Twins are postseason fan favorites, because everyone hates the Astros
The Twins' postseason gets underway this week, and they will have the majority of American baseball fans on their side.
That's because they're playing the Houston Astros, a team whose reputation has been trashed like a Minnesotan eating the last piece of pie thanks to the notorious sign stealing scandal.
They received little more than a slap on the wrist for electronically stealing opposing pitchers' signs during a period that included the 2017 regular season and postseason run that culminated in them winning the World Series.
This summer they were expected to be met with a chorus of boos at every baseball stadium outside of Houston, but avoided such ignominy because of the COVID-19 pandemic which kept games behind closed doors.
Instead, fans are being forced to express their vitriol from afar, and it's fair to say that among many, Minnesota will be the team to root for starting Tuesday.
Tuesday's game will see Kenta Maeda take on Zack Greinke at Target Field, with the Twins the favorites in the 3-game series having finished the shortened season 36-24, compared to the Astros' 29-31.
Importantly, the Twins aren't playing the Yankees. That said, it's the Twins and postseason – they've lost 16 straight playoff games – so it's probably 50-50.
