The Minnesota Twins became the 2023 American League Central champions on Friday night, after defeating the Los Angeles Angels 8-6. Afterwards, they celebrated like any good division champion would but before, during and after, they made it clear their mission is far from over.
It started with Kyle Farmer, who went 2 for 3 with an RBI on Friday night and spoke with Bally Sports North’s Audra Martin on the field, immediately after the game.
Kyle Farmer promises Twins will end 18-game playoff losing streak
Not only did players display confidence in the Twins chances come October 3, when the wildcard round begins, but Kyle Farmer promises an end to the franchise’s current 18-game playoff losing streak, “we’re gonna get that first postseason win since 2004, I can promise you that”.
"We're going to get that first win since 2004. I can promise you that."
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) September 23, 2023
Kyle Farmer chats with @Audra_Martin after the @Twins claim the division! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/PwvpblYury
But it wasn’t just Farmer. Interview after interview during Friday night’s celebration, Minnesota Twins players, coaches and executives made it clear that winning the AL Central is great but it’s only the beginning.
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Carlos Correa wants more
Listen to Carlos Correa’s interview from the locker room. This was about 30 minutes into the celebration and the Twins’ clubhouse leader hadn’t even gotten his shirt wet yet.
When you’ve won a World Series and gained a reputation as one of the most clutch postseason performers in MLB history, a division crown isn’t worth getting your t-shirt full of beer for, I guess. Carlos started the interview by marking last night as only a stepping stone in accomplishing their 2023 goals.
"This is the first step towards the goals we want to accomplish."
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) September 23, 2023
Carlos Correa and the #MNTwins aren't done yet!#MNTwins | @Audra_Martin pic.twitter.com/i99WNMSDd1
“We’re very happy we’re in this situation, this is the first step towards the goals we want to accomplish. We just gotta keep going, focus tomorrow on working hard and go out there and try to win games.”
Carlos Correa (interview above)
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Rocco Baldelli shows passion about team, playoff run
Rocco Baldelli showed all sorts of emotion, after the win, both in the locker room when speaking with his team, but more notably, his postgame on-field interview with Audra. I’m not sure why it took so long to see this side of the Minnesota Twins’ manager.
Maybe it’s the twin girls his wife had earlier this week or maybe he’s growing more comfortable as he ages, but I love this new passionate version of Rocco that’s blossomed right in front of our eyes over the last year or two.
Somebody get me a wall to run through. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/4T15gGQuah
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 23, 2023
Audra: “How good is it sound and how fun is it to finally be able to celebrate the division title?”
Rocco: “Yeah, that’s what we’re here to do. This is what we’re here to do. And I’m going to tell the players that we were dedicated to committing to just winning. The most important thing here is winning and bringing a winning team and a world Series back to Minnesota. And that’s what we’re here for. So this is this is just the start in our opinion. We’ve got work to do. But for all the fans here, thank you for your support. This is this is this is what we’re here for. And we’ve got a great team out there. They’re awesome.”
Audra: “You have been here before, but why is this group and this celebration special?”
Rocco: “Well, these guys care. They care about they care about Minnesota. They care about Twins Territory. They care about each other and they’re winners.”
Audra: “You guys had a vision this offseason to bring in as many good players as possible and figure out how to make it work. And it did it to a tee. How rewarding is it to see that plan come to fruition when everyone is helping out?”
Rocco: “Yeah, we needed every single guy out there, every single guy out there came to work every single day throughout this regular season, ready to work. They’re workers. They like to work, they’re tough and they want to play. And we needed every single one of them to win as many games as we did. Everyone stepped up a different day. It’s been terrific working with these guys and trust me, they’re not done.”
Celebrating your division title victory and ticket into the playoffs is baseball tradition. But sometimes, it’s about how you celebrate. And on Friday night, in between the beer and champagne showers, the Minnesota Twins made it clear there is still a lot of work to do, before the ultimate celebration begins.
There’s a fire in the belly of this team, right now. If they can return to health before their wildcard games begin, it could be a dangerous club.
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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan