The Twins allegedly almost died in the early 2000s, threatened by "contraction." A surge in popularity sparked by a dynamic group of young players helped the team secure financing on a new ballpark in 2006.
By the time the Twins opened Target Field in 2010, the team had become one of baseball's model franchises. When they christened the beautiful new ballpark with a playoff series in 2010, the Twins had extended their season beyond the usual 162 games in seven of nine seasons.
A senior Twins official, in a casual conversation in 2010, said: "We have a generation of fans who think this is the norm. It's not always going to be this way."
He was correct. The Twins have frequently embarrassed themselves as Target Field entertainers. From 2001 through 2010, the Twins averaged 89 victories per season. From 2011 through 2018, they averaged 71.
Tuesday night, the Twins returned from a trip in which they split four games, meaning they had lost five of their past eight overall. They were greeted with questions about their inability to continue on a 120-victory pace.
Let's be clear: The greatest compliment you can pay to the 2019 Twins is to accuse them of being in a slump.
This is not a slump. The years 2011 through 2016 — that was a slump. Just like the years 1993 through 2000, when the Twins failed to produce a winning record.
The 2019 Twins have yet to lose three games in a row, or have a losing record on a road trip. They have baseball's second-best record and remain on pace to set a big-league record for home runs.