The 2006 Minnesota Twins Season was the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

' 46th season playing in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

and their 106th season in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

. They were managed by

Ron Gardenhire Ronald Clyde Gardenhire (born October 24, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets from 1981 to 1985. After another year playing i ...

and played their home games in the

Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League's (NFL) ...

. The Twins finished first in the

American League Central The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are al ...

with a 96–66 record. They were swept in three games by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

in the ALDS.

Offseason

* January 31, 2006:

Rubén Sierra Rubén Angel Sierra García (born October 6, 1965) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. Over 20 seasons, Sierra played for the Texas Rangers (1986–92, 2000–01, 2003), Oakland Athletics (1992–95), New York Yanke ...

was signed as a free agent by the Twins.Rubén Sierra
at ''Baseball Reference'' * March 29, 2006:

Rob Bowen Robert McClure Bowen (born February 24, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 2003 to 2008 for the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics ...

was selected off waivers from the Twins by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Regular season

The Twins stumbled out of the gate after the death of

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

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 for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). Puckett was instrumental in helping the Twins t ...

in late March, accumulating a dismal 25-33 record by June 7. Around that time, the team dropped underperforming veterans like Tony Batista,

Juan Castro Juan Gabriel Castro (born June 20, 1972), is a Mexican professional baseball coach and former infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Philade ...

, and

Kyle Lohse Kyle Matthew Lohse (; born October 4, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, a ...

, replacing them with talented rookies from the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. The Twins went 9-1 in their next ten games, evening their record at 34-34.

Interleague play Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. ...

was particularly generous to the team; the Twins had Major League Baseball's best Interleague record at 16 wins and 2 losses. By July 26 the team had won 34 of 42 games, leaving them tied with the White Sox at 59-41, but still 8.5 games behind the division-leading Tigers. As the season neared its conclusion, the Twins continued to put distance between them and the White Sox, while gaining on the Tigers. A key series starting on September 7 saw the Twins take three out of four from the Tigers. And after a commanding win in Boston on September 19, the Twins found themselves within a half game of the Central-leading Tigers. On September 25, the Twins beat Kansas City 8-1 to secure an American League playoff berth. A win in a 10-inning game against the Royals on September 28 moved the Twins into a tie with the Tigers atop the AL Central. With that win, the Twins broke a major league record by moving into first place after the team's 159th game. This was the latest in a season that a team moved into first place for the first time all season. (It was a tie for first at this point.) The Tigers led the season series, so a tie at the end of the season between the Tigers and Twins would have meant the Twins get the wild card. Instead, the Tigers were swept by 100-game-losers Kansas City to end the season, and the Twins took one of three from the White Sox, giving the Twins their fourth AL Central title in five years. It was the first time in major league history that a team clinched on the last day of the season after never having held sole possession of first place. *The representatives of the Twins in the All-Star Game were

Johan Santana Johan Alexander Santana Araque (; born March 13, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball starting pitcher. Santana pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2007 and for the New York Mets from 2008 ...

Joe Mauer Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. Regarded as one of the greatest contact h ...

, and Francisco Liriano. *The highest paid Twin in 2006 is

Torii Hunter Torii Kedar Hunter (; born July 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and right fielder. Hunter currently serves as Special Assistant to Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian. He played in Major League ...

at $10,750,000.00. *The motto for the 2006 Twins was "Smell 'em." Backup catcher

Mike Redmond Michael Patrick Redmond (born May 5, 1971) is an American former professional baseball catcher, coach, and manager, who was most recently the bench coach for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for 13 seasons in Majo ...

coined the phrase, saying the hitters have to "smell those RBIs" when they see runners in scoring position in key situations. Hitters will tap their noses when they come through. After a 9-5 victory over the

on September 8 that followed a two-week-long hitting drought, hitting coach

Joe Vavra Joseph Alan Vavra (born November 16, 1959) is an American professional baseball coach. Vavra previously served as a coach for the Minnesota Twins from 2006 to 2017, and as the Detroit Tigers quality control coach in 2018 and 2019, and hitting coac ...

remarked: "The 'smell 'ems' were out again tonight. That's the good feeling we were missing." *In reference to the scrappy, fleet-footed hitters that make up almost half of their lineup, many of the Twins' players have been referred to by

Chicago 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

manager

Ozzie Guillén Oswaldo José Guillén Barrios (; born January 20, 1964) is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball player who is the current manager (baseball), manager of Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan League. He played in Major League B ...

as "little piranhas". The moniker has stuck, and the team has printed and markets T-shirts bearing the nickname. *

won his second

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

, a unanimous decision. He also won the pitching triple crown, leading the majors in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. The last pitcher to lead both leagues in all 3 categories was

Dwight Gooden Dwight Eugene Gooden (born November 16, 1964), nicknamed "Dr. K" and "Doc", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Gooden pitched from 1984 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2000 for the ...

in 1985. *

Justin Morneau Justin Ernest George Morneau (born May 15, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox. At and , ...

won his first AL MVP Award, a decision won narrowly over

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

shortstop

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974), nicknamed "the Captain", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) caree ...

