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2023 – TWINS SWEEP JAYS: The Twins beat the Blue Jays on Wednesday by a score of 2-0, securing the AL Wild Card series victory. It marked their first Postseason series win since defeating Oakland 3-2 in the 2002 ALDS. First time clinching a series at home since winning Game 7 of the 1991 World Series at the Metrodome. Sonny Gray (1-0) was the starter and winner, pitching 5 shutout innings, with five hits allowed, two walks and six strikeouts. Louie Varland (0.1 IP), Caleb Thielbar (0.2 IP), Brock Stewart (1.0 IP) and Griffin Jax (1.0 IP) each earned a hold, while Jhoan Duran earned the save with three strikeouts in the ninth inning. The offense recorded seven hits and walked five times. Carlos Correa went 2-for-3 with one RBI, driving in the go-ahead run with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. The Twins scored their second run on the next batter as Max Kepler scored on a Willi Castro GIDP. Former Twins pitcher Jose Berrios was the starter and loser for the Bluejays. The attendance was announced at 38,518, their biggest crowd since August 4, 2022 vs. Toronto (39,030). The Twins announced plans for free fan watch parties at Target Field for all ALDS road games against Houston. Box Score
2022 – The slumping Twins lost to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field by a score of 8-3. Josh Winder (4-6) was the starter and loser, allowing four runs on five hits in 2.1 innings pitched. The offense recorded just three hits, as Luis Arraez went 1-for-4 with a single and is now hitting .315. Jermaine Palacios hit his first career home run, a ninth-inning solo shot off José Ruiz. The loss put the Twins at 7 games under .500, their low point of the season. Box Score
2019 – So it begins, the Minnesota Twins (101-61) versus the New York Yankees (103-59) in game 1 of the 2019 ALDS in Yankee Stadium. The Twins have played 15 postseason games against the Yankees in their history (since 1961), their most versus any opponent. They are 2-13 all-time in those games, going 2-6 in New York (0-4 at Yankee Stadium II) and 0-7 in Minnesota. The Twins are looking to snap a 13-game losing streak in the postseason (10 to the Yankees and 3 to Oakland) dating back to Game 1 of the ALDS in 2004. The last time the Twins played in a postseason game was the Wild Card Game in 2017, losing 8-4 at Yankee Stadium.
Jose Berrios started for the Twins and James Paxton for the Yankees. The Twins struck quickly when Jorge Polanco hit a solo home run after lead-off hitter Mitch Garver went down on strikes. The Twins added to that lead in the top of the third inning on a Nelson Cruz home run but in the bottom of the third the Yankees got to Berrios for three runs on three hits, a walk and a Twins error to take a 3-2 lead. In the top of the fifth inning the Twins tied it up at 3-3 when Jorge Polanco singled with two out to score Luis Arraez (who had doubled) and knocked Paxton from the game. Zack Littell replaced Berrios going into the bottom of the fifth but walked Aaron Judge, allowed him to go to second on a wild pitch and then hit Brett Gardner putting runners at first and second with none out. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has seen enough and brought in Tyler Duffey to face Edwin Encarnacion and Duffey struck him out on 3 pitches. Duffey then proceeded to walk Giancarlo Stanton to load the bases and then came the big blow, a double off the bat of Gleyber Torres that scored two runs before Duffey was able to strike out the next two Yankees but the damage was done and the Twins were down 5-3. Miguel Sano led of the sixth with a home run to make it a 5-4 Yankees lead but that was as close as the Twins would get as they lost by a final score of 10-4. Polanco and Marwin Gonzalez each had two hits for Minnesota. The Twins have now lost 14 straight postseason games, the longest in baseball history. Eleven of the 14 losses have come to the Yankees and they have scored first in 11 of those games. After the game a lot was made of the fact that Luis Arraez started and played coming off an ankle sprain just a week earlier when Jonathan Schoop was available and of Baldelli’s questionable use of the bullpen when he brought in Cody Stashak (rookie), Kyle Gibson (starter) and Brusdar Graterol (rookie) after Duffey. The Twins bullpen allowed 7 of the 10 Yankee runs over the last five innings of the game. The game was the second most watched game in MLB Network history with 4.4 million viewers. Box Score
2015 – The Twins lost their first three games this season in Detroit and finished the season with three losses to the Central Division champion Kansas City Royals at Target Field by scoring one run in each game. 24,108 fans showed up for the game on a 53 degree day. Johnny Cueto (11-13) started for KC and was the winner by throwing 100 pitches over five innings and allowing one run on 6 hits and 4 walks. Ricky Nolasco )5-2) started for Minnesota and last just 2.2 innings and 53 pitches allowing five runs on four hits and 3 walks. The Twins left 12 runners stranded and were 1 for 11 with RISP. The Twins had 7 hits but nobody had more than one. The lone Twins RBI was a Danny Santana single in the fourth inning. The Twins finish 2015 with a 83-79 record, their first winning season since 2010. Box Score
2012 – After two consecutive 95+ losing seasons interim GM Terry Ryan announces that long time Twins coaches Rick Stelmaszek (bullpen), Steve Liddle (third base), and Jerry White (first base) have been relieved of their duties. Bench coach Scott Ullger and hitting coach Joe Vavra have been reassigned. Head athletic trainer Rick McWane was also let go.
The Twins also announced that they will make improvements to the right-field bleacher section at Target Field. The Twins will tear the existing bleacher seats down in right field and create a new 200-seat space that will be defined by a canopy with radiant heating at the back of sections 139 and 140. Seven rows of drink-rail seating will replace the bleacher seating in sections 139, 140 and 141. The overall capacity will be reduced by about 400 seats. This eventually became what was known as the Great Clips section.
