Each on occasion, a baseball staff simply will get caught in a rut. It looks like nothing can go proper, and the losses maintain stacking up. However in some unspecified time in the future, each staff is sure to snap out of it.
The Twins, nonetheless, have been caught in a really unusual rut. Minnesota has been to the MLB playoffs seven occasions in a 19-year span. In these journeys, they’ve received a complete of 1 playoff sport. And coming into the 2023 wild-card collection towards the Blue Jays, Minnesota is sitting on a shedding streak of 18 straight playoff losses.
It feels virtually unimaginable to lose that many playoff video games in a row. There’s a lot turnover between rosters yr after yr that the losses cannot merely be attributed to un-clutch gamers or a bunch that is not connecting proper. Over this time, the Twins have had Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Carl Pavano, Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Jose Berrios and numerous different big-name gamers.
But all that expertise has led to no playoff wins, and a historic postseason shedding streak.
SN PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: Mannequin | Specialists
What started this shedding skid, and the place does it sit amongst skilled sports activities groups? Here is every thing you should know in regards to the Twins’ shedding streak.
Twins playoff shedding streak
Again in 2004, the Twins kicked off an ALDS matchup towards the Yankees with a series-opening win. Johan Santana out-dueled Mike Mussina in a 2-0 victory, with Joe Nathan slamming the door on the Bronx Bombers in New York.
However that was the top of the run. The Yankees walked off the Twins in further innings to finish the New York homestand, then went to Minnesota the place the Twins suffered 8-4 and 6-5 losses to shut out their season.
The Twins have made it again to the playoffs a number of occasions since, however have made the quickest potential exit every time. The Twins received the AL Central in 2006, however have been swept in three video games by the Athletics. They received the division once more in 2010, however have been swept by the Yankees. Minnesota made it solely as a wild card staff in 2017, however misplaced that single-game elimination by the hands of the Yankees. Then within the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the AL Central-winning Twins have been swept within the two-game wild-card collection by the Astros.
Here is a take a look at how every sport has gone for the Twins throughout their shedding skid:
| Date | Opponent | Rating |
| Oct. 6, 2004 | Division collection at Yankees | 7-6 |
| Oct. 8, 2004 | Division collection vs. Yankees | 8-4 |
| Oct. 9, 2004 | Division collection vs. Yankees | 6 -5 |
| Oct. 3, 2006 | Division collection vs. Athletics | 3-2 |
| Oct. 4, 2006 | Division collection vs. Athletics | 5-2 |
| Oct. 6, 2006 | Division collection at Athletics | 8-3 |
| Oct. 7, 2009 | Division collection at Yankees | 7-2 |
| Oct. 9, 2009 | Division collection at Yankees | 4-3 |
| Oct. 11, 2009 | Division collection vs. Yankees | 4-1 |
| Oct. 6, 2010 | Division collection vs. Yankees | 6-4 |
| Oct. 7, 2010 | Division collection vs. Yankees | 5-2 |
| Oct. 9, 2010 | Division collection at Yankees | 6-1 |
| Oct. 3, 2017 | Wild-card sport at Yankees | 8-4 |
| Oct. 4, 2019 | Division collection at Yankees | 10-4 |
| Oct. 5, 2019 | Division collection at Yankees | 8-2 |
| Oct. 7, 2019 | Division collection vs. Yankees | 5-1 |
| Sep. 29, 2020 | Wild-card collection vs. Astros | 4-1 |
| Sep. 30, 2020 | Wild-card collection vs. Astros | 3-1 |
Longest playoff shedding streaks
It may not come as a shock to study the Twins’ shedding streak is historic. Between MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL historical past, no staff has misplaced greater than the Twins’ 18 consecutive playoff video games, per Stathead.
| League | Workforce | Streak | Streak begin | Streak finish |
| MLB | Twins | 18 | Oct. 6, 2004 | Lively |
| NHL | Blackhawks | 16 | Apr. 20, 1975 | Apr. 22, 1979 |
| NBA | Pistons | 14 | Could. 28, 2008 | Lively |
| NHL | Kings | 14 | Jun. 3, 1993 | Apr. 14, 2001 |
| MLB | Pink Sox | 13 | Oct. 25, 1986 | Oct. 6, 1995 |
| NBA | Knicks | 13 | Could. 2, 2001 | Could. 3, 2012 |
| NBA | Hornets | 12 | Could. 12, 2002 | Apr. 20, 2016 |
| NBA | Grizzlies | 12 | Apr. 17, 2004 | Could. 1, 2006 |
| NHL | Raptors | 12 | Apr. 16, 1979 | Apr. 7, 1983 |
| MLB | Phillies | 11 | Oct. 9, 1915 | Oct. 12, 1976 |
| NBA | Nuggets | 11 | Could. 15, 1988 | Apr. 30, 1994 |
| NBA | Bullets | 11 | Apr. 11, 1965 | Mar. 27, 1970 |
| NHL | Blackhawks | 11 | Could. 14, 1985 | Apr. 7, 1988 |
The Blackhawks’ run of 16 straight losses from 1975-79 is the one streak that comes near Minnesota’s 18-playoff sport shedding skid. Subsequent up amongst MLB groups is Boston, which went 13 video games and not using a win between 1986 and 1995.
There aren’t any NFL groups that cracked the record, which is nearly definitely as a result of reality they do not play in collection, however moderately play one-and-done video games. It will require making the playoffs 18 occasions and shedding 18 straight occasions to succeed in Minnesota. The longest NFL playoff shedding streak is 9 by the Detroit Lions that started in 1992, and remains to be energetic up to now.