The 2014 Minnesota Twins season was the 54th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 114th overall in the American League. They were the host team for the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. They finished last in the AL Central with a 70â€"92 record.
Spring training
The Twins recorded a 9â€"16 winâ€"loss record in pre-season spring training, the worst among American League teams. Three of their games finished tied and were therefore not included in the standings.
Regular season
On July 15, the 85th edition of the Mid-Summer Classic returned to the Twin Cities. Previous All-Star games were held at Metropolitan Stadium (1965) and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1984). Twins Glen Perkins and Kurt Suzukiâ€"in his first All-Star appearanceâ€"represented the hometown team. The battery-mates were called into action for the ninth, and closed down the National League All-Stars on nine pitches for a 5â€"3 AL win. Perkins, a two-time All-Star, earned the save.
On August 20, second baseman Brian Dozier joined the Twins '20/20' club, adding his name to the four others that have connected for twenty homers in the same season they've stolen twenty bases. The small club includes Larry Hisle (1977), Kirby Puckett (1986), Marty Cordova (1995), Corey Koskie (2001) and Torii Hunter (twice, 2002 and 2004).
The August 24 game against Detroit was the longest Minnesota 9-inning game in history, in terms of time. The Sunday afternoon game at Target Field ran 4 hours and 10 minutes, and resulted in a 13-4 win for the Tigers.
In the first game of the September 13 doubleheader, starter Phil Hughes set a personal best in striking out eleven Chicago batters before being replaced in the eighth inning. (It had been 379 games since a Twin had posted double-digit strikeouts.) Michael Tonkin struck out another in the eighth. The three White Sox pitchers struck out 17 Twins, and the combined total of 29 strikeouts set a Minnesota record for a nine-inning game involving the Twins.
Phil Hughes' contract called for a $500,000 bonus if he reached 210 innings pitched. On September 24, he pitched 8 innings before an hour-long rain delay. Ron Gardenhire replaced him with a fresh pitcher when play resumedâ€"and Hughes' inning tally halted at 209â…". He declined to be inserted in a later game to achieve one more out.
At season's end, Phil Hughes' strikeout-to-walk ratio (186:16) measured at 11.63 to 1. That number is the best-ever in the major leagues, topping the previous best of 143:13 set by Bret Saberhagen in 1984.
On September 29, Ron Gardenhire was fired. In his 13-year tenure as Twins manager he went 1068â€"1039, for a .507 winning percentage. The legacy he leaves includes the many memories of him being ejected from a game, enough times to rank in Major League's top ten (but far behind Bobby Cox's recorded 132 times).
Native son Paul Molitor was hired on November 3 to replace Gardenhire, becoming the Twins' thirteenth skipper. Molitor was born and raised in Saint Paul, attended the University of Minnesota and spent most of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. He finished his playing career with three seasons in the 1990s as a Minnesota Twin, and coached and consulted in the organization since retiring. In 2004, he was voted into the Hall of Fame, so with his hiring he joins the only two other men who've been hired as first-time managers after being inducted in the Hall as players -- Ted Williams and Ryne Sandburg.
Season standings
American League Central
American League Wild Card
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Roster
Player stats
Batting
Pitching
Other post-season awards
- Calvin R. Griffith Award (Most Valuable Twin) â€" Phil Hughes
- Joseph W. Haynes Award (Twins Pitcher of the Year) â€" Phil Hughes
- Bill Boni Award (Twins Outstanding Rookie) â€" Danny Santana
- Charles O. Johnson Award (Most Improved Twin) â€" Eduardo Escobar
- Jim Kaat Award (Defensive Player of the Year) â€" Brian Dozier
- Dick Siebert Award (Upper Midwest Player of the Year) â€" Pat Neshek
- Bob Allison Award (Leadership Award) â€" Kurt Suzuki
- Mike Augustin Award ("Media Good Guy" Award) â€" Ron Gardenhire
- The above awards are voted on by the Twin Cities chapter of the BBWAA
- Carl R. Pohlad Award (Outstanding Community Service) â€" Brian Duensing
- Sherry Robertson Award (Twins Outstanding Farm System Position Player) â€" Kennys Vargas
- Jim Rantz Award (Twins Outstanding Farm System Pitcher) â€" José BerrÃos
- Kirby Puckett Award (Alumni Community Service) â€" Jim Kaat
- Herb Carneal Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) â€" none
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Fort Myers
References
External links
- Baseball Reference