Metrodome Memories

October 25, 1987 at the Metrodome
Twins 4, Cardinals 2 
Twins Win Best of Seven Game Series 4-3

The Twins won their first World Series in a dramatic come from behind win in game seven over the Cardinals.  The Twins ace, Frank Viola, got the start for the Twins while Magrane threw for the Cardinals.

Things got off to a rough start as the Cardinals drew first blood.  Viola was tagged for two runs on four hits in the second inning and before the Twins could even come up to bat for the second time, they were down 2-0.

The Twins answered quickly though.  Don Baylor led off the inning and he got hit by a pitch.  Tom Brunansky singled before Ken Hrbek struck out.  Tim Laudner then singled to left field and Don Baylor tried to score but he was gunned down by Vince Coleman.  Steve Lombardozzi came through with a clutch single that scored Brunansky though and that run cut the Cardinals lead in half.

Neither team scored until the Twins came to bat in the fifth inning.  Dan Gladden led off the inning with a ground out before Greg Gagne singled.  Whitey Herzog went to his pen and he brought in Cox to pitch for Magrane but the move backfired.  Kirby Puckett was the first batter Cox faced and Kirby doubled home Gagen to tie the game up.  From there, the Twins scoring was limited by some questionable base running mistakes.  Kirby Puckett was caught stealing third and then on a Don Baylor single, Gary Gaetti was gunned down at the plate to end the inning.

The very next inning, the Twins took their first lead of the game.  Tom Brunansky and Kent Hrbek drew back to back walks and Herzog once again went to his pen and he went with Tim Worrell.  Tim Laudner popped out for the first out and then Roy Smalley walked to load the bases.  Dan Gladden struck out for out number two but Greg Gagne singled home the go ahead run to make it a 3-2 ball game. 

The Twins added a fourth run on an RBI double by Dan Gladden but it turned out to be unneccesary.  After the two run, four hit second inning, the Cardinals managed just a pair of hits off of Frank Viola and Jeff Reardon.  Frank Viola was named the MVP of the World series with his two wins and for the first time, The Minnesota Twins were world champions.

October 24, 1987 at the Metrodome
Twins 11, Cardinals 5
Best of Seven Game Series Tied 3-3

The Twins forced a game seven as they came from behind and ended up with a blowout win over the Cardinals.  St. Louis jumped out to a 5-2 lead but the Twins scored four in the fifth to take the lead and then Kent Hrbek blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to open the game up.  It was Hrbek’s only hit of the game.  Don Baylor also had a solid day and he went two for three with a walk, a homerun, three RBIs and two runs.

Les Straker gave up the first four runs and he couldn’t even pitch out of the fourth inning.  Dan Schatzeder gave up the fifth run but he was in there when the Twins mounted their comeback.  Juan Berenguer was particularly impressive with three shutout innings while Jeff Reardon closed the game out with a scoreless ninth.

October 21, 1987 at Busch Stadium
Cardinals 7, Twins 2
Best of Seven Game Series Tied 2-2

In the sixth inning of game of game three, the Twins had a 2-0 series lead and a 1-0 lead in the game.  Now, after a game four loss, the Twins find themselves tied with the Cardinals in their best of seven game series after their ace, Frank Viola, was shelled by the Cardinals hitters.  The left hander gave up five runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.  Dan Schatzeder was also touched up for two runs in what turned out to be a six run fourth inning.

Greg Gagne belted a solo homerun to account for half of the Twins mediocre offense.  Kirby Puckett singled home the other run in the fifth inning.

October 20, 1987 at Busch Stadium
Cardinals 3, Twins 1
Twins Lead Best of Seven Game Series 2-1

The Twins offense was held in check by Cardinals starter John Tudor as they managed justa single run on five hits.  That lone run actually gave the Twins the lead in the sixth inning when Tom Brunansky singled home Greg Gagne to break a scoreless tie.  The Cardinals answered with three runs in the seventh though and what could have been insurmountable lead turned into a close series in the blink of an eye.

Tim Laudner was the only Twins hitter with more then one hit.  Juan Berenguer gave up all three runs in that seventh inning and he took the loss.

October 18, 1987 at the Metrodome
Twins 8, Cardinals 4
Twins Lead Best of Seven Game Series 2-0

The Twins took a commanding two game lead in the 1987 World Series as they once again ran up the score on the Cardinals’ pitchers.  Tim Laudner had the big game at the plate and he went two for three with a walk, a homerun, three RBIs and two runs.  Gary Gaetti went two for three with a walk, a solo homer and two runs.

Bert Blyleven gave the Twins seven quality innings.  He gave up two runs on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in seven frames.  Juan Berenguer was touched up for two runs in the eighth inning but Jeff Reardon pitched a perfect ninth to complete the win for the Twins.

October 17, 1987 at the Metrodome
Twins 10, Cardinals 1
Twins Lead Best of Seven Game Series 1-0

The Twins dismantled starter Joe Magrane and the Cardinals bullpen as they took game one in the World Series.  The Twins big inning was the fourth when they racked up seven runs but they added two in the fifth and one in the seventh.  Dan Gladden had a huge game with a homerun, a single and five RBIs.  Steve Lombardozzi also went yard and he was a perfect two for two with a walk, two RBIs and three runs.

Frank Viola threw a solid game and he took care of business with all of the run support.  He yielded just a single run on five hits with five strikeouts in eight innings.

October 12, 1987 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 9, Tigers 5
Twins Win Best of Seven Game Series 4-1

The Twins wrapped up the ALCS and won the American League pennant as they dismantled the Tigers pitchers in a game five blowout.  The Twins scored four runs in the second inning and never looked back and while the Tigers closed the game to 4-3, the Twins scored five runs in the final three frames to walk away with the win.

