1991 Minnesota Twins season

1991  Minnesota Twins
World Series Champions American League Champions American League West Champions
League	American League
Division	West
Ballpark	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
City	Minneapolis
Record	95–67 (.586)
Divisional place	1st
Owners	Carl Pohlad
General managers	Andy MacPhail
Managers	Tom Kelly
Television	WCCO-TV KITN Midwest Sports Channel (Jim Kaat, Ted Robinson, Dick Bremer)
Radio	830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, John Gordon)
←  1990 Seasons 1992  →

The 1991 Minnesota Twins season was the 31st season for the Minnesota Twins franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, their 10th season at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the 91st overall in the American League.

They won the World 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 movie A 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 the Atlanta Braves of the same season 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]

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.

Regular season

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 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

• v
• t
• e

AL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
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

Record vs. opponents

1991 American League record v t e Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	8–5	6–6	4–8	7–6	5–8	4–8	3–10	4–8	5–8	3–9	4–8	9–3	5–8
Boston	5–8	—	4–8	7–5	9–4	5–8	7–5	7–6	3–9	6–7	8–4	9–3	5–7	9–4
California	6–6	8–4	—	8–5	7–5	5–7	9–4	6–6	8–5	6–6	1–12	6–7	5–8	6–6
Chicago	8–4	5–7	5–8	—	6–6	4–8	7–6	7–5	8–5	8–4	7–6	7–6	8–5	7–5
Cleveland	6–7	4–9	5–7	6–6	—	7–6	4–8	5–8	2–10	6–7	5–7	2–10	4–8	1–12
Detroit	8–5	8–5	7–5	8–4	6–7	—	8–4	4–9	4–8	8–5	4–8	8–4	6–6	5–8
Kansas City	8–4	5–7	4–9	6–7	8–4	4–8	—	9–3	6–7	7–5	6–7	7–6	7–6	5–7
Milwaukee	10–3	6–7	6–6	5–7	8–5	9–4	3–9	—	6–6	6–7	8–4	3–9	7–5	6–7
Minnesota	8–4	9–3	5–8	5–8	10–2	8–4	7–6	6–6	—	10–2	8–5	9–4	6–7	4–8
New York	8–5	7–6	6–6	4–8	7–6	5–8	5–7	7–6	2–10	—	6–6	3–9	5–7	6–7
Oakland	9–3	4–8	12–1	6–7	7–5	8–4	7–6	4–8	5–8	6–6	—	6–7	4–9	6–6
Seattle	8–4	3–9	7–6	6–7	10–2	4–8	6–7	9–3	4–9	9–3	7–6	—	5–8	5–7
Texas	3–9	7–5	8–5	5–8	8–4	6–6	6–7	5–7	7–6	7–5	9–4	8–5	—	6–6
Toronto	8–5	4–9	6–6	5–7	12–1	8–5	7–5	7–6	8–4	7–6	6–6	7–5	6–6	—

Roster

1991 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers 37 Paul Abbott 49 Allan Anderson 38 Rick Aguilera 23 Willie Banks 40 Steve Bedrosian 17 Larry Casian 59 Tom Edens 19 Scott Erickson 53 Mark Guthrie 30 Terry Leach 47 Jack Morris 36 Kevin Tapani 48 Gary Wayne 39 David West 51 Carl Willis 58 Denny Neagle		Catchers 12 Brian Harper  0 Junior Ortiz 15 Lenny Webster Infielders 14 Kent Hrbek  7 Greg Gagne 11 Chuck Knoblauch 31 Scott Leius 26 Al Newman 13 Mike Pagliarulo 18 Paul Sorrento		Outfielders  1 Jarvis Brown 25 Randy Bush 22 Carmen Castillo 44 Chili Davis 32 Dan Gladden  9 Gene Larkin 24 Shane Mack  5 Pedro Muñoz 34 Kirby Puckett		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)

