memories of 91
The year was 1991. Just four seasons after winning the World Series in 1987, he couldn’t have dreamed he’d return to the same place, and I mean the exact same place. He was back, with the Minnesota Twins, in another game seven of the World Series. Once again, like the ’87 Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, this Game 7 was at the Metrodome. There were seven of us who had won that first ring against the Cardinals. There was Kirby Pucket, Gene Larkin, Greg Gagne, Dan Gladden, Kent Hrbek, Randy Bush and myself, Al Newman. Tom Kelly was still there directing and Jack Buck and Tim McCarver were still there announcing. I still didn’t sleep well last night. I still knew we would get the last at-bat of the game. He still knew that no matter what, this game was not going to be easy. With so many things that felt the same, why did this one feel so different? Well, it’s all a little different when you can see one of the greatest postseason performances of all time in front of your eyes, but we can get to that.
It’s amazing how many things change in just four years. He was no longer in his 20s, but he spent my days as a 31-year-old man. He was now playing alongside the likes of Rookie of the Year Chuck Knoblach, Chili Davis and Jack Morris. Ron Gardenhire was raised from the minor leagues to be our third base coach. Our new World Series opponent was the Atlanta Braves, with players like Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and David Justice. The immortal Bobby Cox roamed his dock. Even with all these differences, they paled in comparison to what was happening on the mound for my Twins.
The way the Series had gotten to that point, it was all looking pretty promising for us at home. The home team had won every game up to that point, with us winning the first two, the Braves winning the next three, and us winning the sixth game at home. We had our workhorse, Jack Morris, starting with us on the mound against John Smoltz, yes, that John Smoltz. Smoltz pitched a great game: 7 1/3 innings, six hits, four strikeouts and one walk. Looking at that scorecard, Atlanta probably wins, right? Not when Morris is on the mound, not tonight. Morris pitched a historic jewel of the game: 10 innings, seven hits, eight strikeouts and two walks. His performance has to be easily one of the top five postseason performances of all time.
Morris pitched five innings in which no one reached base, two of them in the ninth and 10th innings. He got out of a clutch bases loaded situation in the top of the eighth that he was able to get out with a ground ball double play. Now, after a pitcher loads the bases at the end of a game, what happens? The manager pushes the pitcher in favor of his best closer. Not Tom Kelly. He trusted his ace. I trusted our ace. The whole team trusted his ace, and wouldn’t you know it? Our ace arrived. After ten scoreless innings of baseball, we were finally able to break through in the bottom of the tenth when Gene Larkin singled to score Dan Gladden. All the emotions of 1987 came rushing back and I felt like a young, well, me again. Winning a World Series, not once, but twice, is one of those feelings that never goes out of style.
After that game, the boys parted ways. We lost seven players, including myself, to trades, free agency and retirement. I went and played one more season with the Texas Rangers before I put the game behind me. Now, here we all are, 20 years later, and when we get together, that old feeling comes back and I feel like a bright-eyed ballplayer again. This year, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of that World Series and that incredible Game 7 victory, hoping that our beloved players from the 2011 Minnesota Twins can feel the same way. I, for my part, will be pulling for them.