The 1988 Minnesota Twins finished at 91–71, second in the AL West. 3,030,672 fans attended Twins games, at the time, establishing a new major league record. Pitcher Allan Anderson had his most successful season in 1988, winning the American League ERA title at 2.45 and compiling a record of 16-9 in 30 starts.

Offseason

* November 7, 1987: Eric Bullock was signed as a free agent by the Twins. * December 21, 1987: Don Baylor was released by the Twins. * December 21, 1987:

Dan Schatzeder Daniel Ernest Schatzeder (born December 1, 1954) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from – for nine different teams. Schatzeder attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois then played college ...

was released by the Twins.Dan Schatzeder
at ''Baseball Reference'' * December 21, 1987:

Mike Smithson Mike Smithson may refer to: * Mike Smithson (British journalist) (born 1946), British journalist, Liberal Democrat politician, and political betting expert *Mike Smithson (Australian journalist), Australian news reporter *Mike Smithson (baseball) ...

was released by the Twins. * January 1988:

Vic Rodriguez Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

was signed as a free agent by the Twins. * January 4, 1988:

Brian Harper Brian David Harper (born October 16, 1959) is an American former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career (-). He most recently served as the hitting coach of the D ...

was signed as a free agent by the Twins. * March 18, 1988:

Sal Butera Salvatore Philip Butera (born September 25, 1952) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He was a major league scout for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball during the 2015 season. Playing career Signed by the Minnesota ...

was released by the Twins. * March 24, 1988: Billy Beane was traded by the Twins to the Detroit Tigers for Balvino Gálvez.

Regular season

Five Twins made the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

, third baseman

Gary Gaetti Gary Joseph Gaetti (, ; born August 19, 1958), is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins (1981–1990), California Angels (1991–1993), Kansas City Royals (1993–1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1998) ...

, outfielder

Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a center fielder for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). Puckett is the Twins' all-ti ...

, catcher Tim Laudner, starting pitcher

Frank Viola Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989), New York Mets (1989–1991), Boston Red Sox (1992–1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and To ...

, and relief pitcher Jeff Reardon. On September 16, Puckett got his 1000th hit, becoming just the fifth major leaguer to achieve that total before completing his fifth year. On September 17, reliever Reardon collected his 40th save of the season. With 41 saves as a 1985 Montreal Expo, he became the only major league player to reach 40 saves in each league.

became the first Twins player since

Jim Perry James Perry may refer to: * James Perry (journalist) (1756–1821), journalist * James Franklin Perry (1790–1853), early Texas settler (with wife Emily Austin Perry) * Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), English actor and scriptwriter * James E. C. Perr ...

in 1970 to win the AL Cy Young Award.

Offense

hit .356 with 24 HR, drove in 121 runs and scored 109. Puckett led the AL with 234 hits, 163 singles, and 358 total bases. Puckett's 234 hits were the most by a right-handed batter since

Joe Medwick Joseph Michael Medwick (November 24, 1911 – March 21, 1975), nicknamed "Ducky" and "Muscles", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals during the " Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also pla ...

had 237 hits in 1937.

Kent Hrbek Kent Alan Hrbek (; born May 21, 1960), nicknamed "Herbie", is a former American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 14-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins (1981–1994). Hrbek batted left-handed and threw right-hand ...

hit .312 with 25 HR and 76 RBI.

hit .301 with 28 HR and 88 RBI.

Pitching

The Twins had two solid starting pitchers:

(24-7), and Allan Anderson (16-9).

led the AL with 24 wins. Allan Anderson led the AL with a 2.45 ERA. Reliever Jeff Reardon had 42 saves.

Bert Blyleven Bert Blyleven (born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. Blyleven recorded 3,701 ...

(10-17, 5.43 ERA) led the AL with 17 losses, 125 earned runs allowed, and 16 hit batsmen. :''*League leader''

Defense

Third baseman

and center fielder

each won their third Gold Glove Award.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Roster

Notable transactions

* April 5, 1988:

John Moses John Moses may refer to: * John Moses (Norwegian politician) (1781–1849), member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly * John Moses (Illinois politician) (1825–1898), Illinois judge and politician * John Moses (American politician) (1885–1945) ...

was signed as a free agent by the Twins. * April 22, 1988: The Twins trade outfielder Tom Brunansky for Cardinals second baseman Tom Herr. * May 28, 1988: John Christensen was signed as a free agent by the Twins. * June 27, 1988: Dan Schatzeder was signed as a free agent by the Twins.

Notable games

* September 17: Jeff Reardon becomes the first pitcher in baseball history to record 40 saves in both leagues in a 3-1 win versus the

White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

, Third Baseman, Gold Glove Award *

, Centerfield, Gold Glove Award * Kirby Puckett – American League Leader At-Bats (657) * Kirby Puckett – American League Leader Hits (234) * Kirby Puckett – American League Leader Singles (163) * Kirby Puckett – Major League Baseball Leader Total Bases (358)

* Gary Gaetti, third base, reserve * Tim Laudner, catcher, reserve * Kirby Puckett, outfield, reserve * Jeff Reardon, relief pitcher, reserve *

, pitcher, starter

Farm system

Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

References

External links

Player stats from www.baseball-reference.comTeam info from www.baseball-almanac.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:1988 Minnesota Twins Season Minnesota Twins seasons Minnesota Twins season Minnesota Twins