1998 Minnesota Twins season
| 1998 Minnesota Twins | |
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| Owner(s) | Carl Pohlad |
| General manager(s) | Terry Ryan |
| Manager(s) | Tom Kelly |
| Local television |
KMSP-TV Midwest Sports Channel (Bert Blyleven, Dick Bremer, Ryan Lefebvre) |
| Local radio |
830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, John Gordon, Ryan Lefebvre) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
Like many Twins teams of its half-decade, the 1998 Minnesota Twins neither impressed nor contended. The team finished with a 70-92 record, with subpar batting and pitching. The season was not without its bright spots, as individual players had solid seasons and Hall of Fame designated hitter Paul Molitor announced his retirement at the end of the season. Unfortunately, Tom Kelly's team suffered plenty of lowlights, most notably David Wells' perfect game against the team on May 17 at Yankee Stadium.
In 1998, Twins fans witnessed the emergence of Matt Lawton and Todd Walker as major league hitters. The team believed Walker would be able to fill the void left after the trade of Chuck Knoblauch, who had been traded to the New York Yankees on February 6. Fans also saw the merciful end to Twins' Scott Stahoviak era. Otis Nixon had a surprising year for a 39-year-old, hitting .297 and stealing 37 bases (leading the team). Molitor's hitting continued its gradual decline from his stellar 1996 campaign, with his average down to .281 and RBIs down to 69. These numbers were still competent and he was able to retire while playing solid baseball.
Bob Tewksbury was the opening day starter for the Twins, the last opening day starter not named Brad Radke until 2006. Tewksbury, Radke, LaTroy Hawkins, and rookie Eric Milton (acquired in the Knoblauch trade) were in the rotation for most of the year. Mike Morgan and Frank Rodriguez also started 17 and 11 games, respectively. While Morgan had an impressive year for a forty-year-old journeyman before being traded in August, Rodriguez's season was a major disappointment. In his last year for the Twins, Rodriguez went 4-6 with an ERA of 6.56. This could not have been what the team had in mind when it acquired him for Rick Aguilera in 1995.
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