Game log

Legend
	Twins win
	Twins loss
	Postponement
Bold	Twins team member

1991 game log: 95–67 (Home: 51–30; Away: 44–37)
April: 9–11 (Home: 7–4; Away: 2–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 1 April 9 @ Athletics 2–7 Stewart (1–0) Morris (0–1) 44,373 0–1 L1 2 April 10 @ Athletics 4–1 Anderson (1–0) Welch (0–1) Aguilera (1) 22,958 1–1 W1 3 April 11 @ Athletics 0–3 Slusarski (1–0) Erickson (0–1) Eckersley (1) 22,169 1–2 L1 4 April 12 Angels 6–0 Tapani (1–0) J. Abbott (0–1) 45,866 2–2 W1 5 April 13 Angels 9–15 Bailes (1–0) Guthrie (0–1) 32,782 2–3 L1 6 April 14 Angels 4–9 Finley (2–0) Morris (0–2) 22,513 2–4 L2 7 April 15 @ Mariners 4–8 Johnson (1–1) Anderson (1–1) 15,120 2–5 L3 8 April 16 @ Mariners 0–3 Holman (1–1) Erickson (0–2) 8,837 2–6 L4 9 April 17 @ Mariners 3–4 (11) Jackson (1–1) Aguilera (0–1) 9,628 2–7 L5 10 April 19 @ Angels 0–2 Finley (3–0) Morris (0–3) 22,583 2–8 L6 11 April 20 @ Angels 1–2 McCaskill (2–1) Anderson (1–2) Harvey (3) 34,767 2–9 L7 12 April 21 @ Angels 4–3 Erickson (1–2) Eichhorn (0–1) Aguilera (2) 41,337 3–9 W1 13 April 22 Athletics 3–2 Bedrosian (1–0) Klink (0–1) Aguilera (3) 12,998 4–9 W2 14 April 23 Athletics 5–7 Dressendorfer (2–1) Guthrie (0–2) Eckersley (5) 12,574 4–10 L1 15 April 24 Athletics 7–4 Morris (1–3) Stewart (1–2) Aguilera (4) 18,950 5–10 W1 16 April 25 Mariners 4–3 (10) Bedrosian (2–0) Jackson (1–2) 10,230 6–10 W2 17 April 26 Mariners 6–0 Erickson (2–2) Johnson (2–2) 15,965 7–10 W3 18 April 27 Mariners 7–2 Tapani (2–0) Holman (2–2) 16,247 8–10 W4 19 April 28 Mariners 8–2 Morris (2–3) Bankhead (1–2) 18,039 9–10 W5 20 April 30 Red Sox 5–7 Gray (1–1) Bedrosian (2–1) Reardon (8) 15,343 9–11 L1
May: 14–14 (Home: 6–8; Away: 8–6) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 21 May 1 Red Sox 1–0 Erickson (3–2) Gray (1–2) 14,449 10–11 W1 22 May 2 @ Brewers 1–5 Brown (2–0) Tapani (2–1) Crim (3) 8,902 10–12 L1 23 May 3 @ Brewers 5–6 Navarro (2–0) Aguilera (0–2) Núñez (3) 13,033 10–13 L2 24 May 4 @ Brewers 7–4 Guthrie (1–2) Bosio (3–3) Bedrosian (1) 26,503 11–13 W1 25 May 5 @ Brewers 5–2 (10) Aguilera (1–2) Núñez (1–1) 11,183 12–13 W2 26 May 7 @ Red Sox 9–3 Erickson (4–2) Harris (1–3) 23,815 13–13 W3 27 May 8 @ Red Sox 3–8 Clemens (6–0) Morris (2–4) 25,134 13–14 L1 28 May 9 Tigers 0–3 Petry (1–1) Tapani (2–2) Gibson (3) 10,765 13–15 L2 29 May 10 Tigers 5–2 Guthrie (2–2) Terrell (1–4) Aguilera (5) 16,012 14–15 W1 30 May 11 Tigers 5–4 Willis (1–0) Henneman (3–1) Aguilera (6) 23,063 15–15 W2 31 May 12 Tigers 8–3 Erickson (5–2) Gullickson (4–1) 13,189 16–15 W3 32 May 14 Brewers 5–1 Morris (3–4) Navarro (2–2) 13,395 17–15 W4 33 May 15 Brewers 2–4 Bosio (4–4) Tapani (2–3) Plesac (1) 15,992 17–16 L1 34 May 16 Brewers 3–6 Wegman (1–1) Anderson (1–3) Holmes (1) 15,182 17–17 L2 35 May 17 @ Tigers 8–1 Erickson (6–2) Gullickson (4–2) Bedrosian (2) 13,673 18–17 W1 36 May 18 @ Tigers 4–1 Guthrie (3–2) Tanana (2–3) Aguilera (7) 31,432 19–17 W2 37 May 19 @ Tigers 3–8 Petry (2–2) Morris (3–5) 17,148 19–18 L1 38 May 21 Rangers 5–6 Witt (2–3) Tapani (2–4) Jeff Russell (9) 12,427 19–19 L2 39 May 22 Rangers 2–5 (12) Alexander (2–0) Willis (1–1) Jeff Russell (10) 13,283 19–20 L3 40 May 23 Rangers 6–10 (11) Jeff Russell (1–0) Bedrosian (2–2) 16,036 19–21 L4 41 May 24 Royals 3–2 Morris (4–5) S. Davis (2–5) Aguilera (8) 16,394 20–21 W1 42 May 25 Royals 2–11 Gubicza (1–2) Guthrie (3–3) 19,943 20–22 L1 43 May 26 Royals 1–5 Saberhagen (5–3) Tapani (2–5) 21,941 20–23 L2 44 May 27 @ Rangers 4–11 Brown (4–3) Anderson (1–4) 31,302 20–24 L3 45 May 28 @ Rangers 3–0 Erickson (7–2) Guzmán (0–1) Aguilera (9) 26,518 21–24 W1 46 May 29 @ Rangers 9–1 Morris (5–5) Ryan (3–4) 31,340 22–24 W2 47 May 30 @ Royals 4–2 Guthrie (4–3) Gubicza (1–3) Aguilera (10) 31,940 23–24 W3 48 May 31 @ Royals 1–4 Saberhagen (6–3) Tapani (2–6) 26,321 23–25 L1
June: 22–6 (Home: 12–4; Away: 10–2) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 49 June 1 @ Royals 8–4 Anderson (2–4) Appier (3–6) 29,985 24–25 W1 50 June 2 @ Royals 4–1 Erickson (8–2) Gordon (4–3) Aguilera (11) 25,394 25–25 W2 51 June 3 Orioles 3–2 Morris (6–5) Robinson (3–5) Aguilera (12) 12,497 26–25 W3 52 June 4 Orioles 4–3 (10) Willis (2–1) Olson (0–2) 11,672 27–25 W4 53 June 5 Orioles 4–3 Tapani (3–6) Mesa (4–6) Aguilera (13) 12,464 28–25 W5 54 June 7 Indians 2–0 Anderson (3–4) Candiotti (7–3) Aguilera (14) 18,200 29–25 W6 55 June 8 Indians 2–1 Erickson (9–2) Nagy (2–6) Aguilera (15) 25,313 30–25 W7 56 June 9 Indians 9–2 Morris (7–5) Nichols (0–5) 20,677 31–25 W8 57 June 10 Indians 8–5 Abbott (1–0) King (4–5) Aguilera (16) 14,171 32–25 W9 58 June 11 Yankees 5–3 Tapani (4–6) Habyan (4–2) Aguilera (17) 18,233 33–25 W10 59 June 12 Yankees 6–3 Anderson (4–4) Johnson (0–2) Bedrosian (3) 19,178 34–25 W11 60 June 13 Yankees 10–3 Erickson (10–2) Witt (0–1) 29,867 35–25 W12 61 June 14 @ Indians 7–0 Morris (8–5) Shaw (0–1) 55,158 36–25 W13 62 June 15 @ Indians 11–7 Abbott (2–0) Mutis (0–1) 20,997 37–25 W14 63 June 16 @ Indians 4–2 (10) Aguilera (2–2) Hillegas (2–1) 20,725 38–25 W15 64 June 17 @ Orioles 5–6 Williamson (1–2) Aguilera (2–3) 25,600 38–26 L1 65 June 18 @ Orioles 9–2 Erickson (11–2) Smith (3–1) Willis (1) 26,401 39–26 W1 66 June 19 @ Orioles 8–4 Morris (9–5) Olson (0–3) 44,742 40–26 W2 67 June 21 @ Yankees 5–4 Guthrie (5–3) Sanderson (7–3) Aguilera (18) 32,209 41–26 W3 68 June 22 @ Yankees 4–3 Tapani (5–6) Taylor (2–2) Aguilera (19) 25,352 42–26 W4 69 June 23 @ Yankees 2–11 Kamieniecki (2–0) Anderson (4–5) 36,952 42–27 L1 70 June 24 @ Yankees 5–0 Erickson (12–2) Johnson (1–3) 23,142 43–27 W1 71 June 25 Blue Jays 8–6 Morris (10–5) Stottlemyre (8–3) Aguilera (20) 26,350 44–27 W2 72 June 26 Blue Jays 2–5 Wells (9–4) Guthrie (5–4) Henke (13) 25,503 44–28 L1 73 June 27 Blue Jays 0–1 Guzmán (2–2) Tapani (5–7) Henke (14) 35,598 44–29 L2 74 June 28 White Sox 2–4 Hough (5–3) Anderson (4–6) Thigpen (15) 37,865 44–30 L3 75 June 29 White Sox 4–8 Hibbard (6–6) Erickson (12–3) 50,525 44–31 L4 76 June 30 White Sox 3–0 Morris (11–5) McDowell (9–4) 51,085 45–31 W1
July: 16–10 (Home: 7–3; Away: 9–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 77 July 1 White Sox 4–5 (10) Thigpen (5–2) Willis (2–2) 26,427 45–32 L1 78 July 2 @ Blue Jays 3–4 D. Ward (2–3) Leach (0–1) 48,676 45–33 L2 79 July 3 @ Blue Jays 0–4 Candiotti (8–7) Anderson (4–7) 50,071 45–34 L3 80 July 4 @ Blue Jays 1–0 West (1–0) Key (10–4) Aguilera (21) 50,293 46–34 W1 81 July 5 @ White Sox 2–4 McDowell (10–4) Morris (11–6) Thigpen (17) 41,657 46–35 L1 82 July 6 @ White Sox 5–4 Willis (3–2) Radinsky (2–3) Aguilera (22) 41,606 47–35 W1 83 July 7 @ White Sox 3–4 Patterson (3–0) Guthrie (5–5) Thigpen (18) 41,900 47–36 L1 ASG July 9 NL @ AL 2–4 Key (1–0) Martínez (0–1) Eckersley (1) 52,383 — N/A 84 July 11 Red Sox 7–3 Willis (4–2) Harris (5–8) 31,409 48–36 W1 85 July 12 Red Sox 5–4 Abbott (3–0) Clemens (11–6) Aguilera (23) 37,262 49–36 W2 86 July 13 Red Sox 3–1 Morris (12–6) Morton (1–1) Aguilera (24) 42,803 50–36 W3 87 July 14 Red Sox 3–5 Hesketh (3–1) West (1–1) Reardon (22) 38,066 50–37 L1 88 July 15 @ Brewers 11–7 Guthrie (6–5) Hunter (0–3) Bedrosian (4) 16,201 51–37 W1 89 July 16 @ Brewers 3–4 Henry (1–0) Aguilera (2–4) 15,954 51–38 L1 90 July 18 @ Red Sox 11–3 Morris (13–6) Morton (1–2) 34,630 52–38 W1 91 July 19 @ Red Sox 3–2 (11) Bedrosian (3–2) Harris (6–9) Aguilera (25) 33,758 53–38 W2 92 July 20 @ Red Sox 5–0 Erickson (13–3) Gardiner (3–4) Guthrie (1) 33,005 54–38 W3 93 July 21 @ Red Sox 14–1 Tapani (6–7) Bolton (7–7) 32,849 55–38 W4 94 July 23 @ Tigers 3–6 Tanana (7–6) Anderson (4–8) Henneman (14) 21,976 55–39 L1 95 July 24 @ Tigers 3–6 Gullickson (13–5) West (1–2) Henneman (15) 18,391 55–40 L2 96 July 25 @ Tigers 9–3 Erickson (14–3) Aldred (0–1) Bedrosian (5) 20,087 56–40 W1 97 July 26 Brewers 6–3 Tapani (7–7) Holmes (1–2) Aguilera (26) 39,211 57–40 W2 98 July 27 Brewers 7–4 Willis (5–2) Wegman (6–5) 47,632 58–40 W3 99 July 28 Brewers 2–11 Navarro (8–8) Morris (13–7) 47,524 58–41 L1 100 July 29 Tigers 6–3 West (2–2) Gullickson (13–6) Aguilera (27) 35,599 59–41 W1 101 July 30 Tigers 9–7 Willis (6–2) Cerutti (1–3) 42,035 60–41 W2 102 July 31 @ Yankees 12–3 Tapani (8–7) Sanderson (10–7) 24,300 61–41 W3
