Ethermac|How long has it been since the Minnesota Twins won a playoff game?

The EthermacMinnesota Twins, who clinched the American League Central division title, are returning to the postseason.

And they will have home field advantage in the best-of-three wild card round beginning on Tuesday.

That's the good news.

The bad news? The Twins have not won a postseason game since 2004. They own the longest postseason losing streak in any of the four major North American professional sports − 18 games.

Will the streak finally come to an end?

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The last time the Twins won a postseason game came on Oct. 5, 2004 − when Johan Santana, Juan Rincon and Joe Nathan combined to shut out the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. The Yankees, however, came back to win the next three in a row. And the losing streak was born. 

So just how long has it been since the Twins' last postseason win?

-- That same day, Oct. 5, 2004, golfer Tiger Woods, 28, and Swedish model Elin Nordegren, 24, were married at Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados.

-- In early October 2004, Democrat John Kerry and incumbent Republican George W. Bush were deadlocked at 49% apiece in the latest USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup presidential poll of likely voters.

-- The No. 1 song on Billboard's Hot 100 chart was "Goodies" by Ciara featuring Petey Pablo. Other chart toppers: "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5 (Mainstream Top 40), "Days Go By" by Keith Urban (Country) and "American Idiot" by Green Day (Alternative).

--The top-grossing movie in the United States was the animated film "Shark Tale," featuring the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie and Jack Black.

--The Nationals weren't in Washington yet. They had just wrapped up their last season as the Montreal Expos.

--On Oct. 5, 2004, seven-time NBA All-Star Scottie Pippen announced his retirement from the NBA and the Chicago Bulls at the age of 39.

--And finally, comedian Rodney Dangerfield -- famous for his catchphrase, "I don't get no respect" -- died at the age of 82.

With their losing streak at 18, the Twins may share a similar lack of respect from the baseball community. But unlike Dangerfield's persona, they still have a glimmer of hope that after all that losing, there's a possibility things could be different today.

Follow Gardner on X, formerly Twitter @SteveAGardner