The Fargo-Moorhead Twins were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1933 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1960, representing the neighboring cities of

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

and Moorhead, Minnesota. The Twins won six league championships during their seasons of play. Earlier minor league teams had also represented the cities.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

members

Dizzy Dean Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean (January 16, 1910 – July 17, 1974), also known as Jerome Herman Dean (both the 1910 and 1920 Censuses show his name as "Jay"), was an American professional baseball pitcher. During his Major League Baseball (MLB) career ...

(1941) and

Lloyd Waner Lloyd James Waner (March 16, 1906 – July 22, 1982), nicknamed "Little Poison", was a Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. His small stature at and 132 lb (68 kg)

(1947) are Fargo-Moorhead Twins alumni, as is 2x AL Most Valuable Player

Roger Maris Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for setting a new MLB single-season home run record with 61 ...

History

The Fargo-Moorhead Twins played in the

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

from 1933–1942 and 1946–1960. The Twins were an affiliate of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1934–1940, 1953–1957),

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

(1947–1948) and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1958–1960). The preceding Fargo-Moorhead area teams were the 1897 Red River Valley League members Fargo Red Stockings and Moorhead Barmaids, who were the first area minor league franchises. Fargo (1902–1905), the Fargo Browns (1908) and Fargo-Moorehead Graingrowers (1914–1917) all played as members of the Northern League and the 1922 Fargo Athletics played in the 1922

Dakota League Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesot ...

. On May 6, 1953, the Fargo-Moorhead Twins defeated Sioux Falls in their Opening Day game by a score of 12-3. A record crowd of 10,123 fans came to Barnett Field. In the game, Roger Maris got his first professional baseball hit. That season, Twins player

Frank Gravino Frank John Gravino (January 29, 1923 - April 5, 1994) was a longtime minor league baseball outfielder who played from 1940 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1954. Known as the "greatest slugger in Northern League history," he hit .292 with 271 home runs a ...

would hit 52 home runs. The Twins would host the Northern League All-Star game and defeat the Northern League All-Stars by a score of 8-4. The Twins finished with a record of 86-39 (improving from their record of 44-80 in 1952) and bested Duluth to win the Northern League championship. Roger Maris would be selected as the 1953 Northern League Rookie of the Year. Fargo-Moorhead won Northern League Championships in 1915, 1917, 1934, 1953, 1954, 1958, claiming six overall titles.

Ballparks

From 1936-1960, the Fargo-Moorhead Twins played their home games at Barnett Field in Fargo, North Dakota. It was located at 19th Avenue and Broadway and was torn down in 1963 to build North High School. Prior to Barnett Field, in 1933–1935, Fargo-Moorhead played home games at Moorhead Ballpark in Moorhead, Minnesota. 1961 Roger Maris HR 58

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni

(1941) Inducted, 1953 *

Lloyd Waner Lloyd James Waner (March 16, 1906 – July 22, 1982), nicknamed "Little Poison", was a Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. His small stature at and 132 lb (68 kg)

(1947, MGR) Inducted, 1967

Notable alumni

Horace Clarke Horace Meredith Clarke (June 2, 1939August 5, 2020) was an American Virgin Islander baseball second baseman who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres from 1965 to 1974. ...

(1960) *

Mudcat Grant James Timothy "Mudcat" Grant Jr. (August 13, 1935 – June 11, 2021) was an American baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos ...

(1954) 2x MLB All-Star * Steve Gromek (1940) MLB All-Star *

Danny Litwhiler Daniel Webster Litwhiler (August 31, 1916 – September 23, 2011) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1940 to 1951 for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelp ...

(1952) MLB All-Star *

Ray Mack Raymond James Mack (born ''Raymond James Mlckovsky,'' August 31, 1916 – May 7, 1969) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946 with the Cleveland Indians and in 1947 with the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. In a nine ...

(1938) MLB All-Star *

(1953) 7x MLB All-Star; 2x AL Most Valuable Player (1960-1961) *

Pete Mikkelsen Peter James Mikkelsen (October 25, 1939 – November 29, 2006) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1964 through 1972 for the New York Yankees (1964–65), Pittsburgh Pirates (1966–67), Chicago Cubs (1967–68 ...

(1960) * Joe Pepitone (1959) 3x MLB All-Star * Jim Perry (1957) 3x MLB All-Star; 1970 AL

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

Dick Stigman Richard Lewis Stigman (born January 24, 1936) is an American former professional baseball player, a left-handed pitcher who appeared in seven Major League seasons (1960–1966) for the Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox. Born ...

(1954) 2x MLB All-Star * Ron Taylor (1957) *

Ben Tincup Austin Ben Tincup (April 14, 1893 – July 5, 1980) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1928. In 1918 his career was interrupted while he served in World War I. Life Born in Adair, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), Tincup was a me ...

(1942) * Bob Unglaub (1914-1916) *

Bill Zuber William Henry Zuber (March 26, 1913 – November 2, 1982) was a professional baseball pitcher. He had an 11-year Major League Baseball career between 1936 and 1947. He pitched his entire career in the American League with the Cleveland Indians, Wa ...

(1934)

Year-by-year records

References

{{Reflist Baseball teams established in 1933 Defunct minor league baseball teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates New York Yankees minor league affiliates Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Northern League (1902-71) baseball teams Professional baseball teams in North Dakota Sports in Fargo, North Dakota 1933 establishments in Minnesota 1960 disestablishments in North Dakota Moorhead, Minnesota Professional baseball teams in Minnesota Defunct baseball teams in Minnesota Defunct baseball teams in North Dakota

History

Ballparks

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ... alumni

Notable alumni

Year-by-year records

References

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni