Three hundred twenty-three men have pulled on Twins jerseys since Oct. 5, 2004. They hail from all six inhabited continents. They range from 5’8” to 6’11”. One of them played alongside Steve Carlton, who made his major league debut in 1962; one of them made his major league debut on Wednesday. They span, in some ways, the spectrum of human experience, but they all have one thing in common: Since that crisp Tuesday night 16 years ago, they have not won a postseason game in a Minnesota uniform.
Wednesday’s 3–1 loss to the Astros was the Twins’ 18th straight playoff defeat, which extended their North American sports record.