The Twins had high hopes heading into the 2009 season, the club's final year at the Metrodome.
Minnesota was preparing to say goodbye to a building that had housed so many memories since it opened in 1982, including the franchise's only two World Series championships, and the goal was to send off the Dome with one final postseason appearance.
But for much of the season, it looked like perhaps those high hopes would fall short.
The Twins teetered around the .500 mark for the majority of the year, as injuries and some disappointing performances kept the club from achieving its preseason expectations. However, all of that changed over a three-week span in September, in a stretch of baseball that will be hard for Twins fans to forget.
Having trailed as many as seven games behind the Tigers in early September, Minnesota rallied over the final three weeks to win 17 of its final 21 games, including a thrilling one-game tiebreaker for the American League Central with Detroit to give the Twins their fifth division title in eight seasons, providing at least one more lasting playoff memory under the Dome's Teflon roof.
The postseason might not have gone as the Twins had hoped after they were swept by the Yankees in the AL Division Series, but there is no doubt that 2009 was a year that many will never forget. And with the opening of Target Field right around the corner and the Twins set to return many of the same players from last season, the excitement and hopes for the 2010 season will certainly be high once again.
January:
The 2009 calendar year opened with the Twins saying goodbye to longtime owner Carl Pohlad, who passed away on Jan. 5 at the age of 93. More than 1,000 people gathered at The Basilica of St. Mary to pay their final respects to the man who had been at the helm of the organization for the past 25 years.
Joe Mauer informed Team USA early in the month that he would not take part in the World Baseball Classic after undergoing surgery in late December to eliminate a kidney obstruction. Mauer had the surgery in an effort to try to eliminate the back pain he had been experiencing the entire offseason. Unfortunately for Mauer, the true cause of his back problems wouldn't be discovered until Spring Training.
February:
It took until early February for the Twins to make their first free-agent signing of the winter. The club tried to boost its bullpen by signing veteran right-hander Luis Ayala to a one-year contract in hopes that he would give it another quality setup option. It was a pairing that proved to be unsuccessful as the Twins designated Ayala for assignment in late June, and he was claimed by the Marlins.
Spring Training was already under way when the Twins made their biggest acquisition of the winter. The club filled a huge hole at third base, inking third baseman Joe Crede to a one-year, $2.5 million contract that was filled with incentives due to questions surrounding his health. Crede was coming off his second back surgery in two years, but the Twins hoped he would show the same form that earned him an All-Star bid following a stellar first half in 2008.
The Twins had expected to use Spring Training to determine whether pitcher Boof Bonser was going to compete for a starting job or shift to the bullpen. The club didn't get a chance to determine that as Bonser underwent surgery in late February to repair tears in the labrum and rotator cuff of his right shoulder. Bonser would not pitch for the Twins again. After missing all of the 2009 season while rehabbing his shoulder, Bonser was traded to the Red Sox in December for a player to be named (Minor League pitcher Chris Province).
March:
Team USA lost another Twins player from its roster shortly before the World Baseball Classic was set to begin. Closer Joe Nathan pulled out of the event due to soreness in the AC joint of his right shoulder. Fans' concern over Nathan's injury would be short-lived as the pitcher never suffered another setback and was back on the mound within a few days. Nathan went on to set a franchise record with 47 saves in 2009.
A bigger injury concern for the Twins throughout Spring Training was the health of Mauer. The catcher suffered a slight setback in his recovery in early March, and he was later diagnosed with inflammation in his right sacroiliac joint. Mauer went to see a specialist in Baltimore for a second opinion, and the injury would keep him from starting with the club on Opening Day
With Mauer out for the start of the season, Jose Morales earned the backup-catcher spot behind Mike Redmond. It was an emotional moment for the 26-year-old, who suffered a devastating ankle injury in his Major League debut back in 2007 after going 3-for-3 in that game against the White Sox. Morales' bat earned him multiple stints with the club in '09, even after Mauer returned, and he played well enough to put himself in line to be the club's backup catcher for 2010.
