Just like any franchise across Major League Baseball, the Minnesota Twins have several memorable moments. Fans of all ages can reminisce and point directly to their favorite memory with the Twins. With Opening Day now here for the 2026 campaign, let's take a deeper dive into the franchise's single greatest Opening Day in history.
It will be difficult to top this day.
Let's dial it back to April 7, 1970. The Minnesota Twins were nine years into existence at this point, but for the first time, they entered a new decade as the Twins. Minnesota transitioned from the Washington Senators to the Twins in 1961. So, the 70s were the decade where the Twins were fully immersed into its identity.
They got off to a scathing start. Facing the Chicago White Sox on the road, the Twins won, 12-0 behind a complete-game shutout from veteran Jim Perry, who went on to have a career year. Here was the Twins' starting lineup:
- 1-César Tovar CF (1-for-5, run)
- 2-Rod Carew 2B (2-for-5, 2 runs, RBI)
- 3-Harmon Killebrew 3B (1-for-2, run, 2 BB)
- 4-Tony Oliva RF (2-for-5, 3 runs, RBI)
- 5-Brant Alyea LF (4-for-4, 2 runs, 7 RBI)
- 6-Rich Reese 1B (1-for-5, run)
- 7-George Mitterwald C (2-for-5, run)
- 8-Leo Cárdenas SS (1-for-5, RBI)
- 9-Jim Perry P (0-for-3, RBI)
Tovar led off the game/season with a triple, then immediately scored on an RBI single from Carew. The Twins would score three runs in the first inning, three in the fifth inning, then six runs in the seventh inning. Let's also not forget about Jim Holt, who pinch-hit and went 1-for-1, and Frank Quilici, who pinch-ran and scored.
Alyea's seven-RBI performance broke an Opening Day MLB record, and it still holds as tied for most in history. Corey Patterson of the Chicago Cubs also drove in seven runs in 2003. Alyea powered two home runs, too, which set him up to belt a career-high 16 homers in 1970.
Then on the mound, Perry delivered a performance for the ages. Facing Tommy John in his prime, Perry out-dueled him.
Perry's final line was: 9 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 4 BB
Perry was named an All-Star that season, marking his first nod since 1961 when he was with Cleveland. Perry set career-best marks in 1970 in starts (40), wins (24), strikeouts (168), complete games (13), and tied in shutouts (4). It all started with an unforgettable performance on Opening Day.