The Minnesota Twins lost to the New York Yankees in the 2019 ALDS. This is nothing new. Since 2003, the Twins and Yankees have played six times in the playoffs: five ALDS and the 2017 AL Wild Card game.
The Twins are 2-16 against the Yankees in the postseason. They have lost 13 straight to the Yankees, last winning Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS.
As a whole, the Twins are 6-25 in the playoffs since 2000, being swept in their last four trips to the ALDS. They have somehow lost a staggering 16 consecutive playoff games (13 to the Yankees and three to the Athletics). This run of ineptitude is unprecedented in MLB history, and only the mid-1970s Chicago Blackhawks have lost 16 straight playoff games.
After 2004 AL Cy Young Award Winner Johan Santana defeated the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS, hopes were high for the Twins. They had (arguably) the best pitcher on the planet in Santana, and they had a fairly decent roster led by All-Star Torii Hunter. The Twins lost their next three games.
In 2006, the Twins were even better as Santana won the AL Triple Crown and his second AL Cy Young. For the batting corps, the Twins featured an elite quartet of hitters including 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau, future MVP Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter, and Michael Cuddyer. The Athletics, however, quickly ended the Twins’ playoff run, sweeping them before being swept by the Tigers in the ALCS.
After a two-year hiatus and a clutch Game 163 win over the Tigers, the Twins returned to the playoffs. The Twins had 2009 MVP Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer on the squad while the likes of Jason Kubel and Denard Span were invaluable pieces to the team. The staff no longer featured Santana, but they had a plethora of solid pitching options including Scott Baker. At the back end of the bullpen, the Twins had Joe Nathan, a six-time All-Star.
Did it matter?
No; the Yankees routed the Twins en route to their 27th World Series trophy.
The 2010 version of the Twins was much improved compared to the 2009 version. While Mauer slipped a little bit from his 2009 MVP campaign, the slack was picked up by the pitching staff with the likes of Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano having good seasons. Justin Morneau and Jim Thome were excellent, but they only played about half of the season each. What was the Twins’ reward for having a 94-win season? A sweep by the Yankees.
The Twins fell off in 2011, losing 99 games. Between 2012 and 2016, Minnesota had four 90-loss seasons including a 103-loss 2016 season. However, 2017 would be different.
Joe Mauer was up to his usual tricks, batting over .300 and posting an above-average OPS. The infield had two legitimate power bats in Brian Dozier (34) and Miguel Sano (28). In the outfield, the trio of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, and Max Kepler played well. In the pitching corps, Ervin Santana had the second-lowest ERA of his career, winning 16 games and being named an All-Star. The Twins were rewarded with a winner-take-all game in New York. After jumping out to a 3-0 after a pair of 1st inning home runs, the Twins were bashed 8-1 as the Yankees won their 10th straight playoff game over the Twins.
The 2018 Twins slumped to 78 wins, but the 2019 Twins would be the best unit since 1965, winning 101 games. Led by Nelson Cruz, the Twins hit an MLB-best number of home runs with 307, and they had 11 players hit at least 10. The Twins had stars all over the park as Cruz and Sano were joined by upstart shortstop Jorge Polanco, C.J. Cron, and Jonathan Schoop. Of the Twins’ top 14 players, 13 of them had above-average OPS. Not to be outdone, Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi held up the rotation as they combined for 29 wins and had strong ERA+ stats. The Twins were very strong offensively, finishing second in the AL in runs. However, the ALDS saw them matched up against the No. 1 offense in the AL, the New York Yankees. The Twins scored seven runs in three games, and they were subsequently swept.
Since 2004, the Twins have hosted their fair share of all-time great pitchers in Johan Santana and Joe Nathan, and they had a pair of MVPs and countless All-Stars on the offensive end such as Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Nelson Cruz, and Torii Hunter.
The Twins assembled a dynamic team. What was their prize?
17 playoff games. 16 playoff losses. 13 losses to the Yankees.
