The Charlotte Twins were a minor league baseball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina .
124-730: In 1972, the Charlotte "Twins" were a minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins and played as members of the Class A level Western Carolinas League , placing fifth in the league standings. In their only season of minor league play, the Twins hosted minor league home games at Clark Griffith Park , uniquely sharing the ballpark with the Charlotte Hornets of the Class AA level Southern League , also
248-678: A Double-A franchise of the Southern League in 1976, the team was known as the Charlotte Orioles , or Charlotte O's , through 1987. The O's won the Southern League championship twice: in 1980 and 1984 as the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles . They were rebranded as the Knights in 1988. The Knights were replaced by a Triple-A International League team in 1993 in conjunction with
372-470: 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
496-497: 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
620-568: 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
744-502: A Minnesota Twins affiliate. On January 14, 1972, a Charlotte franchise entered the Class A level Western Carolinas League as the city's second minor league team. The new Twins franchise was part of an unusual arrangement that saw the Minnesota Twins operate two affiliate teams simultaneously out of Charlotte’s Clark Griffith Park. Both teams were owned and operated by the Twins and their owner Calvin Griffith . The Charlotte Hornets of
868-455: 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
992-781: 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
1116-605: A move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. The Chicago White Sox retained Charlotte as their Triple-A affiliate, but the International League disbanded, and the Knights followed the other IL teams into the Triple-A East . Charlotte ended the season in seventh place in the Southeastern Division with a 45–75 record. No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead,
1240-507: 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
1364-588: 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
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#17328552932381488-521: 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
1612-588: A push for a second IL title, but lost the semifinals versus Richmond, 3–1. Much of the core of the 1993–94 Knights, including Manuel, would help lead the Indians to the World Series in 1995 and 1997 . In 1995, the Knights switched their affiliation to the Florida Marlins . Over four years with Florida, Charlotte's only postseason appearance occurred in 1997. As in their previous playoff run, they were eliminated in
1736-480: 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
1860-630: 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
1984-630: 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,
2108-604: 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,
2232-817: A split-season schedule wherein the division winners from each half qualified for the postseason championship playoffs. Charlotte won the First Half Eastern Division title in their inaugural 1976 season, but they lost the Eastern Division title versus the Orlando Twins in a one-game playoff. The team featured pitcher Dave Ford , who won the Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award , and future Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray at first base . Charlotte won another first half title in 1979 but were again eliminated in
2356-413: 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
2480-560: 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
2604-472: 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
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#17328552932382728-500: 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
2852-481: 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
2976-556: 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
3100-579: 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 ,
3224-648: The Asheville Orioles , the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles , and relocated the club from Asheville, North Carolina , to Charlotte as the Charlotte Orioles. Crockett renovated Griffith Park and renamed it Jim Crockett Memorial Park. Popularly known as the O's, the club joined the Southern League and inherited the Asheville team's status as the Orioles' Double-A affiliate. The Southern League used
3348-558: 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
3472-666: The Class AA level Southern League had begun minor league play in the league in 1937 when the Twins were still the Washington Senators , after being founded in 1892. 1972 proved to be the final year for both teams in Charlotte. The Charlotte "Twins" became members of the six–team, Class A level Western Carolinas League , as the Anderson Giants , Gastonia Pirates , Greenville Rangers , Greenwood Braves and Spartanburg Phillies joined Charlotte in beginning league play on April 14, 1972. On opening day of April 15, 1972, Charlotte hosted both affiliate teams in their home openers. First,
3596-662: The Cleveland Indians and again in 1999 as the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The first professional baseball team in Charlotte was the Charlotte Hornets , who played only a single season. In 1900, the city was home to the Charlotte Presbyterians. A year later, a new Hornets team formed. The Hornets competed in various leagues for 66 seasons through 1972. In 1937, the Washington Senators , later
3720-619: 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
3844-506: 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
