60 Fun Facts About Minnesota Twins

The Twins take their name from which pair of cities?

The 'Twin Cities' nickname was baked into the team's identity from day one, right down to the shaking-hands 'Minnie and Paul' logo.

Before moving to Minnesota for the 1961 season, the franchise played in which city?

The club had been the Washington Senators since 1901; an expansion team of the same name replaced it in Washington the very year it left.

In which year did the franchise, then known as the Senators, win its first World Series?

The clincher turned on a Bucky Harris grounder that hit a pebble and hopped over the third baseman's head.

From 1961 to 1981 the Twins played their home games at which ballpark?

'The Met' sat in suburban Bloomington and was shared with the Vikings for all 21 of those seasons.

What has stood on the site of the Twins' original Bloomington ballpark since 1992?

A brass home plate is set into the floor of the mall's indoor theme park, and a red seat marks where a 520-foot Harmon Killebrew homer landed.

In 1982 the Twins moved indoors to which stadium?

The Metrodome's roof was held up by air pressure alone, which meant fans exiting through revolving doors got a helpful shove of wind.

Since 2010 the Twins have played at which ballpark?

The open-air park in the downtown warehouse district cost about $555 million and later became the first sports venue recertified LEED Gold.

What caused the Metrodome roof to tear open in December 2010?

Three roof panels ripped in the early hours of December 12, and the footage of snow pouring onto the field became an instant viral clip.

The Metrodome was the only venue ever to host a Super Bowl, a World Series and which other event?

It hosted the Final Four in 1992 and 2001, the Super Bowl in 1992 and the World Series in 1987 and 1991.

Which slugger hit a ball into the Metrodome roof in May 1984 that never came down?

The pop-up lodged in a drainage hole in the fabric ceiling and was ruled a ground-rule double.

The Twins lost their first World Series in Minnesota, in 1965, to which team?

It went the full seven games, and the Twins' 102 regular-season wins that year are still the most in club history.

Why did Sandy Koufax not pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series against the Twins?

Koufax came back to throw a three-hit shutout on two days' rest in Game 7 and was named Series MVP.

Which Twins shortstop won the American League MVP award in 1965?

Versalles led the league in runs, doubles and triples that year, and also in strikeouts and errors.

How many career home runs did Harmon Killebrew hit?

That total ranked fifth all-time when he retired in 1975 and still leads every player who spent the bulk of his career with the Twins.

Harmon Killebrew was born and raised in which state?

A U.S. senator from Idaho tipped off the Senators, and scout Ossie Bluege signed the 17-year-old for $50,000 in 1954.

Killebrew is often, and incorrectly, said to be the batter silhouetted in whose logo?

Designer Jerry Dior said the batter was not modeled on anyone in particular, but the Killebrew story refuses to die.

Rod Carew was famously born in what unusual place?

He was born to a Panamanian mother aboard a train in the Canal Zone town of Gatún and was named after the doctor who delivered him.

How many American League batting titles did Rod Carew win?

Only Ty Cobb won more AL batting crowns, and Carew's .388 season in 1977 earned him the MVP award.

How many times did Rod Carew steal home during the 1969 season?

Manager Billy Martin had the whole team running that year, and Carew finished one steal of home short of Ty Cobb's record.

Which Twin was the first to win Rookie of the Year and a batting title in the same season, in 1964?

He did it again in 1965 and reached the Hall of Fame in 2022, having played his whole career under a passport that carried his younger brother's name.

Bert Blyleven, the curveball artist whose number 28 hangs at the ballpark, was born in which country?

His family emigrated when he was a child, and he grew up in California before the Twins drafted him in 1969.

As a Twins broadcaster, Bert Blyleven became known for doing what on screen?

'Circle Me Bert' signs became a fixture in the stands, and the bit turned a Hall of Fame pitcher into a Minnesota TV institution.

The Twins won their first World Series in Minnesota in 1987 by beating which team?

It was the first World Series ever played indoors, and the crowd noise under the Metrodome roof became a story in itself.

The 1987 World Series was the first in which what happened?

The Twins took all four in the Metrodome and lost all three in St. Louis.

Who was named MVP of the 1987 World Series?

The left-hander won Games 1 and 7 and followed it with the AL Cy Young Award in 1988.

The 1987 Twins hold what distinction among World Series champions?

They finished 85-77 and were outscored over the regular season, then went 6-2 at home in October.

The Homer Hanky was created in 1987 by which organization?

Promotions manager Terrie Robbins dreamed it up during the pennant race, and the paper has reissued it for every playoff run since.

Which Twins slugger, a Bloomington native raised near the old Met, hit a Game 6 grand slam in 1987?

Hrbek was a 17th-round pick by his hometown team and spent all 14 of his seasons with the Twins.

In Game 2 of the 1991 World Series, the Twins' first baseman was accused of doing what to Ron Gant?

Braves fans still insist Gant was safe; the umpire ruled him out and the Twins won 3-2.

What made the 1991 World Series matchup between the Twins and Braves a first?

'Worst to first' became the shorthand for a Series that had five one-run games and three that went to extra innings.

Who hit the walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Game 6 of the 1991 World Series?

