MINNEAPOLIS _ In a year where nothing felt the same, it had to feel like history repeating itself for the Twins' ownership, front office, coaching staff and players Wednesday after they were swept in two games by Houston at Target Field to end their pandemic-shortened season.
Yes, this was a much different campaign than any other in Twins history, with the team playing 60 games without fans in attendance and only facing teams from the Central Division in both leagues throughout the season, but the end result was the same.
Whatever momentum the Twins had after going 36-24 in the regular season didn't carry over when they faced a mediocre Astros club. Instead their playoff losing streak extended to 18 games _ the longest streak in MLB history.
Two stats told the story of how unexpected this outcome was: The Twins had the best home record in baseball (24-7), and the best home winning percentage (.774) since the 1975 Reds. The Astros went 9-23 on the road this season. Still, Houston looked like the better-prepared club in winning by scores of 4-1 and 3-1.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine have put together two of the best back-to-back regular seasons in franchise history. Their 101 wins last season were the second most by a Twins squad and their .600 winning percentage in this short season was the fourth-best mark by a Twins team, behind .630 in 1965, .623 last season and .605 in 1970.
So they have to wonder what in the world happens in the playoffs.