Bert Blyleven wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t have to be.  He gave up three runs in six innings and while Juan Berenguer and Jeff Reardon were also tagged for a run a piece, the hitters kept the Twins well above water.

Tom Brunansky had a big day at the plate.  He went three for five with a double and a solo homer.  Dan Gladden also hit well with two doubles, a single, two RBIs and three runs.  Steve Lombardozzi pitched in with two hits and two runs.

The Twins didn’t know it at the time, but they’d be playing the Cardinals in the 1987 World Series.  That series would go seven games though, so the Twins had four days off between their pennant win and game one of the World Series.

October 11, 1987 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 5, Tigers 3
Twins Lead Best of Seven Game Series 3-1

The Twins put themselves one win away from the World Series with a game four win over the Tigers.  Frank Viola was just good enough and he gave up three runs in five innings and the pen was top notch.  Keith Atherton, Juan Berenguer and Jeff Reardon combined to hold the Tigers scoreless in the final four innings.

Kirby Puckett put the Twins on the board in the third inning with a solo shot and that made it 1-1.  Greg Gagne gave the Twins the lead with a solo homer in the fourth while Gary Gaetti added a run in the fifth on a sac. fly.  The Twins scored for the fourth consecutive inning when Gene Larkin doubled home a run to make it 4-2.  The Tigers scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a one run game but Steve Lombardozzi singled home a run in the top of the eighth to provide some insurance.

With just one more game at Tiger Stadium and two at the Metrodome, things were looking good for the Twins.  They had to win just one of those three games to advance to the World Series.

October 10, 1987 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 7, Twins 6 
Twins Lead Best of Seven Game Series 2-1

The Twins came back in dramatic fashion after the Tigers took a 5-0 lead in the third inning only to see their best reliever blow the game in the bottom of the eighth inning.  It was rookie Les Straker who gave up the five second inning runs and then the Twins answered with two runs in each fourth, the sixth and the seventh to take a 6-5 lead.  Then in the bottom of the eighth, Jeff Reardon gave up a two run homer to Pat Sheridan to seal the Twins fate in their first loss of the postseason.

Former Tiger Dan Schatzeder should be given some props for shutting down the Tigers after their big third inning.  He struck out five in 3 1/3 shutout innings although he did allow two of the inherited runners to score.

Greg Gagne and Tom Brunansky both homered in the loss.  Gary Gaetti had two hits and two RBIs while Gagne finished the game with two runs.

October 8, 1997 at the Metrodome
Twins 6, Tigers 3
Twins Lead Best of Seven Game Series 2-0

The Twins took a commanding two games to zero lead over the Tigers in a much easier outing then the previous days thriller.  The Tigers did jump out to a 2-0 lead in the second off of Bert Blyleven, but an RBI double by Tom Brunansky and a two run double by Tim Laudner gave the Twins the lead for good in the bottom of the second.  The Twins added two in the fourth on a two run single by Dan Gladden and one in the fifth on a solo homerun by Kent Hrbek to make it 6-2.

The Tigers scored off of Blyleven in the eighth but former Tiger Juan Berenguer came in to put out the first.  He got the final five Tigers out (four by strikeout) to close out the game.

The scene now moved to Detroit but the Twins had to feel comfortable with their two game lead.  It appeared the Tigers may have been burnt out from their late season pennant race and the Twins were taking full advantage of the situation.

October 7, 1987 at the Metrodome
Twins 8, Tigers 5
Twins Lead Best of Seven Game Series 4-1

The Twins mounted a late inning come back to take the first game of their series with the Tigers.  The Twins jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning but the Tigers slowly picked away at the lead until they scored two in the eighth to make it 5-4.  The Twins answered with four runs in the bottom of the eighth though and they turned a one run deficit into a three run win in a hurry.

Gary Gaetti had a huge day at the plate.  He went two for three with a walk, two homers and three runs.  Tom  Brunansky doubled twice, drove in three runs and scored while Dan Gladden went two for four with a run and an RBI.

Frank Viola lasted seven innings but he gave up all five runs.  Jeff Reardon got it done though and he pitched two shutout frames to close out the game and pick up the win. 

October 4, 1987 at Royals Stadium
Royals 10, Twins 1  (85-77)

Joe Niekro was hammered and he didn’t even last two innings as the Twins closed out their regular season.  He gave up six of the eight runs the Royals scored in the second inning and he fell to 7-13 on the season.

Greg Gagne and Al Newman were the only two Twins with a pair of hits.  Don Baylor scored the lone run as a pinch runner.

October 3, 1987 at Royals Stadium
Royals 4, Twins 2  (85-76)

Bert Blyleven fell to 15-12 on the season with a tough start in the Twins fourth straight loss.  He gave up four runs (just two earned) on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Seven different Twins picked up a hit a piece in the loss.  Tom Brunansky belted his 32nd homerun, a solo homer in the seventh inning.  He was also the only hitter to reach base twice because he also walked.

October 2, 1987 at Royals Stadium
Royals 6, Twins 3  (85-75)

With little to play for, the Twins dropped their third straight game.  Even with just two days to go, the Twins didn’t know their opponents because the Tigers and Blue Jays stood tied in the American League East.

Kirby Puckett was the hitting star in the loss.  He went four for four with two doubles and a run.  Kent Hrbek went one for three and he drove in two runs.

Frank Viola fell to 17-10 although an erro by Greg Gagne resulted in four unearned runs.  Viola gave up six runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings of work.