320 points to 306 points, with 15 of a possible 28 first place votes. He was the first Twins MVP since

Rod Carew Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, first baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minneso ...

in 1977. *

was the first American League catcher ever to win the Major League Baseball batting crown.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

* June 14, 2006: Tony Batista designated for assignment. He was released on the 19th and cleared waivers on the 21st. * June 15, 2006:

traded to the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

for outfielder Brandon Roberts. * July 10, 2006:

was released by the Twins. * July 31, 2006:

traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Minor League RHP Zach Ward. * August 31, 2006: The Twins acquired veteran

Phil Nevin Phillip Joseph Nevin (born January 19, 1971) is an American professional baseball infielder, coach, and manager. He was the manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 12 seasons, appearing in 1,217 g ...

from the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

for a player to be named later (Adam Harben).

Roster

Game log

, - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 1 , , April 4 , , @ Blue Jays , , 6–3 , , Halladay , ,

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

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Chacín Chacín is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alejandro Chacín (born 1993), Venezuelan baseball player *Gustavo Chacín (born 1980), Venezuelan baseball player * Jhoulys Chacín (born 1988), Venezuelan-American baseball player * ...

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Silva Silva, da Silva, and de Silva are surnames of Portuguese or Galician origin which are widespread in the Portuguese-speaking countries including Brazil. The name is derived from Latin ("forest" or "woodland"). It is the family name of the Hous ...

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Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

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, , 3–2 , , Westbrook , ,

, , Wickman , , 23,311 , , 1–5 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 7 , , April 11 , ,

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Nathan Nathan or Natan may refer to: People and biblical figures *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible *Nathan (son of David), a biblical figu ...

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, , 8–2 , , Lohse , , Blanton , , , , 13,520 , , 4–5 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 10 , , April 14 , ,

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...

, , 5–1 , ,

, , Mussina , , , , 30,622 , , 5–5 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 11 , , April 15 , ,

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Rivera Rivera () is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which is only a block away from it, at the north end of Route 5 (Uruguay), Route 5. Together, they form an ...

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Wang Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) Wang () is the pinyin romanization of Chinese, romanization of the common Chinese surname (''Wáng''). It has a mixture of various origin with uncertain lineage of family history, however it is c ...

, , Radke , , , , 22,627 , , 6–6 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 13 , , April 18 , ,

Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

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Shields A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

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Romero The name Romero is a nickname type of surname for an Ancient Roman or a modern day Italian. The name was originally derived from the Latin word Romaeus and the Greek word Romaios, which mean Rome, Roman. #A person on a religious journey or pilgrim ...

, , , , 21,507 , , 7–7 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 15 , , April 20 , ,

, , 6–4 , , Gregg , ,

Crain Crain may refer to: People * Crain (surname) Places * Crain, Yonne, a commune in the region Bourgogne, France Other * Crain (band), an indie rock band * Crain Communications, an American publishing conglomerate * ''Crain crain'', the common name ...

, , Rodríguez , , 12,990 , , 7–8 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 16 , , April 21 , , @

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 club plays its home games at Rate Fie ...

, , 7–1 , ,

Buehrle Mark Alan Buehrle (; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World ...

, ,

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, , 7–3 , , Contreras , ,

, , , , 38,102 , , 7–11 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 19 , , April 25 , , @ Royals , , 2–1 , , Liriano , ,

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

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Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

, , 9,188 , , 8–12 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 21 , , April 27 , , @ Royals , , 7–3 , ,

, , Redman , , , , 11,391 , , 9–12 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 22 , , April 28 , , @

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

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Robertson Robertson may refer to: People * Robertson (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Robertson (given name) * Clan Robertson, a Scottish clan * Robertson, stage name of Belgian magician Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763–1837) Plac ...

