The Twins had just edged the defending AL Central-champion White Sox, 4-3, and were high-fiving their way toward the postgame clubhouse buffet when manager Tom Kelly said, "Not so fast." Kelly had cringed earlier when 2B Luis Rivas and SS Cristian Guzman reacted too quickly to wind-blown popups, causing one to fall and costing Minnesota a run. So before letting them dive into the postgame spread, Kelly assembled his infielders out on the field for a little chat.

"We were shocked," 1B Doug Mientkiewicz says. "But TK's all about the fundamentals, playing the game right." The next day the Twins played similar popups perfectly -- and beat the Sox again. Cut to the postgame fun.

Yes, the Twins have solid pitching and a nice, young lineup. But their startling burst out of the gate is actually due to a taut defense, a passion for proper positioning and smart on-field decisions. This is a purist's dream. A signature Tom Kelly team.

Kelly's Baseball Is FUNdamental program begins in spring training with a drill his players call "Good Morning, America." The players field grounders for 45-90 minutes to get loose. Then come hours of defensive routines that Kelly insists on drilling into his young players' heads -- from bunts and backups to relays and rotations. "If you don't learn something new every day," Kelly says, "you're not paying attention."

All the Twins have caught Fundamental Fever. Example: With the tarp on the field before a recent game, 3B Corey Koskie recruited coach Ron Gardenhire to hit him grounders. Coach Paul Molitor, who teaches baserunning, has seen such progress that he has moved on to esoteric subjects like angles on leads depending on the out count.

After the Twins came back to steal a 6-4 win against Boston, Pedro Martinez said, "They're so much improved. They're gonna make it tough on everybody." While Torii Hunter's extra-inning double got the most pub in that game, it wouldn't have been possible had SS Denny Hocking, while watching Mientkiewicz make a dazzling slide-and-catch on a foul pop behind first, not come all the way over to position himself along the first base line for the relay throw. Hocking wheeled and fired home, where catcher A.J. Pierzynski withstood Jason Varitek's jarring collision to hold onto the ball for the third out. The DP saved a vital run that allowed the game to enter extra innings.

That ringing in your ears? It's the AL's wakeup call: Good morning, America -- the Twins have arrived.

This article appears in the May 14 issue of ESPN The Magazine.