Powered by:
as known from New York Timesas known from USA Todayas known from yahoo!
VA
Contains commercial content
The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / 1987 Minnesota Twins: A Twins Series Miracle, there’s no place like home

1987 Minnesota Twins: A Twins Series Miracle, there’s no place like home

Publish Date: 10/04/2023
Fact checked by: Mark Lewis

It had been twenty-two years since residents of the Twin Cities had witnessed postseason baseball. And after 22 long years since making their way into the World Series and never witnessing their franchise win it, the Minnesota faithful ate it up. It gave the Twins one of the most significant home-field advantages in the history of professional sports.

Video: Twins Win: The Story of the 1987 Minnesota Twins

Twins Win: The Story of the 1987 Minnesota Twins

No indication was present for 1987 to be an extraordinary season, with only a.500 finish in 1984 as an exception during a decade wherein Minnesota finished without a losing record only once. Tom Kelly took over managerial responsibilities during the final 23 games of that lost year and became one of their legendary figures in Minnesota sports history.

Minnesota made decisive moves during their offseason. They acquired Jeff Reardon via a six-player trade with the Montreal Expos and outfielder Dan Gladden from San Francisco. While these trades weren’t hugely consequential individually — Reardon saved 31 games but still finished with a 4.48 ERA, while Gladden stole 25 bases but produced modest offense overall — these deals showed that Minnesota was serious about competing and winning championships.

The old Metrodome was known for being a bastion of the long ball, with an offense built on hitting home runs. Kent Hrbek went deep 34 times, drove in 90 runs and posted an on-base percentage of 385. Gary Gaetti hit 31 homers and had 109 RBI, while rightfielder Tom Brunansky hit 32 bombs himself to score 85 runs with an OBP of.352.

Kirby Puckett was one of the Minnesota Twins’ most beloved players and produced at an astounding pace during this era, hitting 28 home runs, driving in 99 runs, and scoring 96 more runs himself while providing stellar centerfield defense as well. His OBP stood at an outstanding.367 mark.

Minnesota’s middle infield was unproductive on offense. Yet, second baseman Steve Lombardozzi and shortstop Greg Gagne were outstanding defensively, fitting well into an offense which finished fifth in runs scored among American League clubs.

Frank Viola was an impressive pitcher on this staff. With 17 wins and an ERA of 2.90, he proved a genuine ace for this young pitching staff. Bert Blyleven would win 15 games despite an ERA of 4.01; both Viola and Blyleven served as workhorses; they started 71 games combined while pitching 518 innings between them – an invaluable service in an otherwise shallow staff.

Lee Straker, Mike Smithson and 42-year-old knuckleballer Joe Niekro rounded out a subpar rotation. However, respectable stats showed some promise: Straker had a 4.37 ERA in 26 starts, while Smithson and Niekro’s ERAs hovered close to six. Juan Berengeur was notable from their bullpen with an acceptable 3.94 ERA over 112 innings pitched – yet wasn’t considered a reliable stopper like Reardon was for them.

13 losses out of 21 games against stronger AL East teams in May, led them to a 21-22 record by Memorial Day five games behind the Kansas City Royals in third place.

Minnesota entered the holiday weekend still facing off against the AL East, and quickly established themselves with two victories over Milwaukee (an American League team before 1998) and two against eventual AL East champion Detroit (the AL Central did not exist until MLB’s three-division alignment was implemented in 1994).

In June, the Twins completed an incredible 14-4 run that saw them sweep away the Royals at home in the Metrodome. On Monday’s opener, Gene Larkin hit a bases-loaded triple to break a 2-2 tie; two nights later on Tuesday, Gladden had three hits, Puckett two more, Niekro pitched into the seventh inning, and Minnesota won 5-2. On Wednesday’s series finale, Blyleven battled back from falling 3-zip behind to pitch eight strong innings while accepting an unexpected gift: after two walks loaded up bases on two walks loaded bases off three errors by Royals relief pitcher  that cleared them all out and tied it before Larkin won it all with his RBI single in 10th inning!

By June 25th, Minnesota had moved into first place and gained a four-and-a-half game lead in the AL West. Unfortunately, they gave some of it back by losing seven out of eight against Kansas City as part of an 18-game stretch leading up to the All-Star break, where they went 7-11, yet Minnesota still led with a 49-40 record at the midseason mark; Oakland, Kansas City, California Angels and Seattle Mariners all were within three and half games of them at that time.

Minnesota hosted Oakland for a pivotal four-game series in early August, and their offense came out swinging, dominating from start to finish. Hrbek and Laudner each homered on opening night. Puckett drove in three runs while Viola pitched seven solid innings in an eventual 9-4 win for Minnesota. In game two, they scored nine more runs, starting with four in the opening frame on thatFriday; Hrbek homered twice more, Gagne had three hits, and Niekro pitched eight innings; both victories ended in 9-4 wins for Minnesota over Oakland.

On Saturday, the hit brigade kept up impressive performances with another four-run first inning and nine-run overall performance. Puckett and Gaetti each had extra-base hits in this explosive start; Puckett would score four hits overall, including one homer during his four-hit game; Brunansky contributed three hits as Brunansky finished off this one 9-2.

Sunday’s game was finally competitive, yet Minnesota kept hitting. Hrbek hit an early three-run homer before Brunansky later added one in a 7-3 Twins lead. When Jose Canseco came up to bat as the potential tie-breaker inning later, Reardon responded by quickly inducing a ground ball out to short-stop to complete their sweep of Oakland’s.

Minnesota built up a five-game lead before being swept by the Red Sox. Pitching still was an issue; thus, the Twins made a desperate bid for veteran help when they brought in 42-year-old lefty Steve Carlton from Oakland (a future Hall-of-Famer and likely the best pitcher of the 1970s and early ’80s era), yet was virtually incapable of producing anything close to his glory days. Viola and Blyleven would lead this team toward victory!

Labor Day arrived, and Minnesota triumphed in three games with dramatic walk-off wins in three games. Their record at that point was modest a 73-65, but that put them three games ahead of Oakland, with Kansas City and California trailing behind by 5 1/2 games each.

Minnesota continued its consistent play in September. Their only real scare came when they fell three straight games to the Chicago White Sox before rebounding quickly to sweep the Cleveland Indians in four. Entering Monday, September 28th’s final week, Minnesota held a six-game lead and was poised to clinch when visiting Texas.

Niekro began the game on the mound for Minnesota and fell behind 3-0 early. Minnesota rallied from behind, with Lombardozzi delivering an unexpected three-run blast that tied it at three. Lombardozzi then delivered again in the eighth with an RBI single before this 5-3 contest was effectively ended via an intentional line drive double play hit at him–making Minnesota AL West champions!

Minnesota was considered an underdog against Detroit when the American League Championship Series kicked off, having posted an 85-77 record – one bettered only by four other AL East teams – but many factors worked in Minnesota’s favor.

One factor was exhaustion among both teams in September’s epic division title battle between Detroit and Toronto, another was that Minnesota could match any starting pitcher head-on when it comes to starting pitchers, and homefield advantage being determined on a rotation basis meant Minnesota had homefield throughout their postseason run.

Minnesota stunned baseball with its dominance against Detroit regardless of where the games were played, taking two out of three at Tiger Stadium to secure their first pennant since 1965 and earning Gary Gaetti ALCS MVP honors.

The World Series featured Minnesota taking on St. Louis Cardinals from the Midwest region of America, and home-field advantage being crucial to victory – home teams won all seven World Series games, and Viola won two games – Game 7 to clinch – becoming Series MVP.

Video: 1987 World Series, Game 7: Cardinals @ Twins

1987 World Series, Game 7: Cardinals @ Twins

Minnesota Twins baseball was back on an upward path, and their success wasn’t finished yet. Though Oakland took control of the AL West over three seasons, Minnesota still enjoyed a stellar 1988 campaign before seizing home field advantage all throughout 1991 to claim another World Series championship victory.

Read Also
Top 18 Greatest College Football Coaches of All-time
Current active coaches are not included in this list. That means don't ...
The Greatest College Basketball Team of All Time
Rating the greatest college basketball teams ever has been done many times ...
BetMGM Promo
Come Fly with me: How the 1988-89 Chicago Bulls pushed forward to an NBA dynasty.
Find the best sportsbook to bet on the NBA Playoffs! Prologue: By ...
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season
This list isn’t based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. ...
Top 100 NFL free agents entering the 2021 offseason
Below is a list of the top 100 free agents available this ...
Lady Tyger’s Tale: How Marian Trimiar Mauled the Boxing Establishment of the 1970s and 80s
To Feed the Ambition in Your Heart is Like Carrying a Tiger ...
The Forgotten Canadian Champion (And Maybe It’s Deserved): Billy Hawkins
As Mike Goodpaster and I prepare our popular Old-Time Boxing Show podcast, ...
The Army Boxer Who Knocked-Down Muhammad Ali (1960)
I had wanted to write a boxing story about Junebug Hudson for ...
Sportsbook of the month
PointsBet - Get your Bonus Bet now!
-
Top Brands
Top Bonuses
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.6/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Review
4.5/5
High5Casino
High5Casino
High5Casino Review
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Review
4.5/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
$25 No Deposit + 250,000 Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Bonus
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Bonus
25 SCs extra free on first purchases + 2 SCs FREE to claim
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
High5Casino
High5Casino Bonus
$5 No Deposit + 250 GameCoins + 600 Diamonds
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Bonus
1,000 ($10) No Deposit Free Coins + 360,000 Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Latest News
Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis: Talking All That Jazz  
The back and forth between the fighters and ...
Top 10 NFL Play by Play Broadcasters of All Time
This list will be National Guys, so no ...
Top-10 Indiana High School Basketball Teams of All-Time
Of course, nothing was better than Hoosier Hysteria, ...
Betting Tips
12/09/2023 - 3:00 pm
Gillett Stadium
Tip:
Navy to Cover
3.00
FanDuel
12/07/2023 - 8:15 pm
Acrisure
Tip:
Patriots to Cover
6.00
FanDuel
12/05/2023 - 9:00 pm
Chrysler
Tip:
Indiana to Cover
7.50
FanDuel
Our Latest YouTube Videos
Video: Indiana Basketball weekly W/Steve Risley: IU/Harvard Preview and UCONN and Louisville Recaps!
Indiana Basketball weekly W/Steve Risley: IU/Harvard Preview and UCONN and Louisville Recaps!
Video: #NFC East Clash - #Eagles at #Cowboys
#NFC East Clash - #Eagles at #Cowboys
Video: NFL *Betting* Show*: Week 14 Picking all games against the spread!
NFL *Betting* Show*: Week 14 Picking all games against the spread!
Sportsbook of the month
PointsBet - Get your Bonus Bet now!
-
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....
Top Online Casinos
Top Casinos Bonuses
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.6/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Review
4.5/5
High5Casino
High5Casino
High5Casino Review
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Review
4.5/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
$25 No Deposit + 250,000 Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Bonus
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Bonus
25 SCs extra free on first purchases + 2 SCs FREE to claim
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
High5Casino
High5Casino Bonus
$5 No Deposit + 250 GameCoins + 600 Diamonds
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Bonus
1,000 ($10) No Deposit Free Coins + 360,000 Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Top Betting Sites
Top Betting Bonuses
DraftKings
DraftKings
DraftKings Review
4.6/5
FanDuel
FanDuel
FanDuel Review
4.6/5
BetMGM
BetMGM
BetMGM Review
4.5/5
Bet365
Bet365
Bet365 Review
4.5/5
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com Review
4.5/5
DraftKings
DraftKings Bonus
Bet $5 Get $150 Instantly
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
FanDuel
FanDuel Bonus
Bet $5 Get $150 in Bonus Bets
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
BetMGM
BetMGM Bonus
up to $1,500 back in Bonus Bets
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
$1000 in Bonus Bets
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Place your first cash bet up to $1,000, and if the bet loses, you will have your wager refunded in Bonus Bets. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
Caesars
Caesars Bonus
100% up to $1000
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Our Team
Mike GoodpasterJosh SchwartzAuthor IconSimon BriffaMark Lewis
+10
Mike Goodpaster
Mike Goodpaster
Chief Editor
Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Editor
Author Icon
Christopher Carlson
Content Writer
Simon Briffa
Simon Briffa
Sports Editor
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
Editor
Samuel Teets
Samuel Teets
US Sports Veteran
John Raspanti
John Raspanti
Author
Chris Benedict
Chris Benedict
Editor
Author Icon
Daniel Kornhauser
Author
Author Icon
Malik Zorrok
Author
Author Icon
Buddy Gibbs
Author
Brian Coburn
Brian Coburn
Author
aukje
aukje
Author
Peter Bonahoom
Peter Bonahoom
Author
berina
berina
Author
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.

21+NCPG
Move to Top
Close
Players accepted in the US US Flag
Stake.us Exclusive Bonus
$25 No Deposit + 250,000 Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
Promo Code
Copy
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 18+
Payment Methods
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum
Dogecoin
Highlights
  • Exclusive promo code: TGTSOCIAL
  • Play Plinko, Hilo, Crash and more!
  • Get Stake Cash bonuses every day!
Stake Originals
Dice
Crash
Plinko
Mines
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Visit Site