On Tuesday, Oct. 4, the Minnesota Twins ended The Streak. By defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in the first game of their 2023 American League Wild Card series, the Twins ended an ignominious playoff drought. It took an epic playoff debut by rookie Royce Lewis and strong pitching from Pablo Lopez and the bullpen to get the Twins the victory.

Prior to Tuesday, the Twins had lost 18 straight playoff games, an MLB record, and the longest such streak ever in all four major American sports. Let's take a look back at Minnesota's not-so-impressive record and how it came to this point.

2004 AL Division Series

Oct. 6, 2004: Game 2, Yankees 7, Minnesota Twins 6 (12)

The game that started it all against their greatest postseason nemesis. Cy Young Award-winner Johan Santana had carried the Twins to the win in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, so hopes were high in Game 2 as the Twins were looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The Twins staged a two-run rally in the eighth inning to tie the game up and force extra innings. In the 12th inning, Torii Hunter hit what looked like a potential game-winner for the Twins, a home run blast. However, Joe Nathan couldn't close out the game in his third inning of relief. A pair of walks led to a Hideki Matsui walk-off, with Derek Jeter coming home for the game-winning run on a sac fly.

Oct. 8, 2004: Game 3, Yankees 8, Twins 4

The Twins still had high hopes after winning the first game and losing the second in extra innings. The Yankees stomped out any Twins' hope quickly in Game 3. Carlos Silva gave up five straight two-out hits in the second inning, and the Twins were never able to recover. Jeter and Matsui each had three hits.

Oct. 9, 2004: Game 4, Yankees 6, Twins 5

Now facing elimination, the Twins send Santana to the mound again. A three-run double by Lew Ford gave Minnesota a 5-1 lead, which they held until the top of the eighth. Bernie Williams got an RBI single, and then Ruben Sierra hit a three-run homer off usually reliable reliever Juan Rincon to tie the game. The game once again went to extra innings, and the Twins relievers again ran out of gas. Alex Rodriguez ultimately scored on a wild pitch by Kyle Lohse, who was a starter being used in relief. It gave the Yankees the lead, ultimately ending what was a rough series from the Twins bullpen.

2006 AL Division Series

Oct. 3, 2006: Game 1, A's 3, Twins 2

The Twins missed the playoffs in 2005, but they returned again when Santana won his second Cy Young Award in 2006. However, the Twins were missing their second ace as Francisco Liriano had Tommy John surgery late in the season. Santana once against started Game 1, but Hall-of-Famer Frank Thomas got the first of his two home runs in the second inning, a two-run shot for an early 2-0 lead to quiet the Metrodome. The A's Barry Zito took it from there as he pitched eight innings and only allowed a solo home run to Rondell White. Trailing 3-1, Michael Cuddyer gave the Twins hope with a leadoff triple in the ninth, but Huston Street retired the next three batters in order to save the game.

Oct. 4, 2006: Game 2, A's 5, Twins 2

The Twins once again started off the game decently, but late-game blunders cost them a win. The game was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning, but then a line drive got past Gold Glove centerfielder Tori Hunter that allowed Mark Kotsay to spring around the bases for a tie-breaking inside-the-park two-run home run. The final blow was yet another wild pitch that allowed a runner to score, this time by Nathan.

Oct. 6, 2006: Game 3, A's 8, Twins 3

Things progressively got worse in this series. The Twins were never in Game 3. Brad Radke got the start, and the blowout loss effectively ended his career as he tried to pitch through a torn rotator cuff. The Twins actually had more hits (12) than the Athletics (8), but they grounded into two double plays and had another runner picked off. They also committed three errors that led to five unearned runs.

2009 AL Division Series

Oct. 7, 2009: Game 1, Yankees 7, Twins 2

A half-decade later, the Twins had a chance at redemption against the Yankees. However, they were forced to win a 12-inning Game 163 to win the AL Central over the Detroit Tigers in Minneapolis on Oct. 6 before flying to New York for Game 1 the next day to face the 103-win Yankees. The Twins also were without Justin Morneau due to a stress fracture in his back. Morneau led the team in home runs and RBIs before he succumbed to the back injury. The Yankees scored five runs in the first five innings off rookie Brian Duensing, who only started nine games during the regular season and was filling in for Scott Baker, who had to pitch Game 163. Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter were once again the star players, as both hit a long ball in the game.

Oct. 9, 2009: Game 2, Yankees 4, Twins 3

Game 2 is another example of the Twins' starters and offense getting it done and the bullpen giving up the lead late. Thanks to Nick Punto and Denard Span RBI singles, the Twins had a 3-1 lead going into the ninth inning. Joe Nathan gave up a two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez, and the game went to extra innings. Mark Teixeira was batted in for the tying run earlier by Rodriguez, and he finished the deed in the 11th inning. Teixeira crushed a walk-off home run  to start the bottom of the 11th inning, giving the Yankees the 2-0 series lead.

Oct. 11, 2009: Game 3, Yankees 4, Twins 1

Another starting pitchers duel ensued in Game 3. Carl Pavano and Andy Pettitte were masterful in the first  two-thirds of the game. The Twins took the first lead of the game on Joe Mauer's RBI single, but per usual, the Yankees quickly responded.  Rodriguez and Jorge Posada both hit solo homers in the seventh before Posada and Robinson Cano hit RBI singles in the ninth. Mariano Rivera sent the Twins packing by closing the series out on the mound.

