Twins' Brian Dozier, Mike Pelfrey in rare statistical company
Whoever earns the second wild-card spot in the American League likely will not reach 90 wins. Of course, it isn't the amount of victories you have but what you do when you get to the postseason. The 1987 Twins proved that, of course.
If the 2015 Twins, who 78-74 (.513) through Thursday, make the playoffs, they'd probably join that '87 squad on a list of worst records to make the playoffs in AL history. Although, making any playoff list isn't necessarily a bad thing, right?
WORST RECORD BY AL PLAYOFF TEAM ALL-TIME
| Team | Record | Year | Result |
| Royals | 1981 | 50-53 (.485) | Lost in ALDS |
| Royals | 1984 | 84-78 (.519) | Lost in ALCS |
| Twins | 1987 | 85-77 (.525) | Won WS |
| Twins | 2009 | 87-76 (.534) | Lost in ALDS |
| Indians | 1997 | 86-75 (.434) | Lost in WS |
Meanwhile, two Twins players are having seasons rarely seen in Major League Baseball. Brian Dozier is just one of three second basemen all-time to have compiled 75 home runs and 50 steals in his first four seasons.
MLB 2B WITH 75+ HR, 50+ SB THROUGH FIRST 4 SEASONS
| Player | Years | HR | SB |
| Joe Gordon | 1938-41 | 107 | 50 |
| Ian Kinsler | 2006-09 | 83 | 91 |
| Brian Dozier | 2012-15 | 75 | 55 |
On the mound, Mike Pelfrey is inducing double plays at the best rate in 15 years.
MOST GIDP PER 9 INNINGS IN LAST 40 YEARS
| Player | Team | Year | GIDP rate |
| Ray Fontenot | Yankees | 1984 | 2.02 |
| Shawn Estes | Giants | 2000 | 1.89 |
| Billy Swift | Mariners | 1988 | 1.85 |
| Mike Pelfrey | Twins | 2015 | 1.65 |
| Bob Stanley | Red Sox | 1980 | 1.65 |
Other notes:
-- Torii Hunter and the Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez are the only players with 75 or more RBI in each of the last 10 seasons (although Detroit's Miguel Cabrera needs just two RBI to also accomplish this).
-- Detroit's Victor Martinez has a .326 career batting average in September, fifth-best all-time (for players debuting since 1920).
-- Tigers starter Matt Boyd has allowed 14 home runs in his first 10 career starts. That's the second-most allowed by a left-handed in the last 100 years (No. 1 is Kei Igawa with 15).
Statistics courtesy STATS Inc.
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