, , Radke , , , , 23,263 , , 9–13 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 23 , , April 29 , , @

, , 18–1 , , Verlander , ,

, , , , 24,258 , , 9–14 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 24 , , April 30 , , @

, , 6–0 , , Rogers , , Lohse , , , , 24,323 , , 9–15 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 25 , , May 1 , , Mariners , , 8–2 , , Piñeiro, ,

, , , , 11,796, , 9–16 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 26 , , May 2 , , Mariners , , 5–1 , ,

, , Washburn, , , , 14,513, , 10–16 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 27 , , May 3 , , Royals , , 6–1 , , Radke , ,

Mays Mays is the surname of: * Al Mays (1865–1905), American baseball pitcher * Albert Mays (footballer) (1929–1973), Welsh professional footballer and amateur cricketer * Alvoid Mays (born 1966), American football cornerback * Aspen Mays (born ...

, , , , 15,996, , 11–16 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 28 , , May 4 , , Royals , , 1–0 , , Affeldt, ,

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, , 11,803, , 11–17 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 29 , , May 5 , ,

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Jones Jones or Joneses may refer to: People and fictional characters *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname * List of people with surname Jones, including fictional characters ** Justice Jones (disambiguation) ** Judge Jones (disambiguati ...

, , 23,892 , , 11–18 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 30 , , May 6 , ,

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Maroth Maroth is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography The locality belongs to the area Westerwaldkreis - village Maroth with the degree of 7.687 ...

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Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...

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Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. In contemporary times ...

, , , , 30,473 , , 16–19 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 36 , , May 13 , ,

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, , 9–7 , ,

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, , Jenks , , 21,796 , , 17–20 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 38 , , May 15 , ,

, , 7–3 , , García , ,

, , , , 19,413 , , 17–21 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 39 , , May 16 , , @

, , 7–4 , ,

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, , 18,115, , 17–22 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 40 , , May 17 , , @

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, , 16,669 , , 17–23 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 41 , , May 18 , , @

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, , 26,732, , 17–24 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 42 , , May 19 , , @ Brewers , , 7–1 , , Liriano , , Davis , , , , 28,462, , 18–24 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 43 , , May 20 , , @ Brewers , , 16–10 , ,

, , Hendrickson, , , , 43,422 , , 19–24 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 44 , , May 21 , , @ Brewers , , 5–3, , Capuano , ,

, , Turnbow , , 35,180 , , 19–25 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 45 , , May 23 , ,

, , 6–5 , ,

, , Mota , , , , 19,334 , , 20–25 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 46 , , May 24 , ,

, , 11–0, , Sabathia , , Radke , , , , 22,789 , , 20–26 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 47 , , May 26 , , Mariners , , 3–1 , , Liriano , , Hernández , ,

, , 28,082 , , 21–26 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 48 , , May 27 , , Mariners, , 9–5 , , Bonser , , Moyer , , Rincón , , 25,305 , , 22–26 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 49 , , May 28 , , Matiners , , 4–3 , ,

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Weaver Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainmen ...

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, , Rodríguez , , 37,299 , , 23–28 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 52 , , May 31 , , @

, , 7–1, , Liriano , ,

, , , , 40,001 , , 24–28 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 53 , , June 1 , , @

, , 4–0 , , Zito , , Bonser , , , , 12,025 , , 24–29 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 54 , , June 2 , , @

, , 2–1 , ,

, , Saarloos , ,

, , 16,138 , , 25–29 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 55 , , June 3 , , @

, , 2–1 , , Halsey , , Radke , ,

Street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...

, , 23,194 , , 25–30 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 56 , , June 4 , , @

, , 5–1 , , Halsey , ,

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, , , , 24,785 , , 25–33 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 59 , , June 8 , , @ Mariners , , 7–3, ,

, , Piñeiro , , , , 27,341 , , 26–33 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 60 , , June 9 , ,

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and early ...

, , 7–5, ,

, , Chen , , , , 22,894 , , 27–33 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 61 , , June 10 , ,

, , 9–7, , Cabrera , ,

, , , , 24,478 , , 27–34 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 62 , , June 11 , ,

, , 4–0, , Liriano , , Bédard , , , , 25,438 , , 28–34 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 63 , , June 13 , ,

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ch ...

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Clement Clement or Clément may refer to: People * Clement (name), a given name and surname * Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People Places * Clément, French Guiana, a town * Clement, Missouri, U.S. * Clement Township, Michigan, U.S. * Clement's P ...

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, , 5–3, ,

, ,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, ,

, , 21,191 , , 31–34 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 66 , , June 16 , , @

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

, , 4–2, , Liriano , , Snell , ,

, , 33,025 , , 32–34 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 67 , , June 17 , , @

, , 5–3, ,

, ,

Marte Marte may refer to: *Marte, Nigeria, a Local Government Area in Borno State *Marte (surname), including a list of people with the name * C.D. Marte, a Mexican football club * C.D. Atlético Marte, a Salvadoran football club * ST ''Marte'', a tug i ...

, ,

, , 34,085 , , 33–34 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 68 , , June 18 , , @

, , 8–2, ,

, ,

Pérez Pérez is a very common Castilian Spanish surname of patronymic origin. Origins The surname, written in Spanish orthography as , is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Pedro" ("Pero" in archaic Spanish), the Spanish equivalent of Peter (given n ...

, , , , 25,104 , , 34–34 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 69 , , June 20 , , @

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, , 6–5, ,

, ,

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

, , , , 32,713 , , 35–34 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 70 , , June 21 , , @

, , 5–3, , Wheeler , , Lohse , , Lidge , , 33,243 , , 35–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 71 , , June 22 , , @

, , 4–2, , Liriano , ,

Clemens Clemens is a Late Latin, German, and Dutch masculine given name and a surname, meaning "merciful". Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adelaide Clemens (born 1989), Australian actress * Andrew Clemens (1857–1894), American folk ...

, ,

, , 43,769 , , 36–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 72 , , June 23 , , Cubs , , 7–2, ,

, , Mármol , , , , 34,361 , , 37–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 73 , , June 24 , , Cubs , , 3–0, , Bonser , ,

Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

, ,

, , 42,304 , , 38–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 74 , , June 25 , , Cubs , , 8–1, , Radke , ,

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, , , , 35,128 , , 39–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 75 , , June 26 , ,

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. Founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the ...

, , 8–2, ,

, , Billingsley , , , , 22,258 , , 40–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 76 , , June 27 , ,

, , 9–2, , Liriano , , Lowe , , , , 30,681 , , 41–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 77 , , June 28 , ,

, , 6–3, ,

, ,

, , 34,157 , , 42–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 78 , , June 30 , , Brewers , , 8–2, , Radke , , Villanueva , , , , 28,412 , , 43–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 79 , , July 1 , , Brewers , , 10–7, , Rincón , , Turnbow , ,

, , 35,056 , , 44–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 80 , , July 2 , , Brewers , , 8–0, , Liriano , ,

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, , , , 35,466 , , 45–35 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 81 , , July 3 , , @ Royals , , 6–5, ,

, , Sisco , ,

, , 28,401 , , 46–35 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 82 , , July 4 , , @ Royals , , 7–2, , Gobble , , Bonser , , Dessens , , 23,996 , , 46–36 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 83 , , July 5 , , @ Royals , , 6–3, , Affeldt , ,

, ,

, , 12,085 , , 46–37 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 84 , , July 7 , , @

, , 9–4, , Wasdin , ,

, , , , 30,207 , , 46–38 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 85 , , July 8 , , @

, , 4–0, , Liriano , , Rheinecker , , , , 36,035 , , 47–38 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 86 , , July 9 , , @

, , 5–2, , Bauer , ,

, , Otsuka , , 23,268 , , 47–39 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 87 , , July 13 , ,

, , 6–4, ,

Lee Lee may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film * ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film * ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist * ''L ...

, , Liriano , , Wickman , , 21,085 , , 47–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 88 , , July 14 , ,

, , 3–2, ,

, , Mujica , , , , 21,279 , , 48–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 89 , , July 15 , ,

, , 6–2, ,

, , Sabathia , , , , 33,904 , , 49–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 90 , , July 16 , ,

, , 5–2, ,

, , Sowers , ,

, , 31,838 , , 50–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 91 , , July 17 , , Devil Rays , , 6–3, ,

, , Corcoran , ,

, , 17,071 , , 51–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 92 , , July 18 , , Devil Rays , , 8–1, , Liriano , , Kazmir , , , , 22,808 , , 52–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 93 , , July 19 , , Devil Rays , , 7–2, , Radke , , Seo , , , , 25,866 , , 53–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 94 , , July 20 , , Devil Rays , , 6–4, ,

, ,

, , 25,104 , , 54–40 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 95 , , July 21 , , @

, , 14–6, , Reyes , , Sabathia , , , , 29,695 , , 55–40 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 96 , , July 22 , , @

, , 11–0, , Sowers , ,

, , , , 26,895 , , 55–41 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 97 , , July 23 , , @

, , 3–1, , Liriano , , Westbrook , ,

, , 25,889 , , 56–41 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 98 , , July 24 , , @

