An upstart champion, a dramatic pennant race and the derailment of a potential dynasty were all a part of an exciting 1987 baseball season that included the following highlights…
*How the Minnesota Twins used a potent lineup and a top-heavy pitching staff, led by Frank Viola and Bert Blyleven, to navigate their way to a division title and ultimately to October glory.
*The sizzling AL East race put on by the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. Seven head-to-head games in the final week and a half. An epic collapse and one of the most consequential trade deadline deals in baseball history were all a part of this race.
*What happened to the New York Mets, who were supposed to be ready to build a dynastic run off their 1986 World Series title. No one accounted for the pesky St. Louis Cardinals rising up and beating out the Mets in another exciting division race, replete with a dramatic home run.
*How the San Francisco Giants won their first division title since 1971, thanks to some bold in-season trades and then catching fire after the All-Star break.
*How the ALCS, that was supposed to be a cakewalk for Detroit, got turned on its head with a Minnesota runaway.
*The outstanding seven-game NLCS battle between St. Louis and San Francisco, with Cardinal pitching finally taking over at the decisive moment.
*And a World Series that was all about location. The home team wins each game in the Minnesota-St. Louis matchup and sets off a celebration in the Twin Cities.
The articles below—one on each of the six teams noted above and then a game-by-game narrative of each postseason series, tell the story of the 1987 baseball season through the eyes of its best teams. Start reading today and wake up the echoes in all their glorious detail.
The Minnesota Twins were an 85-win team, one of the worst to ever reach the League Championship Series round in 1987. The Detroit Tigers had the best record in baseball and were fresh off winning an epic divisional race against the second-best team, the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s natural that the Minnesota-Detroit matchup in the 1987 ALCS was seen as one-sided and destined for a quick ending. That’s what happened, but not in a way anyone anticipated.
You can read more about the paths each team took to its respective division title at the links below. This article will focus exclusively on the games of the 1987 ALCS.
Doyle Alexander’s acquisition by Detroit was essential to their survival in the AL East. Alexander had been dominant down the stretch and he would start Game 1. Minnesota, in spite of their flaws, had the advantage of a terrific top-of-the-rotation arm in lefty Frank Viola. As a further aid to the Twins, homefield advantage was set on a rotation basis rather than merit and it was the year for the AL West (where the Twins resided from 1969-93) to host.
Minnesota third baseman Gary Gaetti launched the first blow of the series with a dead-center home run off Alexander in the bottom of the second. Detroit catcher Mike Heath did exactly the same thing in the third inning and the game went to the bottom of the fifth still tied 1-1.
Gaetti led off the inning and did it again, homering to right center. Randy Bush and Tom Brunansky followed with extra base hits and the Twins were up 3-1. After a sac bunt from second baseman Steve Lombardozzi moved Brunansky to third, Alexander struck out catcher Tim Laudner. The Tiger pitcher was poised to escape without further damage before left fielder Dan Gladden lined a two-out single to right.
Viola again let the Tigers answer right back, when Kirk Gibson hit a two-out solo blast and Detroit kept grinding away in the top of the seventh. Larry Herndon, Chet Lemon and Darrell Evans hit consecutive singles to start the inning and the bases were loaded with none out. After a strikeout, Heath lined a single to center. The lead was cut to 4-3 and the bases were still loaded.
Minnesota manager Tom Kelly stuck with Viola, who pulled an escape act. He got Lou Whitaker to hit a grounder to Kent Hrbek at first base, who got the forceout at home. Viola got Bill Madlock to end the inning with the lead intact.
It didn’t stay intact for long though. Viola came back out for the eighth and this proved to be a bridge to far. He walked Gibson and allowed a double to shortstop Alan Trammell. With runners on second and third, Kelly summoned closer Jeff Reardon. He didn’t allow a hit, but consecutive sac flies from Dave Bergman and Lemon put Detroit up 5-4.
There was every reason to think Minnesota was essentially done. They had blown a lead at home with their best pitcher on the mound in a series where they already needed every break. Instead, they came fighting back against Alexander. Gladden singled to left and centerfielder Kirby Puckett quickly doubled him home. It was 5-all and Alexander was pulled for Mike Henneman.
The Twins kept coming. Two walks, one of them intentional, loaded up the bases. Detroit manager Sparky Anderson called for his closer, Willie Hernandez. Like Kelly, Anderson waited too long. Minnesota had acquired Don Baylor for the stretch drive precisely for at-bats like this. He was a veteran that could handle pressure and he was right-handed bat that could handle a lefty like Hernandez. Baylor singled and put the Twins up 6-5.
Brunansky immediately followed with a big insurance double that gave Minnesota an 8-5 lead. It proved important when Detroit put two on with one out in the ninth. Reardon struck out Madlock and Gibson and the Twins had taken Game 1.
There weren’t many pitchers more reliable in a big game in this era than Jack Morris. Minnesota fans found that out firsthand four years later when Morris pitched them to a World Series title. But in 1987, Morris was a Tiger and entrusted with the ball for Game 2.
If Morris did the job, Detroit would have calmed the waters, gotten a split and have three straight home games ahead of them. Minnesota had a tough veteran of their own to counter with in Bert Blyleven. With an ERA a bit over 4, Blyleven wasn’t great, but he was still a future Hall of Famer.
The Tigers got Blyleven in the second. Matt Nokes started the inning with a single and Lemon homered. Pat Sheridan singled, stole second and was bunted to third. There was still only one out and Heath came to the plate. He couldn’t duplicate his success of the previous night and failed to pick up the run and the game stayed 2-0.
Gaetti got the Twins started in the second with a one-out double. Brunansky doubled with two outs to cut the lead in half. Shortstop Greg Gagne drew a walk and the third double of the inning—this one from Laudner down the left field line—scored both runs and the Metrodome crowd was rocking again with their team up 3-2.
Minnesota kept coming in the fourth, again doing the most damage with two outs. After Laudner struck out in a bases-loaded/one-out situation, Morris was in position to escape. Instead, Gladden again delivered a clutch hit, a two-run single to left that extended the lead to 5-2. One inning later, Hrbek homered to make it 6-2. Blyleven stayed in command until allowing a solo homer to Whitaker in the eighth, but there was no real late drama in a 6-3 final.
After a travel day, play resumed on Saturday afternoon in Detroit with the Tigers unexpectedly having their back to the wall. The good news for Detroit was that Minnesota’s key weakness was a lack of depth in the rotation. And the Tiger bats were able to get after Game 3 starter Lee Straker.
Straker flirted with danger in the first when he walked Whitaker and Evans, but nothing came of it. The Twins’ starter wasn’t as fortunate in the bottom of the third. Detroit loaded the bases with a Sheridan double, a Whitaker single and a Gibson walk. With nobody out a groundball force play at second brought in the game’s first run. After a stolen base, Straker balked in a run and Trammell singled in another.
It was 3-0 and after another walk, Straker was gone. Dan Schatzeder came in, but Herndon got him for a two-run double and Detroit was rolling with a 5-0 lead.
Minnesota signaled they wouldn’t go quietly when the light-hitting Gagne homered to begin the top of the fourth. Hrbek worked a one-out walk and eventually scored on base hits by Gaetti and Bush. With the lead cut to 5-2 and runners on the corners with one out, Tiger starter Walt Terrell got Brunansky on a pop up and escape without further damage.
Brunanasky redeemed himself in the top of the sixth with a two-out, two-run blast that made it 5-4. The Twins kept coming in the top of the seventh. Sal Butera and Dan Gladden opened the inning with singles, putting runners on first and third and ending Terrell’s day. Mike Henneman came on in relief. Gagne hit a ground ball to third and pinch-runner Mark Davidson tried to score the tying run. He was cut down at the plate and Detroit hung on to its lead. Puckett fouled out to first, but it was a deep enough pop-out that the runners were able to tag and get to second and third.
Hrbek was intentionally walked to set up Henneman-vs-Gaetti. From the classic righty-lefty standpoint, this was the textbook move, with Henneman a right-handed pitcher while Hrbek batted lefty and Gaetti from the right side. But given how hot Gaetti was in this series, it was a questionable situational move from a future Hall of Fame manager in Anderson. And it didn’t work, with Gaetti singling to right.
The Twins had come all the way back to lead 6-5 and got to within six outs of putting a stranglehold on the series. But in the bottom of the eighth, Herndon led off with a single. Detroit’s desperation was underlined by the fact that Morris, a fast runner, came in to run. It turned out not to matter—after a failed sac bunt attempt, Pat Sheridan homered. The Tigers were back up 7-6 and this time Henneman held the lead.
It was a series again, but even in victory nothing was coming easy for Detroit. They sent veteran lefty Frank Tanana to the mound on Sunday night for Game 4, while Minnesota brought back Viola on three days’ rest.
The Tigers got a soft run out of the gate. Whitaker led off the bottom of the first with a walk and came around on an infield hit from Trammell and an error by Gagne. The Twins got something going in the top of the second when Baylor led off with a single and Brunansky walked, but nothing came of it.
Minnesota muscled up in the next two innings, with Puckett homering to tie it in the third and Gagne’s solo blast in the fourth giving them a 2-1 lead. Puckett then got the top of the fifth started with a single that turned into a three bases after being misplayed by Herndon in the outfield. Gaetti picked up Puckett with a sac fly.
Whitaker got another Detroit rally started with a two-out walk in the bottom of the fifth and then scored on consecutive singles from Jim Morrison and Gibson. Herndon, looking to redeem himself, hit the ball hard…but right at Gaetti and the Twins’ 3-2 lead was preserved heading into the sixth.
Gagne and Gene Larkin chased Tanana with doubles to get the run back and make it 4-2. In the bottom of the inning, singles by Lemon and Darrell Evans ended Viola’s night. Another single, this one from Dave Bergmann cut the lead to 4-3 and left runners on first and second, still with nobody out. Heath bunted the runners up.
Evans, a 40-year-old vet, then made a a huge baserunning mistake. He drifted too far off third and an alert Laudner picked him off. Minnesota clung to its lead and got some insurance in the eighth when an error and wild pitch set up a two-out RBI single from Lombardozzi. Reardon came in on the ninth and after a leadoff single, got Whitaker, then struck out Nokes and Gibson to seal the game.
Minnesota not only held a 3-1 series lead, but they had grabbed a road win and had two more home games in the bank. They also had Blyleven on the mound for Game 5. Detroit went back to Alexander for their final home game on Monday afternoon.
Alexander’s magic from the stretch drive was gone. In the top of the second, Gaetti singled, Bush walked and Brunansky doubled both runs in. He was thrown out trying for third, but the Twins weren’t done. Lombardozzi singled, moved to second on a productive out and scored on a base hit from Gladden. Alexander hit a batter, then gave up another RBI single to Puckett. It was 4-0 and Anderson was forced into his bullpen, bringing in young Eric King with the season on the line.
King did an admirable job in stopping the bleeding and the Tigers got back in the game in the fourth. After a Gibson double and Trammell single, Nokes homered to cut the lead to 4-3.
It stayed that way until the top of the seventh. A one-out single, hit batsman and wild pitch set up a sacrifice fly from Hrbek and Minnesota had some modest breathing room at 5-3. They expanded that in the eighth, now facing Hennenman. Gladden doubled with one out and Gagne drew a walk. Puckett hit a bouncer back to Henneman. He got the force at second, but Gladden went to third where he scored on a fielder’s choice.
The Twins could surely taste the champagne when Berenguer got the first two outs in the eighth. Lemon homered to cut it to 6-4, bringing on Reardon, who ended the inning.
Minnesota delivered the final blow in the top of the ninth. Brunansky homered to make it 7-4. Lombardozzi singled and with two outs, Gladden and Gagne hit back-to-back doubles. It was 9-4 and all but over. Detroit got a run in the ninth, but when Nokes bounced back to Reardon for a 1-3 putout, it was over. The Twins had completed an upset stunning not only in that they won, but had done so in a swift five-game series and won twice in Tiger Stadium.
Gaetti was an easy choice for 1987 ALCS MVP. He went 6-for-20, a solid .300 batting average, but that doesn’t tell the impact of those hits. He homered twice, drove in five runs, scored five more and always seemed to be in the middle of Minnesota’s crucial rallies.
Another notable performances came from Gagne and Brunansky, who each homered twice. On the Detroit side, Lemon was the best in defeat. He went 5-for-18 and hit a pair of home runs. Evans had productive numbers, 5-for-17 and he drew five walks, but getting picked off third in Game 4 was one of the big turning points of the series. And perhaps nothing was more important to Minnesota’s ultimate victory than their pitching holding Whitaker and Trammell, the fine 1-2 punch at the top of the order, to a combined 7-for-37.
For Minnesota, the magic was just starting. They went on to face the St. Louis Cardinalsin the 1987 World Series and rode dome-field advantage all the way to a title, taking a seven-game Series where each game was won by the home team. It was the first two World Series championships in a five-year span.
The Twins’ championship runs are well-remembered, especially for their dominance at home. Less remembered, but just as worthy as a place in the history books, is their improbable upset in the 1987 ALCS.
It been nearly twenty years since the good people of the Twin Cities had experienced postseason baseball. It had been a little longer—22 years—since they had reached the World Series. And they had never seen their franchise win it all. The 1987 Minnesota Twins changed all of that with an improbable run to a World Series title.
There was no evidence coming in that 1987 would be a special season. A .500 finish in 1984 was the only time in the decade the Twins hadn’t finished with a losing record. That included a 71-91 season in 1986. Tom Kelly took over the managerial reins in the final 23 games of that lost year and would become a franchise legend.
Minnesota moved decisively in the offseason. They acquired closer Jeff Reardon in a six-player deal with the Montreal Expos. They picked up outfielder Dan Gladden from San Francisco. By themselves, these trades weren’t game-changers. Reardon saved 31 games—high for the era—but still finished with a 4.48 ERA. Gladden stole 25 bases, but his overall offensive production was modest. But the deals did indicate that the Twins were serious about winning.
The old Metrodome was a haven for the long ball and the offense was built on hitting home runs. First baseman Kent Hrbek went deep 34 times, drove in 90 runs and posted an on-base percentage of .385. On the infield’s opposite corner, Gary Gaetti hit 31 homers and had 109 RBI. Rightfielder Tom Brunansky hit 32 more bombs, drove in 85 runs and his OBP was .352.
And no one was more productive than one of the most beloved players in Minnesota Twins history. Kirby Puckett’s OBP was .367. He hit 28 homers, drove in 99 runs and scored 96 more. He played a sterling centerfield to top it off.
Minnesota’s middle infield wasn’t productive on offense though second baseman Steve Lombardozzi and shortstop Greg Gagne were fundamentally sound on defense. They fit their roles well in an offense that had enough firepower to rank fifth in the American League in runs scored.
The pitching staff had a legitimate ace in 17-game winner Frank Viola, who also finished with an ERA of 2.90. Bert Blyleven, a future Hall of Famer, was 36-years-old and his ERA was 4.01, but he still won 15 games. Above all though, Viola and Blyleven were workhorses. They combined to start 71 games and pitch 518 innings. On a staff woefully short of depth, it was invaluable.
Lee Straker, Mike Smithson and 42-year-old knuckleballer Joe Niekro filled out the rotation, but not particularly well. Straker was respectable, with a 4.37 ERA in his 26 starts, but Smithson and Niekro’s ERAs were in the 6 neighborhood. In the bullpen, Juan Berengeur was respectable, with a 3.94 ERA and he logged 112 innings. But he wasn’t a shutdown guy and along with Reardon was the best the Twins had in relief.
Minnesota opened the season 7-2, including taking five of six games from the Oakland A’s. For the rest of the spring, it was a slow walk backward. They were still 13-9 at the end of April, but when they began play against the stronger AL East in May the result was thirteen losses in 21 games and a 21-22 record on Memorial Day. The Twins were five games back of the Kansas City Royals and in third place.
The schedule still had Minnesota against the AL East coming out of the holiday weekend and they got it going with a sweep of Milwaukee (an American League team prior to 1998) and took two of three from eventual AL East champ Detroit (the AL Central did not exist until MLB went to a three-division alignment in 1994).
In June, the Twins ripped off a 14-4 stretch that included sweeping the Royals in the Metrodome. In Monday’s opener, Gene Larkin ripped a bases-loaded triple in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie. On Tuesday, Gladden had three hits, Puckett two more and Niekro pitched well into the seventh inning. Minnesota won 5-2. In the series finale on Wednesday, after falling behind 3-zip, Blyleven recovered to pitch eight strong innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Minnesota accepted a gift—after two walks loaded the bases, a three-base error by the Royals cleared them and tied the score. Larkin won it in the 10th with an RBI single.
The Twins moved into first place and took a 4 ½ game lead by June 25. They gave some of the lead back by losing seven of eight out of the KC series, part of an 18-game stretch leading into the All-Star break where they went 7-11. But Minnesota still led the AL West by two games, with a 49-40 record at the midway point. Oakland, Kansas City, the California Angels and Seattle Mariners were all in close pursuit, each within 3 ½ games.
Minnesota hosted Oakland in a key four-game series in early August and the Twins offense absolutely unloaded. Hrbek and catcher Tim Laudner each homered in the Thursday night opener, Puckett drove in three runs and Viola pitched seven solid innings in a 9-4. They dropped nine more runs the next night, starting with four in the first. Hrbek homered again, Gagne had three hits and again the final was 9-4 as Niekro went eight innings.
The hit brigade continued on Saturday with another four-run first inning and another nine-run performance overall. Puckett and Gaetti had extra base hits in the big first inning. Puckett went on to a four-hit game that included a home run. Brunansky had three hits. The final of this one was 9-2.
Sunday’s game was finally competitive, but Minnesota still kept hitting. Hrbek blasted a three-run homer early and Brunansky also went deep. The Twins built a 7-3 lead. The A’s cut it to 7-5 and brought Jose Canseco to the plate as the tying run, but Reardon induced a ground ball out to short. The sweep was complete.
Minnesota built a five-game lead, but were subsequently swept by the Tigers and Red Sox. The lead was quickly wiped out and pitching was still a concern. The Twins made a desperate attempt at veteran help when they picked up 42-year-old lefty Steve Carlton. A future Hall of Famer and probably the best pitcher of the 1970s and early 1980s, Carlton had nothing left in the tank. He had won the Saturday game in the Oakland sweep, but otherwise was a disaster. He made seven starts for the Twins and finished with a 6.70 ERA. Viola and Blyleven would have to drive this team to the finish line.
The four days leading up to Labor Day were dramatic, as the Twins won three games in walkoff fashion. When the holiday arrived, they again had breathing room—the record was a modest 73-65, but in the AL West that was good enough to be plus-three on Oakland, with Kansas City and California each 5 ½ games off the pace.
Minnesota played steady baseball in September. The only real scare point was when they lost three straight to the Chicago White Sox, but quickly turned around to sweep the Cleveland Indians. When the final week of play began on Monday, September 28, the Twins had a six-game lead and were poised to clinch when they visited Texas.
Niekro was on the mound and fell behind 3-0 in the first inning. Minnesota tied the game in the fourth with an unlikely three-run blast from Lombardozzi. The second baseman came through again in the eighth with an RBI single. The 5-3 game appropriately ended on a line drive double play—hit at Lombardozzi. Minnesota was AL West champs.
With a record of 85-77, one exceeded by four AL East teams, Minnesota was a heavy underdog against Detroit when the American League Championship Seriesbegan. But a lot of factors worked in favor of the Twins.
For one, the Tigers were drained after an incredible September battle with the Blue Jays for the division title. For another, the primacy of a team’s top two starting pitchers—an area where the Twins could match up with anyone—increases significantly in a short series. And finally, with homefield advantage determined on a rotation basis, Minnesota had the good fortune to win their division in a year where the AL West champ had homefield all the way through the postseason.
