August 10, 2026
August 10, 2026
1991 Minnesota Twins: The Hero
The 1991 Minnesota Twins authored one of baseball’s great turnaround stories. The period from 1988 to 1990 featured nothing but down years for the team in comparison to its successful run to the World Series championship in 1987. Making significant moves along the way, the Twins finally got back to where they had been before. In 1991 the Twins went 95-67, finishing 8 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox to win the American League West division. The Twins went 51-30 at home and 44-37 on the road.
Remaining a constant positive influence on the team, center fielder Kirby Puckett was the focal point of the most thrilling parts of Minnesota’s season. Puckett batted .319 with 15 home runs and 89 RBIs off 195 hits, 29 doubles, 6 triples and 11 stolen bases. Catcher Brian Harper batted .311 with 10 home runs, 137 hits and 28 doubles. Right fielder Shane Mack batted .310 with 18 home runs, 137 hits, 27 doubles, 8 triples and 13 stolen bases. First baseman Kent Hrbek batted .284 with 20 home runs and 89 RBIs off 131 hits and 20 doubles. Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch batted .281 with 159 hits, 24 doubles and 25 stolen bases. Knoblauch would win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
Third baseman Mike Pagliarulo batted .279 with 102 hits and 20 doubles. Designated hitter Chili Davis batted .277 with 29 home runs and 93 RBIs off 148 hits and 34 doubles. Utility player Gene Larkin batted .286 with 73 hits and 14 doubles in 98 games. Third baseman Scott Leius batted .286 with 57 hits in 109 games. Shortstop Greg Gagne had 108 hits, 22 doubles and 11 stolen bases.
The pitching staff answered the call when the going got tough for Minnesota. Jack Morris went 18-12 with 163 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA, recording 10 complete games and 2 shutouts. Kevin Tapani went 16-9 with 135 strikeouts and a 2.99 ERA, recording 4 complete games and 1 shutout. Scott Erickson went 20-8 with 108 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA, recording 5 complete games and 3 shutouts. Closer Rick Aguilera had 42 saves and a 2.35 ERA. Relief pitcher Mark Guthrie went 7-5 with 2 saves. Carl Willis went 8-3 with 2 saves and a 2.63 ERA. Steve Bedrosian went 5-3 with 6 saves.
The Twins squared off against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, and the Twins took care of the Blue Jays 4 games to 1.
On October 8 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the Twins won 5-4. In the bottom of the 1st inning Chili Davis had a 2-run single. In the bottom of the 2nd Greg Gagne and Chuck Knoblauch had RBI singles. Shane Mack had an RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd. However, Toronto tried to come back with an RBI groundout by first baseman John Olerud in the top of the 4th and an RBI single by Olerud in the 6th, along with a 2-run single by third baseman Kelly Gruber, but the Blue Jays fell short.
On October 9 the Blue Jays beat the Twins 5-2. In the top of the 1st inning right fielder Joe Carter had an RBI single, and in the top of the 3rd Gruber had a 2-run single. Kirby Puckett got the Twins on the board in the bottom of the 3rd with an RBI single, and then Brian Harper had an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th. In the top of the 7th second baseman Roberto Alomar had an RBI single, and then Carter followed with a sacrifice fly.
On October 11 at the SkyDome, the Twins won 3-2. In the bottom of the 1st inning Carter hit a solo home run, and then left fielder Candy Maldonado followed with an RBI double. In the top of the 5th Kent Hrbek hit into a fielder’s choice to score Mack, and in the top of the 6th Puckett had an RBI single. In the top of the 10th Mike Pagliarulo hit a solo home run to win it for Minnesota.
On October 12 the Twins won 9-3. In the bottom of the 2nd inning Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders had an RBI single, but Minnesota responded emphatically starting in the top of the 4th when Puckett hit a solo home run. Pagliarulo followed with an RBI single, and then left fielder Dan Gladden had a 2-run single. In the top of the 6th Pagliarulo had an RBI double and Gladden had an RBI single. In the bottom of the 6th Borders had an RBI double, but Minnesota silenced Toronto late in the game. In the top of the 7th Harper hit into a fielder’s choice to score Puckett, and in the top of the 8th Puckett hit a sacrifice fly in foul territory. In the top of the 9th Mack had a sacrifice fly, and Alomar’s RBI single in the bottom of the 9th did nothing for Toronto.
The Twins put the Blue Jays away in Game 5 on October 13 with an 8-5 victory. Puckett hit a solo home run in the top of the 1st inning, and Mack had an RBI single in the top of the 2nd. In the bottom of the 3rd Alomar had an RBI single, Carter had a ground-rule RBI double, and Olerud followed with an RBI groundout. Alomar then had a 2-run single in the bottom of the 4th, but Minnesota bounced back. In the top of the 6th Gladden hit into a fielder’s choice to score Mack, and then Knoblauch had a 2-run double. In the top of the 8th Puckett had an infield RBI single, and Hrbek topped things off with a 2-run single.
The 1991 World Series is considered by many baseball fans to be one of the best played World Series in history. The Minnesota Twins played against the National League champion Atlanta Braves, and the Fall Classic went the full seven-game distance.
On October 19 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the Twins won 5-2. In the bottom of the 3rd inning Knoblauch had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the 5th Gagne smashed a 3-run home run. In the top of the 6th Braves center fielder Ron Gant had an RBI single. In the bottom of the 6th Hrbek hit a solo home run, and Gant’s RBI single in the top of the 8th wasn’t enough for Atlanta.
On October 20 the Twins won 3-2. In the bottom of the 1st inning Chili Davis launched a 2-run home run, and in the top of the 2nd Braves left fielder Brian Hunter had a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 5th Braves shortstop Rafael Belliard had a sacrifice fly. Scott Leius hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th, but the Twins fell short of a shutout as Atlanta’s rally stalled.
On October 22 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Braves beat the Twins 5-4. Knoblauch had a sacrifice fly in the top of the 1st inning, but the Braves soon took over. In the bottom of the 2nd Belliard had an RBI single, right fielder David Justice hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th, and in the bottom of the 5th left fielder Lonnie Smith hit a solo home run. Catcher Greg Olson drew a bases-loaded walk to score third baseman Terry Pendleton. The Twins mounted a valiant comeback late in the game as Kirby Puckett hit a solo home run in the top of the 7th, and Chili Davis clubbed a 2-run home run in the top of the 8th to tie the game. In the bottom of the 12th second baseman Mark Lemke was the hero for the Braves as he had a game-winning RBI single.
On October 23 the Braves beat the Twins 3-2. In the top of the 2nd inning Pagliarulo had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the 3rd Pendleton hit a solo home run. Pagliarulo came back in the top of the 7th to hit his own solo home run, but the Braves took the victory with a solo home run hit by Smith in the bottom of the 7th and a sacrifice fly hit by pinch-hitting catcher Jerry Willard.
On October 24 the Braves pounded the Twins 14-5. The highlights of this game included a 2-run home run belted by David Justice in the bottom of the 4th inning, followed by a Mark Lemke RBI triple and a Rafael Belliard RBI double. In the bottom of the 5th Justice had an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the 7th Lonnie Smith hit a solo home run, Justice and Brian Harper had RBI singles, Lemke had a 2-run triple, and Belliard had an RBI single. In the bottom of the 8th Ron Gant had an RBI triple, Justice had an RBI groundout, and Hunter hit a solo home run.
Returning to the Metrodome for Game 6 on October 26, Minnesota baseball fans were treated to a game they would never forget. In the bottom of the 1st inning Puckett had an RBI triple, and Shane Mack followed with an RBI single. In the top of the 5th Terry Pendleton crushed a 2-run home run, and in the bottom of the 5th Puckett had a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 7th Gant had an RBI groundout to tie the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the 11th Kirby Puckett emerged as the hero of the World Series with one booming swing of the bat, launching a walk-off solo home run. This prompted famed radio announcer Jack Buck to say, “And we’ll see you tomorrow night!”
The following night, October 27, featured a pitchers’ duel between Minnesota’s Jack Morris and Atlanta’s John Smoltz in the deciding Game 7. Morris pitched 10 innings and gave up 7 hits and 2 walks while recording 8 strikeouts. Smoltz pitched 7.1 innings and gave up 6 hits and 1 walk while recording 4 strikeouts. The bottom of the 10th inning was the crowning moment for the Twins as Dan Gladden started things off with a double. Chuck Knoblauch had a sacrifice bunt to move Gladden to third base. Puckett and Hrbek were both intentionally walked. The hero ended up being Gene Larkin, who pinch hit in the designated hitter spot. With a walk-off RBI single by Larkin, the Twins won their second World Series championship in a five-year span.
Jack Morris was named World Series Most Valuable Player and won the Babe Ruth Award. Kent Hrbek won the Lou Gehrig Award. Kirby Puckett was named Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series. The 1991 Minnesota Twins, as a whole, shared the responsibility of being the hero when the situation called for it on the field.
7th February, 2017
17th June, 2026
5th March, 2016
29th March, 2016
17th April, 2016
August 9th, 2026 21
August 9th, 2026 21
August 8th, 2026 21
