The Melbourne Twins were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne ( ) is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando, Florida, Orlando along Florida's Space Coast, named because of the region's proximity to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The city ...

, that played in the 1964 and seasons. The Melbourne Twins played as members of the

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 ...

level Cocoa Rookie League in 1964 and

Florida East Coast League The Florida East Coast League was the name of two American minor league baseball circuits based on the Atlantic coast of Florida. The first edition of the league operated as a Class D level league from 1940 to 1942. The league reformed for the ...

in 1972, with both leagues folding after one season of play. The Twins were a minor league affiliate of 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 ...

in both seasons and won the 1964 league championship.

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member

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 ...

played for the 1964 Melbourne Twins.

History

The Cocoa Rookie League began play in the 1964 season, with all games based in Cocoa, Florida. The Melbourne "Twins" became charter members of the four–team

level Cocoa Rookie League. The Cocoa Colts, Cocoa Mets and Cocoa Tigers joined the Twins in beginning league play on July 1, 1964. Melbourne Twins' pitchers threw two no–hitters during the 1964 season. On July 4, 1964, Jerry Lyscio and Gene Melton threw a combined 7–inning

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in a 2–0 victory over the Cocoa Tigers. On August 30, 1964, Lyscio and Melton combined for a second no–hitter in defeating the Cocoa Colts 2–1 in a 5–inning victory. The Twins played in 1964 as members of the four team Cocoa Rookie League, playing under manager

Fred Waters Fred Warren Waters (February 2, 1927 – August 28, 1989) was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and coach. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 25 Major League games for the – 56 Pittsburgh Pirates. Born in Benton, Mis ...

. The four teams, operated by the

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Houston Colt .45s 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) West Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in Tex ...

and

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, played a league schedule of over 50 games. The Twins ended the season with a 34–18 record and were led by 19—year-old

, a future member of the

. The Twins won the Cocoa Rookie League championship, finishing 5.0 games ahead of the second place Mets' club. Total attendance for the year was only 1,683 for the entire league. The Cocoa Rookie League folded after the season, while the Sarasota—based circuit became the basis for the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

, which still plays today. In 1972, a successor to the Cocoa Rookie League, the

, operated for one season, with the four league teams based in Cocoa and Melbourne. The 1972 Melbourne Twins were a charter member of the rookie-level Florida East Coast League. During the only season of Florida East Coast league play, the Twins posted a 35–22 record, which gave them second place in the league. The Twins finished 8.0 games behind the first place

Melbourne Reds The Melbourne Reds were a Victoria (Australia), Victorian-based baseball team in the Australian Baseball League (1989-1999), Australian Baseball League. They were the only team to win the championship 3 times. The Reds originally played at the ...

in the final standings.

Notable alumni

(1964) Inducted

, 1991 *

Randy Bass Randy William Bass (born March 13, 1954) is an American politician and former baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and served in the Oklahoma Senate. Bass made his MLB debut in 1977, p ...

(1972) * Doug Clarey (1972) * Dave Edwards (1972) * Danny Morris (1964) *

(1964, MGR) * Melbourne Twins players

References

BR 1972 Melbourne Twins
{{Florida East Coast League , state=collapsed Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Florida Baseball teams established in 1972 1972 establishments in Florida 1972 disestablishments in Florida Melbourne, Florida Baseball teams disestablished in 1972 Florida East Coast League teams