In 1961, Minnesota gained its first professional sports team when the Washington Senators moved to Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington and became the Minnesota Twins. The team enjoyed relatively quick success, winning the American League pennant in 1965 behind the hitting of Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew, and the pitching of Mudcat Grant and Jim Kaat. The Twins lost the World Series that year to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The team didn't make another trip to the World Series until 1987, when they became Word Series champions…a feat the Twins repeated in 1991.
By 1987, the Twins moved into the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The team's move to that domed stadium was controversial, as would be its move to Target Field in 2010. Both projects were preceded by years of debate and controversy over whether public investments in stadiums were worthwhile.
Nine Twins players have have had their numbers retired: Harmon Killebrew (3), Tony Oliva (6), Joe Mauer (7) Kent Hrbek (14), Bert Blyleven (28), Rod Carew (29), Kirby Puckett (34), and Jim Katt (36).
Please note: Most content related to this topic that is contemporary or created after 2005 can be found on our main content page of MPR News.
May 10, 2004 - Up until last Friday, most Twins baseball games were only broadcast on the team-owned Victory Sports One, a channel available to very few cable TV subscribers across the state. But a new eight-year contract with Fox Sports Net will put games back onto the regional Fox sports channel, available to many more viewers. The deal effectively ends the ambitious Victory Sports experiment.
June 2, 2004 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer catches up with La Velle E. Neal III, baseball writer for the Star Tribune, to get his thoughts on the Minnesota Twins season thus far, as the 2004 All-Star Break approaches.
July 13, 2004 - Expectations have always been high for Joe Mauer. Long before the Twins chose the St. Paul native as their top draft pick in 2001, Mauer was considered a sports phenom. If his rookie season is any indication, the Minnesota Twins catcher will be rubbing elbows with the league's other top talents in a not-too-distant All-Star game.
September 20, 2004 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen profiles Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Johan Santana as he ties a team record by winning his twelfth game in a row. With a 19-6 record and three different dominant pitches, Santana is a favorite to win the Cy Young Award in 2004.
September 21, 2004 - For the first time in franchise history, the Minnesota Twins will play postseason baseball in three straight years. The Twins clinched their third straight American League Central Division crown with an 8-2 victory over the White Sox in Chicago. Twins General Manager Terry Ryan shares his thoughts and hopes for the team in the postseason.
October 4, 2004 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports on how despite half the team being new faces from last year’s winning roster, The Minnesota Twins were able to capture a third straight American League Central Division title. Wilcoxen finds Twins teammates praising each other on team’s accomplishment.
October 6, 2004 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen gives a brief summary on Game 1 of the American League Division Series, in which the Minnesota Twins beat the New York Yankees, 2-0.
October 7, 2004 - La Velle Neal, who covers the Twins for the Star Tribune, comments on Game 2 of American League Division Series. In a crushing loss to New York Yankees in 12 innings, the Twins and Yankees are tied at one game apiece in the best of five series.
October 9, 2004 - The Minnesota Twins will be trying to keep their postseason hopes alive the next time they take the field in the Metrodome after an 8-4 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 3 of American League Divisional Series. The Twins trail their best-of-five-games playoff series, 2-1.
October 10, 2004 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports on Game 4 of American League Division Series, where the New York Yankees ended the Minnesota Twins World Series hopes for the second straight year. The Yankees came from behind to defeat the Twins 6-5 in eleven innings at the Metrodome. With that victory, New York took the best-of-five playoff series three games to one.