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Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 10 Teams in Franchise History

By Otto Johnson

FORT MYERS, FL - MARCH 24: Catcher Joe Mauer #7 of the Minnesota Twins congratulates Justin Morneau #33 after his home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during a Grapefruit League Spring Training Game at Hammond Stadium on March 24, 2013 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
FORT MYERS, FL - MARCH 24: Catcher Joe Mauer #7 of the Minnesota Twins congratulates Justin Morneau #33 after his home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during a Grapefruit League Spring Training Game at Hammond Stadium on March 24, 2013 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Twins
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 1: Tony Oliva, former player with the Minnesota Twins, shakes hands with former teammates Frank Quilici and Jim Kaat during a ceremony honoring the 1965 American League Championship team before the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Seattle Mariners on August 1, 2015 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

2. 1965 Minnesota Twins (102-60)

The Twins team with the best record in franchise history had the most talent up and down the roster of any team in the league. Led by MVP Zoilo Versailles and six All-Stars (Versailles, Harmon Killebrew, Earl Battey, Mudcat Grant, Jimmy Hall, and Tony Oliva), the team crushed the rest of the AL all season.

The Twins had a very strong lineup for the time period, finishing fourth in batting average and second in home runs. The star power of the Twins’ big names helped get a lot more fans interested in the team, which had only been in Minnesota for four years. The starting pitchers for the squad were fantastic, as Grant, Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, and Camilo Pascual all won over 60% of their games and had ERAs under 3.35.

When the World Series arrived, the Twins had the misfortune of lining up against the Sandy Koufax-led Los Angeles Dodgers. The Twins fought hard, pushing the series to seven games, but Koufax pitched a nine-inning shutout, and the Twins lost 2-0.

The team may have lost the World Series, but it won more games than any other in team history, hosted an All-Star Game that featured six Twins, took Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers to seven games and endeared Minnesota fans to the franchise. Still, it wasn’t enough to land the #1 spot.

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