2002 Minnesota Twins | ||
---|---|---|
American League Central champions | ||
League | American League | |
Division | Central Division | |
Ballpark | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |
City | Minneapolis | |
Record | 94–67 (.584) | |
Divisional place | 1st | |
Owners | Carl Pohlad | |
General managers | Terry Ryan | |
Managers | Ron Gardenhire | |
Television | KSTC-TV Fox Sports North (Bert Blyleven, Dick Bremer) | |
Radio | 830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, John Gordon, Dan Gladden) | |
|
The 2002 Minnesota Twins season was the 42nd season for the Minnesota Twins franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, their 21st season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the 102nd overall in the American League. After nearly folding as part of the 2001 Major League Baseball contraction plan, and coming out of a second-place finish in the AL Central with a pitching staff with only two players with an ERA under 4.00, they still won their division and made it to the 2002 American League Championship Series (ALCS) with the youngest team in the league, and with a new manager, Ron Gardenhire. The Twins had a solid first half of the season (45–36), but had a better second half (49–31), which led them to being the division champions. This was the Twins' last season with David Ortiz, as he left the Twins for the Red Sox after the 2002 season.
For the 2002 season, the Twins adopted a secondary logo based on those used from 1970 to 1986, with twins (one representing Minneapolis and the other St. Paul) shaking hands while standing by the river which separates the two cities. The logo also features the team's primary logo, replacing the "Win Twins!" baseball used in the 1976–1986 version.
The season also marked the revival of the "TC" cap logo, which had last been used as such in 1986.
No player hit 30 home runs or drove in 100 RBIs, but many players enjoyed solid seasons. Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones hit 29 and 27 home runs, respectively, while designated hitter David Ortiz battled injuries and hit 20. Catcher A. J. Pierzynski had a good year for a catcher, hitting .300. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz saw his average drop significantly from the prior year, from .306 to .261. Third baseman Corey Koskie had a subpar year offensively, shortstop Cristian Guzmán was average, and second baseman Luis Rivas was not strong. The Twins enjoyed solid production out of the right field spot, whether the position was manned by opening day starter Brian Buchanan, Dustan Mohr, Bobby Kielty, or Michael Cuddyer.
Statistic | Player | Quantity |
---|---|---|
HR | Torii Hunter | 29 |
RBI | Torii Hunter | 94 |
BA | Jacque Jones | .300 |
Runs | Jacque Jones | 96 |
The starting rotation resembled a tubercular ward. Brad Radke, Eric Milton, and Joe Mays suffered serious injuries, requiring Rick Reed to carry the starting rotation. He was able to fulfill this role, going 9-2 in the second half. For inexplicable reasons, manager Ron Gardenhire resisted putting Johan Santana into the starter role until he was forced to by injuries. Santana started only 14 games, but quickly established himself as a dominant starting pitcher, posting an 8-6 record, 2.99 ERA, and a team-leading 137 strikeouts. Kyle Lohse enjoyed his only solid year as a starter, going 13-8 with a 4.23 ERA. Matt Kinney also made 12 starts. Eddie Guardado excelled in his first full year as the team's closer, earning 45 saves, while J. C. Romero, LaTroy Hawkins, and Mike Jackson had strong years as set-up men. Tony Fiore had a bafflingly strong year out of the bullpen, going 10-3 with an ERA of 3.16.
Statistic | Player | Quantity |
---|---|---|
ERA | Rick Reed | 3.78 |
Wins | Rick Reed | 15 |
Saves | Eddie Guardado | 45 |
Strikeouts | Johan Santana | 137 |
A. J. Pierzynski was the team's all-star starting catcher, backed up by Tom Prince. Doug Mientkiewicz followed up his Gold Glove year with another superb year defensively. Unfortunately, his relatively weak hitting in 2002 may have prevented him from winning a second consecutive Gold Glove award, as it went to John Olerud. The rest of the infield was defensively solid, with Luis Rivas at second, Cristian Guzmán at short, and Corey Koskie at third. In the outfield, two-thirds of the "Soul Patrol" remained, with Jacque Jones in left and Torii Hunter in center. (This would be Hunter's second consecutive Gold Glove year.) Right field was a question mark, with Brian Buchanan not lasting long after being the opening day right fielder. The void was filled for most of the season by the platoon of Dustan Mohr and Bobby Kielty, known collectively by fans as "Dusty Kielmohr". However, Dusty Kielmohr gave way to Michael Cuddyer for the post-season run.