2010 AL Division Series

Oct. 6, 2010: Game 1, Yankees 6, Twins 4

There is a common theme going on here. The Twins have continuously had to face the Yankees in the AL Division Series, and New York has continuously been their kryptonite. By 2010, the losing streak was well known, and it continued in Game 1. Also, the Twins were once again without two of their best players in Morneau and Nathan due to injury, although Nathan had been out all season after having Tommy John surgery. Still, hope was alive as the Twins had a great season on the back of Joe Mauer, who was arguably the best catcher in baseball and for the first time had home-field advantage versus the Yankees. Seeing the failures by the relievers in recent series, Ron Gardenhire let his starter go to work in the series' first game. The strategy started well as Liriano only allowed two hits in five innings. But Liriano hit a wall, giving up four runs and the lead in the sixth inning. Danny Valencia walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, but J.J. Hardy struck out to end the threat. The Yankees took the lead for good on Teixeira's two-run homer in the seventh.

Oct. 7, 2010: Game 2, Yankees 5, Twins 2

For this eighth time in as many postseason games, the Twins struck first blood against the Yankees. Of course, Minnesota let it slip away. The team's bats fell asleep, and they only had one hit in the final three innings. Lance Berkman's RBI double gave the Yankees the lead for good in the seventh inning. Curtis Granderson's three hits continued a dominant series by the Yankees center fielder and helped New York hit double as many hits as the Twins.

Oct. 9, 2010: Game 3, Yankees 6, Twins 1

Back at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees' confidence was sky high against the Twins at this point, and Minnesota looked like a team ready to hit the offseason. Duensing once again was roughed up by the Yankees, and the early deficit was impossible to overcome as future Twin Phil Hughes shut them out for seven innings. The Yankees cruised to the win to complete back-to-back sweeps over the Twins.

2017 Wild Card

Oct. 3, 2017: Yankees 8, Twins 4

After winning the AL Central six times in nine seasons, the Twins had a six-year postseason drought, but when their hiatus ended, they once again had the Yankees waiting for them. This time, it was a winner moves on Wild Card game. Both teams looked much different than they did seven years prior, but the results were the same. Once again, the Twins played well early. First-inning home runs by Brian Dozier and Eddie Rosario gave the Twins a 3-0 lead to start the game and quickly knock out Yankees starter Luis Severino. However, Twins starter Ervin Santana didn't fare much better as Didi Gregorius tied the game in the bottom of the first inning on a three-run home run. Greg Bird's RBI single gave the Yankees the lead for good in the third inning, and the vaunted Yankees bullpen took it from there. Aaron Judge later added to the home run total for New York as the Yankees once again eliminated the Twins.

2019 AL Division Series

Oct. 4, 2019: Game 1, Yankees 10, Twins 4

The Twins had one of their best seasons in team history in 2019, winning over 100 games for the first since 1965 and setting the MLB team home-run record with 307 in the Year of the Home Run. And what was their reward? The No. 3 seed in the playoffs and having to travel to New York to face the Yankees again. The Bomba Squad actually hit three home runs, but the pitching staff didn't show up. They gave up eight walks on top of eight hits to get off to an early series deficit.

Oct. 5, 2019: Game 2, Yankees 8, Twins 2

The Twins dug themselves an even deeper hole in Game 2. Didi Gregorius hit a crucial three-run homer in 2017, and in 2019, he hit a grand slam. This contributed to four of the seven runs that Tyler Duffey and Devin Smeltzer gave up in the third inning.

Oct. 7, 2019: Game 3, Yankees 5, Twins 1

Back at Target Field in the playoffs for the first time since 2010, the Twins' final game in the series was their best, but  it still wasn't a pretty or all that competitive. Eddie Rosario and rookie Luis Arraez had multi-hit games, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Yankees. They scored a couple early runs to take the lead and quiet an enthusiastic crowd. Since the Yankees had dominated the first two games, their key relievers were mostly well rested, and they used all of them after four shutout innings from Severino. A solo homer in the eighth from Rosario was too little, too late as the streak reached 16 straight playoff losses.

2020 AL Wild Card Series

Sept. 29, 2020: Game 1, Astros 4, Twins 1

In a COVID-19 shortened season with new playoff rules, finally didn't have to face the Yankees and only had to take on a sub-.500 team. However, this Astros team was largely made up of the same players that had advanced to at least the ALCS the previous three seasons and 2020 would be no different. Like often in this streak, the Twins scored first, but the Astros tied it in the seventh on a two-out RBI single by George Springer. And also as often in this streak, mistakes late cost the Twins. Shortstop Jorge Polanco's two-out throwing error in the ninth inning loaded the bases and then reliever Sergio Romo walked Jose Altuve to put the Astros in front, followed by a two-run single by Michael Brantley.

Sept. 30, 2020: Game 2, Astros 3, Twins 1

Once again, the Twins couldn't get much offense going, and the Astros came up with the big hits late. This time Carlos Correa homered in the seventh inning to give Houston the lead for good. The loss was probably more painful for Twins fans as former Twin Ryan Pressly closed out the series to eliminate the Twins and extend the streak to 18 games. It was the fourth straight game at Target Field during the streak that the Twins had been held to fewer than three runs.

Now that this streak is over for the Twins, they have the opportunity to end another streak, which is they have lost their last nine consecutive playoff series. The last time the Twins won a playoff series was the 2002 ALDS against the Oakland A's, which incidentally was made famous by the movie Moneyball.

Toronto has a deadly offensive unit, and even though they are a lower seed than the Twins, they actually won more games than Minnesota. Will the team's injuries lead to the Twins ‘ playoff losing streak extending, or will the Twins finally capture a postseason series win?

For a more in-depth look at this incredible playoff game losing streak by the Twins, check out Chris Hanel's documentary: