MINNESOTA TWINS

The Official History of the Minnesota Twins | Baseball Almanac

It's easy to understand why some Washington baseball fans might be confused.

Their original team, the Washington Senators, played in the National League until 1899. Then they became an American League team in 1901, called by the new ownership the Nationals so as not to have them confused with the old Senators.

But fans kept calling them the Senators, while the team kept calling itself the Nationals, and everybody else nicknamed the team the "NATS," although nobody was sure whether that was short for NATionals or SeNATors. It wasn't until 50 years later the team began officially calling itself what the fans had been calling it all along.

To top it off, the team moved to Minnesota in 1961 to become the Twins. But a new franchise stayed in Washington called the Senators, until that franchise moved to Texas to become the Rangers in 1972 and was replaced by another new Washington team called the Nationals, which relocated from Montreal after the 2004 season.

Got all that? Here it is again, only a little slower, and with more detail.The National League operated a franchise in Washington until 1899. That team, called the Senators, folded and the new American League took Washington as an original franchise city when it began play in 1901. This team, called the Nationals, opened with a 5-1 win against Philadelphia's Athletics on April 26, 1901.

The team had nothing but second division finishes in its first decade, the worst coming in 1904 when it compiled a 38-114 record. The biggest event during this time was the debut in 1907 of a true prodigy — a right hander with otherworldly talent named Walter Johnson. He would retire 21 years later as arguably the greatest pitcher in the game's history.

In 1912-13, Johnson had perhaps the best back-to-back seasons any pitcher has ever had. In so doing he single handedly pulled the Nats into the first division for the first time. In 1912 he went 32-12, with a 1.39 ERA and 303 strikeouts. In 1913 he was a staggering 36-7, with a 1.14 ERA and 243 strikeouts in 346 innings.

In 1920, Clark Griffith bought the team, beginning a 72-year association between his family and the franchise. He enjoyed his greatest success when the team won the 1924 championship — the only World Series triumph for a Washington team. Bucky Harris played second base and managed the team, while Hall-of-Famer Goose Goslin drove in 129 runs and hit .344. Johnson did his part, turning in a stellar 23-7 season to lead the pitchers.

Washington faced the New York Giants in the World Series, and it went seven games. Having already pitched two games, Johnson took the mound in relief in Game Seven with the score tied, the bases loaded and no one out. He got out of the jam and shut down the Giants until Washington plated the winning run in the 12th inning, set up by Johnson's single.

Washington repeated its league triumph in 1925, but lost the Series to the Pirates — this time blowing a 3-1 lead in games. An exhausted Johnson was battered for nine runs in the decisive game. It was Johnson's last taste of postseason baseball.

Johnson retired after winning 417 games, second most in history, for a team that rarely finished in the first division or with a winning record. His career ERA was 2.17. He struck out a then-record 3,508 batters in an era when few players, even sluggers, struck out frequently. His strikeout record lasted 60 years, and his total of 110 career shutouts still stands.

After a string of mediocre seasons, Hall-of-Famer Joe Cronin led the Nats to the 1933 pennant as manager and shortstop. He had lots of help from Hall-of-Famer Heinie Manush (.336 with 95 RBIs). The Nats lost the Series to the Giants again — this time in five games.

After 1933, the Nats went into a long decline. They were rarely in contention, leading to the birth of the mantra that "Washington was first in war, first in peace and last in the American League." In fairness to the franchise, the Nats weren't all that horrible - they finished last six times between 1934-1960.

The absence of a contending team, shrinking fan support, an aging stadium and the lure of greener pastures in the upper Midwest convinced Griffith to move the franchise to Minnesota. Washington lawmakers would not let him go until the American League agreed to award one of its 1961 expansion franchises to the nation's capital. The original Nats played their last game in Washington on October 2, 1960, losing 2-1 to Baltimore. A new expansion franchise, which everyone agreed would be called the Washington Senators, began play in 1961.

MINNESOTA TWINS

Meanwhile, the team now named for the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, won its first game, 6-0, at Yankee Stadium. But with slugging stars Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison soon joined by shortstop Zoilo Versalles and outfielder Tony Oliva, the Twins became a contending franchise again. Collecting pitching talent such as Camilo Pascual, Jim Kaat, Jim Perry and Jim "Mudcat" Grant the next few years made sure they stayed that way for several years.The 1964 Twins finished fifth, but there were signs of what was to come — Killebrew clouted 49 dingers (his fourth consecutive 40-plus home run season) and rookie Oliva hit a league-leading .323.

The Twins won the 1965 pennant as Oliva led the league again at .321 (the only player to win batting titles his first two seasons) and Versailles had an MVP year. Ironically, the Twins clinched the flag with a 2-1 win against the new Washington Senators. The Twins bowed to the Dodgers in a pitching-rich seven game Series.

