Every year that the Minnesota Twins don’t punch a ticket to the October tourney, I like to think back on the moment(s) I knew the season wouldn’t end cradling a Commissioner’s Trophy.
This practice began in 2021, when fans knew it wasn’t going to be a championship bunch on the embarrassingly early date of April 21 (aka The Oakland Game).
In 2026, my “how will I know?” was a three-step process…
Step 1: Double Dobber (8/4/26)
Five days earlier, former Twins playoff starting pitcher Randy Dobnak hurled 7 shutout innings against his
old mates at Target Field. Five more innings of 1-run ball were the result in the Kauffman Stadium rematch.
The Twins were still very much in the Wild Card race at this time. But getting Dobber’d twice in less than a week was perhaps my first realization that things weren’t going to end well for the ‘26 Twins.
Step 2: Tigers by the Tail (9/2/26)
After an exceedingly up-and-down August (swept by San Diego; sweeping Atlanta), MIN again captured a sliver of momentum and were looking to sweep Detroit on a Wednesday night in Minneapolis. After falling behind early, the Twins battled back—including a three-run 8th off Kenley Jansen—to send the game to extras.
After each team traded runs in the 11th inning, the Motor City Kitties put a 5-run hurting on Tommy Nance and after four hours and nine minutes of play escaped the broom battle victorious.
Just one game, sure—but one the Twins desperately needed to stay in third WC striking distance. They had all the momentum at home to do so—and simply didn’t get it done.
Step 3: Sunday Night Fail-Ball (9/6/26)
The Sunday night of Labor Day weekend, the Twins/White Sox clash on the South Side was pushed to prime time. A win would have put the Twins just 5.0 GB the Pale Hose in the division race and 3.5 GB in the WC scrum.
There was no victory to be had, much less even sniffed. Four total hits for the offense and all six pitchers used coughed up at least one earned run. A complete and utter 10-1 beatdown on the National Broadcasting Company’s mostly-flightless bird streamer.
What were the moments that made you realize the success of 2026 was sunk?
