Minneapolis Millers

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The Minneapolis Millers were a professional minor league baseball team from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They existed in several eras, but the best-known Millers played from 1902 to 1960 in the American Association. They started in smaller parks—Athletic Park and Nicollet Park—and later moved to Nicollet Park until 1955, then to Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington from 1956 to 1960. The Millers had a famous crosstown rivalry with the St. Paul Saints and even staged “streetcar” double-headers on holidays.

Major league connections
- The Millers were farm teams for the Boston Red Sox (1936–38 and 1958–60) and the New York Giants (1946–57). In 1957 a swap with the San Francisco Seals helped shift the Giants’ move to the Bay Area, with the Millers rejoining the Red Sox system afterward. The team ceased operations after the 1960 season, just before the Minnesota Twins began play in 1961.

What they achieved
- The Millers won nine American Association pennants and several league and class titles during their history.
- They played in four Junior World Series (the championship series between the AA and the International League champions), winning in 1955 and 1958 and losing in 1932 and 1959.
- Their history also includes standout seasons and players who would go on to major league fame.

People and games
- Notable figures include managers Joe Cantillon (nicknamed “Pongo”) and Michael J. Kelley, who led the team during its long run. Broadcasters Al Sheehan and Halsey Hall covered Millers games from Nicollet Park.
- The Millers saw many future stars come through, including Ted Williams, Willie Mays, and Carl Yastrzemski.
- Millers pitchers threw seven no-hitters, and a Miller batter led the league in home runs 21 times and in RBIs nine times.
- The team also featured a colorful local tradition of holiday “streetcar” double-headers between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Overall figures
- The Millers finished with a long-running all-time record of 4,800 wins and 4,365 losses.
- They played at multiple parks over the years: Athletic Park, Nicollet Park, and later Metropolitan Stadium (where they played from 1956–1960). The Nicollet Park site later became a Wells Fargo bank.

End of an era
- After the 1960 season, the Millers folded to make way for the new Minnesota Twins franchise in 1961. The Red Sox then affiliated with another team in the region, the Seattle Rainiers, in 1961.