1991 Minnesota Twins season

1991 Minnesota Twins
World Series Champions
American League Champions
AL West Champions
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s) Carl Pohlad
General manager(s) Andy MacPhail
Manager(s) Tom Kelly
Local television WCCO-TV
KITN
Midwest Sports Channel
(Jim Kaat, Ted Robinson, Dick Bremer)
Local radio 830 WCCO AM
(Herb Carneal, John Gordon)
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The 1991 Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB) won the World Series, the second time the Twins had won the World Series since moving to Minnesota in 1961. During the 1991 regular season the Twins had an MLB-leading 15-game win streak, which remains a club record. On June 18, 1991, the streak came to an end at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles but not before the Twins moved from fifth place to first, a lead they would not relinquish until winning baseball's championship. The Twins' winning streak of 1991 falls just five games short of the all-time American League (AL) record of 20 consecutive regular season wins set by the Oakland Athletics in 2002.

The Twins finished 95-67, first in the AL West, which represented a turnaround from 1990, when the team finished last in the division with a 74-88 record. They were the first team to go from a last-place finish to a World Series championship. They and the Atlanta Braves were the first teams to go from last place to a pennant. The Twins defeated the Braves in seven games in a Series which has been considered one of the best to have ever been played.[1][2][3][4]

There was a considerable reshaping of the team in January and February, beginning when third baseman Gary Gaetti left as a free agent on January 25 and signed with the California Angels. Less than 12 hours after Gaetti's departure, the Twins signed free agent Mike Pagliarulo from the New York Yankees as a new third baseman. Two more key free agent signings followed with designated hitter Chili Davis on January 30 and St. Paul native Jack Morris on February 5.[5] The July 1989 blockbuster trade that sent 1988 AL Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola to the New York Mets in exchange for relief pitchers Rick Aguilera and David West and starter Kevin Tapani proved to be pivotal to the 1991 season. There were only seven players still on the roster from the 1987 World Championship team, none of them pitchers: Randy Bush, Greg Gagne, Dan Gladden, Kent Hrbek, Gene Larkin, Al Newman, and future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.[6] Into this framework, young stars were blended successfully, including Scott Leius to platoon with Pagliarulo at third, Shane Mack in right field, Scott Erickson, a 20-game winner with a 12-game winning streak,[7] and A.L. Rookie of the Year second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.

2,293,842 fans attended Twins games, the eighth highest total in the American League.

Offseason

The club moved spring training operations from Orlando's Tinker Field, where the franchise had trained since 1936, to the Lee County Sports Complex in Ft. Myers.

Regular season

For the second time in his career, Kirby Puckett had a six-hit game on May 23. This was an eleven-inning game; the previous time in 1987 was in nine innings.

The highest paid player on the team was Jack Morris at $3,700,000; followed by Kirby Puckett at $3,166,667.

Offense

Team Leaders
Statistic Player Quantity
HR Chili Davis 29
RBI Chili Davis 93
BA Kirby Puckett .319
Runs Kirby Puckett 92

Pitching

Jack Morris, Kevin Tapani, and Scott Erickson were a solid, 1-2-3 punch in the team's rotation. The fourth and fifth spots were less certain, with Allan Anderson, David West, and Mark Guthrie starting over 10 games. Rick Aguilera was a solid closer, earning 42 saves.

Team Leaders
Statistic Player Quantity
ERA Kevin Tapani 2.99
Wins Scott Erickson 20*
Saves Rick Aguilera 42
Strikeouts Jack Morris 163
*League leader

Defense

The regular lineup included Kent Hrbek at first base, rookie Chuck Knoblauch at second, Greg Gagne at shortstop, Brian Harper at catcher, and Kirby Puckett, Shane Mack, and Dan Gladden in the outfield. Mike Pagliarulo and Scott Leius platooned at third. Junior Ortiz was the backup catcher, and Al Newman was a reliable utility infielder.

Season standings

AL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
Minnesota Twins 95 67 0.586 — 51–30 44–37
Chicago White Sox 87 75 0.537 8 46–35 41–40
Texas Rangers 85 77 0.525 10 46–35 39–42
Oakland Athletics 84 78 0.519 11 47–34 37–44
Seattle Mariners 83 79 0.512 12 45–36 38–43
Kansas City Royals 82 80 0.506 13 40–41 42–39
California Angels 81 81 0.500 14 40–41 41–40

Record vs. opponents

1991 American League Records

Sources:

Team BAL BOS CAL CWS CLE DET KC MIL MIN NYY OAK SEA TEX TOR
Baltimore — 8–5 6–6 4–8 7–6 5–8 4–8 3–10 4–8 5–8 3–9 4–8 9–3 5–8
Boston 5–8 — 4–8 7–5 9–4 5–8 7–5 7–6 3–9 6–7 8–4 9–3 5–7 9–4
California 6–6 8–4 — 8–5 7–5 5–7 9–4 6–6 8–5 6–6 1–12 6–7 5–8 6–6
Chicago 8–4 5–7 5–8 — 6–6 4–8 7–6 7–5 8–5 8–4 7–6 7–6 8–5 7–5
Cleveland 6–7 4–9 5–7 6–6 — 7–6 4–8 5–8 2–10 6–7 5–7 2–10 4–8 1–12
Detroit 8–5 8–5 7–5 8–4 6–7 — 8–4 4–9 4–8 8–5 4–8 8–4 6–6 5–8
Kansas City 8–4 5–7 4–9 6–7 8–4 4–8 — 9–3 6–7 7–5 6–7 7–6 7–6 5–7
Milwaukee 10–3 6–7 6–6 5–7 8–5 9–4 3–9 — 6–6 6–7 8–4 3–9 7–5 6–7
Minnesota 8–4 9–3 5–8 5–8 10–2 8–4 7–6 6–6 — 10–2 8–5 9–4 6–7 4–8
New York 8–5 7–6 6–6 4–8 7–6 5–8 5–7 7–6 2–10 — 6–6 3–9 5–7 6–7
Oakland 9–3 4–8 12–1 6–7 7–5 8–4 7–6 4–8 5–8 6–6 — 6–7 4–9 6–6
Seattle 8–4 3–9 7–6 6–7 10–2 4–8 6–7 9–3 4–9 9–3 7–6 — 5–8 5–7
Texas 3–9 7–5 8–5 5–8 8–4 6–6 6–7 5–7 7–6 7–5 9–4 8–5 — 6–6
Toronto 8–5 4–9 6–6 5–7 12–1 8–5 7–5 7–6 8–4 7–6 6–6 7–5 6–6 —

Roster

1991 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Notable transactions

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Brian Harper 123 441 137 .311 10 69
1B Kent Hrbek 132 462 131 .284 20 89
2B Chuck Knoblauch 151 565 159 .281 1 50
3B Mike Pagliarulo 121 365 102 .279 6 36
SS Greg Gagne 139 408 108 .265 8 42
LF Dan Gladden 126 461 114 .247 6 52
CF Kirby Puckett 152 611 195 .319 15 89
RF Shane Mack 143 442 137 .310 18 74
DH Chili Davis 153 534 148 .277 29 93

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Jack Morris 34 246.2 18 12 3.43 163
Kevin Tapani 35 244 16 9 2.99 135
Scott Erickson 32 204 20 8 3.18 108
Allan Anderson 29 134.1 5 11 4.96 51
David West 15 71.1 4 4 4.54 52

Other pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Paul Abbott 15 47.1 3 1 4.75 43
Tom Edens 8 33 2 2 4.09 19
Denny Neagle 7 20 0 1 4.05 14
Larry Casian 15 18.1 0 0 7.36 6
Willie Banks 5 17.1 1 1 5.71 16
Gary Wayne 8 12.1 1 0 5.11 7

Relief pitchers

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Rick Aguilera 63 4 5 42 2.35 61
Mark Guthrie 41 7 5 2 4.32 72
Carl Willis 40 8 3 2 2.63 53
Steve Bedrosian 56 5 3 6 4.42 44
Terry Leach 50 1 2 0 3.61 32

Postseason

See 1991 American League Championship Series and 1991 World Series.

