Fifty years ago is a long time and many of you reading this weren’t even born back then but I’m sure you Minnesota Twins fans are still interested in what went on back then. Those of you like myself that were around back then, might enjoy a quick look down memory lane. I plan to do that through some articles this season that I am borrowing from The Sporting News which was considered to to be the baseball Bible of its time and maybe some tidbits from the Star Tribune and Sid Hartman now and then. We will see how it goes and what interest there may or may not be. Feel free to make any comments you wish.
In 1974, the Minnesota Twins finished with a record of 82-80, placing them third in the American League West. The team had some standout performances, including Rod Carew winning his fourth AL batting title with a .364 average and Bobby Darwin hitting 25 home runs. The pitching staff saw Bert Blyleven (17-17), Joe Decker (16-14), and Dave Goltz (10-10) achieving double-digit wins. Despite these individual successes, the Twins struggled with consistency and attendance, which was the lowest in the American League.
The 1975 Minnesota Twins had a challenging season, finishing with a record of 76-83, which placed them fourth in the American League West. Managed by Frank Quilici, the team played their home games at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. Despite their struggles, the Twins had some standout performances. Rod Carew, the team’s star second baseman, won his fifth American League batting title with an impressive .359 average. The pitching staff saw three players achieve double-digit wins: Jim Hughes (16-14), Bert Blyleven (15-10), and Dave Goltz (14-14).
The 1975 season was also notable for the departure of Harmon Killebrew, a beloved figure in Twins history. Killebrew was released by the Twins in January and later returned to Metropolitan Stadium as a member of the Kansas City Royals, where he received a warm welcome from the fans. The Twins’ attendance that year was the lowest in the American League, with only 737,156 fans attending games. Despite the challenges, the 1975 season remains a memorable chapter in the history of the Minnesota Twins.
Calvin Griffith, born Calvin Robertson Griffith on December 1, 1911, in Montreal, Quebec, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball. He was the president, majority owner, and de facto general manager of the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise from 1955 to 1984. Griffith is best known for relocating the Senators from Washington, D.C., to Minneapolis–Saint Paul in 1960, creating the Minnesota Twins.
Griffith’s tenure as owner was marked by his deep devotion to the game and his colorful sayings. He was the last MLB owner who had no income apart from his franchise. However, his legacy is also marred by controversy. In 2020, the Minnesota Twins removed his statue from Target Field due to racist comments he made in 1978, admitting a racial motivation for moving the Senators from Washington, D.C.1. Despite these controversies, Griffith’s impact on the franchise and the game of baseball remains significant.
