Franchise Timeline

1970

1970 turned out to be a carbon copy of the previous season for the Twins. Starting quickly, Minnesota won its four contests and never relinquished first place after beating Milwaukee on May 17. With manager Bill Rigney in his first year in Minnesota, the team wound up with an even better record than the year before, winning 98 games en route to the Western Division flag. Still, it was the Baltimore Orioles who once again held the upper hand when the playoffs came around, as the Earl Weaver-led Birds of Earl Weaver again going to the World Series at the Twins' expense.

1971

The lack of reliable pitching took its toll in the 1971 season. Jim Perry, a 20 and 24-game winner the previous two years, fell to a 17-17 record, while the effective 1970 relief duo of Ron Perranoski and Stan Williams combined for a 5-9 record and just nine saves. With the Oakland A's getting off to a fast start, the club couldn't gain the momentum necessary to make up the difference, and subsequently ended with their worst won-loss record since the 1961 inaugural season.

1972

A major change came about on July 6, 1972, with the hiring of former player and coach Frank Quilici to manage the club, replacing Rigney. Quilici, tremendously popular with Upper Midwest fans, brought a contagious spirit and boundless enthusiasm which characterized him in all his other undertakings. Under Quilici, the club managed to climb into contention by mid-August. Finally, though, the inability to score runs caught up with the Twins and the team slipped back to a third-place finish. The season was not without its bright spots, one of those being formed during the previous offseason, when sent outfielder Paul Powell was sent to Los Angeles for outfielder Bobby Darwin. A former pitcher, Darwin responded to the challenge of major league pitching by slugging 22 homers and driving home 80 runs, becoming the first rookie to lead the Twins in RBI in a single season.

November of 1972 was an active month for the Twins in the trade market, with three deals being completed in that time. One of those resulted in big dividends for the Twins, as reliever Wayne Granger was sent to St. Louis in return for pitcher John Cumberland and outfielder Larry Hisle. Cumberland never played for the Twins, but Hisle would soon develop into one of the American League's big hitters.

1973

The team's hitting rebounded in 1973 to produce the highest team batting mark in the majors (.270). The pitching, led by 20-game winner Bert Blyleven, was certainly solid enough to keep the Twins in strong contention through July. However, with August came a month-long slump which landed Minnesota in third place by season’s end. Thanks to the development of some promising newcomers – notably pitchers Bill Campbell and Dave Goltz, infielder Jerry Terrell and outfielder Larry Hisle – the season was far from being considered a loss.

1974

The 1974 season produced some fine individual efforts, among them Rod Carew's MLB-leading .364 average and Bobby Darwin's 25 homers and 94 RBI. In addition, 1974 marked the final year for Harmon Killebrew as a Twins player. Killebrew, who ended his career a year later with Kansas City, hit 559 of his 573 home runs with the Twins/Senators and was recognized as "Mr. Baseball" by many Twins fans during his years in Minnesota. The Twins honored Killebrew by retiring his No. 3 on May 4, 1975, when the Royals visited Metropolitan Stadium in his final season as a player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

1975

Inexperience and injuries combined to make 1975 a disappointing season for the organization, which had entered the campaign with high expectations after some bright spots down the stretch in the season prior. However, the team never did put it together and finished fourth, far behind the first-place Oakland A's. A combination of the team’s finish and low attendance led to a leadership change in the offseason. On November 24, 1975, Gene Mauch was named the new Twins' manager; a 16-year veteran of National League managing and a brilliant strategist, Mauch led the club to an 85-77 record and a third-place finish the following season, the team's best year since 1970.

1976

A couple of trades played major roles in the Twins’ 1976 success. During the offseason, Danny Walton was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for second baseman Bobby Randall, a solid defender and baseball-savvy player. Later, on June 1, the Twins traded Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson to Texas in exchange for infielders Mike Cubbage and Roy Smalley, and pitchers Jim Gideon and Bill Singer. Smalley, a promising young shortstop, teamed up with Randall to stabilize the infield, setting a club record for most double plays turned in the process. Another new face was rookie catcher Butch Wynegar, who proved himself as one of the league's top backstops.

