Best Twins season

By Trey Lyle

The Twins were founded as the Washington Senators in 1901, but when they relocated to Minnesota before 1961, the team changed their name to the Twins, which remains today.  

The Twins have won two World Series, one in 1987 and the season that is the best in franchise history: 1991. 

The 1991 team slightly edges out the 1987 team based on wins during the regular season; the ‘87 team went 85-77 and was able to win the AL West by two games. 

The 1991 team won 10 more games, finishing with a record of 95-67, 8 games better than any other team in the division, which was also the best record in the American League. This was quite the turnaround for a team that went 74-88 the previous season making them the first to go from last to first and win the World Series. 

The 1991 Minnesota Twins went on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the ALCS and then go on to beat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series in a seven-game epic series, one of the best World Series of all time.  

A big part of their season was a 15-game winning streak the team went on to propel them from fifth place in the division to first place, a position they never gave up after that. The winning streak remains a club record. 

The team had a great pitching staff headlined by Scott Erickson. Erickson went 20-8 that year with a 3.18 ERA and 108 strikeouts. Erickson was joined by Jack Morris, who went 18-12 with 3.43 ERA and 163 strikeouts and Kevin Tapani, who went 16-9 with a 2.99 ERA and 135 strikeouts. 

The team was formidable at the plate as well, leading the American League in hits with 1,557, first in batting average with .280, and on-base percentage with .344. 

1991 was a dream season for this Minnesota franchise that included an unprecedented turnaround at that time led to the 1991 Twins being the best in the franchise history.