Editing Minnesota Twins (section)

====1980s–90s====
[[File:Minnesota Twins Armed Services Appreciation Day game 2009-07-05 3.JPG|thumb|250px|Interior of the [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome|Metrodome]]]]
In [[1982 Minnesota Twins season|1982]], the Twins moved into the [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]] in [[downtown Minneapolis]], which they shared with the [[Minnesota Vikings]]. After a 16–54 start, the Twins were on the verge on becoming the worst team in MLB history. They turned the season around somewhat, but still lost 102 games, finishing with what is currently the second-worst record in Twins history (beaten only by the 2016 team, which lost 103 games), despite the .301 average, 23 homers and 92 RBI from rookie [[Kent Hrbek]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hrbek-001ken |title=Kent Hrbek |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |access-date=April 22, 2011 |archive-date=November 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110222312/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA198108240.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> It was during the 1982 season that the Twins' nickname of "Twinkies" truly solidified, a nickname that would haunt them through their World Series years and sneak back into the conversation during the 1990s and 2010s slumps. In 1984, Griffith sold the Twins to multi-billionaire banker/financier [[Carl Pohlad]]. Pohlad beat a larger offer by New York businessman [[Donald Trump]] by promising to keep the club in Minnesota.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Donald Trump had the top bid on the Minnesota Twins in 1984 but lost| date=May 19, 2016 |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/donald-trump-had-the-top-bid-on-the-minnesota-twins-in-1984-but-lost/#:~:text=As%20noted%20on%20startribune.com,Pohlad%20for%20roughly%20%2436%20million.|access-date=February 27, 2021|archive-date=June 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618131436/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/donald-trump-had-the-top-bid-on-the-minnesota-twins-in-1984-but-lost/#:~:text=As%20noted%20on%20startribune.com,Pohlad%20for%20roughly%20%2436%20million.|url-status=live}}</ref> The Metrodome hosted the [[1985 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]]. After several losing seasons, the [[1987 Minnesota Twins season|1987 team]], led by Hrbek, [[Gary Gaetti]], [[Frank Viola]] ([[Cy Young Award|A.L. Cy Young]] winner in [[1988 Minnesota Twins season|1988]]), [[Bert Blyleven]], [[Jeff Reardon]], [[Tom Brunansky]], [[Dan Gladden]], and rising star [[Kirby Puckett]], returned to the World Series after defeating the favored [[1987 Detroit Tigers season|Detroit Tigers]] in the [[1987 American League Championship Series|ALCS]], 4 games to 1. [[Tom Kelly (baseball)|Tom Kelly]] managed the Twins to World Series victories over the [[1987 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] in [[1987 World Series|1987]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1987ws.shtml |title=1987 World Series by Baseball Almanac |publisher=Baseball-almanac.com |access-date=August 14, 2012 |archive-date=June 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615040904/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1987ws.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1987_WS.shtml |title=1987 World Series – Minnesota Twins over St. Louis Cardinals (4–3) |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-date=December 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217064254/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1987_WS.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[1991 Atlanta Braves season|Atlanta Braves]] in [[1991 World Series|1991]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1991ws.shtml |title=1991 World Series by Baseball Almanac |publisher=Baseball-almanac.com |access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312145319/https://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1991ws.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The 1988 Twins were the first team in American League history to draw more than 3&nbsp;million fans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/history/timeline3.jsp|title=Twins Timeline|work=Minnesota Twins|access-date=April 24, 2016|archive-date=January 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120222341/http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/history/timeline3.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref> On July 17, 1990, the Twins became the only team in major league history to pull off two triple plays in the same game.  Twins' pitcher and Minnesota native [[Jack Morris]] was the star of the series in 1991, going 2–0 in his three starts with a 1.17 ERA.<ref>{{cite news|last=Caple|first=Jim|title=1991 World Series had it all|url=https://www.espn.com/classic/s/1991_series_caple.html|newspaper=ESPN|date=November 19, 2003|access-date=February 1, 2007|archive-date=November 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111151410/http://espn.go.com/classic/s/1991_series_caple.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[1991 Minnesota Twins season|1991]] also marked the first time that any team that finished in last place in their division would advance to the World Series the following season; both the Twins and the Braves did this in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.braves101.com/2011/10/15/worst-to-first-looking-back-on-the-miracle-season-of-the-1991-atlanta-braves/ |title=Worst to First: Looking Back on the Miracle Season of the 1991 Atlanta Braves {{pipe}} Braves 101 {{pipe}} Sports Media 101 |publisher=Braves 101 |access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-date=July 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731203747/http://www.braves101.com/2011/10/15/worst-to-first-looking-back-on-the-miracle-season-of-the-1991-atlanta-braves/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Contributors to the 1991 Twins' improvement from 74 wins to 95 included [[Chuck Knoblauch]], the [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year|A.L. Rookie of the Year]]; [[Scott Erickson]], 20-game winner; new closer [[Rick Aguilera]] and new designated hitter [[Chili Davis]].
[[File:President Reagan and 1987 Twins.png|thumb|left|upright=1.15|President [[Ronald Reagan]] congratulates the Twins winning the [[1987 World Series]]]]
The World Series in 1991 is regarded by many as one of the classics of all time. In this Series, four games were won during the teams' final at-bat, and three of these were in extra innings. The Atlanta Braves won all three of their games in Atlanta, and the Twins won all four of their games in Minnesota. Up until then, it was the second time in MLB history when a team won all its home games on their way to winning the World Series. The Twins also did it in 1987. The sixth game was a legendary one for Puckett, who tripled in a run, made a sensational leaping catch against the wall, and finally in the 11th inning hit the game-winning home run. Before Puckett's home run, the Braves brought in Charlie Leibrandt to face him. Chili Davis was on-deck. Puckett told Davis he was going to bunt, and Davis was going to win the game. Davis told him he was going to sit on Leibrandt's change-up and send everyone home. The seventh game was tied 0–0 after the regulation nine innings, and marked only the second time that the seventh game of the World Series had ever gone into extra innings. The Twins won on a walk-off RBI single by [[Gene Larkin]] in the bottom of the 10th inning, after Morris had pitched ten shutout innings against the Braves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pitchinglogs.php?p=morrija02&y=1991 |title=Jack Morris 1991 Game by Game Pitching Logs |publisher=Baseball-almanac.com |access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-date=December 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230151112/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pitchinglogs.php?p=morrija02&y=1991 |url-status=live }}</ref> The seventh game of the [[1991 World Series]] is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the history of professional baseball.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/8067627/the-top-25-single-game-performances-mlb-postseason-history |title=The top 25 single-game performances in MLB postseason history – ESPN |publisher=ESPN |date=June 20, 2012 |access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-date=August 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819143721/http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8067627/the-top-25-single-game-performances-mlb-postseason-history |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/network/games_airdates/ |title=MLB's 20 Greatest Games {{pipe}} MLB Network: Network |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127022518/http://mlb.mlb.com/network/games_airdates/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/28/sports/world-series-sports-of-the-times-game-7-was-a-gift-from-above.html | work=The New York Times | first=Ira | last=Berkow | title=WORLD SERIES: SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Game 7 Was a Gift From Above | date=October 28, 1991 | access-date=February 11, 2017 | archive-date=March 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306143817/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/28/sports/world-series-sports-of-the-times-game-7-was-a-gift-from-above.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

