Minnesota Twins: Remembering the 2009 Minnesota Twins
By Otto Johnson
The Minnesota Twins roster has seen many changes over the last decade, and the team looks different from the one that took the field ten years ago.
The Minnesota Twins wrapped up the first half with a record of 56-33, the most wins the team has recorded before the All-Star break since 1969. With the team playing its best ball during this decade, it’s time to look back at the year 2009 and the Twins team and season that existed a decade ago.
The Twins team in 2009 had just come off a season in which they lost a one-game playoff to the White Sox to decide the winner of the American League Central. The team went into the season as major underdogs having lost Torii Hunter and Johan Santana the season before. They rebounded well and looked to do even better the following year as they were projected to be near the top of a very tight division.
The team ended up doing exactly that. Led by Joe Mauer (.365 BA, 28 HR, 96 RBI), Justin Morneau (.274 BA, 30 HR, 100 RBI), Jason Kubel (.300 BA, 28 HR, 103 RBI), and Michael Cuddyer (.276 BA, 32 HR, 94 RBI), the offense was incredible. The team had loads of depth both in the lineup and in the bullpen (fronted by All-Star Joe Nathan). The rotation wasn’t good, with the fourth-worst rotation in the American League, but the lineup was fourth-best in the AL.
The team won 88 games and went on to play in the legendary Game 163, which was the last regular-season game at the Metrodome. I remember being at the game, and watching Carlos Gomez score in the twelfth inning is still my greatest memory as a Twins fan. The game earned the pick as Sports Illustrated’s best regular-season game of the decade, and it closed the book on the stadium where the Twins won two titles.
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The Twins were swept in three games by the Yankees, but the season offered Minnesota Twins fans one last incredible moment and season before moving into the beautiful Target Field. Joe Mauer won an MVP, the team had three All-Stars, and earned a playoff spot. The organization capped off a pretty successful decade with one strong season.