Twins connections in captivating Astros-Phillies World Series run deep

It was a well-intentioned text message meant to acknowledge the contributions of a longtime Twin Cities baseball executive.

"Thanks but you know I retired this year," Terry Ryan replied. "Still feels good."

Ryan, who served two stints as Twins general manager, retired in April after five seasons as a scout with the Phillies, who are headed for their first World Series since 2009. So Ryan had a hand in some of the moves that shaped the roster.

"A pinky finger," he countered.

Twins fans may or may not reminisce about Ryan's tenure here as the Phillies face the red-hot Astros on Friday in Game 1 of the World Series. But Ryan isn't the only reason local baseball fans should tune in. There are several characters involved in this year's Fall Classic you'll recognize.

Ryan ended up with the Phillies because Andy MacPhail was the director of baseball operations. Yes, the same Andy MacPhail who was the architect of the Twins' 1987 and 1991 World Series champions. MacPhail was in office when the Phillies signed Bryce Harper before the 2019 season. Harper has delivered on the high expectations, with his game-winning homer in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Padres already an iconic moment.

Righthander Zack Wheeler was signed before the 2019 season. The Twins made a run at Wheeler with a nine-figure offer. Wheeler was impressed with the organization and had great conversations with manager Rocco Baldelli and the staff. His wife's family, however, lived closer to Philly than the Twin Cities, so he turned down offers from the Twins and White Sox. Wheeler has a 1.78 ERA in his first postseason, pitching like an ace.

MacPhail stepped down in 2020, handing the reins to Dave Dombrowski, but his fingerprints are all over the Phillies' run to this World Series.

Perhaps a more direct connection will pique your interest. Twins fans should lament the trade of reliever Ryan Pressly to Houston in 2018 in exchange for reliever Jorge Alcala and outfielder Gilberto Celestino. Pressly was dealt before the Twins went all-in on analytics and thrived when the Astros presented him with data that allowed him to take his game to another level.

Pressly became Houston's closer in 2020 and currently owns the ninth inning. A veteran Pressly still in Minnesota would have stopped the Twins from trading for Jorge Lopez before this year's deadline. Some Twins fans will grumble each time Pressly emerges from the bullpen.

Pressly will check in with former Twins teammate Kyle Gibson, a former first-round pick of the Twins who left after the 2019 season to sign with the Rangers. Texas dealt Gibson to the Phillies before the 2021 trade deadline. I wonder whose scouting advice Philadelphia followed before it made that deal?

Gibson, 35, is working out of the bullpen in the postseason after going 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA during the regular season. He's in his second postseason and could pitch in the same game as his good friend Pressly.

"I assume playing in the World Series is fun either way," Gibson texted on Tuesday, "but sharing the field with him this week and a half should be pretty special!"

One more Minnesota connection: Phillies reliever Brad Hand was a three-sport athlete at Chaska when the Marlins drafted him in 2008. He appeared in 55 games this year.

The passionate baseball fan will be drawn to this year's Series because the Astros have gone 7-0 in the playoffs, have been to four World Series in six seasons and manager Dusty Baker, a three-time manager of the year, has more than 3,800 games of experience. Meanwhile, the Phillies were a wild-card team that won 87 games and whose manager, Canadian-born Rob Thomson, has 111 games of experience.

Both teams can score. Houston's pitching staff is superior. There have been upsets throughout the postseason. Do the Phillies have another one in them? Will Baker finally win a championship?

Twins fans can watch this series unfold to see if Pressly will get the save in the clinching game, if Gibson can succeed in a big spot or wonder why the Twins didn't try to overpay for Wheeler.