Charlotte Twins - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-439: The Minnesota Twins , purchased the team. The Hornets remained a minor league affiliate of the Senators/Twins for 35 years. In 1940, Calvin Griffith , the son of Senators owner Clark Griffith and future owner of the Senators/Twins, built an approximately 5,000-seat park in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood, Clark Griffith Park . It would be the home of Charlotte baseball for the next half-century. The Hornets spent most of
4092-511: 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
4216-469: The Orlando Twins , continuing play in the 1973 Southern League. In 1976, the Charlotte O's franchise rejoined the Southern League and resumed play at Clark Griffith Park. The Charlotte Twins hosted 1972 home minor league home games at Clark Griffith Park . The ballpark was constructed in 1941 and was later renamed as Jim Crockett Memorial Park and Knights Park. The ballpark hosted minor league baseball until
4340-708: The Richmond Braves , 3–1, in the semifinals to advance to the Governors' Cup finals for the International League championship . In the best-of-five series, Charlotte won their first IL championship over the Rochester Red Wings , 3–2. Third baseman Jim Thome , who was later inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, won the 1993 International League Most Valuable Player Award with the Knights. The 1994 squad made
4464-851: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons , 3–2, in the semifinals before winning their second IL championship against the Durham Bulls , 3–1. This win earned the team a spot in the Triple-A World Series , a postseason interleague championship series between the league champions of the IL and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League . Charlotte lost the Triple-A World Series versus the Vancouver Canadians , 3–2. Spencer
4588-636: The Southern League in 1964. In 1972, Charlotte was home to two teams: the Hornets and Minnesota's Class A affiliate in the Western Carolinas League , the Charlotte Twins . After a lackluster season, however, the Twins were moved to Orlando, Florida , as the Orlando Twins . The Hornets also disbanded after the 1972 season, leaving the city without professional baseball. In 1976, professional wrestling promoter Jim Crockett Jr. and his family bought
4712-464: The expansion of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Triple-A Knights carried on the history of the Double-A team that preceded them. In conjunction with MLB's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Knights were shifted to the Triple-A East, but this was renamed the International League in 2022. The Knights have won two International League championships : in 1993 as the Triple-A affiliate of
4836-414: 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
4960-470: 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
5084-552: 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
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5208-547: The 1988 Charlotte Knights last played in the park after it was nearly destroyed by fire in 1985, reducing seating from 10,000 to 3,000. The ballpark was located at 400 Magnolia Avenue (Magnolia & Lyndhurst Avenue). The site today is residential. Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis . The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as
5332-513: 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
5456-500: The 2014 season. It is located one block from Bank of America Stadium , home of the Carolina Panthers . To go along with the move, the Knights dropped the navy blue and dark green color scheme they had been using for the previous 15 years in favor of a new black-gold-silver palette, modeled on the color scheme of the White Sox. They also adopted new logos that focused more on the knight rather than his horse. Charlotte hosted
5580-577: The 2016 Triple-A All-Star Game in which a team of International League All-Stars defeated the Pacific Coast League All-Stars, 4–2. The Knights narrowly missed the 2016 playoffs, finishing a half game behind the first-place Gwinnett Stripers . The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30. Following the 2020 season, Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball in
5704-443: 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
5828-688: 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,
5952-422: 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
6076-446: The Charlotte Twins hosted the Gastonia Pirates at 6:30 PM in the Western Carolina League season opener, followed by the Charlotte Hornets against the Montgomery Rebels in the Southern League second game. For the rest of the season, the two teams played home games at Clark Griffith Park while the other team was on the road. In their only season of play, the Twins placed fifth in the 1972 Western Carolinas League standings. The Twins ended
6200-463: The Eastern Division series by the Columbus Astros , 2–0. Manager Jimmy Williams led the 1980 O's to end the season with an even 72–72 record and the first half title. They then swept the Savannah Braves in a three-game series for the Eastern Division title and defeated the Memphis Chicks , 3–1, to win their first Southern League championship . The 1980 team included future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. at third base . The Orioles returned 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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#17328552932386448-401: 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
6572-414: The International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. Prior to the 2023 season, the Knights debuted redesigned logos and uniforms. They retained their gold, silver, and black colors with the addition of blue, which is used by the city's other teams, the Carolina Panthers , Charlotte FC , and Charlotte Hornets . The knight's helmet was redesigned, as
6696-405: 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
7068-445: The Southern League title to the Huntsville Stars , 3–2. Similarly, the 1987 first-half champion O's won the division title versus the Jacksonville Expos , 3–2, but lost the league crown to the Birmingham Barons , 3–1. Third baseman Tom Dodd was selected for the 1987 Southern League Most Valuable Player Award . Following the 1987 season, George Shinn , founder of the National Basketball Association 's Charlotte Hornets , bought
7192-435: 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
7316-425: 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
7440-431: 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
7564-473: 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
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#17328552932387688-400: 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
7812-416: 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
7936-410: 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
8060-446: The Western Carolinas League standings. Spartanburg then defeated Greenville in a playoff to claim the championship. Charlotte Twins players Lyman Bostock and Rob Wilfong both went on to major league careers. Bostock, who played his first professional season for Charlotte after being drafted from California State University, Northridge , was the son of former negro leagues player Lyman Bostock Sr. . On September 23, 1978, Bostock
8184-433: 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
8308-411: 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
8432-411: 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
8556-439: The construction site of their permanent home, Knights Stadium . The stadium was built solely for the 1989 season and was demolished following the final game that year to make room for the completion of the 10,000-seat Knights Stadium. Along with a new ballpark, the Knights also had a new major league affiliate in the Chicago Cubs . Laddie Renfroe won the 1989 Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award. Charlotte returned to
8680-413: The displaced team until Shinn could find a permanent location. So, the team relocated there in 1993 as the Nashville Xpress . The Triple-A Charlotte Knights carried on the history and identity of the preceding Double-A team and became the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians . In 1993, Charlie Manuel managed the Knights to win the Western Division title with an 86–55 record. They then defeated
8804-453: 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,
8928-705: The early postseason exit, a pair of Knights were selected for IL awards. Heath Phillips was the Most Valuable Pitcher, and third baseman Josh Fields was the Rookie of the Year. The club's next playoff appearance came in 2012 after winning another Southern Division title. The defeated the Indianapolis Indians , 3–1, to reach the finals but were swept out of the championship round by the Pawtucket Red Sox in three games. The Knights' attendance sagged after
9052-748: 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,
9176-456: The first half of the 20th century in the low minors (in some years, as low as Class D–equivalent to a Rookie-level team today). However, for much of that time they were the Senators' second-highest affiliate. The Hornets joined the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL) in 1954. They had previously been members of the SAL in the 1920s. The league became a Double-A circuit in 1963, and was reorganized as
9300-456: 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
9424-683: The helmets regardless of uniform. Pitchers Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox . They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina , and play their home games at Truist Field , which opened in 2014 and is located in Uptown Charlotte . The team previously played at Knights Park (1976–1988), Knights Castle (1989), and Knights Stadium (1990–2013). Established as
9548-513: The higher classification team held the rights to the territory. He solicited offers to purchase the club to help defray a US$ 5 million International League enfranchisement cost. Shinn initially sold the Double-A franchise to Tom Benson , owner of the National Football League 's New Orleans Saints , who sought to relocate the club to New Orleans , but the move was blocked when Minor League Baseball granted territorial rights to
9672-610: The higher-classification Triple-A Denver Zephyrs , who wanted to move to New Orleans after being uprooted by the Colorado Rockies National League expansion team. Benson eventually opted out of the purchase. Without a ballpark for the 1994 season, Larry Schmittou , president and owner of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds , offered Herschel Greer Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee , as a temporary ballpark for
9796-449: 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,
9920-399: 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
10044-477: 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
10168-425: 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
10292-497: 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
10416-430: 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
10540-423: 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
10664-506: The playoffs in 1992, but they lost the Eastern Division title to Greenville, who had won both halves of the season. In conjunction with the 1993 Major League Baseball expansion , team owner George Shinn was granted an expansion franchise in the Triple-A International League (IL), which would begin playing in Charlotte in 1993. Shinn, who had applied for Charlotte to receive one of two available Triple-A expansion teams,
10788-455: 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
10912-533: The postseason four years later when managers Grady Little and John Hart led them to a 75–72 record and the second half title. They defeated the Greenville Braves , 3–1, for the Eastern Division title before winning their second league championship over the Knoxville Blue Jays , 3–0. Ken Dixon was selected as the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher. In March 1985, the mostly wood-framed Crockett Park
11036-507: 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
11160-655: The regular season with a record of 50–79, finishing 37.5 games behind the first place Spartanburg Phillies. Bob Sadowski served as manager. The Twins did not qualify for the playoff in the only season of play for the Class A Charlotte franchise. In the final standings, Spartanburg (89–43) led the Western Carolinas League, followed by the Greenville Rangers (71–57), Greenwood Braves (70–61), Gastonia Pirates (60–70), Charlotte Twins (50–79) and Anderson Giants (51–81) in
11284-620: 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
11408-399: 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
11532-413: 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
11656-489: 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 ,
11780-401: 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
11904-591: The semifinals by the Columbus Clippers , 3–1. In 1996, left fielder Billy McMillon was selected as the IL Rookie of the Year . Before the 1997 season, Shinn sold the Knights to North Carolina businessman Don Beaver, who negotiated a Triple-A affiliation with the Chicago White Sox , which began in 1999. Manager Tom Spencer led the Knights to win the IL Wild Card that season with an 82–62 record. They defeated
12028-509: 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
12152-594: The team from the Crockett family and committed to building a permanent ballpark. In 1988, the team was renamed the Charlotte Knights in a naming contest, and Crockett Park was renamed Knights Park. The team's 13-year affiliation with Baltimore ended after the 1988 season. In 1989, Shinn moved the Knights to Knights Castle , a temporary 8,000-seat stadium located just over the state line in Fort Mill, South Carolina , near
12276-459: 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
12400-533: 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
12524-499: 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
12648-494: The team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner. However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage. Charlotte finished the tournament in 26th place with a 2–6 record. In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as
12772-632: 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
12896-657: 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
13020-548: The turn of the millennium, in part because Knights Stadium was almost half an hour south of Charlotte. Many fans were unwilling to brave Interstate 77 's infamous congestion in order to go to the stadium. In 2011, the Charlotte City Council and Mecklenburg County Commission approved a land-swap agreement which opened the door for the construction of a new 10,200-seat stadium in downtown Charlotte. The $ 54 million park, BB&T Ballpark, now Truist Field , opened in time for
13144-484: 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
13268-417: 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
13392-572: 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
13516-461: 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
13640-631: 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
13764-400: Was destroyed by fire. An investigation revealed arson as the cause. The Crockett family built a 3,000-seat makeshift stadium immediately afterward, which served as the O's home for two years. However, unlike its predecessor, it was completely exposed to the elements, causing a steep decline in attendance. The 1985 O's won a second half title and the Eastern Division over Columbus, 3–1, but lost
13888-559: 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
14012-467: 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
14136-406: 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
14260-670: Was recognized as the IL Manager of the Year . Jon Garland , later of the 2005 World Series champion White Sox, won the IL Most Valuable Pitcher Award in 2000 with the Knights. In 2003, second baseman Aaron Miles was the Rookie of the Year. Charlotte next qualified for the Governors' Cup playoffs in 2006 having won the Southern Division title, but they lost the semifinals to the Toledo Mud Hens , 3–1. Despite
14384-477: Was recommended by the expansion committee after their visit to evaluate the city. Of the nine applicant cities, Charlotte had the newest stadium, the only major league sports franchise (Shinn's Charlotte Hornets), and the largest metro area population. It would be the first time that a Carolinas-based team would play at the highest level of minor league baseball. Gaining a Triple-A team meant Shinn would need to relocate, or sell, his existing Southern League team as
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,
14756-669: Was shot to death in Gary, Indiana . As member of the California Angels , Bostock was murdered after playing in a game at the Chicago White Sox earlier in the day. In September 1972, the Minnesota Twins announced that both the Twins and the Hornets would not play in Charlotte in 1973. After the 1972 season, the Minnesota Twins folded the Charlotte Twins franchise and relocated the Charlotte Hornets franchise. The Hornets moved to become
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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