The uniform is meant to evoke "the period of Rod Carew batting championships and Bert Blyleven curveballs, through to the early days of Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, and Kirby Puckett," according to the Twins in a news release. The uniforms feature a white ball cap with red letters that spell out "Twins"; a red jersey with white pinstripes; and red-and-white shoes.
The team launched with a logo of two baseballs connected by a string with "MINNESOTA" written on it in blue. This logo was used from 1972 to 1974. From 1950 to 1971, the Twins didn't have a name until after their last game in April 1973 when they voted to change the name of the team from the St. Louis Browns to the Twins.
After the 1974 season, the Red Wings moved to Minneapolis where they remain today. The Twins played their first game at Metropolitan Stadium on April 14, 1973, against the Chicago White Sox. They lost 1-0. The final game of the season was also the finale for the Red Wings, who were eliminated from playoff contention. Ken Harrelson scored the only run of the game on an error by third baseman Dave Cash in the ninth inning.
The Twins made several changes to their uniform set before the 1975 season began. They dropped the red pinstriped jerseys in favor of gray ones with red trim.
The team was renamed the Twins and rapidly became a contender in their new home, going to the World Series in 1965, with outfielder Tony Oliva and pitcher Jim Kaat joining Killebrew as team stars. Rod Carew, the eventual seven-time American League hitting champion, was signed by Minnesota in 1967. He helped the club reach the postseason in each of his first six seasons with the team, finishing second in the AL MVP voting each year except one (1969). After losing in five games to Detroit in the 1968 ALCS, Carew led the Twins to the World Series for the first time ever, where they faced Boston in what is still considered one of the best World Series ever. The Twins lost the series in four games.
Other notable players include Hall of Famers Frank Robinson and Bert Blyleven, who both played for the Twins during its early years; Jeff Reardon, who had a 20-year career as a starter for the team from 1979 to 1998; and Joe Mauer, who has become one of the most popular players in the team's history and is considered one of the best catchers in baseball today. The Twins have won more than 100 games three times, most recently in 2001 when they finished first in their division for the first time since 1987. They also made the playoffs that year but were defeated by Oakland in the Division Series.
Between 1961 until 1975, The logo was altered when the franchise was called "Minnesota Twins." Ray Barton designed the classic picture of Twins "Minnie" and "Paul" wearing baseball jerseys with the letters of Minneapolis and St. Paul. After they were sold to another corporation, they were removed from the uniforms in 1981.
In 1992, Minnie and Paul were brought back when Gene Budig redesigned the team logo. It was during this time that Gopher brand peanuts became the primary sponsor of the team.
Minneapolis entrepreneur Carl Gunderson was the first owner of the Minnesota Twins. He bought the rights to the name and team from the New York Yankees for $750,000 in January 1960. The club entered the American League as a second-division team in 1961. They moved up to first division status in 1962 after finishing first in the AL standings. The Twins have never finished last since they began playing ball in 1961.
Gunderson sold the team to Stanley M. Roush for $2.1 million in 1965. Under Roush, who also owned the Detroit Tigers at the time, the Twins' success increased greatly. In 1970, he sold the team for $3.5 million to Elton "Bud" Selig who had just bought the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Washington Senators were established in 1901 in Washington, D.C. At the start of the 1961 season, the franchise relocated to Minnesota and was renamed the "Minnesota Twins." From 1961 to 1981, the Twins played in Metropolitan Stadium, then from 1982 to 2009, they played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. In 2010, they moved into Target Field.
The Twins won their first game on April 14, 1961, against the Chicago White Sox with Bill Mazeroski hitting a home run in his first at-bat. The team's first full season was 1961, when they finished in third place with a 72-80 record. They had two more winning seasons (1962 and 1963) before being defeated in the first round of the American League playoffs each year by the Cleveland Indians.
In 1964, the Twins made their first playoff appearance but lost to the Boston Red Sox in four games. After three more losing seasons, including 1967 in which they finished in last place with a 42-100 record, owner Charles O. Finley decided to rebuild the team by trading away most of its top players. He replaced them with younger players who were expected to help him move up in the league standings. The new strategy worked; from 1969 to 1971, the Twins went from last to first in the AL West. They also made it to the World Series for the first time in 1972 but were defeated by the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games.
Take note of the Twins reliever. In the MLB The Show Players League, Trevor May competes against four other major leaguers. The Twins' Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker, and Luke Raley are at their first major league camp. Swoosh! Swoosh Get your hands on the brand-new Twins jerseys for 2020! The new 2020 jerseys have arrived! Let's take a look at them:
The new jersey is designed by Ganni and made in Japan. It features an innovative fabric called "Apex", which is 20% polyester and 80% cotton. This material is lightweight and durable while looking great on the field or in the stands.
In addition to the new jersey, some minor changes have been made to the equipment as well. The batting helmet now has a white base with black trim instead of just black. The ball is still black with white writing but now has a red dot in its center instead of just a circle.
Finally, the pitcher's mitt has been redesigned. Now it has a webbing design around the fingers and palm to provide better grip when throwing pitches.
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