A look back on what life was like when Twins last won postseason series

The Minnesota Twins’ postseason series drought was two days shy of being able to drink alcohol legally.

They won a postseason series on Wednesday for the first time since the 2002 American League Division Series, which happened on Oct. 6 of that year.

Since then, 11 new baseball stadiums have opened, including Minnesota’s own Target Field, and 14 teams have won the World Series. 

Now, only the Cincinnati Reds have yet to win a postseason series since then – even the Chicago Cubs won a World Series in that span!

(We’re giving a pass to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won the now-defunct NL Wild Card Game in 2014).

It’s safe to say that a lot of changed in the last 20 years and 364 days, so let’s take a look at what life was like on Oct. 6, 2002.

TWINS HISTORY

• David Ortiz was Minnesota’s DH.
• Johan Santana was yet to be a full-time starting pitcher for the Twins.
• It was Ron Gardenhire’s first year as a manager.
• Royce Lewis was just three years old.
• The Twins were more than seven years away from leaving the MetroDome.
• Rocco Baldelli, the Twins’ manager, hadn’t even made his Major League debut.

OTHER SPORTS

• The Houston Astros were 11 years shy of moving to the American League.
• Tom Brady only had one Super Bowl.
• No one had ever heard of Steve Bartman.
• It was the first year of the Houston Texans.
• The Washington Nationals were still the Montreal Expos.
• The MLB Postseason was still just eight teams.
• LeBron James was a senior in high school.

ENTERTAINMENT

• The No. 1 song was “A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson.
• The No. 1 movie was “Red Dragon.”
• One share of Amazon was just 83 cents.
• One share of Apple was 25 cents; the first iPhone was five years shy of release.
• PlayStation 3 was four years away from hitting the shelves, and the Nintendo GameCube was just a year old.
• “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” was less than a month shy of release.
• “The Apprentice” was two years away from premiering.

CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS

• The Iraqi War was five months away from beginning.
• George W. Bush was in his second year as President.
• Barack Obama was a member of the Illinois Senate.
• Ron DeSantis was a teacher and coach at Darlington School in Georgia, one year removed from being the captain of Yale’s baseball team; he had yet to start law school at Harvard.
• President Biden was in his 31st year as a Senator, roughly 19 years away from being elected as the 46th President of the United States.
• Gas cost $1.44 a gallon.

It’s safe to say times have certainly changed. And the Twins hope to keep changing it. They’ll face the Astros, the defending World Series champions, in the ALDS this weekend.