1969 Minnesota Twins
American League West Champions
Major League affiliations
American League (since 1901)
Western Division (since 1969)
Location
Metropolitan Stadium (since 1961)
Bloomington, Minnesota (since 1961)
Other information
Owner(s)	Calvin Griffith (majority owner, with Thelma Griffith Haynes)
General manager(s)	Calvin Griffith
Manager(s)	Billy Martin
Local television	WTCN-TV
Local radio	830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, Halsey Hall, Merle Harmon)
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Led by new manager Billy Martin, the 1969 Minnesota Twins won the newly formed American League West with a 97–65 record, nine games over the second-place Oakland Athletics. The Twins were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the first American League Championship Series.

Regular season[edit]

In the first year of divisional play, the Twins won the American League West, led by Rod Carew (.332, his first batting title), Tony Oliva (.309, 24 HR, 101 RBI) and league MVP Harmon Killebrew (49 HR, 140 RBI – both league-leading totals). Carew stole home 7 times. Leadoff batter César Tovar was third in the AL with 45 stolen bases. Jim Perry and Dave Boswell won 20 games. Reliever Ron Perranoski became the first Twin to lead the AL in saves with 31. Pitcher Jim Kaat won his 8th Gold Glove Award.

Four Twins made the All-Star Game: first baseman Killebrew, second baseman Carew, outfielder Oliva, and catcher Johnny Roseboro. Harmon Killebrew became the second Twin to be named American League Most Valuable Player.

1,349,328 fans attended Twins games, the third highest total in the American League.

Season standings[edit]

AL West	W	L	GB	Pct.
Minnesota Twins	97	65	--	.599
Oakland Athletics	88	74	9.0	.543
California Angels	71	91	26.0	.438
Kansas City Royals	69	93	28.0	.426
Chicago White Sox	68	94	29.0	.420
Seattle Pilots	64	98	33.0	.395

Record vs. opponents[edit]

1969 American League Records Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	WSH
Baltimore	—	10–8	6–6	9–3	13–5	11–7	11–1	8–4	11–7	8–4	9–3	13–5
Boston	8–10	—	8–4	5–7	12–6	10–8	10–2	7–5	11–7	4–8	6–6	6–12
California	6–6	4–8	—	9–9	8–4	5–7	9–9	7–11	3–9	6–12	9–9–1	5–7
Chicago	3–9	7–5	9–9	—	8–4	3–9	8–10	5–13	3–9	8–10	10–8	4–8
Cleveland	5–13	6–12	4–8	4–8	—	7–11	7–5	5–7	9–8	5–7	7–5	3–15
Detroit	7–11	8–10	7–5	9–3	11–7	—	8–4	6–6	10–8	7–5	10–2	7–11
Kansas City	1–11	2–10	9–9	10–8	5–7	4–8	—	8–10	5–7–1	8–10	10–8	7–5
Minnesota	4–8	5–7	11–7	13–5	7–5	6–6	10–8	—	10–2	13–5	12–6	6–6
New York	7–11	7–11	9–3	9–3	8–9	8–10	7–5–1	2–10	—	6–6	7–5	10–8
Oakland	4–8	8–4	12–6	10–8	7–5	5–7	10–8	5–13	6–6	—	13–5	8–4
Seattle	3–9	6–6	9–9–1	8–10	5–7	2–10	8–10	6–12	5–7	5–13	—	7–5
Washington	5–13	12–6	7–5	8–4	15–3	11–7	5–7	6–6	8–10	4–8	5–7	—

Notable transactions[edit]

• June 5, 1969: 1969 Major League Baseball Draft
  • Bert Blyleven was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round.^[1]
  • Jim Hughes was drafted by the Twins in the 33rd round.^[2]

Roster[edit]

1969 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers 23 Dave Boswell 24 Bucky Brandon 32 Dean Chance 27 Jerry Crider 17 Joe Grzenda 21 Tom Hall 36 Jim Kaat 49 Bob Miller 27 Danny Morris 16 Ron Perranoski 31 Jim Perry 27 Charlie Walters 18 Dick Woodson 19 Al Worthington 25 Bill Zepp		Catchers  8 Rick Dempsey 15 George Mitterwald 13 Johnny Roseboro 22 Tom Tischinski Infielders  5 Leo Cárdenas 29 Rod Carew  8 Ron Clark  3 Harmon Killebrew 34 Cotton Nash  7 Frank Quilici 20 Rich Reese 10 Rick Renick		Outfielders  4 Bob Allison 28 Herman Hill 26 Jim Holt  9 Charlie Manuel  2 Graig Nettles  6 Tony Oliva 12 César Tovar 11 Ted Uhlaender Other batters  2 Frank Kostro		Manager  1 Billy Martin Coaches 43 Art Fowler 45 Johnny Goryl 44 Vern Morgan 46 Charlie Silvera 47 Early Wynn

Player stats[edit]

= Indicates team leader

Batting[edit]

Starters by position[edit]

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Roseboro, JohnnyJohnny Roseboro	115	361	95	.263	3	32
2B	Carew, RodRod Carew	123	458	152	.332	8	56
3B	Killebrew, HarmonHarmon Killebrew	162	555	153	.276	49	140
SS	Cárdenas, LeoLeo Cárdenas	160	578	162	.280	10	70
RF	Oliva, TonyTony Oliva	153	637	197	.309	24	101

Other batters[edit]

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Tovar, CésarCésar Tovar	158	535	154	.288	11	52
Holt, JimJim Holt	12	14	5	.357	1	2
Clark, RonRon Clark	5	8	1	.125	0	0

Pitching[edit]

Starting pitchers[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Perry, JimJim Perry	46	261.2	20	6	2.82	153
Boswell, DaveDave Boswell	39	256.1	20	12	3.23	190
Kaat, JimJim Kaat	40	242.1	14	13	3.49	139
Chance, DeanDean Chance	20	88.1	5	4	2.95	50

Other pitchers[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Miller, BobBob Miller	48	119.1	5	5	3.02	57

Relief pitchers[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Perranoski, RonRon Perranoski	75	9	10	31	2.11	62
Brandon, BuckyBucky Brandon	3	0	0	0	2.70	1

Postseason[edit]

The Twins were swept 3–0 by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 American League Championship Series.

Awards and honors[edit]

• Harmon Killebrew, Third Base, American League MVP

Farm system[edit]

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Denver Bears	American Association	Don Heffner
AA	Charlotte Hornets	Southern League	Ralph Rowe
A	Red Springs Twins	Carolina League	Tom Umphlett
A	Orlando Twins	Florida State League	Harry Warner
A	Wisconsin Rapids Twins	Midwest League	Tom Videtich
Short-Season A	Auburn Twins	New York-Penn League	Steve Thornton
Short-Season A	St. Cloud Rox	Northern League	Jim Merrick
Rookie	GCL Twins	Gulf Coast League	Fred Waters

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Charlotte

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

• Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
• Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com
• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3. 

American League West champions 1969: Minnesota Twins  1970: Minnesota Twins  1971: Oakland Athletics 1972: Oakland Athletics  1973: Oakland Athletics  1974: Oakland Athletics  1975: Oakland Athletics  1976: Kansas City Royals 1977: Kansas City Royals  1978: Kansas City Royals  1979: California Angels  1980: Kansas City Royals  1981: Oakland Athletics 1982: California Angels  1983: Chicago White Sox  1984: Kansas City Royals  1985: Kansas City Royals  1986: California Angels 1987: Minnesota Twins  1988: Oakland Athletics  1989: Oakland Athletics  1990: Oakland Athletics  1991: Minnesota Twins 1992: Oakland Athletics  1993: Chicago White Sox  1994: No champion 1995: Seattle Mariners  1996: Texas Rangers 1997: Seattle Mariners  1998: Texas Rangers  1999: Texas Rangers  2000: Oakland Athletics  2001: Seattle Mariners  2002: Oakland Athletics  2003: Oakland Athletics  2004: Anaheim Angels  2005: Los Angeles Angels  2006: Oakland Athletics  2007: Los Angeles Angels  2008: Los Angeles Angels  2009: Los Angeles Angels  2010: Texas Rangers  2011: Texas Rangers  2012: Oakland Athletics  2013: Oakland Athletics  2014: Los Angeles Angels  2015: Texas Rangers

1969 MLB season by team AL East Baltimore Boston Cleveland Detroit New York Washington AL West California Chicago Kansas City Minnesota Oakland Seattle NL East Chicago Montréal New York Philadelphia Pittsburgh St. Louis NL West Atlanta Cincinnati Houston Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco 1969 MLB draft 1969 All-Star Game 1969 World Series

1969 Major League Baseball postseason World Series American League Championship Series National League Championship Series American League teams Baltimore Orioles Minnesota Twins National League teams Atlanta Braves New York Mets

Minnesota Twins Formerly the Washington Nationals and the Washington Senators Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Twin Cities) Franchise Franchise history in Washington Seasons Records No-hitters Players Managers Owners and executives Broadcasters First-round draft picks Opening Day starting pitchers Ballparks American League Park National Park Griffith Stadium Metropolitan Stadium Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Target Field Spring Training: Plant Field Tinker Field Hammond Stadium Culture Homer Hanky Little Big League Major League: Back to the Minors Continental League "The Piranhas" AL Central tie-breaker games 2008 2009 Damn Yankees musical film The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant Important figures Senators Hall of Famers Herb Carneal Goose Goslin Bucky Harris Walter Johnson Arch McDonald Sam Rice Wall of Fame members Rick Aguilera Bob Allison Earl Battey Bert Blyleven George Brophy Rod Carew Bob Casey Gary Gaetti Calvin Griffith Kent Hrbek Jim Kaat Tom Kelly Harmon Killebrew Tony Oliva Carl Pohlad Kirby Puckett Brad Radke Jim Rantz Zoilo Versalles Frank Viola World Series Championships (3) 1924 1987 1991 Pennants (6) American League: 1924 1925 1933 1965 1987 1991 Division titles (10) West 1969 1970 1987 1991 Central 2002 2003 2004 2006 2009 2010   Seasons (116) 1900s 1900 . 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016