On Aug. 16, the Minnesota Twins will honor one of the greatest teams in franchise history. The 2025 season will mark the 60th anniversary of the 1965 campaign, which saw the Twins finish 102-60 and win the AL Pennant.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Twins legends Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat will attend a pregame ceremony with 17 living members of the 1965 team.
Under the guidance of AP AL Manager of the Year Sam Mele, the Twins were fighting off future AL Central rivals Chicago and Cleveland for first place. When the calendar turned to July, the Twins took complete control thanks to a nine-game winning streak and never relinquished first place.
It was the first time that the World Series ever came to Minnesota. While the Twins fell in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was a valiant effort that Twins fans will always be proud of. Perhaps no play was more exciting than left fielder Bob Allison’s catch in Game 2.
Spearheading the 1965 Twins was the two-headed monster of both Oliva and Zoilo Versalles. In 1965, Oliva finished the season with 185 base hits and a .321 batting average, which led the American League. He finished second in the AL MVP voting behind his fellow Cuban teammate Versalles.
Not only was Versalles’ 1965 season a career year, it was enough to garner 19 of 20 first-place votes and become the first Latin-American baseball player and Minnesota Twin to win an MVP award.
Versailles led all of MLB with 126 runs scored, partly thanks to an MLB-leading 45 doubles. In addition, Versailles led the American League with 12 triples and 308 total bases. Versailles’ 7.2 bWAR was the highest among American League position players.
Of course, when we think of popular 1960s Twins players, we immediately think of Harmon Killebrew. In 1965, Killebrew missed some time due to injury, but that did not stop him from leading the team with 25 home runs. Arguably, his most significant home run during the regular season was in the All-Star game held at Metropolitan Stadium, where he delivered a game-tying home run in the fifth inning.
Mudcat Grant was the staff ace on the mound with a 21-7 record and six shutouts and became the first Black pitcher to win 20 games in a season. It was a career year for Grant, who earned his second All-Star selection and finished sixth in the AL MVP Voting.
The 1965 Twins were one of three teams in Minnesota history to reach the World Series. Along the way, they captured tremendous memories that have been and, into the future, will be shared by generations of Twins fans.