–71 home uniforms from 2010 to 2018. In 2010,
10168-399: The home uniform, and an updated "Minnie and Paul" roundel patch replaced the originals on the left sleeve. In 1973, the Twins switched to polyester pullover uniforms, which included a powder blue road uniform. Chest numerals were added while a navy-brimmed red cap was used with the home uniform. The original "Minnie and Paul" logo returned to the left sleeve. Player names in red were added to
10292-640: The incidence of ties in his managerial career significantly higher than any other manager in Major League history. Griffith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. Clark Calvin Griffith was born on November 20, 1869, in Clear Creek, Missouri , to Isaiah and Sarah Anne Griffith. His parents were of Welsh ancestry. They had lived in Illinois before Clark Griffith's birth. The family took
10416-477: The major leagues in batting average for three consecutive seasons. In 1977 , Carew batted .388, which was the highest in baseball since Boston's Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941 ; he won the 1977 AL MVP Award . He won another batting title in 1978, hitting .333. In 1982 , the Twins moved into the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis , which they shared with the Minnesota Vikings . After
10540-411: The military or work in an essential occupation. Griffith persuaded Baker to allow ballplayers to perform military drills on the field with bats rather than rifles, allowing the season to go on through Labor Day. In late 1919, frustrated by continued resistance on the board, Griffith joined forces with Philadelphia grain broker William Richardson, a close friend of Mack's, to buy controlling interest in
10664-425: The modern "Twins" script (with an underline below "win") in navy outlined in red with Kasota gold drop shadows. Letters and numerals also take on the same color as the "Twins" script. The modern "Minnie and Paul" alternate logo (with the state of Minnesota in navy outlined in Kasota gold) appears on the left sleeve. Caps are in all-navy with the interlocking "TC" outlined in Kasota gold. The following year, they unveiled
10788-497: The new manager of the Twins, Billy Martin , pushed aggressive base running all-around, with Carew stealing home seven times in the season (1 short of Ty Cobb 's Major League Record) in addition to winning the first of seven A.L. batting championships . With Killebrew slugging 49 homers and winning the AL MVP Award , these 1969 Twins won the first American League Western Division Championship, but they lost three straight games to
10912-430: The next eight: 71–91 in 1993, 50–63 in 1994, 56–88 in 1995, 78–84 in 1996, 68–94 in 1997, 70–92 in 1998, 63–97 in 1999 and 69–93 in 2000. From 1994 to 1997, a long sequence of retirements and injuries hurt the team badly, and Tom Kelly spent the remainder of his managerial career attempting to rebuild the Twins. In 1997, owner Carl Pohlad almost sold the Twins to North Carolina businessman Don Beaver, who would have moved
11036-474: The next year. The Hall of Fame held only triennial elections for a few years. In 1942, 30.5% of voters submitted Griffith's name. Griffith was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Old Timers Committee in 1946 . He was honored at the induction ceremony the following year. According to author Dennis Corcoran, Griffith had attended the initial Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1939 but that there
11160-423: The ninth inning and held the Giants scoreless into extra innings. In the bottom of the twelfth inning, Ruel hit a high, foul ball directly over home plate . The Giants' catcher, Hank Gowdy , dropped his protective mask to field the ball but, failing to toss the mask aside, stumbled over it and dropped the ball, thus giving Ruel another chance to bat. On the next pitch , Ruel hit a double ; he proceeded to score
11284-455: The post-season. Sanó and Buxton were injured most of the year and eventually both sent down to the minors, while long-time Twin Brian Dozier was traded at the deadline. One bright spot came at the end of the season, when hometown hero Joe Mauer returned to catcher (his original position) for his final game, ending his career with a signature double and standing ovation. Another highlight was
11408-507: The proceeds of a $ 392 million public bond offering based on a 0.15% sales tax in Hennepin County and private financing of $ 185 million provided by the Pohlad family . As part of the deal, the Twins also signed a 30-year lease of the new stadium, effectively guaranteeing the continuation of the team in Minnesota for a long time to come. Construction of the new field began in 2007, and
