| 1969 Minnesota Twins American League West Champions |
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| 1969 information | |
| Owner(s) | Calvin Griffith |
| Manager(s) | Billy Martin |
| Local television | WTCN-TV |
| Local radio | 830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, Halsey Hall, Merle Harmon) |
Led by new manager Billy Martin, the 1969 Minnesota Twins won the newly-formed Western Division with a 97-65 record. The Twins were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the first American League Championship Series. 1,349,328 fans attended Twins games, the third highest total in the American League.
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Regular season
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.
Season standings
| 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 |
Notable transactions
- 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
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1969 Minnesota Twins roster
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters |
Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
Batting
Starters by position
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 |
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| C | Johnny Roseboro | 115 | 361 | 95 | .263 | 3 | 32 |
| 2B | Rod Carew | 123 | 458 | 152 | .332 | 8 | 56 |
| 3B | Harmon Killebrew | 162 | 555 | 153 | .276 | 49 | 140 |
| SS | Leo Cárdenas | 160 | 578 | 162 | .280 | 10 | 70 |
| RF | Tony Oliva | 153 | 637 | 197 | .309 | 24 | 101 |
Other batters
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 |
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| Jim Holt | 12 | 14 | 5 | .357 | 1 | 2 |
| Ron Clark | 5 | 8 | 1 | .125 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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| Jim Perry | 46 | 261.2 | 20 | 6 | 2.82 | 153 |
| Dave Boswell | 39 | 256.1 | 20 | 12 | 3.23 | 190 |
| Jim Kaat | 40 | 242.1 | 14 | 13 | 3.49 | 139 |
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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| Bob Miller | 48 | 119.1 | 5 | 5 | 3.02 | 57 |
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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| Ron Perranoski | 75 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 2.11 | 62 |
| Bucky Brandon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 1 |
Postseason
The Twins were swept 3-0 by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 American League Championship Series.
Awards and honors
- Harmon Killebrew, Third Base, American League MVP
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
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| 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
References
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0963718983.
External links
| Preceded by First Season |
AL West Championship Season 1969 |
Succeeded by Minnesota Twins 1970 |
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