Regardless of where the games were played, Minnesota stunned the baseball world with a complete dismantling of Detroit. The Twins took the first two at home, then took two of three in Tiger Stadium to lock up their first pennant since 1965. Gaetti was voted ALCS MVP.
The World Series was a Midwestern affair, as Minnesota met the St. Louis Cardinals. This time, homefield was a big deal. Home teams won all seven World Series games. Viola won two games, including Game 7 and was named Series MVP.
Good times were back for Minnesota Twins baseball and they weren’t done. Even though Oakland took over the AL West for the next three years, the Twins still had a strong season in 1988. And in 1991—when the AL West was again due for homefield advantage all the way through—Minnesota did it again, winning another World Series.
Bob Knight, Wayne Gretzky and Magic Johnson had already made their mark on the respective histories of college basketball, the NHL and the NBA. All three were looking for redemption in varying degrees, and in the year of 1987 sports, all three got back on top.
None of the three won a championship in more dramatic fashion than Knight. After coaching the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1984, Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers had seen some hard times—missing the NCAA Tournament in 1985 and losing in the first round in 1986. Knight’s infamous, albeit vastly overplayed chair-throw incident took place in ’85.
It was appropriate that the year Knight returned to the top of the college basketball world took place in the same year the movie Hoosiers came out. Like the movie, the real-life version of the story ended up with a last-second shot winning the national championship, as Keith Smart’s jumper near the baseline gave Indiana a 74-73 win over Syracuse and their head coach his third national title.
The 1987 NCAA Tournament also provided a Cinderella, and one with lasting implications for college basketball. Providence made the Final Four. It was the first breakthrough for a young head coach named Rick Pitino. And his best player was Billy Donovan. We’re still hearing plenty from both Pitino and Donovan on the sidelines today. Read more about 1987 Indiana basketball Read more about Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan & 1987 Providence
Magic Johnson already had three championship rings and twice had been named MVP of the Finals. But the 1986 season ended badly for his Los Angeles Lakers, and there was talk that they might be supplanted by the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference.
Instead, Magic upped his game to become a top scorer, without losing his tremendous passing ability and he won his first league MVP award. The Lakers won the NBA title, and their battle with the Boston Celtics in the Finals was a historic benchmark—it was the last time Magic and Boston’s Larry Bird ever competed for a championship.
And on the hockey side, Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers had seen their dynasty interrupted in 1986, after winning consecutive Stanley Cups in 1984-85. Gretzky won another MVP award of his own—making him 8-for-8 in his career, and Edmonton erased the upset loss of 1986 by capturing a third Stanley Cup in four years. Read more about the 1987 NBA Finals Read more about the 1987 Edmonton Oilers
Baseball and college football each provided good regular seasons and interesting finishes. The baseball season was highlighted by a dramatic AL East race, with the Milwaukee Brewers providing any number of streaks, both individual and team, while the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers ran a great race to the final day of the season.
And baseball’s postseason was marked by a team making full use of the rotation system MLB then used to set homefield advantage for both the League Championship Series and World Series. The Minnesota Twins won their division on the one year in four that they were set to have homefield throughout, and the Twins used it win a surprise World Series.
College football saw the first advent of the four-team playoff that begins in 2014, albeit entirely unintended. But Miami-Florida State and Nebraska-Oklahoma ended up as a de facto national semifinals, with the winners playing for the national title and the losers meeting in the Fiesta Bowl. Miami won the national championship and Florida State ended up #2. Read more about the 1987 World Series Read more about 1987 college football Read more about the 1987 AL East race
The NFL toyed with fans with the second strike in six years. Four weeks of play were missed, but unlike the 1982 strike, the league used replacement players to cover for three of the weeks. The games counted in the standings and were retained even after the regular players returned.
What this strike year had in common with 1982, was that once again it was the Washington Redskins who held together and won the Super Bowl. The Strike-Year ‘Skins still had the magic and their 42-10 rout of the Denver Broncos sealed a title, with Doug Williams becoming the first African-American quarterback to start and win the Super Bowl. Read more about the 1987 Washington Redskins
