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The 1994 Minnesota Twins played in an abbreviated, strike-shortened season. The strike overshadowed the season's accomplishments. These included Scott Erickson's no-hitter on April 27, Chuck Knoblauch's 85-game errorless streak and league-leading 45 doubles, Kirby Puckett's 2,000th hit, and Kent Hrbek's retirement. In 113 games, Manager Tom Kelly's team finished with a record of 53-60, for fourth place in the newly created American League Central Division.
Contents
Offseason
Regular season
On April 27 at home, Scott Erickson no-hit the Milwaukee Brewers—the Metrodome's first no-hitter—for a 6-0 win. His is the third Twins' no-hitter, 27 years after Dean Chance no-hit the Cleveland Indians in 1967.
On May 20, the team put up 22 hits against the Boston Red Sox—not a record. But two club records were set in the fifth inning, when eight consecutive players hit safely, and a total of ten hits were recorded in the half-inning. Twins win, 21-2.
The Twins’ All-Star representatives were outfielder Kirby Puckett and second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.
By Friday, August 12, the Twins had compiled a 53-60 record through 113 games. They had scored 594 runs (5.26 per game) and allowed 688 runs (6.09 per game).
Throughout the strike-shortened season, the Twins pitching staff struggled and finished with a 5.68 ERA: the highest in the Majors. In 1,005.0 innings pitched, they gave up 1,197 hits and 634 earned runs: the most among all 28 teams. They did, however, issue the fewest intentional walks in the Majors, with 20.
Terry Ryan was named Twins General Manager, replacing Andy MacPhail, architect of the team's 1991 world champion team.
The highest paid Twin in 1994 was Puckett at $5,300,000, followed by Aguilera at $3,260,000.
Offense
Despite the short season, Kirby Puckett managed to belt 20 home runs and drive in 112 runs, winning his sixth Silver Slugger Award. Outfielder Shane Mack had a solid year in his last year with the Twins, batting .333. Knoblauch and outfielder Alex Cole lit up the base paths, stealing 35 and 29 bases, respectively. Designated hitter Dave Winfield had a mediocre year in his last season with his hometown team. (He would play in 46 games for the Cleveland Indians in 1995 before announcing his retirement.)
Pitching
The starting rotation was not a strong one, although the starters at least started consistently every fifth day, unlike in subsequent years for the Twins. Jim Deshaies, Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson, Pat Mahomes, and Carlos Pulido started all but six games for the team. Despite the no-hitter, Erickson's year was disappointing, as he posted a 5.44 ERA. Rick Aguilera continued to be a reliable closer while the only reliable arm out of the bullpen was Kevin Campbell with an ERA of 2.92.
Defense
Matt Walbeck and Derek Parks were a strong 1-2 punch at catcher, at least defensively. (Both had .993 fielding percentages.) Kent Hrbek ended his career with a solid one defensively with a .997 average. As mentioned, Knoblauch excelled defensively at this point in his career. Scott Leius and Pat Meares were defensively average on the left side of the infield. Puckett and Mack were strong in the outfield, while Alex Cole was average. Pedro Muñoz also saw substantial time in the outfield.
Notable transactions
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Other post-season awards
Designated hitter Dave Winfield won the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. Rod Carew in 1977 is the only Twin to have won this award in the past. Kirby Puckett will win it in 1996.