1987 Minnesota Twins season

Last updated

1987  Minnesota Twins
World Series Champions
American League Champions
American League West Champions
League American League
Division West
Ballpark Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
City Minneapolis
Record85–77 (.525)
Divisional place1st
Owners Carl Pohlad
General managers Andy MacPhail
Managers Tom Kelly
Television KMSP-TV
(John Rooney, John Gordon, Harmon Killebrew)
Twinsvision
(Dick Bremer, Frank Quilici)
Radio 830 WCCO AM
(Herb Carneal, John Gordon)
←  1986 Seasons 1988  →

The 1987 Minnesota Twins season was the 27th season for the Minnesota Twins franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, their 6th season at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the 87th overall in the American League. The Twins won the World Series for the first time since moving from Washington in 1961, the second time that the franchise won the World Series (the Washington Senators won it in 1924). Having won only 85 games during the 1987 regular season, they won the World Series with the then-fewest regular season wins since Major League Baseball expanded to a 162-game season in 1961, and the fewest of any team since the 1889 New York Giants (excluding the strike-shortened 1981 and the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 seasons and later surpassed by the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals who won 83 games that season). They also became the first team to win the World Series despite being outscored by their opponents in the regular season, having scored 786 runs and allowed 806.

Contents

Tom Kelly became the fifth manager to win a World Series in his first full season on the job, and one of seven total, as of 2023, to accomplish the feat. [1]

Offseason

Regular season

The Twins were 85-77, first in the American League West, two games ahead of the Kansas City Royals. The team had one of the lowest winning percentages ever for a World Series champion, at .525. They also had the remarkably bad road record of 29-52 (.358 percentage) but made up for it winning 56 home games (best in MLB). Fortunately for the Twins, they played in a very weak division; only two teams finished above .500 and only 10 games separated the Twins from the last-place California Angels (the previous year's division champion) and Texas Rangers. The Twins' 85-77 was the lowest for a World Series champion for nearly two decades, until the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series with an 83-78 record.

1987 was the first year the Twins started using their modernized logos and uniforms, which are still in use today.

Only one Twin made the All-Star Game, outfielder Kirby Puckett. The highest paid player was Kent Hrbek at $1,310,000; followed by Bert Blyleven at $1,150,000.

Over a late August weekend at Milwaukee, Puckett went 10 for 11, with four homers and two doubles, raising his batting average 13 points. The feat tied a major league record.

Joe Niekro, a pitcher for the Twins, was suspended for 10 games when umpire Tim Tschida discovered an emery board in his pocket. Tschida suspected Niekro was scuffing the ball, and saw the emery board fly out of Niekro's pocket. Niekro said he was filing his nails in the dugout, but American League president Dr. Bobby Brown didn't believe him, and ordered the suspension. When the Twins won the pennant, Niekro set a major league record as he'd waited 20½ years since his debut to reach a World Series game.

2,081,976 fans attended Twins games, the sixth highest total in the American League.

The Homer Hanky was introduced in 1987's pennant drive. When the Twins made the playoffs for the first time since 1970, three members of that team remained with the club now seventeen years later. Bert Blyleven was the only remaining player; Tony Oliva became the hitting coach and Rick Renick the third base coach.

Offense

This was the last year for a long time that the Twins were stocked with power hitters. In particular, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, and Tom Brunansky combined to hit 125 home runs. (The team as a whole hit 196.) Hrbek, Gaetti, and Brunansky each surpassed 30 home runs, a number that no Twin would reach again until Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter in 2006.

Kirby Puckett led the AL with 207 hits.

Despite the power in their lineup, the Twins were outscored 806-786, one of the largest such differentials for a World Series champion.

Team Leaders
Statistic PlayerQuantity
HR Kent Hrbek 34
RBI Gary Gaetti 109
BA Kirby Puckett .332
Runs Kirby Puckett 96

Pitching

The top three starting pitchers, Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven, and Les Straker provided stability throughout the year. Mike Smithson, Joe Niekro, and Jeff Bittiger were less reliable. Newly acquired closer Jeff Reardon was a reliable option at the end of games. Juan Berenguer was the most reliable set-up man, posting a 3.94 ERA.

