1991 World Series
Encyclopedia
The 1991 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 (95–67) of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 against the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 (94–68) of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

. The series was played from Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, October 27.

This series was, in some respects, similar to the 1987 World Series
1987 World Series
The 1987 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins versus the St. Louis Cardinals.Minnesota was victorious in a World Series that was the first in which the home team won every game...

 also played by the Minnesota Twins (against the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

), most notably in that the home team won all seven games. With 69 innings in total, the 1991 World Series holds the record for longest seven-game World Series ever (some of the early years had nine-game Series, extending longer). Seven players appeared in both the 1987 and 1991 Series for the Twins: Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...

, Kent Hrbek
Kent Hrbek
Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN...

, Greg Gagne
Greg Gagne (baseball player)
Gregory Carpenter Gagne is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played 10 seasons for the Minnesota Twins from 1983 to 1992, including both of the Twins' World Series championship teams in 1987 and 1991...

, Dan Gladden
Dan Gladden
Clinton Daniel "Dan" Gladden III is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio broadcaster.-Baseball career:Gladden is a graduate of Westmont High School in Campbell, California...

, Gene Larkin
Gene Larkin
Eugene Thomas Larkin is a former switch-hitting first baseman, designated hitter and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire seven-season career with the Minnesota Twins. During his playing career he wore #9 for Minnesota, and was a member of both the 1987 and 1991 World...

, Randy Bush
Randy Bush
Robert Randall Bush , is a former professional baseball player and currently a front office member of the Chicago Cubs. With the hiring of Theo Epstein, Bush will continue as an assistant General Manager, and will be involved in the hiring process of the field and scouting staff.Bush played for...

 and Al Newman
Al Newman
Albert Dwayne Newman is a former infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Montreal Expos , Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers...

. Terry Pendleton
Terry Pendleton
Terry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...

 of the Braves also played in the 1987 Series, then as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Before 1991, no league champion had ever finished the previous season in last place but both the Twins and the Braves had finished the previous season in last place. The Twins also won the AL West Division in 1991 with every team in the division having a .500 or better record, a feat the Braves themselves would achieve when they won the National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...

 in 2005.

In their "World Series 100th Anniversary" countdown, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 selected the 1991 World Series as the "Greatest of All Time", with five of its games being decided by a single run, four games decided in the final at-bat and three games going into extra innings.

Summary

The 1991 World Series was notable for several grueling contests, with five of its games being decided by one run and three games in extra innings (including the third game, a twelve-inning marathon which saw Twins manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

 Tom Kelly
Tom Kelly (baseball)
Jay Thomas Kelly , is the former manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team from to . Currently, he serves as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Twins....

 run out of hitters).

Game 1

Saturday, October 19, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...


The ceremonial first pitch of the World Series prior to Game 1 was thrown by retired AL umpire Steve Palermo
Steve Palermo
Stephen Michael Palermo is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1977 to 1991. His field career ended when he was shot in the back following his intervention in an altercation outside Campisi's, a Dallas Italian restaurant...

. Palermo had been forced into early retirement when he was seriously injured by gunshot while coming to the aid of a robbery victim in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

 on July 7, 1991. After the pitch, the Series umpires jogged to the mound to exchange well wishes.

The Twins started their ace, Minnesota native Jack Morris
Jack Morris
John Scott "Jack" Morris is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in 18 big league seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career...

, while the Braves countered with Charlie Leibrandt
Charlie Leibrandt
Charles Louis "Charlie" Leibrandt, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1993 for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. Leibrandt was a productive pitcher throughout his 14 year career, and a member of the 1985 World Series...

. Both pitchers had pitched on World Series teams, with Morris winning a ring with the 1984 Detroit Tigers
1984 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series, defeating the San Diego Padres, 4 games to 1. The season was their 84th since they entered the American League in 1901 and their fourth World Series championship. Detroit relief pitcher Willie Hernandez won the Cy Young Award and was chosen as the...

 and Leibrandt winning one with the 1985 Kansas City Royals
1985 Kansas City Royals season
The 1985 Kansas City Royals season ended with the Royals' first world championship win over their intrastate rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Royals won the Western Division of the American League for the second consecutive season and the sixth time in ten years...

.

Minnesota scored first in the bottom of the third. With two out, leadoff hitter Dan Gladden
Dan Gladden
Clinton Daniel "Dan" Gladden III is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio broadcaster.-Baseball career:Gladden is a graduate of Westmont High School in Campbell, California...

 walked and then stole second. Rookie second baseman Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...

 then singled to drive him in, but was caught in a rundown in between first and second and tagged out to end the inning. The Twins added three more runs in the fifth, as shortstop Greg Gagne hit a home run with Kent Hrbek
Kent Hrbek
Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN...

 and Scott Leius
Scott Leius
Scott Thomas Leius is a former American League baseball player during the 1990s. Leius was a late season call up by the Minnesota Twins and debuted with the parent club on September 3, 1990...

 on base. Leibrandt was pulled from the game following the home run, and reliever Jim Clancy promptly allowed Gladden and Knoblauch to reach base on an error and a walk. Gladden reached third on a fly ball by Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...

 for the first out, and after Knoblauch stole second Chili Davis
Chili Davis
Charles Theodore "Chili" Davis is the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics. Davis is a former outfielder/designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , California Angels , Minnesota Twins , Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees...

 was put on intentionally. Twins catcher Brian Harper
Brian Harper
Brian David Harper is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs' AA club, the Tennessee Smokies.-Minor leagues:Harper was drafted by the California Angels in...

 then lifted a fly ball to left field that was caught for the second out. Gladden tagged again and tried to score, running over Atlanta catcher Greg Olson in the process, but Olson held onto the ball for the third out.

The Braves broke through against Morris in the top of the sixth, as Jeff Treadway
Jeff Treadway
Hugh Jeffery Treadway , is a former Major League Baseball player. He played nine seasons in the majors from 1987-1995. He was primarily a second baseman, but also played at other infield positions...

 and David Justice
David Justice
David Christopher Justice is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , and Oakland Athletics .-Early life:David was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Robert and Nettie Justice...

 reached base with two out. Ron Gant
Ron Gant
Ronald Edwin "Ron" Gant is a former American Major League outfielder and second baseman earlier on who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds , St...

 then followed with a single that Gladden misplayed, which scored Treadway and left runners at second and third. Morris got out of the jam by striking out Sid Bream
Sid Bream
Sidney Eugene "Sid" Bream is an American former Major League Baseball player. He played his entire 11-year career in the National League...

 to end the inning, and the Twins added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning as Hrbek homered off Clancy.

After walking the first two batters to lead off the eighth, Morris was pulled from the game in favor of Mark Guthrie
Mark Guthrie
Mark Andrew Guthrie is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins....

, who induced a double play off the bat of Terry Pendleton
Terry Pendleton
Terry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...

. After walking Justice closer Rick Aguilera
Rick Aguilera
Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs....

 came into the game and gave up a run when Gant drove in Lonnie Smith
Lonnie Smith
Lonnie Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on September 2, 1978 and later played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles...

 from third base. It was the last scoring anyone did, as the Twins won the game 5–2.

Morris' win was his third World Series win in as many starts, as he won Games 1 and 4 of the 1984 series. Leibrandt's poor performance resulted in his being removed from the World Series rotation.

Game 2

Sunday, October 20, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...


The pitching match-up featured 1991 National League Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...

 winner Tom Glavine
Tom Glavine
Thomas Michael Glavine is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.With 164 victories during the 1990s, Glavine was the second winningest pitcher in the National League, second only to teammate Greg Maddux's 176...

 against the Twins' sixteen-game winner and number two starter, Kevin Tapani
Kevin Tapani
Kevin Ray Tapani is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001.-Early life:...

.

In the bottom of the first, Dan Gladden
Dan Gladden
Clinton Daniel "Dan" Gladden III is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio broadcaster.-Baseball career:Gladden is a graduate of Westmont High School in Campbell, California...

 lifted a seemingly routine pop-up toward second base. Atlanta fielders Mark Lemke
Mark Lemke
Mark Alan Lemke is a former Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "The Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves from to .-Biography:...

 and David Justice
David Justice
David Christopher Justice is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , and Oakland Athletics .-Early life:David was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Robert and Nettie Justice...

 miscommunicated and collided with one another as the ball fell from Lemke's glove and Gladden reached second on a two-base error. After a walk to Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...

, Glavine induced Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...

 to ground to third, where Terry Pendleton
Terry Pendleton
Terry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...

 stepped on the bag to retire Gladden and threw across to Sid Bream
Sid Bream
Sidney Eugene "Sid" Bream is an American former Major League Baseball player. He played his entire 11-year career in the National League...

 to retire Puckett for the double play. The next batter, Chili Davis
Chili Davis
Charles Theodore "Chili" Davis is the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics. Davis is a former outfielder/designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , California Angels , Minnesota Twins , Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees...

, then homered off Glavine and gave the Twins an early 2–0 lead.

The Braves got a run back in the top of the second when Justice singled, was doubled to third by Sid Bream
Sid Bream
Sidney Eugene "Sid" Bream is an American former Major League Baseball player. He played his entire 11-year career in the National League...

, and then scored on a sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....

 by Greg Olson. Controversy occurred the next inning when Lonnie Smith
Lonnie Smith
Lonnie Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on September 2, 1978 and later played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles...

 reached first on an error by Scott Leius
Scott Leius
Scott Thomas Leius is a former American League baseball player during the 1990s. Leius was a late season call up by the Minnesota Twins and debuted with the parent club on September 3, 1990...

. With two outs, Ron Gant
Ron Gant
Ronald Edwin "Ron" Gant is a former American Major League outfielder and second baseman earlier on who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds , St...

 ripped a single to left. Smith, playing for a record fourth team in World Series play, tried to beat the throw to third from Gladden. Gladden's throw was wild and Smith was able to take third, but Gant was caught between bases trying to stretch his hit into a double. Tapani caught Gladden's throw and threw back to first. As Gant headed back to the base he got tangled with Kent Hrbek
Kent Hrbek
Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN...

, who appeared to grab onto his leg and pull him off the base, and first base umpire Drew Coble called Gant out. A furious Gant and first base coach Pat Corrales argued to no avail. Coble said (during an interview conducted for the home video recap of the series) that in his view, Gant was not in control of his body when he returned to the base, that his own momentum caused him to get tangled with Hrbek, and that he fell off the base. This call was ranked as one of the top ten worst baseball calls by both ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Hrbek became a hated figure in Atlanta, was booed lustfully, and would even receive a death threat. In 2011, the Twins celebrated the 20th anniversary of the controversial play by commissioning a bobblehead doll of Hrbek and Gant entangled, a promotion that proved popular with the Minnesota Twins fans.