11532-620: The road uniform in 1977. In 1987, the Twins updated their look. Home white uniforms brought back the pinstripes along with the modern-day "Twins" script. By this time, the franchise felt it was established enough in the area that it could put a stylized "M" on its cap without having fans in St. Paul think it stood for Minneapolis. The "TC" insignia adorned the left sleeve, later replaced by the modern "Minnie and Paul" alternate in 2002. Road gray uniforms, which also featured pinstripes, were emblazoned with "Minnesota" in red block letters outlined in navy, while
11656-399: The road uniform the team used from 1973 to 1986, the set contains the classic "Twins" script in red outlined in navy, along with red letters on the back and red numerals (both on the chest and on the back) outlined in navy. The "Minnie and Paul" alternate logo appears on the left sleeve. The uniform is paired with the primary all-navy "TC" cap minus the Kasota gold accents, which is also used on
11780-413: The road, has the all-caps "MINNESOTA" in white with red numbers. On the back, player names are also rendered in white while numbers are in red. The left sleeve features the updated "TC" insignia. The uniforms are paired with the road all-navy "M" cap with red star, with the white-paneled "TC" helmet used on home games and the "M" all-navy helmet used on the road. The alternate home cream uniform featured
11904-478: The roster, as he announced his retirement on November 9, 2018 after 15 seasons. His number 7 was retired on June 15, 2019. They improved upon their record from the previous season , and clinched the AL Central division for the first time since 2010 on September 25. On September 26, the Twins scored their 99th win with a victory over the Detroit Tigers , the highest number of wins for the franchise since 1965, and
12028-489: The same game. Twins' pitcher and Minnesota native Jack Morris was the star of the series in 1991, going 2–0 in his three starts with a 1.17 ERA. 1991 also marked the first time that any team that finished in last place in their division would advance to the World Series the following season; both the Twins and the Braves did this in 1991. Contributors to the 1991 Twins' improvement from 74 wins to 95 included Chuck Knoblauch ,
12152-401: The same look as the regular road uniforms, but with a few differences. The "Minnesota" script is in red outlined in white, letters and chest numerals are in white outlined in red, and back numerals are in red outlined in white. Red piping is also added. Both uniforms were paired with either the all-navy or the red-brimmed navy "TC" cap. In 2015, the Twins changed their home uniform. It features
12276-470: The same time, he also bought stock in the team as part of an effort to finance the construction of National Park. By selling the cattle on his Montana ranch, then mortgaging the ranch, Griffith was able to acquire a 10 percent stake in the Senators in two separate transactions totaling $ 27,000 ($ 852,455 in 2023 dollars), making him the team's largest single shareholder. At the time, the franchise had little going for it other than star pitcher Walter Johnson . In
12400-409: The same time, the Senators' home park, National Park, was renamed Griffith Stadium . Griffith stepped down as manager after the 1920 season to devote all his energy to the front office. He finished his managerial career with a 1,491–1,367 record. His 1,491 wins ranked 19th all-time as of 2005. During his managing tenure, Griffith had a tradition of treating the fans to a farce game as the final game of
12524-485: The season. This tradition is a factor in the inflation of Walter Johnson's minuscule ERA from 1.09 to 1.14 in 1913. Griffith was known for running the Senators on a shoestring. This was almost out of necessity; unlike most other owners, he had no income other than the Senators and Griffith Stadium. However, the Washington Redskins (who moved into the stadium in 1937 from Boston) and other tenants enabled him to turn
12648-509: The seventh game). In 1962, the Minnesota State Commission on Discrimination filed a complaint against the Twins, which was the only MLB team still segregating players during spring training and when traveling in the southern United States. Heading into the final weekend of the 1967 season , when Rod Carew was named the A.L. Rookie of the Year , the Twins, Boston Red Sox , Chicago White Sox , and Detroit Tigers all had
12772-459: The team in Minnesota. Sluggers Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison , who had been stars in Washington, were joined by Tony Oliva and Zoilo Versalles , and later second baseman Rod Carew and pitchers Jim Kaat and Jim Perry , winning the American League pennant in 1965. A second wave of success came in the late 1980s and early 1990s under manager Tom Kelly , led by Kent Hrbek , Bert Blyleven , Frank Viola , and Kirby Puckett , winning
