Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Twins’ 10 Most Hated Rival Teams
By Otto Johnson
Minnesota Twins Rival No. 10: Boston Red Sox (314-316)
As two of the oldest franchises in baseball, the Twins and Senators have played the Red Sox 1,923 times over the last 120 years. For those counting at home, that’s around 16 games per year. That’s the sixth most games the Twins have played against anyone.
While a lot of those games took place with the Senators when the teams fought for the American League Pennant, the two teams have a pretty lengthy history since then. The teams have played over 600 games in the last sixty years.
Despite not having any playoff history between the two, players like Frank Viola and David Ortiz playing for both teams have allowed the Twins and their fans to build up a little bit of dislike for the Red Sox over the years. That helps them sneak onto the list at No. 10.
Minnesota Twins Rival No. 9: Baltimore Orioles (301-338)
Similar to the Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles have played the Twins/Senators over 1,900 (1,943) times in the 120 years the team has existed. While the Twins have been a little less successful against the Orioles than the Red Sox, that’s definitely changing around now.
The real reason the Orioles are on this list is because of the 1969 and 1970 American League Champion Series. Older Twins fans will remember those series rather unhappily, as the Orioles trounced the Twins 3-0 in both years.
The Twins lost two extra-inning games in ’69 and outscored them 27-10 in three games the year after that. The long history between the two and those two series allow the Orioles to slide past the Red Sox into ninth place here.
Minnesota Twins Rival No. 8: Los Angeles Angels (351-379)
Our first divisional rival on this list, the Los Angeles Angels were created the same year the Twins moved to Minnesota. Both teams were placed in the old American League West, and a rivalry was born.
The Twins and the Angels shared a division for 25 years, but there wasn’t as serious of a rivalry as some of the other teams since the teams never really competed at the same times. The Angels won 3 division titles and the Twins won four during their span competing, but the last big moment for the rivalry came in the early 2000’s.
The Twins and Angels met in the American League Championship Series in 2002, and the Angels beat them in 5 games, a heart-breaking result for a team that hadn’t made the ALCS since 1991. That helps them land eighth here.
Minnesota Twins Rival No. 7: Oakland Athletics (377-371)
The Oakland Athletics have played the Twins/Senators over 2,000 times in the last 120 years and 748 times over the past 60 years. Another A.L. West foe, the A’s have competed with the Twins on several levels throughout the years.
Within the division, the Twins and the A’s finished 1-2 four separate times while winning a combined six World Series titles. These teams battled each other a lot in the seventies and eighties, making them won of the more disliked teams for the Twins of that era.
When the Twins moved to the A.L. Central, the rivalry has mostly fizzled out, but the Twins’ win over the infamous Moneyball A’s in 2002 and the sweep of one of the best Twins teams in franchise history in 2006 made sure there’s a little bit of bitterness from both teams.