Bert Blyleven led the AL with 46 home runs allowed.

Team Leaders
Statistic PlayerQuantity
ERA Frank Viola 2.90
Wins Frank Viola 17
Saves Jeff Reardon 31
Strikeouts Frank Viola 197

Defense

The defense was not as strong as would be typical for Twins teams under manager Tom Kelly. Hrbek was the most reliable fielder at first base, and the outfield of Dan Gladden, Puckett, and Brunansky was reliable. Third baseman Gary Gaetti and center fielder Kirby Puckett each won their second Gold Glove Award.

Season standings

AL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Minnesota Twins 8577.525—56‍–‍2529‍–‍52
Kansas City Royals 8379.512246‍–‍3537‍–‍44
Oakland Athletics 8181.500442‍–‍3939‍–‍42
Seattle Mariners 7884.481740‍–‍4138‍–‍43
Chicago White Sox 7785.475838‍–‍4339‍–‍42
Texas Rangers 7587.4631043‍–‍3832‍–‍49
California Angels 7587.4631038‍–‍4337‍–‍44

Record vs. opponents

1987 American League record

Sources:
TeamBALBOSCALCWSCLEDETKCMILMINNYYOAKSEATEXTOR
Baltimore —1–129–38–47–64–99–32–115–73–107–54–87–51–12
Boston 12–1—4–83–97–62–116–66–77–57–64–87–57–56–7
California 3–98–4—8–57–53–95–87–58–53–96–77–65–85–7
Chicago 4–89–35–8—7–53–96–76–66–75–79–46–77–64–8
Cleveland 6–76–75–75–7—4–96–64–93–96–74–85–72–105–8
Detroit 9–411–29–39–39–4—5–76–78–45–85–77–58–47–6
Kansas City 3–96–68–57–66–67–5—4–88–55–75–89–47–68–4
Milwaukee 11–27–65–76–69–47–68–4—3–97–66–64–89–39–4
Minnesota 7–55–75–87–69–34–85–89–3—6–610–39–46–73–9
New York 10–36–79–37–57–68–57–56–76–6—5–77–55–76–7
Oakland 5–78–47–64–98–47–58–56–63–107–5—5–86–77–5
Seattle 8–45–76–77–67–55–74–98–44–95–78–5—9–42–10
Texas 5–75–78–56–710–24–86–73–97–67–57–64–9—3–9
Toronto 12–17–67–58–48–56–74–84–99–37–65–710–29–3—