, , 7–4, , Radke , , Vázquez , , , , 39,750 , , 57–41 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 99 , , July 25 , , @

, , 4–3, ,

, , Contreras , ,

, , 36,984 , , 58–41 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 100 , , July 26 , , @

, , 7–4, ,

, ,

, , 39,387 , , 59–41 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 101, , July 28 , ,

, , 3–2, , Rodney , , Rincon , ,

, , 45,478 , , 59–42 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 102, , July 29 , ,

, , 8–6, ,

, , Radke , ,

, , 45,496 , , 59–43 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 103, , July 30 , ,

, , 6–4, , Neshek , , Bonderman , ,

, , 43,204 , , 60–43 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 104, , July 31 , ,

, , 15–2, ,

, , Rheinecker , , , , 19,532 , , 61–43 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 105 , , August 1 , ,

, , 9–0, , Eaton , ,

, , , , 25,969 , , 61–44 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 106 , , August 2 , ,

, , 10–2, , Wells , , Bonser , , , , 26,492 , , 61–45 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 107, , August 3 , , @ Royals , , 8–2, , Radke , ,

de la Rosa De la Rosa is a Spanish surname, which means "of the rose". The name De la Rosa (or variants of the name) may refer to: People with the name De la Rosa *Dane De La Rosa (born 1983), American baseball player * Domingo Vega de la Rosa (born 1953), ...

, , , , 12,022 , , 62–45 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 108, , August 4 , , @ Royals , , 8–5, , Reyes , , Dohmann , ,

, , 19,394 , , 63–45 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 109, , August 5 , , @ Royals , , 14–3, ,

, , Hernández , , , , 25,131 , , 64–45 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 110, , August 6 , , @ Royals , , 11–5, , Reyes , , Wellemeyer , , , , 14,064 , , 65–45 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 111, , August 7 , , @

, , 9–3, ,

Miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

, , Liriano , , , , 34,870 , , 65–46 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 112, , August 8 , , @

, , 4–2, , Radke , ,

, ,

, , 35,624 , , 66–46 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 113, , August 9 , , @

, , 4–3, ,

, , Zumaya , ,

, , 36,339 , , 67–46 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 114, , August 10 , , Blue Jays , , 5–0, , Lilly , ,

, , , , 30,118 , , 67–47 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 115, , August 11 , , Blue Jays , , 7–1, , Burnett , , Garza , , , , 31,814 , , 67–48 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 116, , August 12 , , Blue Jays , , 4–0, , Downs , , Bonser , , , , 36,261 , , 67–49 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 117, , August 13 , , Blue Jays , , 5–0, , Radke , , Marcum , , , , 32,811 , , 68–49 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 118, , August 15 , ,

, , 4–1, ,

, , Westbrook , , , , 34,854 , , 69–49 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 119, , August 16 , ,

, , 7–2, , Neshek , , Carmona , , , , 42,328 , , 70–49 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 120, , August 17 , ,

, , 3–2, ,

, , Garza , , , , 27,664 , , 70–50 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 121, , August 18 , ,

, , 7–3, , Neshek , , García , , , , 43,204 , , 71–50 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 122, , August 19 , ,

, , 4–1, ,

, , Radke , , Jenks , , 46,215 , , 71–51 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 123, , August 20 , ,

, , 7–3, ,

, , Vázquez , , , , 42,537 , , 72–51 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 124, , August 22 , , @

, , 6–3, ,

Loewen Loewen is a spelling variant of the word ''Löwen'' which means "lions" in German. This spelling is uncommon in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (as in the most common German language dialects ö is used usually instead of oe, while in English ö a ...

, ,

, , Ray , , 19,756 , , 72–52 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 125, , August 23 , , @

, , 4–1, , Garza , ,

López López or Lopez is a surname of Spanish origin. It was originally a patronymic, meaning "Son of Lope", ''Lope'' itself being a Spanish given name deriving from Latin ''lupus'', meaning "wolf". Its Portuguese and Galician equivalent is '' Lopes' ...

