Two offseasons ago, Twinkie Town christened the top Minnesota Twins players of all time. Last year, we looked at franchise ephemera & eccentricity—from managers to broadcasters to an honorable Judge (not Aaron).
This baseball-less period, I’ll be spearheading an accounting of the greatest Twins moments & performances from 1961-Present. As a fanbase, we need some positivity at the moment.
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Important Note: It would be easy to load this list with ‘87 & ‘91 World Series moments—and those will certainly be strongly represented. But considering I’ll pass the big 4-0 during this poll’s duration and my World Series memory is my Dad telling me about Kirby’s heroics before taking me to kindergarten, there are two entire generations of fans whose favorite moments may not have occurred in October. So, this won’t be all ‘87/’91.
The first five moments are pretty “chalk”, so let’s dive right in…
The last out of the first title (1987)
“Bouncing ball to Gaetti—throws to Hrbek—and the Twins are baseball’s world champions!”, per Herb Carneal. For the first time in franchise history, Minnesota was on top of the MLB heap.
Puckett’s Pinnacle (1991)Welcome home AL champs (1987)
After defeating the Detroit Tigers to claim American League superiority in ‘87, MN returned to the Twin Cities to a full Metrodome crowd. Not for Game 1 of the subsequent World Series—but for a “welcome home” rally. Yes, that’s right—Twins fans turned out in force simply to show (and vocalize) their appreciation for the first AL champion Twins squad since 1965.
Black Jack goes the distance (1991)
One could argue that Jack Morris’ 10-inning Game 7 shutout in the ‘91 World Series was the single greatest pitching performance in postseason history. 126 pitches, 7 H, 2 BB, 8 K over 10 IP to give the Twins their second championship in five seasons.
Game 163 (2009)