Earlier in the same game he had leapt at the Plexiglas wall to rob Ron Gant, and Jack Buck's call — 'And we'll see you tomorrow night!' — became legend.

How many innings did Jack Morris pitch in his Game 7 shutout of the 1991 World Series?

The St. Paul native refused to come out, won 1-0 and was named Series MVP.

Whose bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th won Game 7 of the 1991 World Series?

Larkin, a pinch-hitter with a bad knee, lofted the first pitch over a drawn-in outfield to score Gladden.

What condition ended the Twins' star center fielder's career in 1996 after he woke unable to see from one eye?

He had hit .314 with 10 straight All-Star selections and was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2001.

On July 17, 1990, the Twins became the only team in major league history to do what in a single game?

They pulled it off against Boston at Fenway Park and still lost the game 1-0.

Which pitcher won the Twins' first Cy Young Award, in 1970?

Perry went 24-12 that year; his younger brother Gaylord won the NL award two years later, making them the first brothers to each win one.

In 2002 the Twins were nearly eliminated from the majors through what process?

MLB voted to fold two teams; a court injunction forced the Twins to play, and they promptly won the division.

In 2006 White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén gave the pesky Twins what nickname?

The Twins embraced it, and the ballpark scoreboard ran piranha animations for years afterward.

Which Twins first baseman won the American League MVP award in 2006?

The Canadian's award came the same year Joe Mauer won the batting title and Johan Santana the Cy Young.

Through what mechanism did the Twins acquire Johan Santana in 1999?

Florida drafted him and immediately handed him to Minnesota in exchange for the Twins picking Jared Camp; two Cy Youngs followed.

Johan Santana in 2006 was the first to lead the majors in ERA, strikeouts and wins since whom in 1985?

Santana led the majors in ERA and strikeouts and tied for the lead in wins on the strength of a changeup he perfected in the minors.

Joe Mauer is the only catcher in major league history to do what?

He is also the only catcher ever to win an American League batting title, and he did it three times before moving to first base.

Joe Mauer, drafted first overall by the Twins in 2001, had committed to play football where?

The St. Paul native was a star quarterback at Cretin-Derham Hall and was drafted ahead of Mark Prior.

Why did the Twins move Joe Mauer permanently to first base after the 2013 season?

A foul tip ended his 2013 season, and he never caught again; his number 7 was retired in 2019.

The 2019 Twins earned what nickname after hitting an MLB-record 307 home runs?

They won 101 games and the division, then ran into the Yankees in October yet again.

In 2023 the Twins ended an 18-game postseason losing streak by beating which team?

The Wild Card sweep was also the club's first playoff series win since 2002.

The Twins' mascot T.C. was loosely modeled on which advertising character?

He debuted on April 3, 2000; the initials stand for Twin Cities.

What did Twins utility man César Tovar do on September 22, 1968?

He started on the mound and struck out Reggie Jackson, becoming only the second player after Bert Campaneris to pull off the feat.

How many Gold Gloves did Twins pitcher Jim Kaat win?

He won them in 16 consecutive seasons, pitched for 25 years and finally reached the Hall of Fame in 2022.

At the 2002 All-Star Game, Torii Hunter leapt at the wall to rob a home run from which hitter?

Bonds jokingly hoisted Hunter over his shoulder on the way back to the dugout; Hunter went on to win nine straight Gold Gloves.

St. Paul native Paul Molitor got his 3,000th hit as a Twin in 1996 — what kind of hit was it?

He remains the only player to reach 3,000 with a triple, and later managed the Twins to a 2017 Manager of the Year award.

Which Hall of Fame closer gave up Dave Winfield's 3,000th hit in 1993?

Winfield, a St. Paul native, was 41 and had been drafted by four leagues in three sports coming out of the University of Minnesota.

When Carl Pohlad bought the Twins in 1984, he beat out a larger offer from which businessman?

Pohlad won because he promised to keep the club in Minnesota; the Pohlad family still owned it four decades later.

Which event did the Twins' ballpark Target Field host in 2014?

It was the third All-Star Game in the Twin Cities after 1965 at the Met and 1985 in the Metrodome.

The Twins picked Byron Buxton with which overall selection in the 2012 draft?

The Georgia speedster won a Platinum Glove in 2017 and hit for the cycle on his own bobblehead day in 2025.

Where was the Twins franchise founded in 1894, as a minor-league club called the Blues?

It moved to Washington in 1901 as the Senators and to Minnesota for the 1961 season.

Which Twins season was the worst in franchise history, with 103 losses?

The 1982 Metrodome debut squad started 16-54 and lost 102, a season that cemented the 'Twinkies' nickname.

Which publication named Target Field 'The Best Sports Stadium in North America'?

SportsBusiness Journal had also called it 'The Best Place To Shop' at its 2011 awards.

Whose statue was removed from Target Plaza in 2020 after the George Floyd protests?

Griffith, Clark Griffith's nephew and adopted son, had owned the team when it moved from Washington in 1961.

Who was the Twins' first public-address announcer, serving from 1961 until his death in 2005?

He was famous for 'No smoking in the Metrodome, either go outside or quit!' and for asking fans not to throw anything or anybody onto the field.