1987 World Series
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| Dates | October 17, 1987–October 25, 1987 | |||||||||
| MVP | Frank Viola (Minnesota) | |||||||||
| Television network | ABC | |||||||||
| Announcers | Al Michaels, Tim McCarver and Jim Palmer | |||||||||
| Umpires | Dave Phillips (AL), Lee Weyer (NL), Greg Kosc (AL), John McSherry (NL), Ken Kaiser (AL), Terry Tata (NL) | |||||||||
The 1987 World Series (the Series on the Mississippi) was played from October 17 to October 25 between the Minnesota Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals. The reason for the nickname is that both St. Louis and the Twin Cities happen to be situated on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Minnesota Twins won 4 games to 3, giving the franchise its first World Series victory since 1924, when the team was located in Washington, D.C. and known as the Washington Senators.
The 1987 Series was remarkable in several regards: It featured the first World Series game played in an indoor stadium (the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome), and was the first World Series in which all games were won by the home team. The 1987 Twins set the record for the worst regular season win-loss record of any World Series championship team (85-77, .525). This record stood until broken in 2006 by the St. Louis Cardinals, who won the World Series after going 83-78.
For this World Series, the powerhouse Cardinals, NL Champions just two years before, were expected to make quick work of the supposedly-hapless Twins. However, the Twins team, the Metrodome and the fans conspired to make victory in Minnesota impossible for the St. Louis team, and three of the four Dome games were well out of the Cards' reach by the Seventh-inning stretch.
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[edit] Playoffs
[edit] American League Championship Series: Minnesota Twins def. Detroit Tigers
Going into the 1987 ALCS, few outside of Minnesota gave the lowly Twins much chance of defeating the mighty Detroit Tigers. Many sports writers noted that the Twins' 85-77 record would have placed them fourth in the powerful AL East. The Twins' home record in 1987, however, was the best in Major League Baseball, and they cruised to victory in the ALCS, winning both games at the Metrodome and losing the first at Tiger Stadium before winning games 4 and 5 and ending the Tigers' season.
[edit] National League Championship Series: St. Louis Cardinals def. San Francisco Giants
The 1987 NLCS was a much closer race, with four of the seven games being decided by two or fewer runs.
[edit] Game 1
October 17, 1987 at Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
A raucous, sold-out Metrodome met the Cardinals on the 17th, stunning them at times with the sheer noise. Their play was marred with numerous mistakes brought by the Dome's fast AstroTurf and white roof. The Twins' aggressive play hardly helped the Cards at all, and the game was a 10-1 blowout. Starting pitcher Frankie "Sweet Music" Viola put the lights out on the Cards easily. Dan Gladden hit a grand slam home run capping off a 7 run fourth inning and Steve Lombardozzi added another 2 run shot.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 10 | 11 | 0 |
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HRs: MIN – Gladden, Lombardozzi |
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[edit] Game 2
October 18, 1987 at Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
Learning from their mistakes of the previous night, the Cardinals met the Twins on the 18th, determined to even the score. Their offensive output of nine hits was closer to the Twins' output, but the home team burst out to an early lead with a six-run fourth inning, generating all the offence that starting pitcher Bert Blyleven needed to win the game. The final score was 8-4. Randy Bush and Tim Laudner each came through with a pair of 2 run scoring hits in the 4th.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 8 | 10 | 0 |
[edit] Game 3
October 20, 1987 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
Traveling down the Mississippi, to the open air of Busch Stadium, game Three saw a tense pitching duel between Twins starter Les Straker and John Tudor of the Cardinals. The Twins scored first, in the 6th inning, and this looked like all the offense the game would see until the bottom of the seventh, when an ill-timed substitution for relief pitcher Juan Berenguer surrendered three runs to the Cardinals with Vince Coleman hitting a two run double. Berenguer was charged with the loss and the game ended after 9 with a 3-1 score.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 3 | 9 | 1 |
[edit] Game 4
October 21, 1987 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
In Game 4, the Cardinals issued payback to the Twins for their manhandling in Games 1 and 2, taking Viola deep and often as they marched to a 7-2 victory. Tom Lawless hit a 3 run homer off Viola (only his second Major League homer after going 2 for 25 during the regular season) in the 4th inning.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 10 | 1 |
[edit] Game 5
October 22, 1987 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
Game 5 was a much closer ball game, but eventually the Cardinals were victorious, by a score of 4-2. Curt Ford hit a two run single in the 6th, breaking a scoreless pitcher's duel between Danny Cox and Bert Blyleven
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | X | 4 | 10 | 0 |
[edit] Game 6
October 24, 1987 at Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
The Series returned to the Metrodome with the Twins facing elimination (a position they would find themselves in once more four years later against the Atlanta Braves). The home team scored early and often in Game 6, putting up 8 runs between the fifth and sixth innings on their way to an 11-5 victory. Kirby Puckett went 4 for 4, scoring 4 runs. Don Baylor hit a two run homer in the fifth to tie the game at 5 and Kent Hrbek broke the game open with a grand slam home run in the 6th. This game remains the last World Series game to be played during the day (and it was indoors!).
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | X | 11 | 15 | 0 |
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WP: Schatzeder (1-0) LP: Tudor (1-1) |
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[edit] Game 7
October 25, 1987 at Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
In the deciding game, neither team gave an inch. Though St. Louis came out with a 2-1 lead in the 2nd inning, the Twins marched back with runs in the 5th, 6th and 8th innings, Frank Viola pitched eight strong innings and Twins closer Jeff Reardon came out in the 9th to bring down the curtain on the Cardinals, and on the '87 Series.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 4 | 10 | 0 |
[edit] Quotes of the Series
| “ | We are no longer the Twinkies. I don't want to hear that again. - Twins second baseman Steve Lombardozzi. | ” |
| “ | To (Gary) Gaetti...for the first time ever the Minnesota Twins are the world champions! -- Al Michaels announcing that the Twins had won the World Series. | ” |
| “ | And Lawless does the WALK!-- Al Michaels announcing that Tom Lawless had hit an unlikely game-winning homerun. | ” |
[edit] Trivia
- Al Michaels' epigraph to the Series was technically correct; the Minnesota Twins had not won the World Series before. However, in 1924 as the Washington Senators (officially Washington Nationals), the franchise previously won a world championship.
- Although Steve Carlton was left off of the Twins' playoff roster, he still attended the White House to be congratulated by President Reagan. While making a photo op with the president, local newspapers listed the names of all of the Minnesota Twins. The only man who wasn't listed (and simply identified as a Secret Service agent) was a tall man wearing dark sunglasses in the back. The man in question was none other than Steve Carlton.
- On October 24, 1987, Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins tied the World Series record for runs scored in a single series game.
- Joe Magrane of the Cardinals became only the sixth rookie pitcher to start the seventh game of a World Series.[1]
- Les Straker was the first Venezuelan to pitch in the World Series.
- Just prior to Game 4, Reggie Jackson, who was working as a field reporter for ABC's coverage of the 1987 World Series, admitted that he didn't know who Game 4 hero Tom Lawless was.
- The Cardinals stole five bases in Game 5, the most for one team since the 1907 Chicago Cubs.
- The 1987 Minnesota Twins became only the second team to have at least two grand slams in a single World Series (the 1956 New York Yankees are the other).
- Besides setting a record for the worst ever regular season winning percentage for a pennant winner and hosting the first ever World Series game indoors, the 1987 Twins were the first team to ever enter the World Series having been outscored in the regular season. The 1987 Twins as a team were pretty much outnumbered in virtually every major statistical category. As ABC play-by-play man Al Michaels put it in the pre-game show for Game 1 "They were out everything!"
- The crowd noise in the Metrodome could exceed 110 decibels, which is about the same as what a jet plane makes when it takes off.
- The 1987 World Series featured at least two players who would go on to win Manager of the Year awards. The Twins' Don Baylor won it in 1995 for his work with the Colorado Rockies while the Cardinals' Tony Peña won it in 2003 for his work with the Kansas City Royals.
- Twins manager Tom Kelly became the youngest non-playing manager to win the World Series since John McGraw in 1905.
- Game 6 was the last World Series game to date to be played entirely in the afternoon (ironically, under the roof of the Metrodome). Game 6 of the 1988 Series was scheduled to be another day game, but that series ended in five games.
- Game 7 was the 500th World Series game ever played.
- Game 7 forced the scheduled National Football League game between the Denver Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings to be played the following night (also on ABC).
- This was the first year Major League Baseball used this particular World Series logo. It would be the logo for the 1988, 1990 and 1991 World Series. It would have been the 1989 logo as well, but Major League Baseball altered it to honor the first Bay Bridge Series.
- Frank Viola was supposed to be the best man at his brother's wedding, but had to back out when the Twins reached the World Series, since it fell on the same night as Game 1, which he was scheduled to pitch. ABC showed clips of the wedding throughout the game's broadcast.
- Before 2006, the 1987 Minnesota Twins, with their 85 victories, had the least wins for an eventual World Champion. The team that surpassed the Twins' dubious distinction was ironically enough, the St. Louis Cardinals, who won 83 victories.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- 1987 World Series by Baseball Almanac
- History of the World Series - 1987
- 1987 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1987 Minnesota Twins
- Sweet Music
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