The Braves tied the game in the fifth when Olson doubled, advanced to third on a groundout by Lemke, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Rafael Belliard
Rafael Belliard
Rafael Leonidas Belliard Matias is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He is currently the infield coach for the Detroit Tigers....

. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the eighth when the unheralded Leius drilled a Glavine pitch into the left-field seats for what proved to be the game-winning home run. Rick Aguilera
Rick Aguilera
Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs....

 got the save and the Series headed to Atlanta with the Twins leading two games to none.

Game 3

Tuesday, October 22, 1991 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, often shortened to "Fulton County Stadium," was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.-History:...

 in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...


The Braves outlasted the Twins in a thrilling twelve-inning battle, the first World Series game ever played in the Deep South. This game matched Minnesota's twenty-game winner Scott Erickson
Scott Erickson
Scott Gavin Erickson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-Career:Erickson was born in Long Beach, California, and began his professional career, after being drafted by the NY Mets in 1986, Houston Astros in 1987, and Toronto Blue Jays in 1988, in when he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins...

 against Atlanta's late-season hero and NLCS MVP, Steve Avery
Steve Avery
Steven Thomas Avery is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was a young star with the Atlanta Braves in the early 1990s.-Young Gun:...

. In the NLCS, Avery had not allowed a run to the Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 in sixteen-and-a-third innings.

Twins manager Tom Kelly
Tom Kelly (baseball)
Jay Thomas Kelly , is the former manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team from to . Currently, he serves as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Twins....

 said going into the three games in Atlanta that managing without the designated-hitter rule was "right up there with rocket science."

Reminiscent of Game 2, Gladden hit another ball toward Justice. This time, Justice and Gant miscommunicated, and Gladden wound up at third with nobody out in the top of the first. Gladden then scored on Knoblauch's sacrifice fly to Justice, and the Twins scored to end Avery's shutout streak.

The Braves, meanwhile, got the run back in the second when Olson scored on Belliard's single. Justice led off the fourth with his first World Series home run, and the Braves led for the first time in the Series, 2–1. In the fifth, they scored again when Smith homered. The Braves loaded the bases but only scored one more run due to the clutch relief pitching of Terry Leach. With the score 4–1, the Braves looked to close it out. As it turned out, the game was just beginning.

Except for the run that resulted from the first-inning misplay between Gant and Justice, Avery had been quite effective. But after Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...

 homered in the seventh to make it 4–2 and two other fly outs made it to the warning track, Atlanta manager Bobby Cox
Bobby Cox
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Cox is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager...

 reluctantly sent Avery out for the eighth inning. After a Terry Pendleton
Terry Pendleton
Terry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...

 error put Brian Harper
Brian Harper
Brian David Harper is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs' AA club, the Tennessee Smokies.-Minor leagues:Harper was drafted by the California Angels in...

 on first, Avery went to the showers in favor of the Braves' regular-season closer, Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña Vásquez [PEH-nya] in Cambiaso, Dominican Republic, is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Peña batted and threw right-handed...

. Peña had been 13 for 13 in save opportunities since joining the Braves in a late-season trade with the Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

, but he had not pitched since the prior Wednesday. The first batter that he faced, Chili Davis, tied the game with a monstrous home run to left, leaving Avery with nothing to show for a great pitching effort.

At this point, the game got bizarre. Substitutions and double switches were used by both teams into the twelfth, when Minnesota manager Tom Kelly
Tom Kelly (baseball)
Jay Thomas Kelly , is the former manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team from to . Currently, he serves as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Twins....

 used up his entire bench and had to send reliever Aguilera to pinch-hit for the active pitcher, Mark Guthrie
Mark Guthrie
Mark Andrew Guthrie is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins....

, who had never had an at bat in his major league career, with the bases loaded and two out (Aguilera flied to center and the ball was caught by center fielder Ron Gant). Kelly said in an interview that if the game had gone on longer, since he had used up all his relief pitchers, he would have put left fielder Dan Gladden
Dan Gladden
Clinton Daniel "Dan" Gladden III is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio broadcaster.-Baseball career:Gladden is a graduate of Westmont High School in Campbell, California...

 on the mound and put Aguilera in the outfield. In the bottom of the twelfth, Justice singled to right and after Brian Hunter popped out, Justice stole second. With two outs, Lemke entered the pantheon of World Series heroes by hitting a single to left that enabled Justice to just beat the throw from Gladden. His score gave the Braves a 5–4 win and cut the Twins lead in the Series to two games to one. Jim Clancy
Jim Clancy (baseball)
James Clancy is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays , Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves . He batted and threw right-handed....

 was the winning pitcher for Atlanta while Aguilera took the loss for Minnesota.

The game lasted a then record four hours, four minutes, until broken in 2005 in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...

 with a time of five hours, forty-one minutes. It was the first of four games in this Series to end with the winning team scoring the deciding run in the ninth inning or later. It was also the first World Series game to be played in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

.

Game 4

Wednesday, October 23, 1991 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, often shortened to "Fulton County Stadium," was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.-History:...

 in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...


Because Game 3 ended after midnight, Mark Lemke was credited with winning two World Series games in one day. As they had done in Game 3, the Braves won in their final at-bat. Game 4 matched up Jack Morris
Jack Morris
John Scott "Jack" Morris is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in 18 big league seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career...

 against Atlanta starter John Smoltz
John Smoltz
John Andrew Smoltz is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and active sportscaster. He is best known for his prolific career of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, in which he garnered eight All-Star selections and received the Cy Young Award in 1996...

, a former Detroit prospect and Michigan native who idolized him while a youngster.

As was the custom in the first three games, the Twins scored first. In the second inning, catcher Brian Harper scored on Mike Pagliarulo
Mike Pagliarulo
Michael Timothy Pagliarulo, aka "Pags" , is a former Major League Baseball third baseman during the 1980s and into the mid 1990s...

's double. The Braves tied it in the third when Pendleton hit his first ever post-season home run. The Braves appeared ready to take a lead in the fifth when Smith singled and stole second. A double by Pendleton sent Smith towards the plate. However, Smith made a critical error in judgment on the play. As Kirby Puckett went back to catch the ball, at the very last second the ball went over his head. Smith had gone back to tag up, which slowed him down enough to enable Puckett to retrieve the ball and throw it into the infield to give the Twins a chance to get Smith out. The throw reached Harper just as Smith was headed to the plate and he bowled over Harper in an attempt to dislodge the ball. The collision sent both sprawling, but Harper held onto the ball and got up to ensure Pendleton, who had gone to third, did not score. The Braves now had a runner at third with one out. A few moments later, Morris unleashed a wild pitch and Pendleton sped toward home. But Harper retrieved it and tagged the sliding Pendleton for the second out of the inning. Justice popped out and Morris was out of the jam.

In the top of the seventh, Pagliarulo homered to give the Twins the lead, 2–1. But the Braves got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Smith homered off Twins reliever Carl Willis
Carl Willis
Carl Blake Willis was a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins...

 to tie the game. The game entered the bottom of the ninth still tied at 2. With one out and Mark Guthrie
Mark Guthrie
Mark Andrew Guthrie is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins....

 pitching, Lemke drilled a triple off the left-center field wall. Jeff Blauser
Jeff Blauser
Jeffrey Michael Blauser is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He played for the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs from 1987 to 1999.-Career:...

 was walked intentionally to set up a possible double play to force extra innings. After a series of moves by both managers, former Brave Steve Bedrosian
Steve Bedrosian
Stephen Wayne Bedrosian, is an American former baseball player. Nicknamed "Bedrock", he played from 1981 to 1995 with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins...

 took the mound to face veteran minor leaguer Jerry Willard
Jerry Willard
Gerald Duane Willard was a Major League Baseball catcher.Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1979, Willard would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Cleveland Indians on April 11, 1984, and appeared in his final game on May 19, 1994.Willard's career was spent...

. Willard delivered a sacrifice fly to Shane Mack in right field. Mack caught it and fired toward the plate. The ball beat Lemke to the plate and Harper held it in his glove, but Lemke got around Harper with a hook slide, scoring the winning run that beat the Twins, 3–2. Harper leapt up and vociferously protested, as did Bedrosian, but umpire Terry Tata
Terry Tata
Terry Anthony Tata is a former Major League Baseball umpire. His career started in 1973 and ended in 1999. During his career, he officiated four World Series, seven National League Championship Series and three All-Star games...

 stood by the call. Replays showed that Harper had touched Lemke with his left elbow, but not with the ball or his glove. CBS announcer Tim McCarver then read from the Major League Baseball rule book explaining why Tata had made the correct call. The win tied the Series at two games apiece and ensured a return to Minnesota.

Game 5

Thursday, October 24, 1991 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, often shortened to "Fulton County Stadium," was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.-History:...

 in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...


In Game 5, it was Glavine vs. Tapani in a Game 2 rematch. And despite the final score, this contest was still up in the air until the seventh inning. For three innings, the pitchers matched zeroes, but in the fourth, Gant singled to left and Justice homered off the top of the left-field wall for a 2–0 Braves lead. Bream followed up with a walk, and Olson then hit what appeared to be a double play grounder to second. But the ball hit Bream's leg, resulting in Bream being called out for runner interference but Olson being safe at first. Lemke, the hero of Games 3 and 4, drilled a triple that scored Olson, and Lemke himself then scored on light-hitting Rafael Belliard
Rafael Belliard
Rafael Leonidas Belliard Matias is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He is currently the infield coach for the Detroit Tigers....

's double. At this point, the Braves led 4–0, their biggest lead in any game in the Series.

In the fifth, Pendleton and Gant singled, with Pendleton moving to third. Then Justice hit into a fielder's choice that scored Pendleton and gave the Braves a 5–0 lead. With Glavine working on a two-hitter, the game seemed in hand for the Braves. But Glavine was not sharp in the sixth inning and wound up getting pulled from the game. Knoblauch reached on a one-out walk and then went to third on Puckett's single. A walk to Davis loaded the bases, and Glavine suddenly couldn't find the strike zone. He walked in two runs by giving bases loaded walks to Harper and Leius. Kent Mercker
Kent Mercker
Kent Franklin Mercker is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played for nine teams over his seventeen-year career....

 came on to get out of the jam and he got the final two outs with only one additional run scoring. The game entered the seventh with the Braves leading, 5–3.

Tom Kelly sent David West
David West (baseball)
David Lee West , is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1988-1998...

 out to begin the bottom of the seventh. West had failed to retire a batter in Game 3 and thus had an ERA of infinity
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...

. Smith hit his third home run in three nights, all solo shots, to give the Braves a 6–3 lead. And then the floodgates opened. Pendleton and Gant walked, Justice singled to score Pendleton, and West was again taken out without retiring a batter (he would retire his first World Series hitter in the 1993 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies). Hunter singled to score Gant and put two on with nobody out and an 8–3 Braves lead. After Olson popped out, Lemke hit his third triple in his last four at bats, driving home Justice and Hunter, and scoring when Belliard singled to center. The Braves ended the seventh with an 11–3 lead and the announcers began talking about the chances of the two teams in Game 6.

However, there were still two innings to be played. Davis, playing this game in right field in place of Mack, who was 0-for-15, singled. He moved to second on a ground out and scored on Al Newman
Al Newman
Albert Dwayne Newman is a former infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Montreal Expos , Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers...

's triple. In the bottom of the eighth, Pendleton doubled and Gant tripled, scoring Pendleton. Justice grounded out to the pitcher, scoring Gant, and Hunter then ended the Braves' offensive barrage with a home run.

Both managers emptied their benches to give playing time to non-starters. Thus, Randy St. Claire
Randy St. Claire
Randall Anthony St. Claire is a former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball for the Montreal Expos , Cincinnati Reds , Minnesota Twins , Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays as a relief pitcher...

 was on the mound pitching to Francisco Cabrera as the ninth inning began. St. Claire gave up a run when Gladden tripled (the fifth triple of the game between the two teams) and scored on a fielder's choice, but the game ended in a 14–5 Braves rout, the only lopsided game in the Series. The Braves now had their first lead in Series games, three to two, and only needed one win to clinch their first World Series since 1957
1957 World Series
The 1957 World Series featured the defending champions, the New York Yankees , playing against the Milwaukee Braves . After finishing just one game behind the N.L. Champion Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, the Braves came back in 1957 to win their first pennant since moving from Boston in 1953...

. In fact, the marquee wall at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium read "Three at home and one at the Dome." The Washington/Minnesota franchise had now lost fourteen straight World Series road games dating back to 1925
1925 World Series
In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games.In a reversal of fortune on all counts from the previous 1924 World Series, when Washington's Walter Johnson had come back from two losses to win the seventh and deciding game, Johnson...

, a streak that remains active as the Twins have not advanced to a World Series since 1991.

Game 6

Saturday, October 26, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...


Both teams had each other in their palms. The Braves were one win away from their first world championship since 1957 while the Twins were returning to the Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

 where they had a 9–1 postseason record (including 6–0 in the World Series) entering the do-or-die Game 6. After the reshuffling of the Braves' rotation following Game 1, Steve Avery would start for Atlanta on three days' rest. The Twins kept their three-man rotation with Scott Erickson, who had been batted around in Game 3, getting the start for Minnesota.

In the top of the first, the Braves got two baserunners on, but they would eventually be stranded. In the bottom of the first, Knoblauch singled and Puckett tripled, scoring Knoblauch and setting the tone for the rest of the evening. After retiring Davis for the second out of the inning, Avery faced Shane Mack. Mack was 0-for-15 in the series and had sat Game 5 in favor of the bat of Chili Davis, the Twins normal DH. Mack finally broke the hitless streak with a broken-bat single to score Puckett. Leius then singled, advancing Mack to third base, but Avery got Hrbek out to keep the score 2–0.

The Braves hit Erickson hard, but failed to score against him. No better example can be cited than Gant's seeming extra-base hit in the top of the third with Pendleton on first. Kirby Puckett leaped and made a sensational catch against the thirteen-foot Plexiglas fence, sending Pendleton back to first (where Puckett nearly doubled him off) instead of around the bases for Atlanta's first run. Erickson got out of it by getting a ground out from Justice.

In the fourth, the Twins appeared ready to increase their lead, putting runners at second and third with one out. But Avery buckled down and retired the side to keep the game close. Another critical play occurred in the fifth when Belliard kept the Twins from completing a double play with a fierce slide. His hustle enabled Lonnie Smith to reach first. This became important when Pendleton golfed Erickson's next pitch into the seats to tie the game at 2. With two outs, Justice lifted what appeared to be a go-ahead home run for the Braves to right, but the last instant, the ball hooked foul by about two feet. Erickson retired Justice and the Twins came to bat with the score tied.

Gladden responded with a walk and a steal of second. He moved to third on Knoblauch's liner to right and scored on Puckett's center field sacrifice fly and the Twins led 3–2. The Twins kept their one-run lead into the seventh. Lemke singled to center and went to second on a wild pitch by reliever Guthrie. After a strikeout, Smith walked and Pendleton then reached on an infield single. The Braves now had the bases loaded and one out as CBS commentator Jack Buck said the World Series was on the line right there. Gant hit what seemed to be a sure double play ground ball off the Twins' Carl Willis, which retired Pendleton, but he beat the relay to first and Lemke scored with the tying run. Willis, however, got out of the jam by striking out Justice to end the inning with the score tied at 3.

The game remained tied at three until the eleventh. Bobby Cox sent Charlie Leibrandt
Charlie Leibrandt
Charles Louis "Charlie" Leibrandt, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1993 for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. Leibrandt was a productive pitcher throughout his 14 year career, and a member of the 1985 World Series...

 to the mound to face Kirby Puckett. Puckett recalled telling Chili Davis that he planned to attempt to bunt for a base hit, to which Davis responded "Bunt my ass. Hit it out and let's go home!" Puckett replied that he would take a few pitches first. After taking three pitches from Leibrandt and with a two-ball, one-strike count on him, Puckett launched the next pitch into the left-center-field seats for a dramatic game-winning home run that tied the Series at three games apiece. Jack Buck famously called it with the line "And we'll see you tomorrow night!"

