Minnesota Twins

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Minnesota Twins
founded in 1894
Minnesota Twins Logo.svg
abbreviation
MIN
earlier names)
  • Washington Nationals / Senators (1901-1960)
  • Kansas City Blues (1894-1900)
Nickname (s)
Twinkies
Club colors
Navy blue, red, white

  

league

  • American League (since 1901)
    • West Division (1969-1993)
    • Central Division (since 1994)
Ball park (s)

successes

  • World Series (3):
    1924 , 1987 , 1991
  • American League titles (6):
    1924, 1925, 1933, 1965, 1987, 1991
  • Central Division Titles (7):
    2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009 , 2010 , 2019
  • West Division Titles (4):
    1969, 1970, 1987, 1991
  • Wild Card (1):
    2017
Website : http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/

The Minnesota Twins are a Major League Baseball team based out of Minneapolis , Minnesota . You play in the Central Division of the American League . The team is owned by Minnesota-based businessman Jim Pohlad , who took over the business including the Twins after the death of his father Carl Pohlad in January 2009. The Twins have played their home games at Target Field in Minneapolis since 2010 .

Formed as a minor league team called Kansas City Blues in 1894, the team moved to Washington, DC in 1900 to play in the major league. The team became the "Washington Senators" until they finally moved to Minneapolis in 1961 and adopted their current name. In addition to three World Series titles (1924, 1987 , 1991 ), they were the best team in the American League six times (most recently in 1991) and won ten division titles (most recently in 2019 ).

history

Kansas City Blues: 1894-1900

In 1894 the Kansas City Blues were founded and played in the Western League . When the American League declared itself the Major League, the Kansas City Royals were relocated to Washington. A National League team left the city ​​a year ago.

Washington Nationals / Senators: 1901–1960

The new Washington franchise, like the old one, was referred to as the "Senators". The Senators began their history as a constantly losing team, near the lower echelons of the American League. With the arrival of 19-year-old pitcher Walter Johnson in 1907, her fortunes began to improve. Johnson flourished with 25 wins in 1911. In 1912 the Senators improved dramatically. Their pitchers led the league in earned run average and strikeouts . Johnson won 22 games while Bob Groom added 24 more wins. The Senators finished second in the American League at the end of the season. Manager Clark Griffith joined the team in 1912 and became the owner of the team in 1920. The Senators continued to perform well in 1913 and again came in second. In the coming decade, many of the Senators returned to a period of defeat.

The Senators came to another success in the 1924 season when they reached the World Series . There they played against the New York Giants and beat them in the final 7th game. This was the only World Series triumph for the franchise during its 60th anniversary in Washington.

In the years to come they achieved success, but could never build on the World Series success of 1924.

Surname

The Washington franchise was known as both "Senators" and "Nationals" at different times, and sometimes at the same time. In 1905 the team changed its official name to "Washington Nationals". The name "Nationals" appeared on uniforms for only two seasons and was then replaced with the "W" logo for the next 52 years. The media has often shortened the nickname to "Nats". Many fans and newspapers insisted on using the nickname "Senators" because of confusion when an American League team uses the name "Nationals". Over time, "Nationals" faded as a nickname and "Senators" became dominant.

The current names "Nationals" and "Nats" were revived in 2005 when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington to become the Nationals.

Minnesota Twins: since 1961

In 1960 Major League Baseball granted the City of Minneapolis an expansion team. Washington owner Calvin Griffith , Clark's nephew and adopted son, asked that he move his team to Minneapolis-St. Paul could move and instead give Washington the expansion team. After approval by the league, the team moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season and played there at Metropolitan Stadium . There the team played under the name Minnesota Twins. The new expansion team in Washington was called Senators again and played in Washington until 1972 before moving to Texas.

Success came quickly for the Minnesota team. With old players from Washington and some good newcomers, the Twins managed to win the American League in 1965. A second wave of success came in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1987 , the team made it for the first time in Minnesota to win the World Series . In 1991 the Twins were able to win the World Series again.

