1961 Minnesota Twins

From BR Bullpen

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1961 Minnesota Twins / Franchise: Minnesota Twins / BR Team Page[edit]

Record: 70-90, Finished 7th in American League (1961 AL)

Managed by Cookie Lavagetto (23-36) and Sam Mele (47-54)

Coaches: Floyd Baker, Eddie Lopat, Clyde McCullough and Sam Mele

Ballpark: Metropolitan Stadium

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 1961 Minnesota Twins were the first edition of the team to play in the Twin Cities, having relocated from the Nation's Capital in the off-season. The had played there as the Washington Senators in 1960 and were replaced there by a "new" version of the team, created through expansion.

While the Senators had built a reputation for ineptitude over recent decades, they had actually begun to show some promise in their last couple of seasons in Washington, with youngsters like Harmon Killebrew and Camilo Pascual being named to the All-Star team, OFs Albie Pearson and Bob Allison winning the Rookie of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons, and promising young lefty Jim Kaat getting his first taste of the majors. These players, except for Pearson, would form the core of a very good team that would hover near the top of the American League standings for most of the 1960s. The 1961 Twins weren't quite there yet, as their 7th place finish, just half a game ahead of the expansion Los Angeles Angels demonstrates. The supporting cast for the foundation was still to be assembled, but the Senators had quietly gone from having one of the worst farm systems in baseball to one of the best, and they would soon produce the support players - along with a few other stars - needed to turn the Twins into a winner.

Awards and Honors[edit]

Standings[edit]

American League W L Pct. GB
New York Yankees 109 53 .673 --
Detroit Tigers 101 61 .623 8
Baltimore Orioles 95 67 .623 14
Chicago White Sox 86 76 .531 23
Cleveland Indians 78 83 .484 30.5
Boston Red Sox 76 86 .469 33
Minnesota Twins 70 90 .438 38
Los Angeles Angels 70 91 .435 38.5
Kansas City Athletics 61 100 .379 47.5
Washington Senators 61 100 .379 47.5