This moment is captured in statue of Puckett just outside of Gate 34 at the Twins new home, Target Field. The statue is of Puckett rounding second base, pumping his fists after hitting the dramatic walk-off home run.

Puckett's home run forced the first Game 7 since the 1987 World Series
1987 World Series
The 1987 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins versus the St. Louis Cardinals.Minnesota was victorious in a World Series that was the first in which the home team won every game...

, which was also played at the Metrodome. With his walk-off home run, Puckett completed the game only one hit—a double—from hitting for the cycle
Hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...

.

Rick Aguilera took the decision for the Twins, while Leibrandt earned his second loss of the series.

Game 7

Sunday, October 27, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...


The first World Series Game 7 in four seasons saw a rematch of the Game 4 starters. Jack Morris
Jack Morris
John Scott "Jack" Morris is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in 18 big league seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career...

 returned to the mound for his third start of the Series for the Twins while John Smoltz
John Smoltz
John Andrew Smoltz is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and active sportscaster. He is best known for his prolific career of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, in which he garnered eight All-Star selections and received the Cy Young Award in 1996...

 made his second for the Braves. Going into the game, this World Series had been regarded as one of the best ever in the history of the major leagues. The seventh game would reinforce that point.

Neither team was able to score a run early on. The Twins had their first opportunity in the bottom of the third inning when Dan Gladden doubled and advanced to third on a flyout by Chuck Knoblauch, but Smoltz struck out Puckett to end the inning. The Braves put a runner into scoring position with one out in the top of the fifth as Mark Lemke reached third on a sacrifice bunt by Rafael Belliard and a bunt single by Lonnie Smith, but Morris got Terry Pendleton to pop out and then struck out Ron Gant to end the threat.

Neither team threatened again until the eighth inning. The top of the eighth included a critical defensive play, with Smith on first and nobody out. Braves manager Bobby Cox called for a hit and run
Hit and run (baseball)
A hit and run is a high risk/high reward offensive strategy used in baseball.When the offense has a baserunner on first base , the runner on first breaks for second as the pitch is thrown...

 with Pendleton at the plate. Pendleton responded by lacing a double into the left-center field gap, but Smith only advanced to third on the play. Logically, Smith could have scored on the play, but after Pendleton made contact Twins infielders Greg Gagne (shortstop) and Knoblauch (second base) feigned starting a double play by pretending to force out Smith at second. Smith hesitated, then ran to third while as Pendleton headed for second. Smith claimed he hadn't been fooled by the decoy as he was waiting to see if Puckett or Gladden would catch the ball. However, Morris later claimed the play should never have taken place. On the pitch before, with a 1–2 count on him, Pendleton appeared to swing and miss for strike three (which Morris believed Pendleton did). Pendleton appealed to home plate umpire Don Denkinger
Don Denkinger
Donald Anton Denkinger is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1998. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for an incorrect call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World...

, saying that he'd foul-tipped the pitch at the plate. Denkinger turned to third base umpire Terry Tata, who confirmed the call. Nevertheless, the attempt at a rally was quashed. Morris got Gant to ground out to first baseman Kent Hrbek for the first out, which didn't permit Smith to score. David Justice was then walked intentionally so Morris could pitch to the struggling Sid Bream
Sid Bream
Sidney Eugene "Sid" Bream is an American former Major League Baseball player. He played his entire 11-year career in the National League...

, who only had three hits in the series. Bream also had the reputation of being one of the league's slowest runners, a fact the Twins were able to take advantage of. Morris induced Bream to ground to first. Hrbek threw home to get Smith, and catcher Brian Harper relayed the throw to first in enough time to get Bream to retire the side. Had Smith not made his baserunning error, he would not have still been on base and the Braves would have taken at least a 1–0 lead into the bottom of the eighth. As it stood, however, the teams were scoreless.

The Twins attempted to respond in the bottom of the eighth. Randy Bush pinch hit for Gagne to lead off the inning and singled off Smoltz, then was promptly removed from the game in favor of the faster Al Newman to pinch run. Smoltz then retired Gladden but gave up a single to Knoblauch, his eighth hit of the Series. With one out, runners on the corners, and Puckett coming to the plate, Bobby Cox elected to remove his pitcher from the game. Mike Stanton entered and was ordered to intentionally walk Puckett to load the bases. The next batter was Hrbek, who had not had a hit in quite some time and who Stanton had struck out each of the previous three times he had faced Hrbek. This time Stanton got him to line out to Mark Lemke
Mark Lemke
Mark Alan Lemke is a former Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "The Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves from to .-Biography:...

. Lemke then stepped on second to double-up Knoblauch and the game continued with no score.

The Braves went down in order in the top of the ninth as Morris retired Brian Hunter, Greg Olson, and Lemke. The Twins, with a chance to win the game in their final at bat, led off with a Chili Davis single. After Jarvis Brown
Jarvis Brown
Jarvis Ardel Brown was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, and Baltimore Orioles. He won the World Series with the Twins.-Career:...

 came in to run for Davis, Harper attempted to move him over with a bunt down the first base line. Stanton misstepped coming to play the bunt and the momentary action allowed Harper to reach base without a play. To make matters worse for Atlanta, Stanton's misstep caused him to strain a muscle in his back and he had to be removed from the game. Cox was forced to bring in Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña Vásquez [PEH-nya] in Cambiaso, Dominican Republic, is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Peña batted and threw right-handed...

 to pitch to Shane Mack. Despite his earlier struggles, Peña induced a ground ball double play to record the first two outs. He then gave an intentional walk to Mike Pagliarulo and struck out pinch hitter Paul Sorrento to send the game into extra innings.

