by Jeffrey Jason Hill

Created on: July 18, 2008

They never say die. Sketch a gritty picture of loud crowds and white towels, a man whose home runs are second only to Babe Ruth in American League history, and the best home field advantage in the modern era; throw in a 1-0 win in the bottom of the 10th in Game 7 of the World Series for their second ever World Championship-and you have a portrait of the Minnesota Twins.

Adults of a certain age and hardcore fans everywhere know the rest. How sweet it was. When four years earlier the Minnesota Twins had earned their first trip back to the World Series in 22 years in 1987. They faced the heavily-favored St. Louis Cardinals. No team in the history of baseball with as bad a regular season record as the Minnesota Twins had ever made it as far as the World Series. They were a dismal 85-77.

How'd they do it? Three words - Metrodome. There's been some kind of home cooking in that place since they moved there in 1982. Just as they had done 22 years earlier, the Twins had home field advantage but lost 3 games on the road and limped back home on the brink down 3-2. After falling behind 5-2 in Game 6, Don Baylor sparked a 4-run 5th making it 6-5 Twins, and then the Twins put it away next inning when Kent Hrbek hit a Grand Slam, forcing a decisive Game 7. This time with ace Frank Viola pitching and closer Jeff Reardon, the Twins didn't miss - they captured their first World Championship.

It was the culmination of 27 years of effort by Calvin Griffith (though he no longer owned the team), ever since he'd moved his Washington Senators to the Twin Cities following the 1960 season and renamed them the Minnesota Twins. Griffith gave a young Billy Martin his first managing job. When he was asked about it, he replied amiably, "He'll either be the best manager in baseball - or the worst."

But oh did Griffith bring a nucleus of talent with him. With names like Harmon Killebrew and Bobby Allison, Camilo Pascual and Jim Lemon, Minnesota defeated the New York Yankees 6-0 in their first game as the Twins for their first victory. But they ended up 7th-place that season.

As quickly as 1965 it all paid off with the Twins' first trip to the World Series. It happened even though Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, who went on to hit 573 home runs to place him ninth on the all-time list, had missed a lot of time due to injuries. And the Twins had the distinct misfortune to have to face Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, who boasted one of the best rotations

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