TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
The franchise has a 3-3 record in World Series history
The start of a new baseball season is always a glorious time. Fans across the country all have high hopes and dreams that they will be celebrating a Fall Classic win later in the year. Obviously, most of those dreams will be dashed over the next few months but, just for a little while, all 30 teams are still in with a chance.
Five clubs have never tasted victory, of course, with the Seattle Mariners never even making it to the World Series. There may be a few Twins fans that can’t remember a victory of our own but we have come out on top on no less than three occasions – with another three agonizing finals defeats in franchise history.
After winning the AL Central last season, there will be some of the best MLB betting sites looking at the Twins as a long shot for a championship this year. But, while we settle into the new campaign, let’s take a look back at all the times the franchise made it to the World Series.
Billy Gardner passed away peacefully January 3, 2024, at the age of 96 at home surrounded by family. He was born July 19, 1927, in New London, CT to father Leslie Garder and mother Eva Maynard. He married the love of his life, Barbara Carnaroli, in 1952. They were married 71 years.
Gardner was signed at the age of 17 by the New York Giants in 1944 after graduating from Chapman Technical High School. After spending one year in the minors Gardner was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1946. He returned to baseball in 1947. He worked his way up to the big leagues and debuted with the NY Giants on April 22, 1954 in Forbes Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates and singled in his first big league at bat. Gardner played in the majors for 10 years between 1954-1963 with the Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Gardner was a part of two World Series teams, the 1954 Giants and the 1961 Yankees. Gardner’s nickname was “Slick” because he “could turn a double play in a phone booth”.
Gardner was traded from the Orioles to the Senators on April 3, 1960 for Clint Courtney and Ron Samford and then became one of the original Minnesota Twins when the Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season. Gardner was the Twins starting second baseman in the first game the Twins ever played going 1 for 3 with a sacrifice in the Twins 6-0 win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium I. On June 14, 1961 after playing in Minnesota in just 45 games he was traded to the New York Yankees for pitcher Danny McDevitt.
After his playing years, he spent more than 30 years scouting, coaching and managing in the Minors and Majors including managing the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals.
Billy Gardner
Calvin Griffith was looking for a third-base coach in 1981, an opening created when Gene Mauch abruptly resigned in August 1980 and Johnny Goryl moved from third base to the manager’s job. Gardner was hired to coach third but he didn’t keep that job for long as he was promoted to the Twins manager position on May 23, 1981 after Jonny Goryl was let go. He had a 268-353 record with the Twins, including a 60-102 mark in 1982, when many of the core players to the 1987 World Series championship team first came up to the major leagues. The Minnesota Twins, losers of 20 of their last 25 games in 1985, fired Manager Billy Gardner named pitching coach Ray Miller of the Baltimore Orioles to succeed him.
Gardner is survived by his wife Barbara: and four children, Thomas Gardner, Gwen (Bob) Lakowsky, Shelly (Rick) Kraetz and Billy Gardner Jr. (Kristie). He enjoyed spending time with his children, ten grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
We at Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Billy Gardner. Thank you for the memories Billy Gardner.
With his 33rd home run, a two-run shot last night, Max Kepler now owns the MLB single-season record for most homers by a European-born player. The Berlin, Germany native surpassed Glasgow, Scotland-born Bobby Thomson, who hit 32 home runs for the 1951 New York Giants. Thomson’s final homer in ’51 was the legendary “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” to clinch the NL pennant.
Bobby Thomson
Thomson played in the big leagues for 15 seasons from 1946-1960 for the New York Giants, Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles and 246 career home runs. Kepler has 89 career home runs but has played in 1,247 fewer games than Thomson.
The Twins entered Friday’s game with an all-time record (since 1961) of 4,362-4,425 and an all-time franchise record (Senators and Twins) of 8,585-9,289. For sixty years, the Senators played baseball in our nation’s capital, winning one World Championship and three AL pennants. In 1961, owner, Calvin Griffith, moved the Senators from Washington, DC to Bloomington, Minnesota. The Senators played from 1901-1960, compiling a record of 4,223-4,864. Some notable Hall of Famers from the Senators teams include: Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, Joe Cronin, Bucky Harris, Heinie Manush and Walter Johnson. The Senators beat the New York Giants in the 1924 World Series in seven games, marking the only World Series victory for the franchise during their first sixty-year tenure in Washington. Source: Twins GameNotes
On this day back in 1924 the Washington Senators who were playing in their first ever World Series won game 7 in extra innings 4-3 over the New York Giants and became baseball’s world champions. It wasn’t easy and they needed a pebble to help them win the game in the 12th inning. Read a very good review of game seven at dcbaseballhistory.com . You might also check out a nice review (with great pictures) of the entire 1924 World Series here.
In 14 years in the majors I pitched in 602 games but started just 69 of them. That in itself is kind of strange because when I started my big league career with the Giants my first two games in the big leagues were complete game shutouts. In the next three starts I gave up a total of four earned runs but lost all three games.
I pitched for the Minnesota Twins for six seasons. In those six seasons I pitched in 327 games and never started a single game. In those 327 games I pitched more innings and won more games than any pitcher in Twins history that had zero starts on his resume. Who am I?
Now that our mystery pitcher has been identified, you can learn more about him in aJanuary 2010 interviewI did with him.
William (Bill) Joseph Rigney, The Minnesota Twins fifth manager, passed away at the age of 83 in Walnut Creek, California on February 20, 2001.
After Bill Martin was fired as the Twins manager after only one season (1969), Bill Rigney managed the Twins from 1970-1972 and had a 208-184 won/lost record. The Twins finished in first place in Rigney’s first season as the Twins skipper in 1970 but they lost 3-0 to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS. This was the only title that Rigney won as a manager in his 18 year managing career. Rigney was fired 70 games in to the 1972 season and was replaced by Frank Quilici. Rigney also managed the New York Giants in 1956-1957, the San Francisco Giants in 1958-1960, the Los Angeles Angels from 1961-1964, the California Angels from 1965-1969 and finally he finished his MLB managing career with one more year at the helm of the San Francisco Giants in 1976. Rigney was the American League Manager of the year in 1962.
Bill Rigney, known as the Cricket or Specs, played in the big leagues for 8 seasons from 1946-1953 as a 2B, 3B, and shortstop for the New York Giants and was an All-Star in 1948 and played in the 1951 World Series when the Giants lost to the New York Yankees. Rigney had a little pop in his bat too as his 24 doubles and 17 home runs in 1947 indicate.
After his playing and managing career were over, Bill Rigney was a broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics. He also scouted and was briefly in the front office for the Angels, Padres, and the A’s. Bill Rigney served his country in the US Coast Guard during World War II.
Make sure you check our Today in Twins History page daily to see what interesting things happened each and every day over the long and glorious history of the Minnesota Twins.