Game log

Regular season

1987 game log: 85−77 (Home: 56−25; Away: 29−52)
April: 12–9 (Home: 7–3; Away: 5–6)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
1 April 7 Athletics 5–4 (10) Frazier (1–0) Krueger (0–1)—43,5481–0W1
2 April 8 Athletics 4–1 Viola (1–0) Plunk (0–1) Reardon (1)12,5772–0W2
3 April 9 Athletics 5–4 Berenguer (1–0) Howell (0–1)—11,5863–0W3
4 April 10@ Mariners 8–1 Smithson (1–0) Morgan (0–1)—38,1224–0W4
5 April 11@ Mariners 5–6 Nunez (1–0) Reardon (0–1)—26,3124–1L1
6 April 12@ Mariners 8–5 Blyleven (1–0) Langston (0–2) Berenguer (1)9,3585–1W1
7 April 13@ Athletics 3–6 Howell (1–1) Frazier (1–1)—14,4475–2L1
8 April 14@ Athletics 9–8 Atherton (1–0) Codiroli (0–1) Reardon (2)10,4356–2W1
9 April 15@ Athletics 5–2 Smithson (2–0) Stewart (0–2) Reardon (3)17,1827–2W2
10 April 17@ Angels 1–2 Witt (2–1) Blyleven (1–1)—36,1757–3 L1
11 April 18@ Angels 0–1 Candelaria (2–0) Viola (1–1) Moore (2)36,8817–4 L2
12 April 19@ Angels 6–5 Portugal (1–0) Sutton (0–3) Reardon (4)49,6278–4 W1
13 April 20 Mariners 13–5 Smithson (3–0) Morgan (0–3)—11,9279–4W2
14 April 21 Mariners 6–1 Straker (1–0) Trujillo (1–1)—10,77610–4W3
15 April 22 Mariners 3–4 Langston (2–2) Frazier (1–2)—11,24710–5L1
16 April 23 Angels 3–7 Candelaria (3–0) Viola (1–2) Moore (3)14,20410–6L2
17 April 24 Angels 1–8 Sutton (1–3) Portugal (1–1)—20,11610–7L3
18 April 25 Angels 8–7 Reardon (1–1) Finley (0–1)—51,71711–7W1
19 April 26 Angels 10–5 Frazier (2–2) Cook (1–1)—19,11612–7W2
20 April 28@ Blue Jays 1–5 Clancy (2–2) Viola (1–3)—21,18212–8L1
21 April 29@ Blue Jays 1–8 Johnson (1–2) Smithson (3–1)—19,02012–9L2
May: 14–14 (Home: 9–8; Away: 5–6)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
22 May 1 Yankees 7–4 Blyleven (2–1) Rhoden (2–3) Reardon (5)23,53113–9W1
23 May 2 Yankees 4–6 John (2–0) Viola (1–4) Righetti (7)33,17313–10L1
24 May 3 Yankees 4–3 Frazier (3–2) Stoddard (0–1) Reardon (6)23,79814–10W1
25 May 5 Orioles 4–5 Bell (3–1) Smithson (3–2) Dixon (1)8,89114–11L1
26 May 6 Orioles 0–6 McGregor (1–4) Blyleven (2–2)—10,84014–12L2
27 May 7 Orioles 5–2 Viola (2–4) Flanagan (0–5) Reardon (7)14,19815–12W1
28 May 8@ Yankees 7–11 Guante (2–1) Reardon (1–2)—25,92115–13L1
29 May 9@ Yankees 2–0 Straker (2–0) Rasmussen (2–2) Reardon (8)27,22016–13W1
30 May 10@ Yankees 1–6 Hudson (5–0) Smithson (3–3)—41,69116–14L1
31 May 11@ Orioles 10–4 Blyleven (3–2) McGregor (1–5)—25,35317–14W1
32 May 12@ Orioles 7–10 Dixon (3–2) Reardon (1–3)—14,27917–15L1
33 May 13 Blue Jays 0–7 Clancy (5–2) Portugal (1–2)—9,15817–16L2
34 May 14 Blue Jays 4–16 Stieb (2–2) Straker (2–1)—10,05317–17L3
35 May 15 Red Sox 3–1 Frazier (4–2) Hurst (4–4)—13,87818–17W1
36 May 16 Red Sox 1–6 Clemens (3–3) Blyleven (3–3)—23,41418–18L1
37 May 17 Red Sox 10–8 (10) Atherton (2–0) Schiraldi (1–3)—20,71619–18W1
38 May 19@ Indians 3–4 Schrom (3–4) Portugal (1–3)—7,04519–19L1
39 May 20@ Indians 8–2 Berenguer (2–0) Candiotti (1–6)—6,22620–19W1
40 May 21@ Indians 3–6 Swindell (3–3) Blyleven (3–4)—7,40120–20L1
41 May 227:05 p.m. CDT Tigers 2–3 Morris (5–2) Viola (2–5)—2:4315,42320–21 L2
42 May 237:05 p.m. CDT Tigers 7–5 Anderson (1–0) Terrell (3–5) Reardon (9)3:1018,60121–21 W1
43 May 241:15 p.m. CDT Tigers 2–7 Robinson (3–2) Atherton (2–1)—3:0716,35121–22 L1
44 May 26 Brewers 4–2 Blyleven (4–4) Nieves (3–2) Reardon (10)23,27622–22W1
45 May 27 Brewers 7–2 Viola (3–5) Wegman (3–5) Frazier (1)22,94723–22W2
46 May 28 Brewers 13–1 Berenguer (3–0) Birkbeck (1–4)—26,20324–22W3
47 May 296:35 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 7–15 Terrell (4–5) Straker (2–2)—2:2819,03124–23 L1
—May 30@ Tigers Postponed (rain)(Rescheduled May 31)
48 May 31 (1)12:35 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 9–5 Reardon (2–3) King (2–4)—3:25n/a25–23 W1
49 May 31 (2)4:30 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 11–3 Frazier (5–2) Tanana (4–3)—2:5620,99326–23 W2
June: 17–11 (Home: 10–2; Away: 7–9)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
50 June 1@ Red Sox 9–5 Viola (4–5) Clemens (4–5)—20,22127–23W3
51 June 2@ Red Sox 5–6 Schiraldi (3–3) Reardon (2–4)—16,91027–24L1
52 June 3@ Red Sox 6–7 (10) Schiraldi (4–3) Klink (0–1)—20,63827–25L2
53 June 5 Rangers 9–15 Harris (2–4) Blyleven (4–5)—16,09227–26L3
54 June 6 Rangers 3–2 (13) Atherton (3–1) Williams (3–3)—24,99228–26W1
55 June 7 Rangers 7–4 Atherton (4–1) Russell (0–1)—15,79529–26W2
56 June 87:05 p.m. CDT Royals 5–3 Niemann (1–0) Gubicza (3–7) Reardon (11)2:3517,81530–26 W3
57 June 97:05 p.m. CDT Royals 5–2 Niekro (1–0) Jackson (2–8) Atherton (1)3:0018,56331–26 W4
58 June 107:05 p.m. CDT Royals 4–3 (10) Reardon (3–4) Gleaton (1–2)—3:0418,56032–26 W5
—June 11@ White Sox Postponed (rain)(Rescheduled June 12)
59 June 12 (1)@ White Sox 5–2 Viola (5–5) Long (3–2) Reardon (12)n/a33–26 W6
60 June 12 (2)@ White Sox 7–4 Berenguer (4–0) Nielsen (0–1) Atherton (2)18,90634–26 W7
61 June 13@ White Sox 2–6 Dotson (4–4) Straker (2–3) James (8)28,08734–27 L1
62 June 14@ White Sox 6–3 Niekro (2–0) DeLeon (4–6) Berenguer (2)17,33435–27 W1
63 June 15@ Brewers 5–0 Blyleven (5–5) Wegman (5–6)—18,40336–27W2
64 June 16@ Brewers 7–3 Viola (6–5) Crim (3–4) Reardon (13)21,61337–27W3
65 June 17@ Brewers 5–8 Clear (5–1) Straker (2–4) Plesac (14)23,38937–28L1
66 June 19 White Sox 7–6 Reardon (4–4) Winn (2–3)—24,12338–28W1
67 June 20 White Sox 5–10 DeLeon (5–6) Blyleven (5–6)—33,63638–29L1
68 June 21 White Sox 8–6 Berenguer (5–0) Winn (2–4) Reardon (14)29,24039–29W1
69 June 23 Indians 9–4 Smithson (4–3) Candiotti (2–8) Frazier (2)17,39340–29W2
70 June 24 Indians 14–8 Straker (3–4) Swindell (3–7)—19,88541–29W3
71 June 25 Indians 4–3 Blyleven (6–6) Niekro (5–7) Reardon (15)27,48942–29W4
72 June 26@ Rangers 0–1 Witt (3–3) Viola (6–6) Mohorcic (10)20,60542–30 L1
73 June 27 (1)@ Rangers 6–11 Correa (3–5) Frazier (5–3) Russell (2)n/a42–31 L2
74 June 27 (2)@ Rangers 2–7 Hough (8–3) Atherton (4–2)—35,67742–32 L3
75 June 28@ Rangers 3–6 Guzman (6–6) Smithson (4–4) Mohorcic (11)17,47742–33 L4
76 June 297:35 p.m. CDT @ Royals 2–3 (5) Jackson (4–10) Straker (3–5)—1:2235,87242–34 L5
77 June 307:35 p.m. CDT @ Royals 3–1 Blyleven (7–6) Leibrandt (8–6) Reardon (16)2:4421,51543–34 W1
July: 13–14 (Home: 7–3; Away: 6–11)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
78 July 17:35 p.m. CDT @ Royals 3–4 Quisenberry (3–0) Atherton (4–3)—2:5926,89943–35 L1
79 July 27:35 p.m. CDT @ Royals 3–10 Saberhagen (14–2) Niekro (2–1)—2:4235,99243–36 L2
80 July 3 Orioles 6–5 (11) Reardon (5–4) Niedenfuer (1–1)—26,33144–36W1
81 July 4 Orioles 4–1 Straker (4–5) Bell (6–6) Berenguer (3)23,72445–36W2
82 July 5 Orioles 4–3 Blyleven (8–6) Niedenfuer (1–2)—21,29446–36W3
83 July 6@ Yankees 2–0 Viola (7–6) Guidry (1–4)—20,14147–36W4
84 July 7@ Yankees 7–12 Stoddard (2–1) Atherton (4–4)—27,69747–37L1
85 July 8@ Yankees 4–13 Rhoden (11–5) Smithson (4–5) Clements (4)38,16847–38L2
86 July 9@ Orioles 3–1 Straker (5–5) Bell (6–7) Reardon (17)22,65648–38W1
87 July 10@ Orioles 12–13 Williamson (3–6) Frazier (5–4)—28,05748–39L1
88 July 11@ Orioles 2–1 Viola (8–6) Griffin (1–3)—25,69049–39W1
89 July 12@ Orioles 0–5 Schmidt (9–2) Niekro (2–2)—27,48649–40L1
58th All-Star Game in Oakland, California
90 July 16 Blue Jays 2–5 Key (10–6) Blyleven (8–7) Henke (18)34,33449–41L2
91 July 17 Blue Jays 3–2 Viola (9–6) Eichhorn (8–5) Reardon (18)28,23450–41W1
92 July 18 Blue Jays 5–7 Stieb (8–5) Niekro (2–3)—38,36550–42L1
93 July 19 Blue Jays 7–6 Schatzeder (1–0) Lavelle (1–1) Reardon (19)32,09551–42W1
94 July 20 Yankees 1–7 John (9–3) Straker (5–6)—34,96651–43L1
95 July 21 Yankees 2–1 Blyleven (9–7) Stoddard (2–2)—37,39152–43W1
96 July 22 Yankees 3–1 Viola (10–6) Rhoden (12–6) Reardon (20)40,05453–43W2
97 July 23@ Blue Jays 3–4 Stieb (9–5) Frazier (5–5)—35,32053–44L1
98 July 24@ Blue Jays 6–8 Eichhorn (9–5) Reardon (5–5) Henke (20)30,38253–45L2
99 July 25@ Blue Jays 13–9 Schatzeder (2–0) Musselman (7–4)—36,39554–45W1
100 July 26@ Blue Jays 2–4 Key (11–6) Blyleven (9–8) Henke (21)33,39354–46L1
101 July 27@ Mariners 4–3 Viola (11–6) Nunez (3–2) Reardon (21)13,85855–46W1
102 July 28@ Mariners 1–6 Morgan (8–11) Niekro (2–4)—13,49555–47L1
103 July 29@ Mariners 3–8 Guetterman (9–2) Smithson (4–6)—14,32055–48L2
104 July 31@ Athletics 5–3 Blyleven (10–8) Lamp (1–2) Reardon (22)32,09756–48W1
August: 13–15 (Home: 10–4; Away: 3–11)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
105 August 1@ Athletics 2–3 Stewart (14–7) Viola (11–7)—40,92956–49L1
106 August 2@ Athletics 5–6 (11) Nelson (5–2) Reardon (5–6)—33,21556–50L2
107 August 3@ Angels 11–3 Schatzeder (3–0) Witt (13–7)—33,98357–50 W1
108 August 4@ Angels 3–12 Sutton (8–9) Carlton (0–1) Lucas (2)37,37157–51 L1
109 August 5@ Angels 1–6 Candelaria (6–3) Blyleven (10–9)—34,05957–52 L2
110 August 6 Athletics 9–4 Viola (12–7) Stewart (14–8)—39,17758–52W1
111 August 7 Athletics 9–4 Niekro (3–4) Lamp (1–3)—36,14659–52W2
112 August 8 Athletics 9–2 Carlton (1–1) Young (10–6)—50,23760–52W3
113 August 9 Athletics 7–5 Blyleven (11–9) Ontiveros (6–6) Reardon (23)33,94861–52W4
114 August 11 Angels 7–2 Viola (13–7) Candelaria (6–4)—39,16362–52W5
115 August 12 Angels 2–8 McCaskill (3–4) Straker (5–7)—33,03362–53L1
116 August 13 Angels 1–5 Witt (14–8) Carlton (1–2)—35,83762–54L2
117 August 14 Mariners 6–3 Blyleven (12–9) Morgan (10–12)—26,29163–54W1
118 August 15 Mariners 14–4 Smith (1–0) Guetterman (9–4)—31,15464–54W2
119 August 16 Mariners 5–1 Viola (14–7) Moore (5–15)—28,00665–54W3
120 August 17 Mariners 4–2 Straker (6–7) Langston (13–10) Reardon (24)29,62366–54W4
121 August 186:35 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 2–11 Morris (14–6) Carlton (1–3)—2:3632,05366–55 L1
122 August 196:35 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 1–7 Terrell (10–10) Blyleven (12–10)—2:1238,16366–56 L2
123 August 2012:35 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 0–8 Alexander (1–0) Niekro (3–5)—2:4645,80466–57 L3
124 August 21@ Red Sox 3–11 Clemens (13–7) Viola (14–8) Gardner (5)33,49066–58L4
125 August 22@ Red Sox 5–6 Schiraldi (8–5) Straker (6–8)—29,79466–59L5
126 August 23@ Red Sox 4–6 Sellers (5–6) Carlton (1–4) Gardner (6)32,95666–60L6
127 August 247:05 p.m. CDT Tigers 5–4 Reardon (6–6) King (6–9)—3:0727,33867–60 W1
128 August 257:05 p.m. CDT Tigers 4–5 Alexander (2–0) Niekro (3–6) Henneman (4)2:5230,63967–61 L1
129 August 267:05 p.m. CDT Tigers 8–10 Petry (8–6) Reardon (6–7) Hernández (7)3:2929,26567–62 L2
130 August 28@ Brewers 0–1 Bosio (8–5) Straker (6–9)—22,46167–63L3
131 August 29@ Brewers 12–3 Blyleven (13–10) Barker (2–1)—34,83468–63W1
132 August 30@ Brewers 10–6 Atherton (5–4) Crim (5–6) Reardon (25)22,41769—63W2
September: 16–11 (Home: 13–5; Away: 3–6)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
133 September 1 Red Sox 0–9 Sellers (6–6) Niekro (3–7)—25,50869–64L1
134 September 2 Red Sox 5–4 Straker (7–9) Nipper (8–11) Reardon (26)19,56570–64W1
135 September 3 Red Sox 2–1 (10) Atherton (6–4) Gardner (1–6)—20,00971–64W2
136 September 4 Brewers 2–1 (12) Berenguer (6–0) Plesac (5–5)—27,38072–64W3
137 September 5 Brewers 2–1 Atherton (7–4) Crim (5–7)—51,12273–64W4
138 September 6 Brewers 0–6 Higuera (15–9) Carlton (1–5)—36,58673–65L1
139 September 7 White Sox 8–1 Bittiger (1–0) LaPoint (3–3)—22,62374–65W1
140 September 8 White Sox 3–4 Bannister (12–10) Blyleven (13–11) Thigpen (9)12,36074–66L1
141 September 9 White Sox 2–1 Viola (15–8) Winn (4–6)—15,39475–66W1
142 September 11@ Indians 13–10 (11) Reardon (7–7) Gordon (0–3) Berenguer (4)7,96476–66W2
143 September 12@ Indians 4–5 Jones (4–4) Berenguer (6–1)—9,15676–67L1
144 September 13@ Indians 7–3 (10) Reardon (8–7) Candiotti (7–16)—7,47477–67W1
145 September 14@ White Sox 2–8 LaPoint (4–3) Viola (15–9)—7,89877–68 L1
146 September 15@ White Sox 2–6 McDowell (1–0) Niekro (3–8)—7,94777–69 L2
147 September 16@ White Sox 10–13 DeLeon (10–12) Smithson (4–7) Thigpen (11)8,92177–70 L3
148 September 18 Indians 9–4 Blyleven (14–11) Akerfelds (2–5)—23,17378–70W1
149 September 19 Indians 3–1 Viola (16–9) Candiotti (7–17) Reardon (27)23,58179–70W2
150 September 20 Indians 3–2 Straker (8–9) Yett (3–8) Reardon (28)18,90680–70W3
151 September 22 Rangers 6–4 Niekro (4–8) Harris (5–10) Reardon (29)18,29481–70W4
152 September 23 Rangers 4–2 Berenguer (7–1) Guzman (14–12) Reardon (30)20,64082–70W5
153 September 24 Rangers 4–0 Viola (17–9) Hough (17–12)—23,49683–70W6
154 September 257:05 p.m. CDT Royals 4–6 Farr (4–3) Schatzeder (3–1) Garber (6)3:0752,70483–71 L1
155 September 2611:00 a.m. CDT Royals 4–7 Davis (5–2) Reardon (8–8) Garber (7)3:0446,26383–72 L2
156 September 271:15 p.m. CDT Royals 8–1 Blyleven (15–11) Leibrandt (15–11)—2:1253,10684–72 W1
157 September 28@ Rangers 5–3 Berenguer (8–1) Guzman (14–13) Reardon (31)9,98685–72 W2
158 September 29@ Rangers 5–7 Hough (18–12) Atherton (7–5)—10,32885–73 L1
159 September 30@ Rangers 1–2 Witt (8–10) Straker (8–10)—9,30985–74 L2
October: 0–3 (Home: 0–0; Away: 0–3)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
160 October 27:35 p.m. CDT @ Royals 3–6 Saberhagen (18–10) Viola (17–10)—2:2322,57885–75 L3
161 October 37:05 p.m. CDT @ Royals 2–4 Leibrandt (16–11) Blyleven (15–12) Garber (8)2:1828,08285–76 L4
162 October 41:35 p.m. CDT @ Royals 1–10 Gubicza (13–18) Niekro (4–9)—2:2426,34185–77 L5
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement
Bold = Twins team member