Refusing to come out of the game, Morris took to the hill for the top of the tenth. A Twin Cities sports writer wrote that on that night, "[Morris] could have outlasted Methuselah
Methuselah
Methuselah is the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Extra-biblical tradition maintains that he died on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 1656 , at the age of 969, seven days before the beginning of the Great Flood...

." Morris successfully rebuffed several attempts by manager Tom Kelly to remove him during the game, remaining on the mound from the first pitch to the last. And as he had been for most of the night Morris was effective, retiring Blauser, Smith, and Pendleton in order. Morris threw 126 pitches in the game.

Peña faced Gladden to start the bottom half of the inning and the Twins' leadoff hitter lifted a fly ball to left field. Hunter could not catch up to the ball in time, and could not field the ball as it took a high bounce and skipped off his glove. Gladden continued to second and reached it ahead of a throw by Gant, who backed up the play. Kelly then called for a sacrifice bunt and Knoblauch executed to put the winning run on third with one out. As he'd done in the eighth, Cox called for an intentional walk to the resurgent Puckett. Hrbek, who had not gotten a hit in his last sixteen at-bats dating back to his single in the eighth inning of Game 3, was next up, and Brown would be scheduled after him in the spot left vacant when Kelly ran for the power-hitting Davis. Despite this, Hrbek's .115 average in the Series and his lack of baserunning speed, and the fact that the Braves had two pitchers warming up in the bullpen including left-hander Kent Mercker
Kent Mercker
Kent Franklin Mercker is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played for nine teams over his seventeen-year career....

, Cox decided to call a second consecutive intentional walk to the Minnesota first baseman, loading the bases.

This left Kelly with a tough decision, as Brown had not yet gotten a hit in the Series. Entering the 10th inning he had already used four of the seven players on his bench. In the top half of the inning he inserted Scott Leius
Scott Leius
Scott Thomas Leius is a former American League baseball player during the 1990s. Leius was a late season call up by the Minnesota Twins and debuted with the parent club on September 3, 1990...

, who was normally a third baseman, into the game to replace Newman at shortstop. This left him with Junior Ortiz
Junior Ortiz
Adalberto "Junior" Ortiz Colón , is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in the majors from 1982-94. He was a member of the 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twins....

, Harper's backup catcher, and utility man Gene Larkin
Gene Larkin
Eugene Thomas Larkin is a former switch-hitting first baseman, designated hitter and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire seven-season career with the Minnesota Twins. During his playing career he wore #9 for Minnesota, and was a member of both the 1987 and 1991 World...

, who had yet to appear in the series and was nursing an injured knee. Kelly went with Larkin, who would have been the designated hitter had the game continued and would not have had to take the field. On the first pitch he saw, Larkin drove a single into deep left-center field, scoring Gladden with the series-winning run and giving the Twins their second world championship since moving to Minnesota.

For the first time since , a seventh game of the World Series ended with a 1–0 verdict. This Series was also the first since to end with an extra-inning seventh-game, when the home team, the Washington Senators
1924 Washington Senators season
The Washington Senators won 92 games, lost 62, and finished in first place in the American League. Fueled by the excitement of winning their first AL pennant, the Senators won the World Series in dramatic fashion, a 12-inning game 7 victory.-Regular season:...

 (who would become the Twins franchise in 1961
1961 Minnesota Twins season
The Minnesota Twins season was a season in American baseball. The team finished with a record of 70-90, seventh in the American League, which had expanded from 8 to 10 teams during the 1960-61 offseason. It was the franchise's first season in Minnesota after 60 seasons in Washington, D.C....

) won it in their last at-bat. The same thing would also happen in the 1997 World Series
1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...

 when the Florida Marlins
1997 Florida Marlins season
The 1997 Florida Marlins season started off with the team trying to improve on their record from 1996. Their manager was Jim Leyland. They played home games at Pro Player Stadium...

 would beat the Cleveland Indians
1997 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Indians making their second World Series appearance in three years...

 in the eleventh inning of Game 7.

The 1991 World Series was the second in five seasons in which the home team won all seven games in the Series. The other time this happened was in 1987, which was also won by the Twins. Game 7 of this series was the last World Series game played at the Metrodome before the Twins moved out at the end of the 2009 season
2009 Minnesota Twins season
The Minnesota Twins season was the 49th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 109th overall in the American League. It was their final season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with their new stadium, Target Field, opening in 2010. They ended the regular season as AL Central champions...

, and would be the last postseason baseball game played at the venue until 2002.

Aftermath

Following the game, CBS Sports analyst Tim McCarver
Tim McCarver
James Timothy "Tim" McCarver is an American former Major League Baseball catcher, and a current sportscaster in residence for Fox Sports.-Playing career:...

 consoled Atlanta fans by stating that this was an excellent team and that he expected they would "be around" for some time to come. The Braves would, in fact, go on to win an unprecedented fourteen consecutive division titles. They returned to the World Series the following year
1992 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 17, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaBraves fans had plenty to worry about in regard to both starting pitchers. Tom Glavine's post-season career had been less than stellar, including giving up eight runs in the second inning of Game 6 of the NLCS...