With Billy Martin at the helm, the Twins won the first American League West title in 1969 paced by Killebrew's 49 home runs and 140 RBIs. However, Martin left after losing the playoff to Baltimore. Bill Rigney led the Twins to a 1970 encore but he also lost to the Orioles.The Twins lost Killebrew after 1974 and Oliva after 1976, but they still had Rod Carew, who made the American League batting crown his personal property with seven titles. His most noteworthy season was 1977, when he flirted with a .400 average before finishing at .388.The Twins left cozy Metropolitan Stadium for the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome after the 1981 season. Two years later the Griffith family ended their seven decade control of the franchise, selling to local businessman Carl Pohlad.

It would take a relatively unknown manager in Tom Kelly cultivating a new generation of sluggers in homegrown Kent Hrbek (34 home runs and 90 RBIs), Kirby Puckett (.332, 28 homers and 99 RBIs) and Gary Gaetti (31 homers and 109 runs-batted-in) to bring the Twin Cities back to the World Series and a seven game triumph against the Cardinals in 1987.Four years later they repeated behind a veteran pitching staff led by Scott Erickson's 20-8 record and Jack Morris' 18 wins. Morris turned in a Series performance for the ages in Game Seven, shutting out the Braves on seven hits for 10 innings until his team scored in the bottom of the 10th for a 1-0 win.

The Twins fell on hard times with eight consecutive losing seasons until 2001 when they returned to the top of their division. And in 2002 they were division champions under the steady hand of new manager Ron Gardenhire and led on the field by fearless centerfielder Torii Hunter and pitcher Johan Santana (Cy Young Award winner in 2004 and 2006). When those two left later in the decade, a new crop of players led by homegrown catcher Joe Mauer (three batting titles, 2009 MVP), first baseman Justin Morneau (MVP in 2006) and pitcher Francisco Liriano led the Twins to Central Division titles in 2009-10.

The Twins also benefitted financially by moving back outside to Target Field in 2010, setting a franchise record as more than 3.2 million fans clicked through the turnstiles.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"So, coming to Minnesota and leaving Washington, D.C., just didn't sound like a real good thing to me. But I tell you what, it didn't take me long to fall in love with playing in Minnesota. The people won me over right away. We saw how anxious the people were to have a major league baseball team. The support was just great, and the people were wonderful. To me, the fans of Minnesota are tops." - Killebrew, Harmon. Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History. Brackin, Dennis. Author. MVP Books Publishing. 12 March 2010. Page 6.

Minnesota Twins History

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Minnesota Twins Franchise Facts