AL Central | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota Twins | 94 | 67 | 0.584 | — | 54–27 | 40–40 |
Chicago White Sox | 81 | 81 | 0.500 | 13½ | 47–34 | 34–47 |
Cleveland Indians | 74 | 88 | 0.457 | 20½ | 39–42 | 35–46 |
Kansas City Royals | 62 | 100 | 0.383 | 32½ | 37–44 | 25–56 |
Detroit Tigers | 55 | 106 | 0.342 | 39 | 33–47 | 22–59 |
Division leaders | W | L | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | 103 | 58 | 0.640 |
Minnesota Twins | 94 | 67 | 0.584 |
Oakland Athletics | 103 | 59 | 0.636 |
(Top team qualifies for postseason) | Wild Card teamW | L | Pct. | GB |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anaheim Angels | 99 | 63 | 0.611 | — |
Boston Red Sox | 93 | 69 | 0.574 | 6 |
Seattle Mariners | 93 | 69 | 0.574 | 6 |
Chicago White Sox | 81 | 81 | 0.500 | 18 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 78 | 84 | 0.481 | 21 |
Cleveland Indians | 74 | 88 | 0.457 | 25 |
Texas Rangers | 72 | 90 | 0.444 | 27 |
Baltimore Orioles | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 32 |
Kansas City Royals | 62 | 100 | 0.383 | 37 |
Detroit Tigers | 55 | 106 | 0.342 | 43½ |
Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 55 | 106 | 0.342 | 43½ |
Sources: | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | ANA | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
Anaheim | — | 7–2 | 3–4 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 8–1 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 3–4 | 9–11 | 9–10 | 8–1 | 12–7 | 7–2 | 11–7 |
Baltimore | 2–7 | — | 6–13 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 7–0 | 5–1 | 6–13 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 10–9 | 3–6 | 4–15 | 9–9 |
Boston | 4–3 | 13–6 | — | 2–4 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 16–3 | 4–3 | 13–6 | 5–13 |
Chicago | 3–6 | 4–3 | 4–2 | — | 9–10 | 12–7 | 11–8 | 8–11 | 2–4 | 2–7 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 5–4 | 4–2 | 8–10 |
Cleveland | 3–6 | 5–1 | 4–5 | 10–9 | — | 10–9 | 9–10 | 8–11 | 3–6 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 4–5 | 3–3 | 6–12 |
Detroit | 1–8 | 4–2 | 4–5 | 7–12 | 9–10 | — | 9–10 | 4–14 | 1–8 | 1–6 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 5–4 | 0–6 | 6–12 |
Kansas City | 3–6 | 0–7 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 10–9 | 10–9 | — | 5–14 | 1–5 | 1–8 | 3–6 | 4–2 | 7–2 | 3–4 | 5–13 |
Minnesota | 5–4 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 11–8 | 14–4 | 14–5 | — | 0–6 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 6–3 | 6–1 | 10–8 |
New York | 4–3 | 13–6 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 6–3 | 8–1 | 5–1 | 6–0 | — | 5–4 | 4–5 | 13–5 | 4–3 | 10–9 | 11–7 |
Oakland | 11–9 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 7–2 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 8–1 | 6–3 | 4–5 | — | 8–11 | 8–1 | 13–6 | 3–6 | 16–2 |
Seattle | 10–9 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 11–8 | — | 5–4 | 13–7 | 6–3 | 11–7 |
Tampa Bay | 1–8 | 9–10 | 3–16 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 5–13 | 1–8 | 4–5 | — | 4–5 | 8–11 | 7–11 |
Texas | 7–12 | 6–3 | 3–4 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 3–6 | 3–4 | 6–13 | 7–13 | 5–4 | — | 8–1 | 9–9 |
