When we review 2024 years down the road, this season is unlikely to be remembered fondly by Twins fans. The team’s late-season stumble shattered hopes of winning the American League Central in consecutive seasons.
Still, there were many memorable moments over the course of 162 games. From rally sausages to budget cuts to a milquetoast trade deadline to personnel changes to Rocco Baldelli ripping the team, Twins fans experienced a variety of ups and downs in 2024.
Here’s a look at 10 of the best quotes of the year in Twins Territory.
“All they’re going to find in these veins is ice cream, bro.” — Royce Lewis
It was Aug. 2 and Lewis was riding high. After belting a two-run homer and a two-run double in a 10-2 rout of the lowly Chicago White Sox, Lewis learned he’d be drug-tested after the game and dropped this gem.
Unfortunately for Lewis, it was one of his last highlights of the season. Over his next 51 games, he produced a .567 OPS, which dropped his season OPS by nearly 300 points.
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“Without a question, the television situation is having an impact on our business. But beyond that, we’re also just trying to right-size our business.” — Joe Pohlad
You never want to give a disgruntled fan base an easy phrase to recall at a moment’s notice. But the Twins executive chairman did just that in spring training during an interview with WCCO regarding the team’s $30 million payroll reduction. Already a boilerplate issue with fans upset to see the team cut spending after a fun 2023 season, Pohlad served up a phrase that won’t soon be forgotten.
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Ryan Jeffers shows off the celebratory sausage after homering against the Mariners on May 7. (David Berding / Getty Images)
“Eventually, we’ll have to switch the sausage out in order to avoid the health department knocking our door down. (Baldelli) doesn’t want another epidemic. He doesn’t want another COVID-19 epidemic from our sausage. We don’t want the Minnesota Twins’ sausage to start another worldwide crisis. So we’ll see. It’s fun.” — Ryan Jeffers
Was the rally sausage ridiculous? Yes. Was it overblown (especially by a certain writer at The Athletic)? Absolutely. But it also was a constant source of fun for several weeks in May as the Twins rebounded from a horrid start and regained control of their season. All hail the rally sausage.
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“I don’t just want to be a body on the field. I want to be able to perform to the best of my abilities like I’ve done this first half. Last year, one thing I learned is people don’t care if you go out there and play hurt. … I’m just going to make sure that when I’m on the field, I’m not just somebody that’s just standing there. I’m going to be Carlos Correa.” — Correa
Instead of celebrating an outstanding first half, Correa spent the final weekend before the All-Star break treating the plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The injury prevented Correa from playing in the next 53 games. By the time he returned on Sept. 14, the Twins were in the midst of a free fall.
“That was an unprofessional series of baseball we played and that’s all I’ve got for you.” — Baldelli
One of the low points of the team’s free fall was a September sweep in Kansas City at the hands of the Royals. Following a 2-0 loss in the series finale Sept. 8, Baldelli chewed out the clubhouse for several minutes before briefly addressing the media with a statement, taking no questions. Though the Twins never turned it around, several key players privately said that Baldelli’s tirade was refreshing and much-needed.
“We’ve got a really good team and we’ve done a pretty good job to this point. But, when you look around and see other teams make — they weren’t even impact moves, just something that pumps a little life in the clubhouse. … It’s kind of deflating.” — a team source on Twins’ lack of activity at the trade deadline
A trade deadline in which the only meaningful addition was reliever Trevor Richards — who would pitch for the Twins for just 3 1/2 weeks — disappointed many in the clubhouse. In need of another starting pitcher or an impact reliever, the Twins struck out on attempts to acquire Yusei Kikuchi, Jack Flaherty, Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech and Nestor Cortes, adding only a pitcher who finished with seven wild pitches in 13 innings before he was released.
It’s the most challenging rehab I’ve ever had. … I am waiting for the call. This is more anticipation than my debut call. I’m waiting for the call to just go back out there to play.” — Lewis
As he worked his way back following a third devastating injury since 2021, the young Twins slugger admitted the biggest challenges of his Opening Day right quad strain weren’t the physical hurdles he faced during his rehab, but instead the mental ones. Lewis returned June 9 and hit nine homers in 97 plate appearances before suffering a right adductor strain that cost him 16 more games on top of the 58 he missed to start the season.
“It sucks. We had every opportunity put in front of us to win that baseball game. Our season is on the line and we weren’t able to execute to get that run across. It’s a really, really sh—y feeling.” — Jeffers
Frustration was rampant throughout the clubhouse in the final weeks of the season. As it became clear the postseason was slipping away following an 8-6 loss to the lowly Miami Marlins on Sept. 26, the Twins’ slugging catcher spoke solemnly after he made several mistakes in the key defeat.
Willi Castro looks on as the Twins’ playoff hopes are extinguished. (Adam Bettcher / Getty Images)
“I’ve never experienced the frustration, the anger, the disappointment and the embarrassment that I have over the last five to six weeks. To go through what we just went through and to leave everyone disappointed the way we have, I take personal accountability for. It’s been the hardest stretch of my professional career because I know this team is better than that. We let our fans down. We let ourselves down. — Derek Falvey
At the start of his end-of-season address Sept. 29, the Twins’ soon-to-be-team president seemed to be on the verge of tears as he made an impassioned, three-minute statement that momentarily left reporters wondering if he considered tendering his resignation. Falvey quickly clarified he was staying on, noting he wouldn’t let a similar collapse happen in the future. In the coming days, he fired four coaches and didn’t renew the contract of longtime general manager Thad Levine.
“I kind of liken myself to Mary Poppins. The kids know how to clean up their rooms now and take their medicine. They don’t need someone singing in the background to do it.” — Levine
One of the organization’s more prominent faces in Falvey’s first years, the GM said hours after the club announced a mutual parting of ways that his colleagues had matured professionally to the point where everyone’s responsibilities were overlapping, which left him looking for a new opportunity. The Twins named Jeremy Zoll as the team’s new GM several weeks later.
(Top photo of Carlos Correa in May: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