The end of the '76 season marked the retirement of Tony Oliva as an active player. "Tony-O" spent his entire playing career in the Twins organization and remained with the club as a coach, a post he’d hold for many years. He won three American League batting titles in 11 years and his 220 career home runs are fourth in the Twins’ all-time career home-run list, trailing only Harmon Killebrew (475), Kent Hrbek (293) and Justin Morneau.

1977

1977 was noteworthy as the "Year of Rod Carew"; the Twins stellar first baseman tore American League pitching apart en route to being named AL MVP, leading the circuit in average (.388), hits (239), runs scored (128) and triples (16), in addition to collecting 100 RBI. Moreover, the six-time batting champ was nationally recognized as baseball's best, appearing on the cover of several national publications and being featured on network news shows.

Meanwhile, under the leadership of Gene Mauch, the team was in the midst of a tough pennant race with Kansas City, Chicago and Texas; the four teams battling for first place until after Labor Day, when the Royals became red-hot and ran away from the pack. Still, Twins fans were treated to a show on the field led by Carew, Lyman Bostock (.336 average), Larry Hisle (.302, 119 RBI to lead AL), Dave Goltz (one of three AL pitchers to win 20 games) and Tom Johnson (won 16 games and saved 15). More than a million fans passed through the Met's turnstiles for the first time since 1970, ending much speculation that baseball interest in the area was dying and giving the organization renewed hope for the future. However, the club was hurt during the ensuing winter by the loss of players in the re-entry free-agent draft, most notably Hisle and Bostock.

1978

The Twins sported several new faces in 1978, including rookie stars Roger Erickson, Darrell Jackson and Hosken Powell, and veterans Mike Marshall and Jose Morales. These newcomers joined returning stars to overcome early-season problems and climb within 4.5 games of first place at the All-Star Break. Inconsistency plagued the team, however, resulting in a fourth-place finish.

The Twins’ brass responded to the disappointments of 1978 by making the subsequent offseason one of the club's most active ever in the trade market. Carew, who had won his seventh batting title in 1978 with a .333 mark, was dealt to the California Angels for pitcher Paul Hartzell, outfielder Ken Landreaux and rookies Brad Havens and Dave Engle. In an earlier trade with the Angels, outfielder Dan Ford was exchanged for catcher Danny Goodwin and infielder Ron Jackson. Veteran left-hander Jerry Koosman returned to his native state of Minnesota when the Twins acquired him from the New York Mets for two young pitchers. Also, free-agent reliever Marshall elected to return to the Twins, for which he had experienced an excellent '78 season and became, at the time, the highest-paid player in the club's history.

The Carew trade signaled the end of an illustrious 12-year career in Minnesota for Rod, who was an American League All-Star each year since 1967 and compiled a .334 lifetime batting average with the Twins. An electee to the Hall of Fame in 1991, Carew also became the second Twin to have his number retired on July 19, 1987.

1979

If Rod Carew's departure lowered the curtain on one era, the 1979 season could be perceived as the dawning of another. After opening the campaign with a 7-2 road trip, the Twins continued their winning ways, taking a firm grip on first place by mid-May. A short slump loosened that grip, but nonetheless the Twins remained embroiled in a tight pennant race with Kansas City and California. With a week to go, the Twins were two games out of first place; a disappointing final week dropped the team’s record to 82-80, good for fourth place.

Several players had standout seasons, despite the overall disappointing finish. Roy Smalley hit 24 home runs, drove in 96 and played solidly in the field in an All-Star campaign. John Castino hit .285 in his rookie season, displaying a strong glove at third base and being voted co-winner of the AL Rookie of the Year Award. On the mound, Jerry Koosman won AL Comeback Player of the Year honors with a 20-12, 3.38 ERA campaign, Geoff Zahn chipped in a solid 13-7, 3.57 season in a supporting starter role, and Mike Marshall was one of the league's finest in relief, leading the league with 32 saves, while also winning 10 games and compiling a 2.65 ERA in his league-record-setting 90 appearances.