, ,

, , 19,258 , , 73–52 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 126, , August 24 , , @

, , 11–2, , Bonser , , Benson , , , , 24,848 , , 74–52 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 127, , August 25 , , @

, , 5–4, ,

, , MacDougal , ,

, , 35,931 , , 75–52 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 128, , August 26 , , @

, , 8–7, , Eyre , , Thornton , , , , 38,636 , , 76–52 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 129, , August 27 , , @

, , 6–1, ,

, ,

, , , , 35,193 , , 76–53 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 130, , August 29 , , Royals , , 2–0, , Redman , , Garza , , , , 24,904 , , 76–54 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 131, , August 30 , , Royals , , 4–3, ,

, , Bonser , ,

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, , 28,668 , , 76–55 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 132, , August 31 , , Royals , , 3–1, ,

, ,

, , 21,287 , , 77–55 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 133 , , September 1 , , @

, , 8–1, , Lidle , ,

, , , , 54,311 , , 77–56 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 134, , September 2 , , @

, , 6–1, ,

, , Karstens , ,

, , 53,220 , , 78–56 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 135, , September 3 , , @

, , 10–1, , Rasner , , Garza , , , , 55,155 , , 78–57 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 136, , September 4 , , @ Devil Rays , , 2–1, , Bonser , , Corcoran , ,

, , 15,910 , , 79–57 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 137, , September 5 , , @ Devil Rays , , 8–0, ,

, , Seo , , , , 8,256 , , 80–57 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 138, , September 6 , , @ Devil Rays , , 4–2, , Shawn Camp , , Neshek , , McClung , , 8,492 , , 80–58 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 139, , September 7 , ,

, , 7–2, , Verlander , ,

, , , , 21,229 , , 80–59 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 140, , September 8 , ,

, , 9–5, , Neshek , ,

Ledezma Ledezma is a Spanish-language surname. People with the surname include: People * Antonio Ledezma (born 1955), Venezuelan lawyer, politician and former political prisoner * Froylán Ledezma (born 1978), Costa Rican football forward * Iván Ledezma ...

, , , , 29,042 , , 81–59 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 141, , September 9 , ,

, , 2–1, , Bonser , ,

, ,

, , 39,160 , , 82–59 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 142, , September 10 , ,

, , 12–1, ,

, , Bonderman , , , , 40,158 , , 83–59 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 143, , September 11 , ,

, , 9–4, ,

, , Blanton , ,

, , 15,728 , , 84–59 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 144 , , September 12 , ,

, , 7–5, , Reyes , ,

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * Kennedy (surname), including any of several people with that surname ** Kennedy family, a prominent American political family that includes: *** Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969), American businessman, investor, ...

, ,

, , 20,991 , , 85–59 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 145, , September 13 , ,

, , 1–0, , Haren , , Garza , ,

, , 18,902 , , 85–60 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 146, , September 14 , , @

, , 9–4, ,

, , Davis , , , , 21,424 , , 86–60 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 147, , September 15 , , @

, , 5–4, , Cabrera , , Neshek , , , , 32,473 , , 86–61 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 148, , September 16 , , @

, , 4–1, ,

, , Sabathia , ,

, , 26,757 , , 87–61 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 149, , September 17 , , @

, , 6–1, ,

, ,

, , Guerrier , , 20,324 , , 88–61 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 150, , September 19 , , @

, , 7–3, , Garza , ,

, , , , 36,242 , , 89–61 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 151, , September 20 , , @

, , 8–2, , Bonser , , Hansen , , , , 36,484 , , 90–61 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 152, , September 21 , , @

, , 6–0, , Beckett , ,

, , , , 36,434 , , 90–62 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 153, , September 22 , , @

, , 7–3, , Cabrera , ,

, , , , 21,051 , , 90–63 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 154, , September 23 , , @

, , 8–5, , Guerrier , , Bédard , ,

, , 21,980 , , 91–63 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 155, , September 24 , , @

, , 6–3, , Garza , ,

, ,

, , 23,005 , , 92–63 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 156, , September 25 , , Royals , , 8–1, , Bonser , ,

, , , , 18,108 , , 93–63 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 157, , September 26 , , Royals , , 3–2, ,

, , Peralta , ,

, , 24,819 , , 94–63 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 158, , September 27 , , Royals , , 6–4, , Redman , ,

, ,

, , 28,540 , , 94–64 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 159, , September 28 , , Royals , , 2–1, ,

, , Dohmann , , , , 26,254 , , 95–64 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 160, , September 29 , ,

, , 4–3, , Freddy García , , Bonser , , Jenks , , 45,439 , , 95–65 , - style="background-color:#ffbbbb" , 161, , September 30 , ,

, , 6–3, ,

, , Garza , , , , 46,219 , , 95–66 , - style="background-color:#bbffbb" , 162, , October 1 , ,

, , 5–1, ,

, , Vázquez , , , , 45,182 , , 96–66

Team overview

Offense: Power and the Piranhas

For the first time since 1987, the Twins had legitimate power hitters in

, and

Michael Cuddyer Michael Brent Cuddyer (; born March 27, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets. He batted and threw right ...

