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The 1991 World Series was played from October 19 to October 27 between the Minnesota Twins (95-67) of the American League and the Atlanta Braves (94-68) of the National League. The series was, in some respects, similar to the 1987 World Series also played by the Minnesota Twins (against the St. Louis Cardinals), most notably in that the home team won all seven games. Some consider the 1991 World Series to be the best ever. It was certainly the longest (measured in number of innings), due largely to the 12-inning horse-race of Game 4.
The 1991 Series added a new first to the World Series: It was the first Series in which both league champions finished the previous season in last place, the Twins in the American League Western division with a 74-88 record, and the Braves in the National League Western division (despite Atlanta being far east of the Mississippi River) with a 65-97 record.
Umpires: Don Denkinger (AL), Harry Wendelstedt (NL), Drew Coble (AL), Terry Tata (NL), Rick Reed (AL), Ed Montague (NL)
Series MVP: Jack Morris, Twins
American League Championship Series
Minnesota Twins def. Toronto Blue Jays 4-1
In a near repeat of the Twins' previous ALCS versus the Detroit Tigers, the Twins won the first game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, dropping the second, before traveling to Toronto and sweeping the Blue Jays at the then-brand-new SkyDome.
MVP: Kirby Puckett, Twins
National League Championship Series
Atlanta Braves def. Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3
In comparison to the ride of the Twins to the World Series in an easy five-game series against Toronto, the Braves won a hard-fought NLCS against the geographically close Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League Eastern Division that went out to seven games. The Braves split the opening series with the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium, returned to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and lost two out of three games there, before returning to Pittsburgh and sweeping the Pirates in the second two-game set there.
MVP: Steve Avery, Braves
Minnesota Twins def. Atlanta Braves 4-3
The 1991 World Series was notable for its series of grueling contests, five of its games being decided by two or fewer runs and three running into extra innings (the third game, a twelve-inning marathon which ended when Twins manager Tom Kelly ran out of pitchers). The fierce competition started early in game 1 when Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek seemingly pulled an Atlanta baserunner off the bag to apply a tag; however the out was ruled fair and the game continued.
Atlanta fans were notably ill-tempered in their response to Hrbek. Harassing phone calls were sent to his hotel room, death threats to his home in Bloomington, Minnesota, and he was booed fiercely at all three games at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Battered by their marathon loss in Game 3, the Twins came back the next day and fought fiercely, losing Game 4 by a score of 3-2. However, the wheels came off in Game 5 and the exhausted Twins didn't even put up much of a fight as they were shelled to a 14-5 rout.
As the Twins walked off their plane at the Charles Lindbergh Terminal of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, it seemed their fate was sealed, but the gods of baseball had other ideas for them. Game 6 was a stellar showcase of the defensive and offensive talents of future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, ending with the most famous walk-off home run in Twins history, as Puckett hit the second pitch of the 11th inning off Charlie Leibrandt. The deciding seventh game was won on a bush-league single by Gene Larkin that forced home the winning (and only) run from third base in the person of left fielder Dan Gladden. Game 7 was also notable in that it represented the finest pitching performance from Twins rotation ace Jack Morris, ten innings of shutout baseball. A Twin Cities sports writer wrote that on that night, "[Morris] could have outlasted Methuselah".
For the second time in five years the underdog team from Minnesota, of which once, when they were playing in another town, was written "First in war, first in peace and last in the American League", had captured Baseball's highest trophy.
Game 1
October 19, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Atlanta Braves 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 6 1
Minnesota Twins 0 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 X 5 9 1
PITCHERS: ATL - Leibrandt, Clancy (5), Wohlers (7), Stanton (8)
MIN - Morris, Guthrie (8), Aguilera (8)
WP - Morris
LP - Leibrandt
SAVE - Aguilera
HOME RUNS: ATL - none
MIN - Gagne, Hrbek
ATTENDANCE: 55,108
Game 2
October 20, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Atlanta Braves 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 1
Minnesota Twins 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 3 4 1
PITCHERS: ATL - Glavine
MIN - Tapani, Aguilera (9)
WP - Tapani
LP - Glavine
SAVE - Aguilera
HOME RUNS: ATL - none
MIN - Davis, Leius
ATTENDANCE: 55,145
Game 3
October 22, 1991 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Braves)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Minnesota Twins 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 10 1
Atlanta Braves 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 8 2
PITCHERS: MIN - Erickson, West (5), Leach (5), Bedrosian (6), Willis (8), Guthrie (10), Aguilera (12)
ATL - Avery, Pena (8), Stanton (10), Wohlers (12), Mercker (12), Clancy (12)
WP - Clancy
LP - Aguilera
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: MIN - Puckett, Davis
ATL - Justice, Smith
ATTENDANCE: 50,878
Game 4
October 23, 1991 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Braves)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Minnesota Twins 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 7 0
Atlanta Braves 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 8 0
PITCHERS: MIN - Morris, Willis (7), Guthrie (8), Bedrosian (9)
ATL - Smoltz, Wohlers (8), Stanton (8)
WP - Stanton
LP - Guthrie
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: MIN - Pagliarulo
ATL - Pendleton, Smith
ATTENDANCE: 50,878
Game 5
October 24, 1991 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Braves)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Minnesota Twins 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 5 7 1
Atlanta Braves 0 0 0 4 1 0 6 3 X 14 17 1
PITCHERS: MIN - Tapani, Leach (5), West (7), Bedrosian (7), Willis (8)
ATL - Glavine, Mercker (6), Clancy (7), St. Claire (9)
WP - Glavine
LP - Tapani
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: MIN - none
ATL - Justice, Smith, Hunter
ATTENDANCE: 50,878
Game 6
- Game 6 (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/baseballs_best/mlb_bb_gamepage.jsp?story_page=bb_91ws_gm6_atlmin)
October 26, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Atlanta Braves 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 9 1
Minnesota Twins 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 9 0
PITCHERS: ATL - Avery, Stanton (7), Pena (9), Leibrandt (11)
MIN - Erickson, Guthrie (7), Willis (7), Aguilera (10)
WP - Aguilera
LP - Leibrandt
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: ATL - Pendleton
MIN - Puckett
ATTENDANCE: 55,155
Game 7
- Game 7 (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/baseballs_best/mlb_bb_gamepage.jsp?story_page=bb_91ws_gm7_atlmin)
October 27, 1991 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Atlanta Braves 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Minnesota Twins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10 0
PITCHERS: ATL - Smoltz, Stanton (8), Pena (9)
MIN - Morris (10)
WP - Morris
LP - Pena
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: ATL - none
MIN - none
ATTENDANCE: 55,118
Quote of the Series
"And we'll see you... TOMORROW NIGHT!" - Jack Buck, announcing Twins center fielder Kirby Puckett's game-winning eleventh-inning walk-off home run in Game 6 against Charlie Leibrandt.
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