It’s out of this ballpark! It’s a home run for the Minnesota Twins! The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota Twins are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) American League. From 1982 to 2009, the Minnesota Twins played in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome located in downtown Minneapolis. The Home Opener of the 2010 Twins Season also marked the unveiling of Target Field, a state of the art outdoor baseball park built specifically for the Twins. Located in downtown Minneapolis, Target Field features outdoor and box seating providing the outdoor baseball experience for the die-hard Twins fans and climate-controlled seats for those who don’t want to risk the Minnesota weather. The Minnesota Twins manager is Ron Gardenhire; Twins general manager is Bill Smith; and the Minnesota Twins owner is Carl Pohland. The Minnesota Twins got their name from the Twin Cities area in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Twins are sometimes called “the Twinkies” by fans and media, a two-syllable play on Twins inspired by the snack cake of the same name. The retired Minnesota Twins jerseys of Minnesota Twins players are: Harmon Killebrew (#3); Tony Oliva (#6); Kent Hrbek (#14); Rod Carew (#29); Kirby Puckett (#34) and Jackie Robinson (#42).
One of the American League’s eight charter franchises, the Twins club was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1901. Then the Washington Senators, the team moved to Minneapolis in 1961 and played at Metropolitan Stadium. For a time from 1911 to 1933, the Washington Senators were one of the more successful franchises in major-league baseball. The team’s roster included the names of the Hall of Famers: Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, Joe Cronin, Bucky Harris, Heinie Manush and one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Walter Johnson. The Senators were known more for their many years of mediocrity and futility, including six last-place finishes in 1940s and 1950s.
The “Minnesota” designation, instead of “Minneapolis,” comes from the fact that the team is intended to represent the Twins Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. This fact is reinforced by the stylized TC logo originally worn on their caps, and by the Minnesota Twins mascot, TC Bear. The name “Twins” derives from the popular name of the region of the Twin Cities. It was unheard of at the time to name a professional team after the state, though the Arizona Diamondbacks, California Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, and Texas Rangers would follow close behind the Minnesota Twins. The original Twin Cities TC logo was kept. The cap was abandoned in 1987 when the Twins adopted their current baseball uniforms. The TC logo returned to one version of the Twins home uniforms in 2002, as did the team’s original cartoon logo: two large twins represent the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints – two minor-league baseball teams that preceded the Minnesota Twins in the area – shaking hands over the Mississippi River, which flows through both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The Minnesota Twins were greeted with great enthusiasm in Minnesota in 1961 when they arrived. The Minnesota Twins won the American League Pennant in 1965, driven by the exciting play of superstar sluggers Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva and the flashy play of league MVP Zoilo Versalles. The Twins were defeated in the 1965 World Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games; each home team had won until Game 7, when Sandy Koufax shut out the Twins 2-0 in Minnesota. Minnesota Twins scored a total of two runs in their four losses, and were shut out three times, twice by Koufax. Although disappointed with the near miss, the championship drive cemented the team’s relationship with the people of Minnesota. Twenty-two years later the Twins returned to the World Series and they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in the 1987 series.
The Minnesota Twins surprisingly did quite poorly in 1990, finishing last in the American League West Division with a record of 74-88. 1991 brought breakout years from the newcomers of Shane Mack, Scott Leius, Chili Davis, and rookie of the year Chuck Knoblauch, along with excellent performances from stars Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett. The Twins pitching became a million times better with Scott Erickson, Rick Aguilera, and St. Paul native Jack Morris having all-star years. Minnesota Twins won four games to three to win the nail biting 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves. Game 6 is considered broadly to be one of the greatest World Series games ever played. The score was tied 3 – 3 in the bottom of the 11th inning, Kirby Puckett stepped up to the plate and drove the game winning home run into the left field seats to force a decisive Game 7. All three of the Twins’ World Series appearances were decided in seven games, with the latter series ending in a dramatic 10-inning, 1-0 shutout by series MVP Jack Morris.
In 1992, the Minnesota Twins saw another superb Oakland Athletics team that they could not overcome, despite a 90-72 season and solid pitching from John Smiley. After 1992, the Twins again fell into an extended slump, posting a losing record each year for the next eight years: 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.
Things started turning around for the Minnesota Twins and from 2001 – 2006, the Twins compiled the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons since moving to Minnesota, going 85-77 in 2001; 94-97 in 2002; 90-72 in 2003; 92-70 in 2004; 83-79 in 2005 and 96-66 in 2006. In 2006, Minnesota Twins came from 12 games back in the division at the All-Star break to tie the Detroit Tigers for the lead in the 159th game of the season. In 2007, the Twins went 79-83 and the 2001 Central Division champion Cleveland Indians, won it again in 2007. It ended a six-year inning season run starting in 2001.
Over the years, Minnesota Twins games have become more and more popular making it hard to get cheap Twins tickets to games. So if you are really wanting to go to a Minnesota Twins game, one suggestion get your Minnesota Twins tickets today and enjoy the next Twins game at Target Field!