. On August 9, Morneau became the first Twin to hit 30 or more home runs since

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, when

Tom Brunansky Thomas Andrew Brunansky (born August 20, 1960), nicknamed "Bruno", is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1981 to 1994 for the California Angels, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and Milwaukee Brew ...

Gary Gaetti Gary Joseph Gaetti (, ; born August 19, 1958), is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins (1981–1990), California Angels (1991–1993), Kansas City Royals (1993– ...

, and

Kent Hrbek Kent Alan Hrbek (; born May 21, 1960), nicknamed "Herbie", is an American former 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-ha ...

did it. The Twins led the Major Leagues in batting average with a team average of .287. During the same span: *Every other team in the majors had at least three 30-homer hitters. *Nine teams had 20 or more 30-homer hitters. *478 players, including 14 in 2006, hit 30 or more home runs in a season. *138 players hit 40 or more homers. Twenty of those reached 50. Morneau finished the season with 34 home runs, 130 runs batted in, and a .321 average and was named

American League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' ...

. Both Morneau and

won their first

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...

s. Hunter enjoyed a late season surge to also reach the 30 home run mark. On September 25, he homered off

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

pitcher

Zack Greinke Donald Zackary Greinke ( ; born October 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Greinke last played for the Kansas City Royals, with whom he played across two stints, from his 2004 debut to 2010, and from 202 ...

in the bottom of the 7th inning and became the second Twin to hit 30 home runs in 2006. He finished the season with 31 home runs and 98 runs batted in.

also had a breakout season as the Twins' cleanup hitter. He did not start the season as a regular player, but eventually replaced the ineffective opening day right fielder, Jason Kubel. By June, he was hitting fourth in the lineup, and he finished the season with 24 home runs, 109 runs batted in, scored 102 runs, and hit for a .284 average. Morneau and catcher

may have finally earned the nickname "the M&M Boys", that had been prematurely applied to them early in the 2005 season. (This was the nickname applied to

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

and

Roger Maris Roger Eugene Maris (born Maras; September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for setting a new List of Major League Baseball p ...

in the early 1960s.) Not only did Mauer win the American League batting title, but he led the major leagues with a .347 average, finishing ahead of National League champion Freddy Sanchez. Mauer was the first catcher to lead either the American League or the majors in hitting. Two catchers did win the National League batting title.

Bubbles Hargrave Eugene Franklin "Bubbles" Hargrave (July 15, 1892 – February 23, 1969) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees. He won the National League batting title in 1926 wh ...

of the

did it in 1926.

Ernie Lombardi Ernesto Natali Lombardi (April 6, 1908 – September 26, 1977) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and New York Giants durin ...

led the National League twice: once for the Reds in 1938 and once for the

Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...

in 1942. However, neither catcher won the major league title. These strong hitters were complemented by the top and bottom of the Twins' order, where the players gave the hitters plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. Midway through the season, the Twins opted for a lineup that included

Jason Tyner Jason Renyt Tyner (born April 23, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. His MLB career spanned nine seasons from 2000 through 2008 for the New York Mets (2000), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000-2003), Minnesota Twins (2005-2007), and Clev ...

batting eighth, Jason Bartlett ninth, Luis Castillo first, and

Nick Punto Nicholas Paul Punto (born November 8, 1977) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current coach (baseball), coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Minneso ...

second. Manager

said that these players were like four leadoff hitters: all were fast and hit for average but not power. All four hit between .290 (Punto) and .312 (Tyner), but hit a combined six home runs. Players like this caused

manager

to dub the team "the piranhas." Said Guillen: Despite the fact that the term came from a rival manager, it was quickly embraced by both the players and the fans, as well as media outlets such as

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. After running a popular "Twins Territory" commercial in 2007 featuring Jason Bartlett and Nick Punto at the

Mall of America Mall of America (MoA) is a large shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Located within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the mall lies southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north ...