Postseason Game log

1987 Postseason game log: 8−4 (Home 6−0; Away 2−4)
AL Championship Series: vs. Detroit Tigers: 4−1 (Home: 2–0; Away: 2–1)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 77:28 p.m. CDT Tigers 8–5 Reardon (1–0) Alexander (0–1)—2:4653,269MIN 1–0 W1
2 October 87:38 p.m. CDT Tigers 6–3 Blyleven (1–0) Morris (0–1) Berenguer (1)2:5455,245MIN 2–0 W2
3 October 1012:10 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 6–7 Henneman (1–0) Reardon (1–1)—3:2949,730MIN 2–1 L1
4 October 117:23 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 5–3 Viola (1–0) Tanana (0–1) Reardon (1)3:2451,939MIN 3–1 W1
5 October 122:07 p.m. CDT @ Tigers 9–5 Blyleven (2–0) Alexander (0–2) Reardon (2)3:1447,448MIN 4–1 W2
World Series: vs. St. Louis Cardinals: 4−3 (Home: 4–0; Away: 0–3)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 177:35 p.m. CDT Cardinals 10–1 Viola (1–0) Magrane (0–1)—2:3955,171MIN 1–0 W1
2 October 187:25 p.m. CDT Cardinals 8–4 Blyleven (1–0) Cox (0–1)—2:4255,257MIN 2–0 W2
3 October 207:33 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals 1–3 Tudor (1–0) Berenguer (0–1) Worrell (1)2:4555,347MIN 2–1 L1
4 October 217:29 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals 2–7 Forsch (1–0) Viola (1–1) Dayley (1)3:1155,347Tied 2–2 L2
5 October 227:42 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals 2–4 Cox (1–1) Blyleven (1–1) Worrell (2)3:2155,347STL 3–2 L3
6 October 243:00 p.m. CDT Cardinals 11–5 Schatzeder (1–0) Tudor (1–1)—3:2255,293Tied 3–3 W1
7 October 257:26 p.m. CST Cardinals 4–2 Viola (2–1) Cox (1–2) Reardon (1)3:0455,376MIN 4–3 W2
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement
Bold = Twins team member

