This is playing pretty much as I suggested it should after the Twins' final series with Cleveland. The Tribe is making the Twins win to get their divisional crown, and they are doing just that, driving ever closer to the century mark.
The 1965 Twins won 102, as you probably know. The old Senators never won a hundred, but they never had the benefit of a 162-game schedule either. The pre-expansion standard of 154 games made it a lot tougher to get to triple digits in either wins or losses.
It took a .649 winning percentage in those days to get 100 wins. Today, .617. Those extra eight games make a difference.
The best winning percentages in franchise history came from two of the three Washington pennant winners. The 1933 Senators -- who lost the World Series in five games to the New York Giants -- went 99-53, a .651 winning percentage. Those two unplayed games probably kept them from 100 wins.
The 1925 Senators -- who lost the Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a truly fascinating Game Seven managerial meltdown -- went 96-55, a .636 winning percentage.
Next up, the 1965 Twins, who also lost the Series in seven games (but you knew that already): 102-60, .630.
You don't get to any of the franchises' three World Series champs until No. 10 on the list, with the 1924 Senators actually tied with the 1931 Senators (92-62, .597).
On the subject of the Senators, the Twins have in their franchise history probably the greatest pitcher in baseball history--Walter Johnson--and they have not retired his number. Admittedly, part of that is because he did not have a number because they did not use uniform numbers in those days. But still, I think in some manner the Twins should commemorate him in their stadium. Somewhat the same applies for Sam Rice, another Senators hall of famer, but he was not the greatest in baseball history.
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