12896-483: The team suffered a major blow when Justin Morneau sustained a concussion, which kept him out of the lineup for the rest of the season. In the divisional series , the Twins lost to the Yankees in a three-game sweep for the second consecutive year. Following the season, Ron Gardenhire received AL Manager of the Year honors after finishing as a runner up in several prior years. In 2017, the Twins went 85–77, finishing 2nd In
13020-499: The team to the Piedmont Triad area. Puckett was forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye from a central retinal vein occlusion . The 1989 A.L. batting champion , he retired as the Twins' all-time leader in career hits , runs , doubles , and total bases . At the time of his retirement, his .318 career batting average was the highest by any right-handed American League batter since Joe DiMaggio . Puckett
13144-570: The team's two-game series against the Cleveland Indians in San Juan, Puerto Rico . After the season, manager Paul Molitor was fired. Free agent signing Logan Morrison and long-time veteran Ervin Santana declared free agency. In 2019, the Twins clinched the AL Central Division for the first time since 2010, finishing the season with the second-most wins in franchise history with 101, one short of
13268-402: The third highest in franchise history. Despite winning 101 games (the second most since moving to Minnesota), the Twins were still the third seed in the American League, the best record ever for a third seed. With 307 home runs by their hitters, the Twins also set a new major league record for most home runs by a team in a season; tied by the 2023 Atlanta Braves. They opened the playoffs by playing
13392-597: The third seed in the AL for the 2023 MLB Playoffs and faced the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card round. Behind dominant pitching they won both of the first 2 games in the 3 game series, winning their first playoff game since 2004 (breaking an 0-18 postseason streak, the longest in North American sports history) and winning their first playoff series since the 2002 ALDS against the Oakland Athletics. The quirks of
13516-484: The underline below "win") in red with navy numbers. On the back, the player names are in navy and numbers are in red. On the left sleeve, the Minnesota state map in navy was added with a red star to represent the Twin Cities of Minneapolis–St. Paul. The home cap is all-navy with the updated "TC" insignia. The home helmet is navy with a white panel and red brim and features the new "TC" insignia. Road gray uniforms featured an all-caps "MINNESOTA" in navy with red numbers. On
13640-417: The updated primary logo adorned the left sleeve. Both uniforms kept the red numerals trimmed in navy, but the color on the player names was changed to navy. In 1997, player names were added to the home uniform. Initially, both uniforms were paired with an all-navy cap featuring the underlined "M" in front, but in 2002, the "TC" cap was brought back as a home cap while the "M" cap was used on the road. The "M" cap
13764-516: The winner of the regular season head-to-head record between the teams involved. After a year where the Twins played .500 baseball for most of the season, the team won 17 of their last 21 games to tie the Detroit Tigers for the lead in the Central Division. The Twins were able to use the play-in game rule to their advantage when they won the AL Central at the end of the regular season by way of
13888-461: The winning run when Earl McNeely hit a ground ball that took another bad hop over Lindstrom's head. This would mark the only World Series triumph for the franchise during their 60-year tenure in Washington. The following season they repeated as American League champions but ultimately lost the 1925 World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates . After Walter Johnson retired in 1927, he
14012-631: Was completed in December 2009, in time for the 2010 season. Commissioner Bud Selig , who earlier had threatened to disband the team, observed that without the new stadium the Twins could not have committed to sign their star player, catcher Joe Mauer , to an 8-year, $ 184 million contract extension. The first regular-season game in Target Field was played against the Boston Red Sox on April 12, 2010, with Mauer driving in two runs and going 3-for-5 to help
14136-559: Was founded in Washington, D.C. , in 1901 as one of the eight original teams of the American League. It was named the Washington Senators from 1901 to 1904, the Washington Nationals from 1905 to 1955, and the Senators again from 1956 to 1960. But the team was commonly referred to as the Senators throughout its history (and unofficially as the "Grifs" during Clark Griffith 's tenure as manager from 1912 to 1920). The name "Nationals" appeared on uniforms for only two seasons, and then
14260-409: Was hired as manager of the Senators. After enduring a few losing seasons, the team returned to contention in 1930. In 1933 , Senators owner Griffith returned to the formula that worked for him nine years earlier: 26-year-old shortstop Joe Cronin became player-manager . The Senators posted a 99–53 record and cruised to the pennant seven games ahead of the New York Yankees , but in the 1933 World Series
14384-406: Was on-deck. Puckett told Davis he was going to bunt, and Davis was going to win the game. Davis told him he was going to sit on Leibrandt's change-up and send everyone home. The seventh game was tied 0–0 after the regulation nine innings, and marked only the second time that the seventh game of the World Series had ever gone into extra innings. The Twins won on a walk-off RBI single by Gene Larkin in
14508-482: Was replaced with the "W" logo. The media often shortened the nickname to "Nats" — even for the 1961 expansion team . The names "Nationals" and "Nats" were revived in 2005, when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington to become the Nationals . The Washington Senators spent the first decade of their existence finishing near the bottom of the American League standings. The team's long bouts of mediocrity were immortalized in
14632-484: Was retired following the 2010 season, though the team continued to wear them as a throwback on special occasions. For a few games during the 1997 season, the Twins wore red alternate uniforms, which featured navy piping and letters in white trimmed in navy. In that same year, the Twins also released a road navy alternate uniform, featuring red piping, "Minnesota" and player names in white block letters outlined in red, and red numerals outlined in white. The following season,
14756-453: Was succeeded as president by Benjamin Minor . Unlike Noyes, Minor insisted that Griffith clear all transactions with him. Griffith began an effort to increase his interest in the team. Along the way, he used his ties with Secretary of War Newton D. Baker to keep the baseball season going past July after the government issued a "work or fight" order requiring all able-bodied men to either serve in
14880-664: Was the Senators' regular third baseman and led the league with 42 home runs, earning him a starting spot on the American League All-Star team . After Griffith's death in 1955, his nephew and adopted son Calvin took over the team presidency. Calvin sold Griffith Stadium to the city of Washington and leased it back. This led to speculation that the team was planning to move, as the Boston Braves , St. Louis Browns , and Philadelphia Athletics had done in recent years. By 1957, after an early flirtation with San Francisco (where
15004-518: Was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first 10 full calendar years. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 , his first year of eligibility. The Twins dominated the Central Division in the first decade of the new century, winning
15128-477: Was the second time in MLB history when a team won all its home games on their way to winning the World Series. The Twins also did it in 1987. The sixth game was a legendary one for Puckett, who tripled in a run, made a sensational leaping catch against the wall, and finally in the 11th inning hit the game-winning home run. Before Puckett's home run, the Braves brought in Charlie Leibrandt to face him. Chili Davis
15252-411: Was well aware of the bitter rivalry between Minneapolis and Saint Paul and didn't want to alienate fans in either city. The original "Minnie and Paul" alternate logo appears on the left sleeve of both the pinstriped white home uniform and gray road uniform. For the 1972 season the Twins updated their uniforms. The color scheme on the "Twins" script and numerals were reversed, pinstripes were removed from
15376-466: Was when I found out you only had 15,000 blacks here. Black people don't go to ball games, but they'll fill up a rassling ring and put up such a chant it'll scare you to death. It's unbelievable. We came here because you've got good, hard-working, white people here." Renamed the Minnesota Twins, the team set up shop in Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington , a suburb of Minneapolis. Success came quickly to
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