Notable transactions

Opening Day Lineup

Opening Day Starters
#NamePosition
32 Dan Gladden DH
4 Steve Lombardozzi 2B
34 Kirby Puckett CF
8 Gary Gaetti 3B
14 Kent Hrbek 1B
24 Tom Brunansky RF
27 Mark Davidson LF
7 Greg Gagne SS
11 Tom Nieto C
28 Bert Blyleven P

[21]

Roster

1987 Minnesota Twins
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

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

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Tim Laudner 11328855.1911643
1B Kent Hrbek 143477136.2853490
2B Steve Lombardozzi 136432103.238838
3B Gary Gaetti 154584150.25731109
SS Greg Gagne 137437116.2651040
LF Dan Gladden 121438109.249838
CF Kirby Puckett 157624207.3322899
RF Tom Brunansky 155532138.2593285
DH Roy Smalley 11030985.275834

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Al Newman 11030768.221029
Randy Bush 12229374.2531146
Gene Larkin 8523362.266428
Mark Davidson 10215040.267114
Sal Butera 5111119.171112
Tom Nieto 4110521.200112
Don Baylor 204914.28606
Mark Salas 224517.37839
Billy Beane 12154.26701
Chris Pittaro 14124.33300

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Bert Blyleven 37267.015124.01196
Frank Viola 36251.217102.90197
Les Straker 31154.18104.3776
Mike Smithson 21109.0475.9453
Joe Niekro 1996.1496.2654

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Mark Portugal 1344.0137.7728
Steve Carlton 943.0156.7020
Joe Klink 1223.0016.6517
Roy Smith 716.1104.968
Allan Anderson 412.11010.953
Jeff Bittiger 38.1105.405

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Jeff Reardon 6388314.4883
Juan Berenguer 478143.94110
Keith Atherton 597524.5451
George Frazier 545524.9858
Dan Schatzeder 303106.3930
Randy Niemann 61008.441

Postseason

See 1987 American League Championship Series and 1987 World Series.

The Twins won the American League Championship Series beating the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 1. Gary Gaetti was named the ALCS MVP. He'd set a record by homering in his first two post-season at-bats. The Twins won the series by winning two of the three road games at Detroit despite a 4-8 regular season record vs the Tigers as well as 29 regular season wins on the road.

The Twins won all four home games to top the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Frank Viola was named the Series' MVP even though it was the Twins bats that were instrumental in the first three wins outscoring St. Louis 29-10 in the process.

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Portland Beavers Pacific Coast League Charlie Manuel
AA Orlando Twins Southern League George Mitterwald
A Visalia Oaks California League Danny Schmitz
A Kenosha Twins Midwest League Don Leppert
Rookie Elizabethton Twins Appalachian League Ray Smith

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Kenosha [22]

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References

  1. ↑ Simon, Andrew; Kelly, Matt. "Rookie managers who won the World Series". MLB. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ Ron Gardenhire at Baseball Reference
  3. ↑ Juan Berenguer at Baseball Reference
  4. ↑ Jeff Reardon at Baseball Reference
  5. ↑ Al Newman at Baseball Reference
  6. ↑ Billy Sample at Baseball Reference
  7. ↑ Dan Gladden at Baseball Reference
  8. ↑ Bill Latham at Baseball Reference
  9. ↑ Sal Butera at Baseball Reference
  10. ↑ Willie Banks at Baseball Reference
  11. ↑ Terry Jorgensen at Baseball Reference
  12. ↑ Larry Casian at Baseball Reference
  13. ↑ Mark Guthrie at Baseball Reference
  14. ↑ Chip Hale at Baseball Reference
  15. ↑ Bret Boone at Baseball Reference
  16. ↑ Craig Paquette at Baseball Reference
  17. ↑ "Eric Bullock Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  18. ↑ Mark Salas at Baseball Reference
  19. ↑ Dan Schatzeder at Baseball Reference
  20. ↑ "Don Baylor Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  21. ↑ 1987 Opening Day Lineup at Baseball-Reference
  22. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
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