They won theWorld Series, the second time the Twins had won the World Series since moving to Minnesota in 1961. At the beginning of June in the 1991 regular season, the Twins had an MLB-leading 15-game win streak, which remains a club record. On June 17, 1991, the streak came to an end at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles (as seen in the movieA Few Good Men) but not before the Twins moved from fifth place to first, a lead they would not relinquish while finishing 95–67, first in the AL West. The Twins' winning streak of 1991 falls seven games short of the all-time American League record of 22 consecutive regular season wins set by the Cleveland Indians in 2017.
The Twins' division title was an unprecedented turnaround. In 1990, 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 theAtlanta Braves of the same season were the first teams to go fromlast 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]
2,293,842 fans attended Twins games, the eighth highest total in theAmerican League.
The Twins' World Series-winning 1991 season remains the last time aMinnesota-based "Big Four" sports team has either won or played in their respective league's championship game.
December 2, 1990:Roy Smith was released by the Twins.[8]
January 14, 1991:Tom Edens was signed by the Twins as a free agent.[9]
January 25, 1991:Mike Pagliarulo was signed as a free agent by the Twins.[10]
January 29, 1991:Chili Davis was signed as a free agent by the Twins.[11]
February 5, 1991:Jack Morris was signed as a free agent by the Twins.[12]
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.
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 wasJack Morris at $3,700,000; followed byKirby Puckett at $3,166,667.
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.
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.
Seven players and five of the coaching staff from the1987 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 in1965, he was the hitting coach on the 1987 team and bench coach in 1991.
^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.
^Hurst, Matt (October 28, 2011)."World Series 2011: The 5 Best Fall Classic Game 6's Ever". Bleacher Report. RetrievedOctober 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.
^Yellon, Al (October 28, 2011)."The Top 10 World Series Games, Including (Of Course) 2011 Game 6". Baseball Nation. Archived fromthe original on January 20, 2013. RetrievedOctober 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.
^Yellon, Al (October 28, 2011)."The Top 10 World Series Games, Including (Of Course) 2011 Game 6". Baseball Nation. Archived fromthe original on January 20, 2013. RetrievedOctober 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.
^Kelly, Tom; Robinson, Ted (1992).Season of Dreams: The Minnesota Twins' Drive to the 1991 World Championship. Voyageur Pr. pp. 22–26.ISBN978-0-89658-209-5.
^Kelly, Tom; Robinson, Ted (1992).Season of Dreams: The Minnesota Twins' Drive to the 1991 World Championship. Voyageur Pr. pp. 121–158.ISBN978-0-89658-209-5.
^Kelly, Tom; Robinson, Ted (1992).Season of Dreams: The Minnesota Twins' Drive to the 1991 World Championship. Voyageur Pr. p. 93.ISBN978-0-89658-209-5.
^Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1997).The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina:Baseball America.ISBN978-0-96-371897-6.