August: 17–12 (Home: 8–5; Away: 9–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 103 August 1 @ Yankees 3–8 Cadaret (4–4) Abbott (3–1) 25,711 61–42 L1 104 August 2 @ Athletics 1–3 Welch (9–6) Morris (13–8) 44,160 61–43 L2 105 August 3 @ Athletics 8–6 Bedrosian (4–2) Klink (8–3) Aguilera (28) 43,119 62–43 W1 106 August 4 @ Athletics 6–2 Erickson (15–3) Stewart (8–6) Willis (2) 44,088 63–43 W2 107 August 5 @ Angels 7–4 Tapani (9–7) Grahe (1–2) Aguilera (29) 25,439 64–43 W3 108 August 6 @ Angels 7–4 Banks (1–0) Finley (14–6) 27,872 65–43 W4 109 August 7 @ Angels 1–8 J. Abbott (10–8) Morris (13–9) 30,726 65–44 L1 110 August 9 @ Mariners 5–2 West (3–2) Johnson (10–8) Aguilera (30) 31,112 66–44 W1 111 August 10 @ Mariners 0–8 Hanson (7–5) Erickson (15–4) 29,548 66–45 L1 112 August 11 @ Mariners 5–2 Tapani (10–7) Krueger (9–5) 31,007 67–45 W1 113 August 12 Angels 4–3 Morris (14–9) Beasley (0–1) Aguilera (31) 31,789 68–45 W2 114 August 13 Angels 3–8 J. Abbott (11–8) Banks (1–1) Harvey (26) 41,354 68–46 L1 115 August 14 Angels 4–7 McCaskill (9–15) West (3–3) Harvey (27) 26,242 68–47 L2 116 August 15 Angels 1–9 Langston (15–6) Erickson (15–5) 31,880 68–48 L3 117 August 16 Athletics 5–4 (12) Aguilera (3–4) Nelson (1–4) 50,019 69–48 W1 118 August 17 Athletics 12–4 Morris (15–9) Welch (10–8) 52,080 70–48 W2 119 August 18 Athletics 6–4 Willis (7–2) Honeycutt (2–3) Aguilera (32) 44,295 71–48 W3 120 August 19 Athletics 7–8 Klink (9–3) Bedrosian (4–3) Eckersley (34) 45,544 71–49 L1 121 August 20 Mariners 10–5 Erickson (16–5) Hanson (7–6) Guthrie (2) 32,090 72–49 W1 122 August 21 Mariners 9–1 Tapani (11–7) Krueger (10–6) 30,631 73–49 W2 123 August 22 Mariners 5–4 (10) Aguilera (4–4) Schooler (0–1) 35,874 74–49 W3 124 August 23 @ Orioles 4–5 Olson (3–4) Willis (7–3) 35,365 74–50 L1 125 August 24 @ Orioles 5–2 Bedrosian (5–3) Flanagan (2–5) Aguilera (33) 37,958 75–50 W1 126 August 25 @ Orioles 3–7 Mussina (2–3) Erickson (16–6) Frohwirth (2) 36,202 75–51 L1 127 August 26 @ Indians 5–3 Tapani (12–7) Otto (1–4) Aguilera (34) 5,003 76–51 W1 128 August 27 @ Indians 1–2 Swindell (8–12) Morris (15–10) Olin (8) 7,664 76–52 L1 129 August 28 @ Indians 4–2 West (4–3) King (5–8) Aguilera (35) 5,317 77–52 W1 130 August 30 Orioles 5–11 Milacki (8–7) Edens (0–1) 30,214 77–53 L1 131 August 31 Orioles 5–2 Tapani (13–7) Mussina (2–4) Aguilera (36) 38,395 78–53 W1
September: 15–10 (Home: 10–4; Away: 5–6) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 132 September 1 Orioles 14–3 Morris (16–10) Rhodes (0–2) 31,435 79–53 W2 133 September 2 Indians 9–3 Erickson (17–6) King (5–9) Aguilera (37) 28,267 80–53 W3 134 September 4 Indians 4–8 Blair (2–2) West (4–4) Hillegas (7) 19,760 80–54 L1 135 September 6 Yankees 3–1 Tapani (14–7) Taylor (7–8) Aguilera (38) 27,804 81–54 W1 136 September 7 Yankees 3–2 (10) Willis (8–3) Guetterman (3–3) 35,504 82–54 W2 137 September 8 Yankees 6–5 Erickson (18–6) Johnson (5–10) Bedrosian (6) 27,281 83–54 W3 138 September 9 @ Royals 10–4 Edens (1–1) Boddicker (11–11) Wayne (1) 22,189 84–54 W4 139 September 10 @ Royals 7–2 Anderson (5–8) Gubicza (8–9) Aguilera (39) 19,923 85–54 W5 140 September 11 @ Royals 1–4 M. Davis (5–1) Tapani (14–8) Montgomery (28) 18,290 85–55 L1 141 September 12 @ Rangers 3–4 Ryan (10–6) Morris (16–11) Jeff Russell (27) 17,974 85–56 L2 142 September 13 @ Rangers 7–3 (10) Leach (1–1) Rogers (9–10) 24,386 86–56 W1 143 September 14 @ Rangers 0–3 Boyd (2–5) Edens (1–2) Rogers (5) 40,718 86–57 L1 144 September 15 @ Rangers 2–4 Guzmán (12–5) Anderson (5–9) Jeff Russell (28) 19,778 86–58 L2 145 September 16 Royals 9–0 Tapani (15–8) Gubicza (8–10) 18,745 87–58 W1 146 September 17 Royals 1–4 Saberhagen (11–8) Morris (16–12) Montgomery (29) 22,067 87–59 L1 147 September 18 Royals 4–10 Aquino (8–3) Erickson (18–7) 21,726 87–60 L2 148 September 20 Rangers 6–4 Wayne (1–0) Rosenthal (1–3) Aguilera (40) 29,503 88–60 W1 149 September 21 Rangers 8–4 Tapani (16–8) Guzmán (12–6) 43,138 89–60 W2 150 September 22 Rangers 9–4 Morris (17–12) Fajardo (0–1) 44,539 90–60 W3 151 September 24 White Sox 9–2 Erickson (19–7) McDowell (17–10) 45,496 91–60 W4 152 September 25 White Sox 1–6 Fernandez (9–12) Anderson (5–10) 43,450 91–61 L1 153 September 27 @ Blue Jays 2–7 Guzmán (9–2) Tapani (16–9) 50,326 91–62 L2 154 September 28 @ Blue Jays 5–0 Morris (18–12) Candiotti (13–13) 50,319 92–62 W1 155 September 29 @ Blue Jays 1–2 Stottlemyre (14–8) Erickson (19–8) D. Ward (20) 50,315 92–63 L1 156 September 30 @ White Sox 8–3 Edens (2–2) Fernandez (9–13) 37,740 93–63 W1
October: 2–4 (Home: 1–2; Away: 1–2) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 157 October 1 @ White Sox 3–2 Guthrie (7–5) Pérez (8–7) Aguilera (41) 32,181 94–63 W2 — October 2 @ White Sox Postponed (rain); Makeup: October 3 158 October 3 @ White Sox 2–3 (10) Radinsky (5–5) Aguilera (4–5) – 94–64 L1 159 October 3 @ White Sox 12–13 (12) Drahman (3–2) Leach (1–2) 31,022 94–65 L2 160 October 4 Blue Jays 1–4 Stottlemyre (15–8) Neagle (0–1) D. Ward (22) 35,124 94–66 L3 161 October 5 Blue Jays 3–1 Erickson (20–8) Guzmán (10–3) Aguilera (42) 51,058 95–66 W1 162 October 6 Blue Jays 2–3 (10) Weathers (1–0) Anderson (5–11) D. Ward (23) 37,794 95–67 L1