April:
Less than a month after receiving a four-year contract from the Twins, Scott Baker saw the opportunity for his first Opening Day start thwarted by injury. Baker was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder stiffness just days before the '09 season was set to kick off. Left-hander Francisco Liriano instead got the nod in the April 6 opener against the Mariners to kick off the club's final season at the Metrodome.
The Twins trailed the Angels, 9-4, when they entered the bottom of the eighth inning on April 17. But the stunning seven-run rally in that frame by Minnesota wasn't the most impressive part of its comeback victory. Instead, it was Jason Kubel hitting for the cycle -- one that concluded with him hitting a grand slam to put the club ahead, 11-9. Kubel was one of three players to hit for the cycle in the same week. He also was part of the first set of teammates to hit for the cycle in the same season since 2003, as Michael Cuddyer followed up the feat with a cycle of his own on May 22 vs. the Brewers.
May:
After the team went 11-11 in the first month without him, Mauer made his long-awaited return to the Twins on the first day of May and promptly hit a home run in his first at-bat. It would be the start of a memorable month for the catcher. He batted .414 while hitting 11 homers along with 32 RBIs. "Those are high school numbers," manager Ron Gardenhire commented afterward. The catcher topped his previous year's home run total (nine) in that first month, putting him on a torrid pace that his teammates nor opponents had seen before.
The Twins were swept in a four-game series at the new Yankee Stadium in mid-May, but the final outcome was a tad misleading. The club suffered walk-off losses in each of the first three games, and it didn't drop a single game in the series by more than two runs. The Twins couldn't wait to leave New York following the series, but it was the start of a troubling trend that Minnesota would have with the Yankees in '09.
There were some unusual injuries that the Twins had to battle through in 2009, but perhaps the strangest were the dizzy spells -- thanks to inner-ear infections -- that plagued Denard Span and Justin Morneau. Span was the first to be sidelined by the ailment, spending 15 days on the disabled list in June due to vestibular neuritis. Morneau later missed six games in late August due to an inner-ear infection of his own.
June:
The Twins felt they got a steal in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft when they selected right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson as their first-round pick. Gibson had been projected as a top 10 pick prior to suffering the forearm fracture that allowed him to fall to the Twins at the No. 22 spot. Minnesota then beat the Aug. 18 deadline to sign Gibson to a contract. It was the start of a strong summer of signing prospects for the organization. Minnesota signed one of the top European prospects in German outfielder Max Kepler, and it also signed highly touted Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sano to a $3.15 million bonus.
Twins fans have often been credited with traveling strongly on the road, but never before was Twins Territory as well represented as it was at Wrigley Field during an Interleague series in mid-June. In the club's first Interleague series at the famous ballpark in eight years, Twins fans got an early glimpse of what outdoor baseball would be like in Target Field, and they made good use of it. Chants for Mauer could be heard throughout the three-game series as the catcher continued his torrid hitting. The Twins took two out of three from the Cubs, lifting them to an overall 12-6 record in Interleague Play in 2009
July:
The Twins' rotation was dealt a severe blow when Kevin Slowey was placed on the disabled list on July 4 with a strained right wrist. He had to undergo surgery later in the month to remove bone chips from his wrist, forcing the 10-game winner to miss the entire second half of the season. But it was just the start of the injury woes for the rotation. Glen Perkins and Liriano found themselves out of the rotation by mid-August due to Perkins' shoulder issues and a tired arm for Liriano.
For the second consecutive year, the same trio of Twins -- Mauer, Morneau and Nathan -- was once again selected to the All-Star Game. The three Twins earned a trip to St. Louis for the annual Midsummer Classic. Mauer was invited to take part in the Home Run Derby for the first time, but he couldn't make it out of the first round after falling in a tiebreaker.
As the Trade Deadline approached, the trio of All-Stars campaigned for the club to make a move to help put the Twins in a better position to make a run at the postseason. General manager Bill Smith heeded the call by trading for veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the A's. The deal came after Gardenhire had publicly expressed his interest in the shortstop.
