by Lowell Frederick

Created on: July 25, 2008   Last Updated: September 23, 2011

Calvin Griffith, the president of the Washington Senators, made the decision to move his Major League Baseball franchise to the Minneapolis/St.Paul area in 1960. With this decision came the birth of the Minnesota Twins franchise. Considered one of the smaller market franchises, the Twins have had great success over their history. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been home to the Twins for almost five decades.

The mid- to early 1960s saw the Twins improve year after year. In addition, the first major league star of the Twins came into the limelight. His name was Tony Oliva. He won batting titles each of his first two seasons in a Twins uniform. The Twins also had a phenomenal power hitter in Harmon Killebrew. In 1965, Killebrew led the league in homers with 49. This was the fourth consecutive season that "Killer" Killebrew had 45 or more home runs. The tandem of Oliva and Killebrew would lead the Twins in their march to the top of the standings.

The 1965 team made it a banner year for the Twins organization. The team won its first American League pennant in Minnesota. This qualified them for a meeting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The Twins were defeated in seven games, but the Twin Cities had their first taste of success. In 1967 the Twins added another rookie to their arsenal when second baseman Rod Carew made his debut in the major leagues. Carew made the All-Star team and led the Twins in hitting in his initial season in the big leagues. At the end of the decade, the Twins made a managerial move. They hired Billy Martin as their manager, and in 1969 they clinched the American League West Division. The Twins went on to the American League Championship Series, but were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles.

In 1970 Bill Rigney skippered the Twins to another A.L. West Division championship. However, their arch rivals, the Orioles, defeated them for a second straight year. The Twins did not appear in another post season game in the 1970s. Attendance had dropped and key players were reaching the twilight of their careers. In 1974, future Hall of Famer Killebrew was traded to the Kansas City Royals. In addition, Oliva would retire in 1976. The Twins named Gene Mauch their new manager in 1975. Many changes had been made in the organization midway through the decade. Many new faces were on the field for the Twins, including their new superstar, Roy Smalley. He was a power-hitting shortstop who became

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