Battey had his finest season at the plate in 1963, hitting .285 while setting career highs in home runs (26), RBIs (84), and slugging percentage (.476). He was also voted to his second straight All-Star team (where he collected his only all-star hit, a third-inning single that scored Boston Red Sox third baseman Frank Malzone from second base to tie the game at 3-3), and finish seventh in the American League Most Valuable Player Award balloting (behind Killebrew and winner and fellow catcher Elston Howard). The Twins again finished with 91 wins but, this time it was good enough for only third place, 15½ games behind the World Series runner-up Yankees. Both Battey and the Twins took a step backward in 1964 with the team struggling to a 79 win, sixth-place finish in the American League while Battey hit .272 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in 131 games.