The Minnesota Twins—the first franchise from Minnesota to compete in Major League Baseball (MLB)—made their debut in the 1961 season. They have appeared in three World Series (1965, 1987, and 1991) and won two World Series titles (1987 and 1991).
Calvin Griffith, the owner of the Washington (DC) Senators, received permission to move his baseball franchise to the Twin Cities on October 26, 1960. The relocated ballclub was named the Minnesota Twins in honor of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), and the team competed in its inaugural MLB season in 1961 as a member of the American League. The team’s first logo featured two figures, christened “Minnie” and “Paul,” shaking hands across the Mississippi River. In a nod to Minnesota’s Minor League teams, Minnie sported a jersey with the Minneapolis Millers’ “M,” while Paul wore a jersey featuring the “STP” of the St. Paul Saints.
Though they finished seventh out of ten American League teams in the 1961 season, the Twins improved as the decade progressed. Led by manager Sam Mele, they finished first in the American League in 1965 with a record of 102-60 and squared off in the World Series against the National League champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series went to a deciding Game Seven, played at Metropolitan Stadium, which featured the Twins’ Jim Kaat dueling with Dodgers pitcher and future Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. The Twins fell to the Dodgers by a final score of 2-0 and would have to wait for over two decades for their next World Series appearance.
Over the next two decades, despite the efforts of Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva and a young Bert Blyleven, the Twins reached the postseason only twice, in 1969 and 1970. In the 1980s the team cultivated promising young talents, like Bloomington native Kent Hrbek, Frank Viola, Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, Kirby Puckett, and Greg Gagne. The organization changed ownership for the first time in 1984, when businessman Carl Pohlad purchased the Twins baseball club from Calvin Griffth for close to $44 million.
The 1987 season saw the Twins, led by thirty-six-year-old manager Tom Kelly, finish with an AL West record of 85-77 behind their young core of homegrown talent and a recently returned Bert Blyleven. Having won their first pennant, they advanced to the World Series, where they faced the St. Louis Cardinals. The Twins seized their first World Series title in a decisive 4-2 Game Seven victory on October 25, 1987, in front of 55,376 spectators at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
The Twins returned to the World Series in 1991 in improbable fashion after finishing dead last in the American League in the 1990 season. They found success by way of dominant starting pitching from the trio of Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson, and St. Paul native Jack Morris; offense was provided by free agent signee Chili Davis along with Shane Mack, Kirby Puckett, and 1991 Rookie of the Year Chuck Knoblauch. In what is considered by many to be one of the all-time-greatest World Series, the Twins defeated the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-seven series, in which three games were decided in extra innings. Game Seven featured a pitching contest between two Hall of Famers, the Braves’ John Smoltz and the Twins’ Jack Morris, and Minnesota won 1-0 in the tenth inning on Gene Larkin’s walk-off single.
The Twins’ success in the early 1990s was followed by eight consecutive losing seasons, and by 2001, rumors swirled that the club would be contracted (dissolved). Despite the uncertainty of their future, the 2001 Twins managed a winning record in Tom Kelly’s last season as manager, and then made their first postseason appearance since 1991 during the 2002 season. From 2002 to 2004, under a new manager (Rod Gardenhire) and a core of players including Brad Radke, Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Corey Koskie, the Twins won back-to-back-to-back American League Central titles. They failed, however, to advance past the American League Championship Series.
The winning streak of the early 2000s helped the club to avoid contraction, and the Twins continued to succeed throughout the decade—thanks in large part to the efforts of 2009 MVP (and St. Paul native) Joe Mauer and 2006 MVP Justin Morneau. They reached the postseason in the 2006, 2009, and 2010 seasons, and moved into their third home, Target Field in Minneapolis, at the start of the 2010 season. They struggled after 2011, losing more than 100 games in the 2016 season. In 2019, however, the team hired Rocco Baldelli as manager, finished with an AL Central record of 101-61, and reached the postseason.
Editor’s note: This article focuses on the Minnesota Twins iteration of the franchise (1961–present), and does not reflect the pre-Twins statistics and accomplishments of the Washington Senators (1901–1961).