Seven players and five of the coaching staff from the 1987 World Champions repeated as 1991 World Champions.

Only one man has been a part of each of the three Minnesota Twins World Series teams: Tony Oliva. An outfielder in 1965, he was the hitting coach on the 1987 team and bench coach in 1991.

Awards and honors

All-Star Game

Other post-season awards

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Portland Beavers Pacific Coast League Russ Nixon
AA Orlando Sun Rays Southern League Scott Ullger
A Visalia Oaks California League Steve Liddle
A Kenosha Twins Midwest League Joel Lepel
Rookie Elizabethton Twins Appalachian League Ray Smith
Rookie GCL Twins Gulf Coast League Dan Rohn

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Orlando[21]

References

  1. ↑ Murphy, Brian (April 2001). "Twins' `Overachiever' Kirby Puckett Gets Call to Glory". Baseball Digest. It was his play in Game 6 of the '91 Series against Atlanta that cemented his legacy in Twin Cities sports history. After robbing the Braves' Ron Gant of a home run in the field, Puckett hit an 11th-inning homer off Charlie Leibrandt to force a seventh game that the Twins eventually won in what some baseball historians consider the greatest World Series ever.
  2. ↑ Hurst, Matt (October 28, 2011). "World Series 2011: The 5 Best Fall Classic Game 6's Ever". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 21, 2012. The 1991 World Series is easily the best World Series ever played, with three games being won in the final at-bat and four coming down to the final pitch. Kirby Puckett's heroics in Game 6 allowed the Twins to stay alive and eventually win Game 7.
  3. ↑ Yellon, Al (October 28, 2011). "The Top 10 World Series Games, Including (Of Course) 2011 Game 6". Baseball Nation. Retrieved October 21, 2012. No. 10: 1991 World Series, Game 6: This is the game where Jack Buck exclaimed "And we'll see you tomorrow night!" In addition to Puckett's extra-inning heroics, the Twins' bullpen held the Braves scoreless for the last four innings of the game, allowing just three singles, two of which were erased by double plays.
  4. ↑ Yellon, Al (October 28, 2011). "The Top 10 World Series Games, Including (Of Course) 2011 Game 6". Baseball Nation. Retrieved October 21, 2012. No. 6: 1991 World Series, Game 7: The Senators franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961; 30 years later, the team played two of the most excruciatingly exciting World Series games on consecutive nights. It's the only Series I'm honoring here with a pair of games. This one featured a 10-inning shutout thrown by Minnesota's Jack Morris while the Twins were leaving 12 men on base, finally scoring the game-winner on Gene Larkin's bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the 10th.
  5. ↑ Kelly, Tom; Robinson, Ted (1992). Season of Dreams: The Minnesota Twins' Drive to the 1991 World Championship. Voyageur Pr. pp. 22–26. ISBN 978-0-89658-209-5.
  6. ↑ Kelly, Tom; Robinson, Ted (1992). Season of Dreams: The Minnesota Twins' Drive to the 1991 World Championship. Voyageur Pr. pp. 121–158. ISBN 978-0-89658-209-5.
  7. ↑ Kelly, Tom; Robinson, Ted (1992). Season of Dreams: The Minnesota Twins' Drive to the 1991 World Championship. Voyageur Pr. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-89658-209-5.
  8. ↑ Roy Smith at Baseball Reference
  9. ↑ Tom Edens at Baseball Reference
  10. ↑ Mike Pagliarulo at Baseball Reference
  11. ↑ Chili Davis at Baseball Reference
  12. ↑ Jack Morris at Baseball Reference
  13. ↑ Nelson Liriano at Baseball Reference
  14. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castica01.shtml
  15. ↑ David McCarty at Baseball Reference
  16. ↑ Scott Stahoviak at Baseball Reference
  17. ↑ LaTroy Hawkins at Baseball Reference
  18. ↑ Brad Radke at Baseball Reference
  19. ↑ Matt Lawton at Baseball Reference
  20. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/harpebr01.shtml
  21. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

External links

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