It took an ace pitcher, who arrived to the ballpark, in the jersey of his childhood idol, singularly determined to follow in his footsteps. It took an overlooked kid from North St. Paul and a veteran from Northfield getting the biggest outs of their lives in front of their hometown crowd. It took utter magic from an established playoff legend and the electric centerpiece of the future.

This is what it took to finally get the monkey off the franchise’s back, to finally bring proof to a generation of fans that yes, the Minnesota Twins can, too, deliver for them.