2000s

The Twins dominated the Central Division in the first decade of the new century and won the division in six of those ten years ('02, '03, '04, '06, '09 and '10). From 2001 to 2006, the Twins racked up the longest run of consecutive season wins since moving to Minnesota. The Twins have not won a playoff series against the Athletics since the 2002 series , despite the fact that the team has won several division championships over the decade.

2010s

In 2010 the Twins moved into their new stadium, Traget Field . In the following years, the Twins were in a period without playoff participation. In 2017 the Twins were able to reach the AL Wild Card Game, but lost it to the New York Yankees .

2019

The Twins got off to a great start into the 2019 MLB season and had the best win-loss record by mid-May. However, the strong start did not result in a large number of visitors. On May 8, the Twins announced a sale of $ 5 tickets for their remaining home games in May to bring fans back to the stadium. The Twins sold 20,000 tickets in one day and had to provide additional seats due to overwhelming demand.

The Twins set a new record for most of the first half of the season with 166 home runs.

On September 17, 2019, Miguel Sanó hit a 482-foot homerun to make the Twins the first team in Major League history to have five players with at least 30 homers in a season.

On September 25, 2019, the Twins won the Central Division of the American League.

On September 26, 2019, the Twins became the first team in Major League history to score 300 home runs in one season.

The Twins finished the 2019 season with 101 wins, the second most popular in franchise history. The team posted a total of 307 home runs, the most in MLB history in a single season. Due to the many home runs and the clout of the team, they earned him the nickname Bomba Squad during the season . In the ALDS 2019 , the Twins met the Yankees. The Twins lost the series 0-3 and extended their postseason losing streak to 16 games.

Imminent dissolution and relocation of the team

The idiosyncrasies of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome , including the turf floor and white roof, gave the Twins a significant home advantage that resulted in them winning the World Series in 1987 and 1991, at least in the opinion of their opponents. These were the first two World Series in professional baseball history in which a team won the championship by winning all four home games, yet the Twins argued that the Metrodome was out of date and that the lack of a dedicated baseball-only stadium constrained the team's revenue and made it difficult to maintain a high quality, competitive team. The Twins had the stadium since 1961 with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL split. It was rumored that the team would consider moving to places like New Jersey , Las Vegas, or Portland in search of a more financially competitive market. The team nearly disbanded in 2002 when Major League Baseball selected the Twins and Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals franchise) for elimination because they were financially weak compared to other franchises in the league. The impetus for the liquidation diminished after a court ruling forced the Twins to pay off their lease for the Metrodome. The Twins owner Carl Pohlad, however, continued his relocation efforts, led a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Stadium Commission and received a ruling by the district court, according to which his team was no longer required to play at the Metrodome after the 2006 season. This cleared the way for the Twins to either be relocated or dissolved before the 2007 season if no new deal was reached. In the end it was decided that the Twins would play in the Metrodome until 2010 and then move to the Target Field.

Stadion

Target Field on April 10, 2010
Target Field on April 10, 2010

The Twins play their home games at Target Field in Minneapolis . In response to the impending loss of the Twins, the Minnesota private and public sectors have prepared and approved a funding package for a stadium. The Target Field was built in the Minneapolis Warehouse District and is owned by the Minnesota Ballpark Authority. The stadium cost $ 544.4 million to build and was partly publicly and partly privately funded. As part of the deal, the Twins signed a 30-year lease for the new stadium, which will guarantee the team's survival in Minnesota for a long time.

Surname

The name " Minnesota Twins" instead of "Minneapolis", where the team actually plays, comes from the fact that the team intends to use the two twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul (and thereby the throughout the American state of Minnesota). The name " Twins " is derived from the " Twin Cities" (Minneapolis and St. Paul are only separated from each other by the Mississippi River ). This is also in the form of stylized letters logos "TC" ( T win C symbolizes ITIES) on the home baseball caps.

TC Bear during a game with a white Twins-Jeresy with the number 00.
TC Bear during a game

mascot

The Twins' mascot is called TC ( TC Bear ). It was first unveiled in Minnesota on April 3, 2000. TC is modeled after the Hamm's Beer Bear, which is used in advertising for Hamm's Brewery, an early sponsor of the Twins. The "TC" stands for the "Twin Cities", Minneapolis and Saint Paul .

Team and franchise traditions

Fans wave the Homer towel to cheer the team on during the playoffs and other key games. The Homer towel was invented by Terrie Robbins in 1987. It was her idea to give away 60,000 Homer towels originally. Over 2.3 million Homer towels were distributed this year.

The Twins' clubhouse is known for the party atmosphere after a win. The team's players relax to loud rock music (mostly the pitcher's choice) and video games.

The club has several rituals, such as E.g. the requirement that the team’s youngest relief pitcher carry water and snacks in a colorful toddler backpack to the bullpen ( Barbie 2005, SpongeBob SquarePants 2006, Hello Kitty 2007, Disney Princess and Tinkerbell 2009, Chewbacca and Darth Vader 2010).

Placements in recent years

year Regular season Postseason Result
Victories Defeats Win% Result Visitors Visitors per game Record Win%
2001 85 77 .525 2. - AL Central 1,782,929 22,011 0-0 .000
2002 94 67 .584 1. - AL Central 1,924,473 23,906 4-6 .400 Victory ALDS vs. Oakland Athletics , 3-2
defeat ALCS vs. Anaheim Angels , 1-4
2003 90 72 .556 1. - AL Central 1,946,011 24,025 1-3 .250 Loss ALDS vs. New York Yankees , 1-3
2004 92 70 .568 1. - AL Central 1,911,490 23,599 1-3 .250 Loss ALDS vs. New York Yankees , 1-3
2005 83 79 .512 3. - AL Central 2,034,243 25.114 0-0 .000
2006 96 66 .593 1. - AL Central 2,285,018 28.210 0-3 .000 Loss ALDS vs. Oakland Athletics , 0-3
2007 79 83 .488 3. - AL Central 2,296,347 28,349 0-0 .000
2008 88 75 .540 2. - AL Central 2,302,611 28,427 0-0 .000
2009 87 76 .534 1. - AL Central 2,416,237 29,466 0-3 .000 Loss ALDS vs. New York Yankees , 0-3
2010 94 68 .580 1. - AL Central 3,223,640 39,798 0-3 .000 Loss ALDS vs. New York Yankees , 0-3
2011 63 99 .389 5. - AL Central 3,168,107 39.112 0-0 .000
2012 66 96 .407 5. - AL Central 2,776,354 34,275 0-0 .000
2013 66 96 .407 4. - AL Central 2,477,644 30,588 0-0 .000
2014 70 92 .432 5. - AL Central 2,250,606 27,785 0-0 .000
2015 83 79 .521 2. - AL Central 2,220,054 27,408 0-0 .000
2016 59 103 .364 5. - AL Central 1,963,912 24,246 0-0 .000
2017 85 77 .525 2. - AL Central 2,051,279 25,324 0-1 .000 Defeat AL Wild Card Game vs. New York Yankees
2018 78 84 .481 2. - AL Central 1,959,197 24,489 0-0 .000
2019 101 61 .623 1. - AL Central 2,294,152 28,322 0-3 .000 Loss ALDS vs. New York Yankees , 0-3
Overall as twins 4680 4739 .497 - - - 25-42 .373 2x World Series winner ( 1987 , 1991 )

Current squad

Minnesota Twins players
Active players (25-player group) Inactive players (40-player group) Trainer / Others

Pitcher

Starting rotation

Bullpen

Closer

Catcher

Infielder

Outfielder

Designated hitter

Pitcher

Catcher

Infielder

Outfielder


Manager

Trainer



Injury icon 2.svgInjury list (7 or 10 days)
* Banned
Roster updated on August 14, 2020
TransfersLine-up

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the number of players in the active squad at the beginning of the 2020 MLB season on 23/24. July increased to 30 players. Two weeks later there was a scheduled reduction to 28 players. Another two weeks later, the number of players is to be reduced to 26 and maintained for the entire 2020 season. In the case of double-headers , the teams may appoint a 27th player to the active squad.

Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame

The following members of the Baseball Hall of Fame played in the Twins:

Minnesota Twins Hall of Famers
Membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Washington Senators
Stan Coveleski
Joe Cronin
Ed Delahanty
Rick Ferrell
Lefty Gomez
Goose Goslin
Clark Griffith
Bucky Harris
Whitey Duke
Walter Johnson
Heinie Manush
Sam Rice
Al Simmons
George Sisler
Tris Speaker
Early Wynn

Minnesota Twins

Bert Blyleven Rod Carew
Steve Carlton
Harmon Killebrew
Paul Molitor
Jack Morris
Kirby Puckett
Jim Thome
Dave Winfield
Players in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame boards with Twins or Senators badges.



Jersey numbers that are no longer awarded

Jersey numbers that are no longer assigned in the target field
Jersey numbers that are no longer assigned in the target field

In Target Field, the numbers hang in Left Field in front of the tower that serves as the Twins' executive office. The numbers also serve as designations for the entrance gates of the stadium.

Minor league teams of the Minnesota Twins

The following minor league teams belong to the Twins franchise :

Web links

Commons : Minnesota Twins  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b 1894 Kansas City | Threads Of Our Game. Retrieved July 22, 2019 .
  2. 1911 Washington Senators Statistics. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  3. 1912 Washington Senators Statistics. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  4. Clark Griffith. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  5. 1913 American League Season Summary. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  6. 1924 World Series - Washington Senators over New York Giants (4-3). Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  7. a b c Minnesota Twins Team History & Encyclopedia. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  8. Patrick Reddington: Washington Nationals to wear Montreal Expos uniforms on July 6th vs Kansas City Royals ... June 26, 2019, accessed July 22, 2019 .
  9. Texas Rangers on Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 22, 2019 .
  10. 1965 Minnesota Twins Statistics. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  11. MLB Vault: 1987 World Series, Game 7: Cardinals @ Twins. October 7, 2010, accessed July 22, 2019 .
  12. Minnesota Twins Move Into Target Field | News Archive | Mortenson. Retrieved July 22, 2019 .
  13. First-place Minnesota Twins offer fans $ 5 tickets, sell 20,000 in less than 24 hours. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  14. Minnesota Twins: Due to overwhelming demand, we've released Ballpark Access tickets to all May games for $ 5! In: @Twins. May 8, 2019, accessed on July 22, 2019 .
  15. Twins set first-half home run record, rout Rangers | MPR News. Retrieved July 22, 2019 .
  16. Sanó gives Twins record 5 players with 30 HRs. Retrieved September 28, 2019 .
  17. Having a blast: Twins become 1st to hit 300 HRs. September 26, 2019, accessed on September 28, 2019 .
  18. Home Run Records by a Team During a Single Season by Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 8, 2019 .
  19. Twins' 'very special' season ends in ALDS sweep. Retrieved October 8, 2019 .
  20. ^ Dan Adams: Minnesota Twins Organization, World Series Dreams Trashed by Target Field? Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  21. Minnesota Twins | History & Notable Players. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  22. ^ Minnesota Ballpark Authority - Minnesota Ballpark Authority. Retrieved July 22, 2019 (American English).
  23. EDITORIAL | Editorial: Target Field built to exceed expectations. Retrieved July 22, 2019 .
  24. Target Field, Minnesota Twins ballpark - Ballparks of Baseball. In: Ballparks of Baseball - Your Guide to Major League Baseball Stadiums. Retrieved July 22, 2019 (American English).
  25. TC Bear. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  26. Tim McGuire: Remembering the Homer Hanky, the Twins and the Star Tribune. In: McGuire on Media. September 23, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2019 (American English).
  27. https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-roster-transaction-rules-for-2020-season (English) accessed on: August 14, 2020
  28. ^ Affiliate History - Minnesota Twins. In: The Baseball Cube. Retrieved November 27, 2018 .