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.
September 30, 2005 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that the Minnesota Twins 2005 season ends during upcoming weekend game at the Metrodome. For the first time in three years, the team will not finish at the top of their division or go to the playoffs. Instead, Twins players and many fans will spend this fall and winter pondering what went wrong and what the team will have to do to make a stronger showing next season.
October 11, 2005 - Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Incorporated, visits Midday to discuss the team and elusive new stadium. Bell also answers listener call-in questions.
February 7, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on Hennepin County District Court Judge Charles Porter's ruling which states the Twins' lease at the Metrodome expired in 2003 and the team can leave at the end of the upcoming season.
March 6, 2006 - Former Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett is listed in critical condition in an Arizona hospital after suffering a stroke. For fans and former teammates of the Hall of Fame outfielder, the news was received with shock and sadness.
March 7, 2006 - MPR’s Brandt Williams visits a Metrodome memorial site for former Minnesota Twin centerfielder Kirby Puckett, who passed away on March 6, 2006. Williams interviews several fans mourning the loss of fame baseball player.
March 7, 2006 - Along with the fans, Kirby Puckett's many former teammates are mourning his unexpected death. One of them is Roy Smalley. He played three seasons with Puckett ending with 1987, when the Twins won their first World Series. Roy Smalley remembers that season well, and agrees with the accounts that credit Puckett with leading the Twins to its first championship.
March 7, 2006 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen presents a remembrance of former Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett, who died at 45, after suffering a stroke at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. As one of the most popular athletes in Minnesota history, Baseball Hall of Famer Puckett played a dozen years for the Minnesota Twins, leading the team to two World Series championships and winning over fans and teammates with his enthusiastic, fun-loving style of play.
March 13, 2006 - MPR’s Annie Baxter reports on pubic memorial for former Minnesota Twin and Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. An estimated 15,000 people gathered inside the Metrodome for a tribute of the star baseball player, who was remembered both for his play on the field and love of life.
March 22, 2006 - Dr. Jon Hallberg, a team physician for the Minnesota Twins, describes various off the field issues in the MLB, including steroid use. Hallberg also details squad’s health at spring training in Fort Myers.
April 12, 2006 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on the Minnesota Twins 2006 home opener, in which the team came back from being down four runs to end game beating Oakland A’s 7-6. A sell out crowd of nearly 49,000 fans attended the opener, which doubled as yet another tribute to former Twin Kirby Puckett who died the month prior. The Twins have dedicated the season to Puckett and is hoping the inspiration can help carry the team to a championship.