This Week In Baseball History - Episode 21: The Twins Become the Worst World Champions

Dantes929 · October 25, 2017

If you look at their pitching staff and their individual and collective stats and the fact that they were outscored by 20 runs during the regular season. You see that Viola and Berenguer were the only two pitchers with ERAs below 4, their team ERA of 4.63 was 11th in the AL and the offense actually scored below the league average it will be hard to come up with a worse WS winner.

However, do you know what they call the worst team to win a World Series?

Answer. World Series Champion

dgwills · October 25, 2017

I was 9 as well in 1987 and that season turned me into a lifelong baseball fan. Have to make one correction to the podcast though. It was stated that the Gophers football team has been bad since the 1920's. They actually won 6 national titles after that. Not that they haven't been bad for 2 generations.

tarheeltwinsfan · October 25, 2017

Mark Davidson, the 4th outfielder, on the 87 Twins is from my hometown, Statesville, NC. In July 1987 Mark invited me to Minneapolis to see a 4 game series with Oakland. When the Oakland Athletics arrived they were tied with the Twins for first place. 4 days later the Athletics left town 4 games behind the Twins. It was the best 4 days of my life! I got to sit with the Twins' family members at the games and to meet Harmon Killebrew, Wally the Beer Man and Tony Oliva and other Twins' greats because it was the Equitable Old Timers game that weekend also. Friends, it just doesn't get any better than that.

MikeBates · October 25, 2017

Fantastic story and I'm sure it was an awesome experience. Every time I was lucky enough to be around Harmon, he was so warm and present. Alas, Wally got popped for serving underage fans a few years back and is an ex-beer man now.

Seth Stohs · October 25, 2017

Mark Davidson, the 4th outfielder, on the 87 Twins is from my hometown, Statesville, NC. In July 1987 Mark invited me to Minneapolis to see a 4 game series with Oakland. When the Oakland Athletics arrived they were tied with the Twins for first place. 4 days later the Athletics left town 4 games behind the Twins. It was the best 4 days of my life! I got to sit with the Twins' family members at the games and to meet Harmon Killebrew, Wally the Beer Man and Tony Oliva and other Twins' greats because it was the Equitable Old Timers game that weekend also. Friends, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Baseball America had a nice story about him. He became a graduate assistant at Clemson, where his son is playing (and apparently a decent prospect). Here's the article...

http://www.baseballamerica.com/columnists/now-mark-davidson/?utm_content=buffera97b6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#gLVvB8HPdXtKkPtm.97

mikelink45 · October 25, 2017

There is no worst, there are only winners and losers

Seth Stohs · October 26, 2017

Fantastic story and I'm sure it was an awesome experience. Every time I was lucky enough to be around Harmon, he was so warm and present. Alas, Wally got popped for serving underage fans a few years back and is an ex-beer man now.

Though he was prominent at a Twins Daily pub crawl a couple of years ago, taking pictures with Twins Daily fans!!

TwinsWonWithHunter · October 26, 2017

Lost to the mists of time: the Twins clinched at 85-72, with 7 games to play. They then mailed in the last 5 and finished 85-77. I have often wondered why those 5 losses seemingly account for so much in the "worst" champion debate. What if they had won all 5? Would we have this debate at all. Of course the '88 team was "better"--they won 91 games. And finished 13 GB! I'll take the '87 team every time, thank you very much

h2oface · October 27, 2017

Lost to the mists of time: the Twins clinched at 85-72, with 7 games to play. They then mailed in the last 5 and finished 85-77. I have often wondered why those 5 losses seemingly account for so much in the "worst" champion debate. What if they had won all 5? Would we have this debate at all. Of course the '88 team was "better"--they won 91 games. And finished 13 GB! I'll take the '87 team every time, thank you very much.

Even with the fuzzy math, this is so true.....

Of course, in 2006, the Cardinals (who were on the bottom end of the previous worst world series champions) became the "worst champion" ever, coming into the playoffs as the National League Central Champ at 83-78 (didn't even have to play 162 games and qualified) and took home the gold. Our Gardenhire led Twins were 96-66, won the Central on a furious September and a Tiger collapse down the stretch, but were swept by Oakland 3-0, even with the MVP, Cy Young, and Battling Title winners.

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This Week In Baseball History - Episode 21: The Twins Become the Worst World Champions

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How many games will the Minnesota Twins win in 2026?