Underwater World Underwater World may refer to: *Underwater World, Singapore, oceanarium in Singapore *UnderWater World, Queensland, marine mammal park, oceanarium and wildlife sanctuary in Queensland, Australia *UnderWater World Guam, oceanarium in Guam *Kelly Tarl ...

as "Piranhas" the Minnesota Twins organization marketed official T-shirts, hats, signs, the team even had a "Little Piranha Night" in which piranha finger puppets were given to fans attending the game that evening. The four finished their MLB careers hitting a combined .274 and just 79 HRs in 14,262 at-bats. : *Major League Leader

Pitching

For much of the season, the Twins' starting rotation was its most apparent weakness. This is surprising, because the 2005 Minnesota Twins had one of the strongest rotations in baseball. The team started the season with a rotation of

, Brad Radke, Carlos Silva,

, and Scott Baker. By September, only Santana could be counted on for a full, effective start. Baker was not effective and was quickly demoted to the minors, though he came back a couple times and had a couple competent starts. Lohse was ineffective, surly, and traded to the

midway through the season. Radke started slowly but seemed to find his form, providing some consistency to the number two spot before being sidelined with a torn labrum and a stress fracture in his right shoulder. Silva was unable to find his 2005 form, finishing the season with an

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

of 5.94. He did make a few strong starts in September before regressing. On May 19, talented rookie Francisco Liriano entered the starting rotation. He pitched well enough to earn an All-Star berth, finishing with a 12-3 record and a minuscule ERA of 2.16. Unfortunately, he was sidelined after the All-Star break with elbow problems. He did not pitch at all in 2007, as he was recovering from

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

Boof Bonser John Paul "Boof" Bonser (born October 14, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Oakland Athletics. High school career Bonser attended Gi ...

had an up-and-down season, but finished strong with a 7-6 record and 4.22 ERA. This earned him a spot in the postseason rotation.

Matt Garza Matthew Scott Garza (born November 26, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Minnesota Twins, and also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Texas ...

was the team's top pitching prospect, but was inconsistent during his first partial year in the majors. The Twins had one of baseball's best bullpens.

Dennys Reyes Dennys Reyes Velarde (; born April 19, 1977) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. In more than a decade-long career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for 11 different teams, often as a left-handed specialist. Nicknamed "Th ...

, signed to a minor-league deal during the offseason, provided a pleasant surprise with an excellent season as the Twins' sole left-handed reliever. Right-handers Jesse Crain and

Juan Rincón Juan Manuel Rincón (born January 23, 1979) is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former relief pitcher. Rincón bats and throws right-handed. He throws a low 90s fastball and a mid to low 80s Slider (baseball), slider. In his career, R ...

set the stage throughout the season for closer

Joe Nathan Joseph Michael Nathan (born November 22, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Detro ...

, with homegrown

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

Pat Neshek contributing some solid innings after being recalled from the minor leagues in July. Pitchers like

Willie Eyre William Mays Eyre (born July 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles. Baseball career High school & college E ...

and

Matt Guerrier Matthew Olson Guerrier (born August 2, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Amateur career A native of Clevelan ...

ate up innings when the starters faltered. In the May 27 game against

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Jesse Crain – with a lead – loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth.

replaced Crain, and promptly ended the threat – with just one pitch – by inducing Mariner Kenji Johjima to hit into a triple play. Rincon threw 26 more pitches in the ninth for the save. : ''*Tied for league lead'' : ''¹Led league''

Defense

The Twins finished tied for second place in the American League with a .986 fielding percentage. The team's defense was noticeably stronger when the left side of the infield was revamped in June, when the team traded

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

and released

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

Tony Batista. Jason Bartlett and

stepped into those roles, providing an immediate upgrade. In center field,

won his sixth

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

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''

Playoffs

After the Twins won the division, the American League playoff matchups were decided as follows: number two seed Minnesota Twins hosting number three seed

, and number one seed

hosting the wild card

. The Twins were defeated by Oakland in a three-game sweep, ending their playoff run for 2006. The Twins got great starts from both Johan Santana and Boof Bonser (who made his first post season appearance) at the Metrodome. After losing game 1 by the score of 3-2, the Twins came back to even the score at 2 in game 2. With two outs and a runner on first in the top of the 7th inning, Mark Kotsay hit a line drive to center field that Torii Hunter made a valiant dive for. Unfortunately, the ball sailed past him all the way to the wall, resulting in an inside-the-park home run for Kotsay. This play seemed to take all the momentum away from the Twins. The Twins never led in any game in this series.

Farm system

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

External links

Player stats from www.baseball-reference.comTeam info from www.baseball-almanac.comUp to date standings from MLB.comTeam leaders from Yahoo!

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2006 Minnesota Twins Season Minnesota Twins seasons Minnesota Twins season American League Central champion seasons

Offseason

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

Roster

Game log

Team overview

Offense: Power and the Piranhas

Pitching

Defense

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Other batters

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Other pitchers

Relief pitchers

Playoffs

Other post-season awards

Farm system

External links

References