“I said get down low and swing your arm…”
For the first two months of the 2005 MLB season, the Minnesota Twins were rolling. Optimism was at an all-time high, Carlos Silva was twirling gems, and Glenn Williams was putting together a remarkable streak.
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But after Memorial Day, things began to crumble.
From June 9 through June 25, the ‘05 Twins went 4-11. Normally this wouldn’t be a season-killing stretch—especially with the overall record still at a respectable 39-33.
The problem? The Chicago White Sox would not stop winning baseball games (50-23 on 6/25). As a result, the Twins went from 4.5 GB to 10.5 GB in two weeks.
Gulp.
A fourth straight division crown was no longer a foregone conclusion—or even probable.
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The month of June for the 2015 Twins was an entirely different story.
After a rough start was followed by jolts from Trevor Plouffe & Eddie Rosario, the ‘15 Twins again made Target Field a MN must-see destination.
Brian Dozier was turning himself into a legitimate league All-Star and was joined by the debuting Byron Buxton (6/14/15) and Miguel Sano (7/2/15).
Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images
A pitching staff of Kyle Gibson (somewhere, TJ just smiled without knowing exactly why), Mike Pelfrey, Phil Hughes, Ervin Santana, & Mommy Tilone Tommy Milone managed to not be terrible, while Glen Perkins & Blaine Boyer were locking down the back end.
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Most importantly? New skipper Paul Molitor was allowing the boys—even veteran Torii Hunter!—to let their hair down in a way the late-Gardy era never allowed:
The end-of-June 41-36 mark may not have been the stuff of legends. But at 4.5 GB the front-running Royals, the Twins—and their fans—finally had reason to celebrate again in 2015.