The background: The Twins failed to win more than 84 games in a season from 1977 through 1986, bottoming out at 60-102 in 1982.
A youth movement from years ago
March 31, 2016 at 5:10PM
Kent Hrbek
Key players: Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Randy Bush, Tim Laudner, Tom Brunansky and Frank Viola were rookies in '82 who were on the 1987 World Series championship team. A key addition came in 1984 with future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.
Kirby Puckett
Breakthrough: The young Twins were in a pennant race in 1984 before fading to 81-81. That experience ended up paying dividends, however.
Fans celebrate
The end result: The greatest era in Twins history included the team's only two World Series championships, in 1987 and 1991.
about the writer
Emmanuel Rodriguez had an abbreviated season after being hit by the injury bug, but he showed promise as a disciplined hitter.
