I have followed baseball for a long time and it seems like the New York Yankees are always beating the Minnesota Twins. Truth or myth? I decided to check it out with an assist from baseball-reference.com .
It turns that the Yankees are indeed the toughest team to beat for our home town nine. Since 1961 they have played the Yankees 600 times and won just 252 of those match-ups for a .421 winning percentage. Actually I am surprised that the winning percentage is as high as it is because it seems like the Twins always lose to the Yankees.
Who do the Twins beat up on most frequently? That would be the Senators/Rangers franchise whom the Twins have played 696 times and whipped them on 366 occasions for a .527 winning percentage. I have left the Houston Astros off the list since their time in the American League just started last season and I have included the Brewers/Pilots franchise since the Twins play them every year even though they have been in the National League for many of these years.
Here is how the Minnesota Twins stack up against the rest of the American League since 1961.
| FRANCHISE | TEAMS | GAMES | WON | LOST | WIN % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANGERS | SENATORS,RANGERS | 696 | 366 | 329 | .527 |
| TIGERS | 779 | 409 | 369 | .526 | |
| WHITE SOX | 844 | 441 | 400 | .524 | |
| ROYALS | 714 | 373 | 341 | .522 | |
| BREWERS | PILOTS,BREWERS | 449 | 232 | 217 | .517 |
| A’S | KC,OAKLAND | 707 | 360 | 347 | .509 |
| RED SOX | 596 | 298 | 298 | .500 | |
| RAYS | 129 | 63 | 66 | .488 | |
| MARINERS | 422 | 205 | 216 | .487 | |
| INDIANS | 777 | 375 | 401 | .483 | |
| ANGELS | 692 | 331 | 361 | .478 | |
| ORIOLES | 600 | 276 | 324 | .460 | |
| BLUE JAYS | 362 | 158 | 204 | .436 | |
| YANKEES | 600 | 252 | 347 | .421 |
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Interesting, thanks! I would have put the Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, and White Sox about where they belong, but the Rangers and Tigers were a bit of a surprise. Kind of cool that the Red Sox are smack in the middle.