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
Gene Larkin	98	255	73	.286	2	19
Al Newman	118	246	47	.191	0	19
Scott Leius	109	199	57	.286	5	20
Randy Bush	93	165	50	.303	6	23
Pedro Muñoz	51	138	39	.283	7	26
Junior Ortiz	61	134	28	.209	0	11
Paul Sorrento	26	47	12	.255	4	13
Jarvis Brown	38	37	8	.216	0	0
Lenny Webster	18	34	10	.294	3	8
Carmelo Castillo	9	12	2	.167	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Jack Morris	34	246.2	18	12	3.43	163
Kevin Tapani	35	244.2	16	9	2.99	135
Scott Erickson	32	204.0	20	8	3.18	108
Allan Anderson	29	134.1	5	11	4.96	51
David West	15	71.1	4	4	4.54	52

Other pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Paul Abbott	15	47.1	3	1	4.75	43
Tom Edens	8	33.0	2	2	4.09	19
Denny Neagle	7	20.0	0	1	4.05	14
Larry Casian	15	18.1	0	0	7.36	6
Willie Banks	5	17.1	1	1	5.71	16
Gary Wayne	8	12.1	1	0	5.11	7

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Rick Aguilera	63	4	5	42	2.35	61
Mark Guthrie	41	7	5	2	4.32	72
Carl Willis	40	8	3	2	2.63	53
Steve Bedrosian	56	5	3	6	4.42	44
Terry Leach	50	1	2	0	3.61	32

Postseason

Further information: 1991 American League Championship Series and 1991 World Series

Seven players and five of the coaching staff from the 1987 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 in 1965, he was the hitting coach on the 1987 team and bench coach in 1991.

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.

Other post-season awards

• Calvin R. Griffith Award (Most Valuable Twin) – Jack Morris
• Joseph W. Haynes Award (Twins Pitcher of the Year) – Jack Morris
• Bill Boni Award (Twins Outstanding Rookie) – Chuck Knoblauch
• Charles O. Johnson Award (Most Improved Twin) – Shane Mack
• Dick Siebert Award (Upper Midwest Player of the Year) – Jack Morris
  • The above awards are voted on by the Twin Cities chapter of the BBWAA
• Sherry Robertson Award (Twins Outstanding Farm System Player) – Pat Mahomes

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Portland Beavers	Pacific Coast League	Russ Nixon
AA	Orlando Sun Rays	Southern League	Scott Ullger
A	Visalia Oaks	California League	Steve Liddle
A	Kenosha Twins	Midwest League	Joel Lepel
Rookie	Elizabethton Twins	Appalachian League	Ray Smith
Rookie	GCL Twins	Gulf Coast League	Dan Rohn

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Orlando ^[21]

References

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. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. 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. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. 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". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
9. "Tom Edens". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
10. "Mike Pagliarulo". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
11. "Chili Davis". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
12. "Jack Morris". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
13. "Nelson Liriano". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
14. "Carmelo Castillo". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
15. "Dave McCarty". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
16. "Scott Stahoviak". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
17. "LaTroy Hawkins". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
18. "Brad Radke". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
19. "Marcus Lawton". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
20. "Brian Harper". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
21. Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN   978-0-96-371897-6.

External links

• Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
• Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com
• 1991 Standings
• Interview with Mike Pagliarulo About the 1991 Twins