After a winning season in [[1992 Minnesota Twins season|1992]] but falling short of [[1992 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland]] in the division, the Twins fell into a years-long stretch of mediocrity, posting a losing record each season for the next eight: 71–91 in 1993, 50–63 in 1994, 56–88 in 1995, 78–84 in 1996, 68–94 in 1997, 70–92 in 1998, 63–97 in 1999 and 69–93 in 2000. From 1994 to 1997, a long sequence of retirements and injuries hurt the team badly, and Tom Kelly spent the remainder of his managerial career attempting to rebuild the Twins. In 1997, owner Carl Pohlad almost sold the Twins to [[North Carolina]] businessman Don Beaver, who would have moved the team to the [[Piedmont Triad]] area.<ref>[http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/34814 Twins Meet Don Beaver: He Inks Letter of Intent to Buy Team] Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily</ref><ref>[https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/1999/05/03/tidbits.html Was baseball deal charade? 'Well, sort of'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526103654/https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/1999/05/03/tidbits.html |date=May 26, 2019 }} – Justin Catanoso, Triad Business Journal, May 3, 1999</ref>

Puckett was forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye from a [[central retinal vein occlusion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/11692616.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017134645/http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/11692616.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 17, 2012 |title=Kirby says goodbye |author=Jim Souhan |publisher=StarTribune |date=March 27, 1998 |access-date=July 17, 2011 }}</ref> The [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|1989 A.L. batting champion]], he retired as the Twins' all-time leader in career [[hit (baseball)|hits]], [[run (baseball)|runs]], [[double (baseball)|doubles]], and [[total bases]]. At the time of his retirement, his .318 career [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] was the highest by any right-handed [[American League]] batter since [[Joe DiMaggio]]. Puckett was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first 10 full calendar years. He was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2001|2001]], his first year of eligibility.