Twins finish month on top of AL Central
The Minnesota Twins may be on track for their first winning season in five years. They won 20 games in May, including Sunday's against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
The wins combined with a loss by Kansas City helped push the Twins to the top of the American League Central Division.
Many fans feared 2015 would be yet another awful season with 90-plus losses. But so far it's been quite a spring for the boys of summer in Minneapolis.
Scott Hagan, who was watching the game with his son, said he comes to Target Field about 15 times a year, even slogging through the last four seasons.
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"In the past I was dreading coming to the games since I knew we were just going to lose," he said. "Now I feel like we're competitive. It makes it more fun to come here, for sure."
After giving up an early lead against the Blue Jays, the Twins came back in the sixth inning as Joe Mauer hit a single, bringing Brian Dozier home. With one out, and Mauer on first, Trevor Plouffe came up to bat.
The two-run homer — Plouffe's eighth home run of the season — tied the game at four runs apiece.
By the seventh inning, Toronto regained the lead. But in the bottom of that inning Torii Hunter doubled, batting in two runners and helping the Twins to a 6-5 victory, their 10th come-from-behind win of the year.
Despite the team's success, there was no chest-thumping in the clubhouse. The 39-year-old Hunter — who returned to Minnesota from Detroit this year — said he's enjoying the victories but still doesn't want to think about what might happen later in the season.
"I'm just thinking about tomorrow. You get too far ahead of yourself and [you won't] think about what's going on today," he said. "I always say tomorrow has its own problems. Let's focus on what we can do today."
Catcher Kurt Suzuki shared that sentiment. He said winning brings more confidence, and that confidence brings more wins, which makes the game immensely more enjoyable.
"We're just having fun out there. We're not worried about stuff we can't control. We're not worried about what people say. We're not worried about all the outside stuff," he said. "We're just taking care of stuff in this clubhouse, and going out there and playing the game."
Last year at this time, the Twins had 25 wins and 28 losses. This year, their record is 30-19. May was their winningest month since 1991 — a season that ended with a World Series victory.
When asked if this success is sustainable, manager Paul Molitor said he, too, is taking the season day by day.
"We're doing some good things. It's your ability to find a way to stay with what's making you successful, and I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself with that," he said.
The Twins head next to Fenway Park in Boston. They start a four-game series against the Red Sox Monday night.