| Minnesota Twins | |
| Season: | 1963 |
| League: | American League |
| Ballpark: | Metropolitan Stadium |
| City: | Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Owners: | Calvin Griffith (majority owner, with Thelma Griffith Haynes) |
| General Managers: | Calvin Griffith |
| Managers: | Sam Mele |
| Television: | WTCN-TV |
| Radio: | 830 WCCO AM (Ray Scott, Herb Carneal, Halsey Hall) |
The 1963 Minnesota Twins finished 91–70, third in the American League. 1,406,652 fans attended Twins games, the highest total in the American League.
Four Twins made the All-Star Game: first baseman Harmon Killebrew, shortstop Zoilo Versalles, outfielder Bob Allison and catcher Earl Battey.
On August 29, the Twins played two games at Washington. The club struck for eight home runs in the first game (to tie an American League record) and four more in the nightcap, for an even dozen on the day.
On September 21, the Twins played two games at Boston's Fenway Park. Slugger Harmon Killebrew connected for three home runs in the first game and another in the nightcap. His four-homer double-header tied an AL record.
Harmon Killebrew again led the team (and the American League) with 45 home runs; his 96 RBI was Minnesota's best. Bob Allison hit 35 home runs and drove in 91. Camilo Pascual won 21 games and led the AL with 202 strikeouts.
With 33 home runs, Twins rookie Jimmie Hall topped the Boston Red Sox Ted Williams' "true rookie" American League record of 31 homers, set by Williams in 1939. The team's total of 225 home runs was the second-most ever in a season, only trailing the 1961 New York Yankees' 240.[5]
Three Twins won Gold Gloves: first baseman Vic Power won his sixth, shortstop Zoilo Versalles won his first, and Jim Kaat won his second.
| 1963 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | CatchersInfielders | OutfieldersOther batters | ManagerCoaches | ||||||
| = Indicates team leader |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 147 | 508 | 145 | .285 | 26 | 84 | ||
| 1B | 138 | 541 | 146 | .270 | 10 | 52 | ||
| 2B | 139 | 421 | 101 | .240 | 9 | 43 | ||
| 3B | 136 | 531 | 163 | .307 | 16 | 61 | ||
| SS | 159 | 621 | 162 | .261 | 10 | 54 | ||
| LF | 142 | 515 | 133 | .258 | 45 | 96 | ||
| CF | 156 | 497 | 129 | .260 | 33 | 80 | ||
| RF | 148 | 527 | 143 | .271 | 35 | 91 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145 | 280 | 67 | .239 | 4 | 27 | ||
| 82 | 225 | 58 | .258 | 17 | 42 | ||
| 64 | 150 | 43 | .287 | 9 | 24 | ||
| 25 | 71 | 11 | .155 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 39 | 56 | 13 | .232 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 21 | 47 | 9 | .191 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 35 | 44 | 6 | .136 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 10 | 21 | 4 | .190 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 7 | 17 | 2 | .118 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 9 | 15 | 1 | .067 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 7 | 7 | 3 | .429 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 248.1 | 21 | 9 | 2.46 | 202 | |||
| 33 | 241.0 | 15 | 15 | 3.25 | 193 | |||
| 31 | 178.1 | 10 | 10 | 4.19 | 105 | |||
| 35 | 168.1 | 9 | 9 | 3.74 | 65 | |||
| 32 | 164.2 | 12 | 5 | 2.62 | 100 | |||
| 5 | 25.2 | 1 | 4 | 3.86 | 13 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 49.0 | 4 | 1 | 2.57 | 34 | |
| 7 | 38.2 | 2 | 1 | 2.79 | 22 | |
| 5 | 15.2 | 1 | 2 | 2.87 | 13 | |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 1.99 | 72 | ||
| 36 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4.37 | 37 | ||
| 36 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2.16 | 24 | ||
| 31 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6.98 | 38 | ||
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.76 | 7 | ||
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.76 | 10 | ||
| 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5.73 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.38 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 |
See also: Minor League Baseball.
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Wilson