August:
With the Twins' rotation in disarray due to injuries and ineffectiveness, Smith helped to boost the group by acquiring veteran pitcher Carl Pavano in a waiver trade with the Indians. Pavano went on to go 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 12 regular-season starts for Minnesota. In addition to providing a strong presence on the mound, Pavano proved to be a strong asset to the young starters in the rotation, and he also became a mentor for Morales, as the catcher continued to learn about calling games.
Smith continued to add some critical pieces for the Twins' late-season push by acquiring relievers Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay in late August. Smith traded right-hander Kevin Mulvey, one of the prospects from the Johan Santana trade, to the D-backs in exchange for Rauch, and Mahay was signed after he was released by the Royals. The club had been searching for bullpen help prior to the Trade Deadline, and finally, it was able to bring in some extra arms to carry the load down the stretch.
September:
The Twins trailed the Tigers by seven games on Sept. 6, and it looked like it would be an uphill battle to get back in the race. But Minnesota held on to the notion that it still had seven head-to-head matchups with Detroit over its final 16 contests. And each of those contests would prove to be critical down the stretch.
Minnesota's playoff chances appeared to be dealt a severe blow when the club lost Morneau to a lower back injury on Sept. 15. Morneau was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his L5 vertebra, ending his season. The Twins were 5 1/2 games back of the Tigers when Morneau went down with the injury, and many pundits labeled it as the end of Minnesota's postseason chances. Instead, it marked the start of the club's remarkable run to end the regular season -- winning 17 of its final 21 games.
With Morneau out, the Twins had to turn to other players to help carry the load, and that's exactly what Cuddyer did while taking over at first base. Cuddyer had one of the best months of his career, batting .325 with eight homers and 24 RBIs in the final 21 games of the regular season.
October:
The Twins organization had planned a big sendoff for the Metrodome during the final weekend of the regular season, but the team had other ideas. By sweeping the Royals in what was supposed to be its final three games at the Metrodome, Minnesota finished tied atop the division with the Tigers at 86 wins. So for the second straight season, the AL Central title came down to a one-game tiebreaker. This time, the Twins were hosting, ensuring that the Metrodome would indeed host at least one more game.
It took 12 innings and numerous lead changes before the Twins finally managed to stave off the Tigers thanks to Alexi Casilla's walk-off single. The one-game tiebreaker was considered one of the best regular-season games in not only Twins history but in all of baseball. There were plenty of chances for both teams, but it was the Twins who found a way to outlast the Tigers and earn a postseason trip to New York to face the Yankees. It was a quick and disappointing playoff experience for the Twins, as they were swept in three games by the eventual World Series champions. Minnesota finished the year going 0-10 against the Yankees.
Although the Twins' impressive run came to an end earlier than the club had wanted, it allowed Morneau and Nathan to have a little longer recovery time following cleanup surgeries after the season was over. Morneau had a bone chip removed from his right wrist while Nathan saw noted surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, to have bone chips removed from his right elbow.
November:
Just two days after the World Series ended, the Twins got the Hot Stove season off to a quick start by completing a trade with the Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy in exchange for outfielder Carlos Gomez. Hardy will fill the club's hole in the middle of the infield while also alleviating the logjam in Minnesota's outfield.
The traditional month for awards season belonged to Mauer, as the Twins catcher reaped the rewards from his dominant 2009 season. Mauer took home his second straight Gold Glove Award and his third Silver Slugger honor, but it was his first AL MVP Award that truly capped off a special year. With the MVP honor in hand, all the talk surrounding Mauer turned to whether the Twins would be able to sign him to a contract extension this winter, as the catcher is entering the final season of his four-year contract. It's a topic that's likely to dominate the start of 2010 as well.
December:
The Winter Meetings in Indianapolis were relatively quiet as usual for the Twins, although the team was able to fill one key need on Day 1 when Pavano accepted its arbitration offer. Pavano's return ensures that the Twins will have at least one veteran pitcher in their starting rotation.
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