2009 – In what was supposed to be the final regular season game at the Metrodome, 51,155 fans paid to see the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals by a score of 13-4 and finished their regular season tied with the Detroit Tigers at 86-76 after the Tigers win their final game over the White Sox 5-3. Carl Pavano got the victory and Luke Hochevar was the losing pitcher for KC. Jason Kubel and Delmon Young each homered twice and Michael Cuddyer hit one out of the park for the Twins. In what will go down as one of the biggest “chokes” in history, the Tigers blew a 7 game lead as late as September 6th. The Tigers also had a 3 game lead with 4 games to play and coughed that lead up too. The Twins playing without star first baseman Justin Morneau won 16 of their last 20 regular season games to put themselves into a position to play in the tie-breaker game on October 6. The tie-breaker was not played on Monday, October 5th because the NFL Minnesota Vikings also call the Metrodome home and they had a big Monday night game scheduled against the Green Bay Packers which they won when Brett Favre played his first game against his former team. Box Score
2002 – The A’s beat the Twins 6-3 in game 3 of the 2002 ALDS at the Metrodome in front of a crowd of 55,932 loud Twins fans and took a 2 games to 1 lead in the series. Ray Durham hit a liner under Torii Hunter’s glove for an inside the park home run, the first in ALDS history on the games 3rd pitch. Scott Hatteberg followed that with another home run and the Twins trailed early. Rick Reed would go on to give up 2 additional home runs for another ALDS record. Jacque Jones and Torii Hunter each had two hits. Barry Zito earned the hard-fought victory. Box Score
1992 – The Twins close out the 1992 season with a 6-0 shutout of the Kansas City Royals in Royals Stadium. Mike Trombley (3-2) was the starter and winner for Minnesota going five innings (55 pitches) and allowing no runs on 4 hits while striking out 4. Four Twins relievers kept KC off the board. The Twins out hit the Royals 12 to 6. Jeff Reboulet, Shane Mack, and Terry Jorgensen each had two hits for Minnesota. Dennis Rasmussen (4-1) started for the Royals and took his only loss on the last day of the 1992 season. Box Score
1987 – It was a good season for the Twins but the the final regular season game at Royals Stadium against the Kansas City Royals was not of of those fun games as they got beat like drums by a 10-1 score. Twins starter Joe Niekro (7-13) gotten taken to the woodshed and beat up for six runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 1.1 innings before Tom Kelly called “Uncle” and turned it into a bullpen game as six Twins pitchers followed Niekro to the mound. Kirby Puckett and Greg Gagne had two hits apiece. 26,341 Kansas City fans were at the game and went home happy. Mark Gubicza (13-18) pitched a complete game for the win. The Twins finished the season 85-77 and in first place in the AL just 2 games ahead of these Royals. Box Score
1986 – Greg Gagne hits two inside-the-park home runs against Floyd Bannister and the Chicago White Sox in the Twins 7-3 win at the Metrodome and becomes the only Minnesota Twin player to ever accomplish this feat. Gagne ended up hitting another long shot that ended up as a triple. Mickey Hatcher also had 3 hits in the ballgame including a triple. Bert Blyleven went the distance to get the win. Box Score
YouTube video of the Gagne home runs
1981 – I guess it was fitting that the Twins miserable season comes to an end in Chicago’s Comiskey Park in a 13-12 walk-off loss to the White Sox in a strike shortened 109 game season. 12 runs was the most runs the Twins scored all season in a single game and still they came out on the short end of the stick. The White Sox scored 8 runs in the final two innings to win Harry Carey’s final game as a White Sox broadcaster before he headed across town to join the Cubs. Twins pitchers and White Sox pitchers for that matter had a rough day. Doug Corbett (2-6) took the loss for Minnesota and Dewey Robinson (1-0) got his final of two career wins on this day for Chicago. Kent Hrbek led the Twins hit parade with a 4 for 4 day with two doubles, Rick Sofield contributed 3 hits and Gary Ward had 3 RBI. Nobody likes a long final game of the season but this one lasted for 3 hours and 48 minutes and a sparse crowd of 7,965 showed up to see the final game of the season. Box Score
SABR Bio – White Sox overcome 7-run deficit to win season finale
1980 – The Kansas City Royals score five runs in the first inning off starter and loser Roger Erickson who gets the first KC batter (Willie Wilson) out but can’t retire anyone else before he hits the showers. Twins relievers Fernando Arroyo, Mike Kinnunen and John Verhoeven don’t do much better. The Royals don’t take their foot off the gas pedal and trounce the Twins by a 17-1 score at Royals stadium. Mike Cubbage had two hits and the only RBI while Glenn Adams had two doubles and Hosken Powell also had two hits. The day however; proves to be a historic day for Royals outfielder Willie Wilson when he becomes the first big league player to be credited with 700 at-bats in one season, sets the American League record for singles in a season with 184, and joins Garry Templeton to become only the second switch-hitter in history to collect 100 hits from each side of the plate. Box Score
Twins handed a Royal beating by AL West champs in final weekend by Justin Krueger
1970 – The Twins continue their ALCS losing streak by losing game 2 when the Orioles score seven times in the ninth inning and blow-out Minnesota 11-3. Twins commit two errors and are out-hit 13 to 6. Both Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva hit home runs for the home town team but it is far from enough. Tommy “The Blade” Hall takes the loss. Dave McNally pitches a complete game for the O’s win. Attendance 27, 490 at the Met. Box Score
1969 – The major leagues staged their first divisional championships as the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 9-5 and the Baltimore Orioles (109-53) edged the Minnesota Twins (97-65) 4-3 in 12 innings in Baltimore in the opening games. In the first ever American League Championship Series game the Twins came out on the losing end of a 4-3 12-inning affair against the Baltimore Orioles. Box Score
The very first ALCS Playoff Game, October 4, 1969