Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 11)

Results

• R1: Jack Morris Game 7 Shutout 1991
• R2: Kirby Puckett Game 6 Dominance 1991
• R3: First World Series championship 1987
• R4: AL Champions Metrodome welcome 1987
• R5: Game 163 wild victory 2009
• R6: Mudcat’s World Series must-win 1965
• R7: Harmon’s 500th homer 1971
• R8: Final day AL Central title 2006
• R9: Kirby Puckett’s Weekend for the Ages 1987
• R10: Breaking the Playoff Curse (TM) 2023

Starting with Game 2 of the 2004 ALDS and continuing through the 2020 Wild Card sweep by the Houston Astros, the Minnesota Twins lost 18 consecutive postseason contests—the longest such drought in North American professional sporting league history. The franchise had nearly become synonymous with the very concept of “playoff losing”.

But then, 2023 happened. Royce Lewis went supernova, Carlos Correa & Sonny Gray got sneaky, and Jhoan Duran slammed the door on the Toronto Blue Jays. For the first time in nearly two decades, YOUR Minnesota Twins were playoff winners!

The newbie: Old Man Don & Hometown Hrbie extend 1987 to its final day.

Thome christens Target Field (2010)

• When Target Field opened to begin the 2010 season, it was clearly a beautiful new ballpark that the hometown nine excelled in. But it was missing one thing: a signature moment. Try as they might, the Twins could not muster a walk-off victory in front of the sold-out crowds for the first four-and-a-half months. But on August 17, The Man With An Ox In The Batter’s Box finally gave Target Field it’s first magical memory.

Santana strikes out 17 (2007)

• Johan Santana won Cy Young Awards with the Twins in 2004 & 2006. But his single-game zenith came August 19, 2007, when he K’d 17 Texas batsmen over 8 IP of victorious shutout ball. Santana whiffed every Ranger batter at least once, three of them 3x apiece, and put the golden sombrero (4 K) on Michael Young.

Mauer’s final bow (2018)

• After 15 seasons in a Minnesota Twins—and no other—uniform, Minnesota’s own (St. Paul) Joe Mauer stepped onto the diamond for the final time in 2018’s finale. After what would quickly prove to be a Hall of Fame career, Mauer got to enjoy a special moment in the catcher’s gear where he always felt most at home. Few eyes that beheld his heartfelt goodbye were dry at the end of it.

Dozier caps a comeback (2015)

• On July 10, 2015, the Twins trailed the Detroit Tigers 6-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. But in a remarkable sequence of events, Brian Dozier found himself at the plate with a chance to be a hero. He didn’t disappoint. In the words of Dick Bremer: “The most electric moment at Target Field in YEARS!”.

Baylor & Hrbek prolong the World Series magic (1987)

• After winning the first two games of the 1987 World Series, the Twins dropped 3-through-5 in St. Louis. So, not only were they facing elimination in Game 6—but they were down 5-2 heading into the bottom of the 5th inning. Then some Metrodome Magic (TM) struck: Don Baylor homered in that frame to knot the score at 5, while hometown hero Kent Hrbek delivered the knockout blow in the following stanza to make sure Game 7 would commence.