, but lost in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays
1992 Toronto Blue Jays season
The Toronto Blue Jays played their 16th season in Major League Baseball. Toronto finished first in the American League East for the 4th time with a record of 96 wins and 66 losses, closing the season with an attendance record of 4,028,318...

. The Braves made three additional trips to the World Series before the decade ended, winning in 1995
1995 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta ace Greg Maddux pitched a two-hit complete game victory in his first World Series appearance ....

 against the Cleveland Indians
1995 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians season was the Major League Baseball season that led to the Indians returning to the World Series for the first time since . In a season that started late by 18 games - giving it just a 144 games - the Indians finished in first place in the American League Central Division...

, but falling in 1996
1996 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for...

 and 1999
1999 World Series
The 1999 World Series, the 95th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, featured a rematch between the defending champions New York Yankees against the Atlanta Braves during the month of October, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their second title in a row,...

 to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

.

The Twins would contend for the 1992 American League Western Division title for much of the season but finished six games behind the Oakland Athletics
1992 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics' 1992 season involved the A's finishing first in the American League West with a record of 96 wins and 66 losses. They lost the ALCS in six games to the eventual world champion Toronto Blue Jays.-Offseason:...

, who won the division for the fourth time in five seasons. The Twins' 90-72 record would be their last winning campaign until 2001, which was Tom Kelly's last season as the team's manager. Over the next several seasons, the players that made up the core of the 1987 and 1991 Twins slowly began to leave. Dan Gladden, the Twins' left fielder, departed in the offseason for Detroit. Jack Morris, the pitching hero of the series, signed with Toronto and returned to the World Series the next year. Greg Gagne and Chili Davis departed following the 1992 season, with Brian Harper leaving at the end of the 1993 season. Kent Hrbek's production began falling due to injuries that kept him off the field for much of the next two seasons, and he retired in 1994. The Twins then traded away both Scott Erickson
Scott Erickson
Scott Gavin Erickson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-Career:Erickson was born in Long Beach, California, and began his professional career, after being drafted by the NY Mets in 1986, Houston Astros in 1987, and Toronto Blue Jays in 1988, in when he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins...

 and Kevin Tapani
Kevin Tapani
Kevin Ray Tapani is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001.-Early life:...

 (neither ever regained their 1991 form) in the 1995 season, as well as Kirby Puckett to retirement due to a loss of vision in his right eye caused by glaucoma
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...

. Chuck Knoblauch was the last hitter of the 1991 team to remain in Minnesota, eventually forcing a trade to the Yankees following the 1997 season, where he won three additional World Series titles. After being traded to the playoff-bound Boston Red Sox in 1995, Aguilera would return to the Twins through the 1999 season, the last remaining player from the 1991 championship team.

This was the last World Series that Fay Vincent
Fay Vincent
Francis Thomas "Fay" Vincent, Jr. is a former entertainment lawyer and sports executive who served as the eighth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from September 13, 1989 to September 7, 1992.-Early life and career:...

 presided over as commissioner
Commissioner of Baseball
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...

, as he was forced to resign near the end of the 1992 season by the owners. In Game 1, a Kent Hrbek
Kent Hrbek
Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN...

 foul pop hit Vincent's daughter Anne in the head.

The Twins and the Braves have met three times in Interleague play
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...

 since the 1991 World Series. In 2002 the Braves finally experienced a Metrodome win by taking two games from the Twins in a three game series, only for the Twins to sweep a three game series from the Braves at the Metrodome in 2007. The Braves ultimately finished with an all-time record of 2–7 in the stadium before it closed as a baseball venue in 2009. In 2010, the teams played a three game series at the new Target Field
Target Field
Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...

, in which the Braves won two out of three games.
As of the 2011 season the Twins have never traveled to Atlanta for a regular season series, and Game 5 of the 1991 World Series remains the most recent game played by the Twins in Atlanta. However, the Twins played at Turner Field
Turner Field
Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...

 in 2011 for the first time for two pre-season exhibition games. The Braves and Twins split the series 1–1.

Composite box

1991 World Series (4–3): Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 (A.L.)
over Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 (N.L.)

Broadcasting

This year, CBS used three field reporters, which were Jim Kaat
Jim Kaat
James Lee "Jim" Kaat , nicknamed "Kitty", is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins , Chicago White Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees , and St...

 (both teams as well as covering the trophy
World Series Trophy
The Commissioner's Trophy is presented each year by the Commissioner of Baseball to the Major League Baseball team that wins the World Series. Recent trophy designs contain flags representing each team in North America's top two leagues, the National League and the American League...

 presentation), Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...

 (Twins' dugout) and Andrea Joyce
Andrea Joyce
Andrea Joyce is an American sportscaster who works for NBC Sports after working 10 years with CBS Sports.-Education and early career:...

 (Braves
1991 Atlanta Braves season
In 1991, the Atlanta Braves became the first team in the National League to go from last place one year to first place the next. This feat was also accomplished by the 1991 Minnesota Twins...

' dugout). This was also the last World Series to be broadcast by Jack Buck
Jack Buck
John Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame...

 (who would be replaced by Sean McDonough
Sean McDonough
Sean McDonough is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN.-Early life and career:The son of Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, Sean graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. It was in Syracuse where McDonough began his broadcasting career in 1982 as the play-by-play announcer...

on the CBS telecasts in the role of lead play-by-play man).

External links

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