Washington Senators Rosters | 1901 - 1960
  1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960                  
Minnesota Twins Rosters | 1961 - Current
  1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020 2021 2022 2023            
Bold Seasons : Uniform Numbers Worn
Washington Senators Schedules | 1901 - 1960
  1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960                  
Minnesota Twins Schedules | 1961 - Current
  1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020 2021 2022 2023            
Bold Seasons : Box Scores Online
Senators 100-Win Seasons
Year Record Manager
-- -- --
Twins 100-Win Seasons
Year Record Manager
1965 102-60 Sam Mele
2019 101-61 Rocco Baldelli
Senators 100 Loss Seasons
Year Record Manager
1904 38-113 Patsy Donovan
1907 49-102 Joe Cantillon
1909 42-110 Joe Cantillon
1949 50-104 Joe Kuhel
1955 53-101 Chuck Dressen
Twins 100 Loss Seasons
Year Record Manager
1982 60-102 Billy Gardner
2016 59-103 Paul Molitor
Senators No-Hitters
Name IP Date
Walter Johnson 9.0 07-01-1920
Bobby Burke 9.0 08-08-1931
Twins No-Hitters
Name IP Date
Jack Kralick 9.0 08-26-1962
Dean Chance 9.0 08-25-1967
Scott Erickson 9.0 04-27-1994
Eric Milton 9.0 09-11-1999
Francisco Liriano 9.0 05-03-2011
Bold = Perfect Game
Senators Cycle Hitters
Name Inn. Date
Otis Clymer 9.0 10-02-1908
Goose Goslin 9.0 08-28-1924
Joe Cronin 9.0 09-02-1929
Mickey Vernon 9.0 05-19-1946
Twins Cycle Hitters
Name Inn. Date
Rod Carew 9.0 05-20-1970
Cesar Tovar 9.0 09-19-1972
Larry Hisle 10.0 06-04-1976
Lyman Bostock 9.0 07-24-1976
Mike Cubbage 9.0 07-27-1978
Gary Ward 9.0 09-18-1980
Kirby Puckett 9.0 08-01-1986
Carlos Gomez 9.0 05-07-2008
Jason Kubel 9.0 04-17-2009
Michael Cuddyer 9.0 05-22-2009
Jorge Polanco 9.0 04-05-2019
Bold = Natural Cycle
Senators Cy Young Winners
Year Name Position
n/a None n/a
Twins Cy Young Winners
Year Name Position
1970 Jim Perry RHP
1988 Frank Viola LHP
2004 Johan Santana LHP
2006 Johan Santana LHP
Senators MVP Winners
Year Name Position
n/a None n/a
Twins MVP Winners
Year Name Position
1965 Zoilo Versalles SS
1969 Harmon Killebrew 1B-3B
1977 Rod Carew 1B
2006 Justin Morneau 1B
2009 Joe Mauer C
Senators Rookies of the Year
Year Name Position
1958 Albie Pearson OF
1959 Bob Allison OF
Twins Rookies of the Year
Year Name Position
1964 Tony Oliva OF
1967 Rod Carew 2B
1979 John Castino 3B
1991 Chuck Knoblauch 2B
1995 Marty Cordova OF
Twins Retired Numbers
# Name Position
3 Harmon Killebrew 3B-1B
6 Tony Oliva OF
7 Joe Mauer CA-1B
10 Tom Kelly MGR
14 Kent Hrbek 1B
28 Bert Blyleven RHP
29 Rod Carew 2B-1B
34 Kirby Puckett OF
36 Jim Kaat LHP
42 Jackie Robinson 2B
Senators Batting Champions
Year Name #
1902 Ed Delahanty .376
1928 Goose Goslin .379
1935 Buddy Myer .349
1946 Mickey Vernon .353
1953 Mickey Vernon .337
Twins Batting Champions
Year Name #
1964 Tony Oliva .323
1965 Tony Oliva .321
1969 Rod Carew .318
1971 Tony Oliva .337
1972 Rod Carew .318
1973 Rod Carew .350
1974 Rod Carew .364
1975 Rod Carew .359
1977 Rod Carew .388
1978 Rod Carew .333
1989 Kirby Puckett .339
2006 Joe Mauer .347
2008 Joe Mauer .328
2009 Joe Mauer .365
2022 Luis Arraez .316
Senators ERA Champions
Year Name #
1912 Walter Johnson 1.39
1913 Walter Johnson 1.09
1918 Walter Johnson 1.27
1919 Walter Johnson 1.49
1924 Walter Johnson 2.72
1925 Stan Coveleski 2.84
1928 Garland Braxton 2.51
Twins ERA Champions
Year Name #
1988 Allan Anderson 2.45
2004 Johan Santana 2.61
2006 Johan Santana 2.77
Senators Home Run Champions
Year Name #
1957 Roy Sievers 42
1959 Harmon Killebrew 42
Twins Home Run Champions
Year Name #
1962 Harmon Killebrew 48
1963 Harmon Killebrew 45
1964 Harmon Killebrew 49
1967 Harmon Killebrew 44
1969 Harmon Killebrew 49
Senators Strikeout Champions
Year Name #
1910 Walter Johnson 313
1912 Walter Johnson 303
1913 Walter Johnson 243
1914 Walter Johnson 225
1915 Walter Johnson 203
1916 Walter Johnson 228
1917 Walter Johnson 188
1918 Walter Johnson 162
1919 Walter Johnson 147
1921 Walter Johnson 143
1923 Walter Johnson 130
1924 Walter Johnson 158
1942 Bobo Newsom 113
Twins Strikeout Champions
Year Name #
1961 Camilo Pascual 221
1962 Camilo Pascual 206
1963 Camilo Pascual 202
1985 Bert Blyleven 206
2004 Johan Santana 265
2005 Johan Santana 238
2006 Johan Santana 245
Twins Wild Cards
Year Record Manager
2017 85-77 Paul Molitor
Twins West Division Series Titles
Year Record Manager
1969 97-65 Billy Martin
1970 98-64 Bill Rigney
1987 85-77 Tom Kelly
1991 95-67 Tom Kelly
Twins Central Division Series Titles
Year Record Manager
2002 94-67 Ron Gardenhire
2003 90-72 Ron Gardenhire
2004 93-70 Ron Gardenhire
2006 96-66 Ron Gardenhire
2009 87-76 Ron Gardenhire
2010 94-68 Ron Gardenhire
2019 101-61 Rocco Baldelli
2023 87-75 Rocco Baldelli
Twins A.L. Pennants
Year Record Manager
1924 92-62 Bucky Harris
1925 96-55 Bucky Harris
1933 99-53 Joe Cronin
1965 102-60 Sam Mele
1987 85-77 Tom Kelly
1991 95-67 Tom Kelly
Twins World Championships
W.S. Opponent M.V.P.
1924 New York n/a
1987 St. Louis Frank Viola
1991 Atlanta Jack Morris
Washington Senators Team Statistics Tool
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Minnesota Twins Forum
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Twins Franchise Facts | Research by Baseball Almanac

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On October 11, 1900, Washington D.C. was awarded a franchise in the soon to be American League. This franchise was the Washington Senators who six decades later became the modern day Minnesota Twins.

Senators World Series
1924 World Series
1925 World Series
1933 World Series
Twins World Series
1965 World Series
1987 World Series
1991 World Series

Did you know in the twelve home World Series games that the Minnesota Twins have played in, the only defeat came at the hands of Sandy Koufax?

In 1988, the Minnesota Twins became the first American League team to pass the 3,000,000 mark in attendance during a single season.