MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Northern News Now) – 60 years ago this autumn, ballparks across the state shut down in Minnesota so all eyes could focus on Met Stadium as the Twins appeared in their first World Series.
“NBC Sports presents the 1965 World Series!” blared the TVs of America in October 1965.
The four-year-old Minnesota Twins went up against the seven-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers.
Oly Olson of Big Falls listened to the 65 Series in the car with his father because radio reception was better there.
“Twins fever exploded,” said Olson. This is my dad describing that lots of fans became Minnesota Twins fans.”
The upstart Twins with heavy hitters Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva went up against the ace pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale of the Dodgers, who had already started a dynasty.
The series was neck and neck and back and forth all the way through game seven.
In the end, the pitching of LA held a tiny edge over the batting of Minnesota.
“I think defense wins championships, and in any sport, you have to have a good defense in football, a good goalie in hockey, and certainly a good pitching staff in baseball,” said Northern News Now sports director Daniel Chiarelli.
Ken Sletten was a ten-year-old in the Grand Forks area during that ’65 Series loss, listening on a 40s vintage floor model radio.
“We were really faithful Twins fans, so it hurt, but it was good to listen to them play,” said Sletten.
Oly says even the loss of the series legitimized the Twins to fans of the young team.
“They spread the seed around Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas and Iowa, and everyone fell in love with the Twins,” said Olson.
Of course, the next two times the Twins got to the World Series, they won, so for Minnesota sports fans, two out of three is never bad.
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