Toronto | 2–7 | 15–4 | 6–13 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 4–3 | 1–6 | 9–10 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 11–8 | 1–8 | — | 9–9 |
2002 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders
| Outfielders
| Manager Coaches
| ||||||
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | A. J. Pierzynski | 130 | 440 | 132 | .300 | 6 | 49 |
1B | Doug Mientkiewicz | 143 | 467 | 122 | .261 | 10 | 64 |
2B | Luis Rivas | 93 | 316 | 81 | .256 | 4 | 35 |
SS | Cristian Guzmán | 148 | 623 | 170 | .273 | 9 | 59 |
3B | Corey Koskie | 140 | 490 | 131 | .267 | 15 | 69 |
LF | Jacque Jones | 149 | 577 | 173 | .300 | 27 | 85 |
CF | Torii Hunter | 148 | 561 | 162 | .289 | 29 | 94 |
RF | Dustan Mohr | 120 | 383 | 103 | .269 | 12 | 45 |
DH | David Ortiz | 125 | 412 | 112 | .272 | 20 | 75 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bobby Kielty | 112 | 289 | 84 | .291 | 12 | 46 |
Denny Hocking | 102 | 260 | 65 | .250 | 2 | 25 |
Matt LeCroy | 63 | 181 | 47 | .260 | 7 | 27 |
Brian Buchanan | 44 | 135 | 34 | .252 | 5 | 15 |
Tom Prince | 51 | 125 | 28 | .224 | 4 | 16 |
Jay Canizaro | 38 | 112 | 24 | .214 | 0 | 11 |
Michael Cuddyer | 41 | 112 | 29 | .259 | 4 | 13 |
Casey Blake | 9 | 20 | 4 | .200 | 0 | 1 |
Michael Restovich | 8 | 13 | 4 | .308 | 1 | 1 |
Todd Sears | 7 | 12 | 4 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
Michael Ryan | 7 | 11 | 1 | .091 | 0 | 0 |
David Lamb | 7 | 10 | 1 | .100 | 0 | 0 |
Warren Morris | 4 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Javier Valentín | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rick Reed | 33 | 188.0 | 15 | 7 | 3.78 | 121 |
Kyle Lohse | 32 | 180.2 | 13 | 8 | 4.23 | 124 |
Eric Milton | 29 | 171.0 | 13 | 9 | 4.84 | 121 |
Brad Radke | 21 | 118.1 | 9 | 5 | 4.72 | 62 |
Joe Mays | 17 | 95.1 | 4 | 8 | 5.38 | 38 |
Matt Kinney | 14 | 66.0 | 2 | 7 | 4.64 | 45 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Johan Santana | 27 | 108.1 | 8 | 6 | 2.99 | 137 |
Juan Rincón | 10 | 28.2 | 0 | 2 | 6.28 | 21 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eddie Guardado | 68 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 2.93 | 70 |
J. C. Romero | 81 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1.89 | 76 |
LaTroy Hawkins | 65 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2.13 | 63 |
Mike Jackson | 58 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3.27 | 29 |
Tony Fiore | 48 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3.16 | 55 |
Bob Wells | 48 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5.90 | 30 |
Jack Cressend | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.91 | 22 |
Kevin Frederick | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.03 | 5 |
Mike Trombley | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15.75 | 3 |
Travis Miller | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 3 |
José Rodríguez | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14.73 | 1 |
The Twins made it to the ALCS, beating the Oakland Athletics in the Divisional series. They then lost to the eventual World Series Champions, the Anaheim Angels.
The Twins won Game One at Oakland before losing two straight including one at home. The Twins rebounded, and won the final two games to win the series and move on to face Anaheim in the ALCS.
