1991 Minnesota Twins season

1991 Minnesota Twins
	World Series Champions; American League Champions; AL West Champions
Major League affiliations
	American League (since 1901);
	Western Division (since 1969);
Location
	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (since 1982);
	Minneapolis (since 1982);
Other information
Owner(s)	Carl Pohlad
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)
	[[1990 Minnesota Twins season#REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other; This page is a soft redirect. < Previous season]] [[1992 Minnesota Twins season#REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other; This page is a soft redirect.Next season >]]

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. 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

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]

Regular season

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	Away
Minnesota Twins	95	67	.586	--	51-30	44-37
Chicago White Sox	87	75	.537	8	46-35	41-40
Texas Rangers	85	77	.525	10	46-35	39-42
Oakland Athletics	84	78	.519	11	47-34	37-44
Seattle Mariners	83	79	.512	12	45-36	38-43
Kansas City Royals	82	80	.506	13	40-41	42-39
California Angels	81	81	.500	14	40-41	41-40

Roster

1991 Minnesota Twins

Roster

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

13 Mike Pagliarulo
18 Paul Sorrento

Outfielders

Manager

10 Tom Kelly

Coaches

46 Terry Crowley (hitting)
35 Ron Gardenhire (third base)
6 Tony Oliva (bench)
43 Rick Stelmaszek (bullpen)
42 Dick Such (pitching)
45 Wayne Terwilliger (first base)

Notable transactions

April 2, 1991: Nelson Liriano was released by the Twins.^[13]
May 10, 1991: Carmelo Castillo was released by the Minnesota Twins.^[14]
June 3, 1991: 1991 Major League Baseball Draft
- David McCarty was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (3rd pick).^[15]
- Scott Stahoviak was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (27th pick).^[16]
- LaTroy Hawkins was drafted by the Twins in the 7th round.^[17]
- Brad Radke was drafted by the Twins in the 8th round.^[18]
- Matt Lawton was drafted by the Twins in the 13th round.^[19]
December 19, 1991: Brian Harper was signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins.^[20]

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

Other pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Relief pitchers

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO

Postseason

See 1991 American League Championship Series and 1991 World Series.

Awards and honors

Kent Hrbek, Lou Gehrig Award
Jack Morris, Babe Ruth Award
Jack Morris, World Series Most Valuable Player
Kirby Puckett, ALCS Most Valuable Player
Chuck Knoblauch, 1991 AL Rookie of the Year

All-Star Game

The Twins had three All-Stars in the 1991 All-Star Game: Closer Rick Aguilera, Pitcher Jack Morris, and Center Fielder Kirby Puckett. Scott Erickson would have started the all-star game had he not been injured in a start at home against the Chicago White Sox in June.

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Orlando^[21]

References

^ 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. 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Roy Smith page at Baseball Reference
^ Tom Edens page at Baseball Reference
^ Mike Pagliarulo page at Baseball Reference
^ Chili Davis page at Baseball Reference
^ Jack Morris page at Baseball Reference
^ Nelson Liriano page at Baseball Reference
^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castica01.shtml
^ David McCarty page at Baseball Reference
^ Scott Stahoviak page at Baseball Reference
^ LaTroy Hawkins page at Baseball Reference
^ Brad Radke page at Baseball Reference
^ Matt Lawton page at Baseball Reference
^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/harpebr01.shtml
^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

External links

Template:World Series champions

[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 page at Baseball Reference

[9] Tom Edens page at Baseball Reference

[10] Mike Pagliarulo page at Baseball Reference

[11] Chili Davis page at Baseball Reference

[12] Jack Morris page at Baseball Reference

[13] Nelson Liriano page at Baseball Reference

[14] ttp://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castica01.shtml

[15] David McCarty page at Baseball Reference

[16] Scott Stahoviak page at Baseball Reference

[17] LaTroy Hawkins page at Baseball Reference

[18] Brad Radke page at Baseball Reference

[19] Matt Lawton page at Baseball Reference

[20] ttp://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, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

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1991 Minnesota Twins season

Contents

Offseason

Regular season

Offense

Pitching

Defense

Season standings

Roster

Notable transactions

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Other batters

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Other pitchers

Relief pitchers

Postseason

Awards and honors

Farm system

References

External links

1991 Minnesota Twins
World Series Champions American League Champions AL West Champions
Major League affiliations
American League (since 1901)
Western Division (since 1969)
Location
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (since 1982)
Minneapolis (since 1982)
Other information
Owner(s)	Carl Pohlad
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)
[[1990 Minnesota Twins season#REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other This page is a soft redirect. < Previous season]] [[1992 Minnesota Twins season#REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other This page is a soft redirect.Next season >]]