• May 6: The 2002 NCAA National women's hockey champion Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs were recognized by the Minnesota Twins baseball team at the
Metrodome in Minneapolis. • June 4: The Twins walloped the hapless
Cleveland Indians 23–2, setting a club record for their largest winning margin and tying their record for most
RBI with 22. Pitcher
Rick Reed was lifted after seven innings with a 21-run lead. In the game,
Luis Rivas scored five times, joining three other Twins who have accomplished that mark before:
Rod Carew (1977),
Tim Teufel (1983) and
Paul Molitor (1996). • The representatives of the Twins in the All-Star Game were closer
Eddie Guardado, center fielder
Torii Hunter, and catcher
A. J. Pierzynski. • October 9: A home attendance record was set when 55,990 watched the Twins lose to the
Anaheim Angels in the second game of the
American League Championship Series. • The Twins made just 74 errors this season, their best-ever showing in the field. The worst season was the inaugural campaign of 1961, when they committed 174 errors. •
Jacque Jones had 11 lead-off home runs this season, the second-best season total in
American League history, trailing just
Brady Anderson's 12 in 1996. • The highest paid Twin in 2002 was
Brad Radke at $8,750,000; followed by
Rick Reed at $7,000,000. • October 28: Pitcher
Michael Jackson was granted free agency, and would later sign with the
Arizona Diamondbacks. This season he wore number '42', being
grandfathered in after
Major League Baseball retired the number league-wide in 1997 to honor pioneer
Jackie Robinson. Players wearing the number at that time were allowed to continue. Jackson was the last Minnesota Twin to wear the number '42'. •
Bert Blyleven and
Tom Kelly were inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame.
Offense No player hit 30 home runs or drove in 100 RBIs, but many players enjoyed solid seasons.
Torii Hunter and
Jacque Jones hit 29 and 27 home runs, respectively, while
designated hitter David Ortiz battled injuries and hit 20. Catcher
A. J. Pierzynski had a good year for a catcher, hitting .300. First baseman
Doug Mientkiewicz saw his average drop significantly from the prior year, from .306 to .261. Third baseman
Corey Koskie had a subpar year offensively, shortstop
Cristian Guzmán was average, and second baseman
Luis Rivas was not strong. The Twins enjoyed solid production out of the right field spot, whether the position was manned by opening day starter
Brian Buchanan,
Dustan Mohr,
Bobby Kielty, or
Michael Cuddyer.
Pitching The starting rotation resembled a tubercular ward.
Brad Radke,
Eric Milton, and
Joe Mays suffered serious injuries, requiring
Rick Reed to carry the starting rotation. He was able to fulfill this role, going 9–2 in the second half. For inexplicable reasons, manager
Ron Gardenhire resisted putting
Johan Santana into the starter role until he was forced to by injuries. Santana started only 14 games, but quickly established himself as a dominant starting pitcher, posting an 8–6 record, 2.99 ERA, and a team-leading 137 strikeouts.
Kyle Lohse enjoyed his only solid year as a starter, going 13–8 with a 4.23 ERA.
Matt Kinney also made 12 starts.
Eddie Guardado excelled in his first full year as the team's closer, earning 45 saves, while
J. C. Romero,
LaTroy Hawkins, and
Mike Jackson had strong years as set-up men.
Tony Fiore had a bafflingly strong year out of the bullpen, going 10–3 with an ERA of 3.16.
Defense A. J. Pierzynski was the team's all-star starting catcher, backed up by
Tom Prince.
Doug Mientkiewicz followed up his
Gold Glove year with another superb year defensively. Unfortunately, his relatively weak hitting in 2002 may have prevented him from winning a second consecutive Gold Glove award, as it went to
John Olerud. The rest of the infield was defensively solid, with
Luis Rivas at second,
Cristian Guzmán at short, and
Corey Koskie at third. In the outfield, two-thirds of the "Soul Patrol" remained, with
Jacque Jones in left and
Torii Hunter in center. (This would be Hunter's second consecutive Gold Glove year.) Right field was a question mark, with
Brian Buchanan not lasting long after being the opening day right fielder. The void was filled for most of the season by the platoon of
Dustan Mohr and
Bobby Kielty, known collectively by fans as "Dusty Kielmohr". However, Dusty Kielmohr gave way to
Michael Cuddyer for the post-season run.
Season standings American League Wild Card Record vs. opponents Notable transactions • April 15, 2002:
Mike Trombley was signed by the Twins as a free agent. • June 3, 2002: Mike Trombley was released by the Twins. • June 19, 2002:
José Rodríguez was signed as a free agent by the Twins. • July 12, 2002:
Brian Buchanan was traded by the Twins to the
San Diego Padres for
Jason Bartlett.
Roster ==Player stats==