October 1, at Oakland
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 3 |
Oakland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
W: Brad Radke (1-0) L: Ted Lilly (0-1) SV: Eddie Guardado (1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: MIN– Corey Koskie (1), Doug Mientkiewicz (1) |
October 2, at Oakland
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Oakland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 0 |
W: Mark Mulder (1-0) L: Joe Mays (0-1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: OAK– Eric Chavez (1),MIN– Cristian Guzmán (1) |
October 4, at Minnesota
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
W: Barry Zito (1-0) L: Rick Reed (0-1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: OAK– Ray Durham (1), Scott Hatteberg (1), Terrence Long (1), Jermaine Dye, (1) |
October 5, at Minnesota
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 11 | 12 | 0 |
W: Eric Milton (1-0) L: Tim Hudson (0-1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: OAK– Miguel Tejada (1),MIN– Doug Mientkiewicz (2) |
October 6, at Oakland
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
Oakland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
W: Brad Radke (2-0) L: Mark Mulder (1-1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: OAK– Ray Durham (2), Mark Ellis (1) MIN– A. J. Pierzynski (1) |
The Twins won the first game at home vs. the Angels, before losing the next four in a row, allowing the Angels to move on to the World Series, who won the Series in seven games against the San Francisco Giants.
October 8, at Minnesota
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anaheim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 5 | 1 |
W: Joe Mays (1-0) L: Kevin Appier (0-1) SV: Eddie Guardado (1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: None |
October 9, at Minnesota
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anaheim | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
W: Ramón Ortiz (1-0) L: Rick Reed (0-1) SV: Troy Percival (1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: ANA– Darin Erstad (1), Brad Fullmer (1) |
October 11, at Anaheim
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Anaheim | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 2 | 7 | 2 |
W: Francisco Rodríguez (1-0) L: J. C. Romero (0-1) SV: Troy Percival (2) | ||||||||||||
HRs: ANA– Garret Anderson (1), Troy Glaus (1) |
October 12, at Anaheim
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
Anaheim | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | X | 7 | 10 | 0 |
W: John Lackey (1-0) L: Brad Radke (0-1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: None |
October 13, at Anaheim
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
Anaheim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | X | 13 | 18 | 0 |
W: Francisco Rodríguez (2-0) L: Johan Santana (0-1) | ||||||||||||
HRs: ANA– Adam Kennedy (3), Scott Spiezio (1) |
Anthony John Pierzynski is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports presenter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher with the Minnesota Twins (1998–2003), San Francisco Giants (2004), Chicago White Sox (2005–2012), Texas Rangers (2013), Boston Red Sox (2014), St. Louis Cardinals (2014) and Atlanta Braves (2015–2016). Pierzynski is one of only thirteen catchers in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits in his career.
Robert Michael Kielty is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Boston Red Sox during a Major League Baseball (MLB) career that lasted from 2001 to 2007. In his final MLB season, Kielty won the 2007 World Series over the Colorado Rockies as a member of the Red Sox.
Brad William Radke is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-season career with the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in the Twins organization during the late 1990s.
The 2003 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2003 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, September 30, and ended on Monday, October 6, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:
The 2005 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2005 American League playoffs, which determined the 2005 American League champion, matched the Central Division champion Chicago White Sox against the West Division champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The White Sox, by virtue of having the best record in the AL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The White Sox won the series four games to one to become the American League champions, and faced the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series, in which the White Sox swept the Astros in four games to win their first World Series championship in 88 years; as a result of the 2005 All-Star Game played in Detroit, Michigan at Comerica Park on July 12, the White Sox had home-field advantage in the World Series. The series was notable both for a controversial call in Game 2 of the series, and the outstanding pitching and durability of Chicago's starting rotation, pitching four consecutive complete games; the +2⁄3 of an inning Neal Cotts pitched in the first game was the only work the White Sox bullpen saw the entire series.
The 2002 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2002 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 1, and ended on Sunday, October 6, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:
The 1991 Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB) won the World Series, the second time the Twins had won the World Series since moving to Minnesota in 1961. During the 1991 regular season the Twins had an MLB-leading 15-game win streak, which remains a club record. On June 17, 1991, the streak came to an end at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles but not before the Twins moved from fifth place to first, a lead they would not relinquish until winning baseball's championship. The Twins' winning streak of 1991 falls just seven games short of the all-time American League (AL) record of 22 consecutive regular season wins set by the Cleveland Indians in 2017.
The 1999 Minnesota Twins season was the 39th season for the franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, their eighteen season at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the 99th overall in the American League. They began their season on a positive note, with Brad Radke getting the win in a 6–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. However, they finished the season in last place, with a 63–97 record.
The 2002 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a matchup between the Wild Card Anaheim Angels and the Central Division Champion Minnesota Twins. The Angels advanced to the Series after dethroning the reigning four-time AL Champion New York Yankees in the 2002 American League Division Series three games to one. The Twins made their way into the Series after beating the Athletics three games to two. The Angels won the Series four games to one and went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants in the 2002 World Series to win their first World Series championship.
Like many Twins teams of its half-decade, the 1998 Minnesota Twins neither impressed nor contended. The team finished with a 70–92 record, with subpar batting and pitching. The season was not without its bright spots, as individual players had solid seasons and Hall of Fame designated hitter Paul Molitor announced his retirement at the end of the season. Tom Kelly's team had plenty of lowlights, most notably David Wells' perfect game against the team on May 17 at Yankee Stadium.
After winning the American League Central Division in 2002, the 2003 Minnesota Twins were looking to repeat division titles for the first time since 1969 and 1970. A spark for the team was the July trade of Bobby Kielty for Shannon Stewart. Stewart provided a veteran presence at the top of the lineup that the team had previously lacked. The team met its goal of reaching the playoffs, but once again fell short in the postseason. The Twins lost in four games to the New York Yankees during the AL Division Series. 2003 would be the last year several key players played with the team.
The 2004 Minnesota Twins season was the 104th season in the franchise's history and its 44th season in the Twin Cities. The Twins were managed by Ron Gardenhire and played in the Metrodome.
The Minnesota Twins complied a record of 69–93 during the 2000 Major League Baseball season. It was the team's last of a consecutive string record of eight losing seasons and it was characterized with weak hitting but slightly better pitching. The team was managed by Tom Kelly and contained the nucleus of future manager Ron Gardenhire's team that would reach the postseason only two years later.
The 2001 Minnesota Twins marked the beginning of the Twins' ascendancy in the American League Central Division. After finishing the 2000 season last in the division with a disappointing 69-93 record, the 2001 team rebounded to finish 85–77, good enough for second place in the division. The six-year run of winning seasons that followed is the longest such stretch in franchise history. In his last year as manager, Tom Kelly continued the development of a core of young players who would win their division the following year.
The 1997 Minnesota Twins will not be remembered as the strongest team the Twins ever fielded. Manager Tom Kelly's team consisted of a few solid players, but mainly past-their-prime veterans and never-to-be-established prospects. One of the few bright spots was pitcher Brad Radke's breakout season, in which he won 20 games, at one point had 12 consecutive victories, tying a record Scott Erickson set in 1991. The team finished with a 68–94 record, good enough for fourth place in what proved to be the league's weakest division that season. The Cleveland Indians, who won the division that year, made it all the way to the World Series, but lost in seven games to the Florida Marlins.
Although the 1995 Minnesota Twins were separated from a world championship by only four years, it seemed like eons. Because of the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, the season got off to a late start. However, it did not end soon enough, as the team finished with a 56–88 record and in last place in its division. The team found it impossible to compete against the runaway Cleveland Indians who won 100 games despite the shortened season and finished 44 games ahead of the Twins. By July, the team was trading away its veterans in a fire sale. Manager Tom Kelly might have preferred that the strike had continued.
The 1993 Minnesota Twins finished with a 71–91 record, leaving the team tied for fifth place with the California Angels. Kirby Puckett won the All-Star MVP award on July 13 and St. Paul native Dave Winfield got his 3,000th hit over the course of the year.
The 2006 Minnesota Twins Season was the Minnesota Twin's 46th season playing in the Twin Cities and their 106th season in the American League. They were managed by Ron Gardenhire and played their home games in the Metrodome.
The 2009 Minnesota Twins season was the 49th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 109th overall in the American League. It was their final season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with their new stadium, Target Field, opening in 2010. They ended the regular season as AL Central champions after defeating the Detroit Tigers in a one game tie-breaker. They were then swept in the American League Division Series by the New York Yankees. The team's star catcher and Minnesota native Joe Mauer won the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
The 2002 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. The winners of the League Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.