Forty-four years ago our Minnesota Twins won the American League pennant and were without question the best team in the league. Their stars were Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva and American League MVP winner Zoilo Versalles with lesser luminaries, Bob Allison and Earl Battey backing them up. Pitching standouts included Jim Kaat and Jim “Mudcat” Grant.

They were to face the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series, the most storied team in the National League with the best pitcher of that era, Sandy Koufax.

1961 was the year the Twins and the Vikings moved to Minnesota. Four years later I followed the Twins closely the summer of 1965; mostly by radio with the enthusiasm of youth and lived and died with the team’s success or lack of it.

One high point of the season came when Harmon Killebrew hit a grand slam home run against the up-to-then, seemingly invincible New York Yankees, with Mickey Mantle. You began to believe in the Twins from that point on.

I got to thinking about the ‘65 team; (If you have time, read “In The Cool of the Evening,” an excellent book about the ‘65 Twins.) I wondered how our present team would stack up against them. One thing about baseball, rather than other sports such as basketball, it’s easier to compare past with present. Rules don’t change and you don’t get an extra point in baseball if the home run goes 20 rows up rather than just over the fence. The biggest change I’ve seen in baseball is the use of a closing pitcher; some say the overuse, for the ninth inning. In 1965 there were relievers, but not ninth-inning specialists. But that innovation was the result of strategy, not a rule change.

The 1965 Twins were known as a power team with sluggers in the middle of the lineup. Killebrew, of course, but also Allison, Jimmie Hall, Don Mincher and rookie of the year, Oliva. Killebrew was unique and still ranks in the top 10 of home run sluggers even after the steroid era. They were pretty much a station-to-station team with only shortstop Zoila Versalles having serious speed. The defense was solid, but limited. Slow of foot, Earl Battey was the best Twins catcher until Joe Mauer came along, Allison stood out in left field, Versalles was a terrific shortstop in 1965, but Killebrew, while having soft hands, was not an asset in the field.

Making up for some defensive shortcomings was superb pitching with a starting staff of Jim Kaat, “Mudcat” Grant, Camilo Pascual and Jim Perry. The staff went deeper than most teams with Dave Boswell and Jim Merritt also available. Al Worthington, their primary reliever was very effective, not only in’65, but many other years.

It was perhaps the best pitching staff in the majors with the exception of the Dodgers with Koufax and Hall of Famer Don Drysdale, he of the knockdown pitch. Claude Osteen was the third starter, a better than average chucker.

When I was reviewing the ‘65 Twins there were several surprises to me. Jerry Kindall played more second base that Frank Quilici, who had a fine World Series. Quilici later became the Twins’ manager. The papers billed him as a second Billy Martin.

It is also worth remembering that Killebrew was out for half a season, but Don Mincher who was primarily to be used as a pinch hitter, (In a pinch send for Minch), filled in admirably at first base. The 1965 Twins could recover from such a loss, much like the 2009 team losing Justin Morneau, for it was a team of depth and very good pitching.

How would the 2009 team compare with a team of the 60s? Next week we’ll take a look.