But the sort of inattention that led to Caray's call was evident again Wednesday when Nick Swisher came to bat in Game 1 of the Twins-Yankees division series.
The Twins went 1-2 in the series, but the Royals swept the Tigers to hand the Twins the division title, marking the first time in baseball history that a team clinched a division title on the final day of the regular season without having been in sole possession of first place.
He has guided the Twins to six division titles in nine seasons, but the Twins have lost in the first round in each of their last five playoff appearances.
"I don't think the Royals are surprising anyone in this division," Twins closer Joe Nathan said.
He helped the Chicago White Sox win the A.L. Central in 2008, and he was instrumental in pushing the Twins to the division title this year.
Gardenhire's Twins won four division titles in his first six years, but in the regular season they were only 10-28 againsthehe Yankees and their manager at the time, Joe Torre.
The Indians, who preceded the Twins as the division's top team and made it to the last week last season trying to get there again, are back and ready to contend.
The Twins won four division titles in six years before trading the two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to the Mets and losing the All-Star center fielder Torii Hunter to the Angels in free agency after the 2007 season.
The Twins won the division on the last day of the regular season, but were swept by the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS as Nathan made one scoreless appearance.
Both teams played outdoors in the open air Metropolitan Stadium in the suburb of Bloomington for twenty one years before moving to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in 1982, where the Twins won 8 division title (1987,1991, 2002 04, 2006, 2009, and 2010), 2 American League Pennants (1987 and 1991) and the World Series in 1987 and 1991.
