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1991 Toronto Blue Jays

The Twins Beat The Blue Jays In The 1991 ALCS

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The Minnesota Twins had won a World Series in 1987, but the ensuing years saw them fall badly off the pace. The Toronto Blue Jays were as consistent a contender as there was in baseball in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From these different starting points, the Twins and Blue Jays each won their division and faced off in the 1991 ALCS.

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You can read more about the regular season paths each team took to reach the postseason, and the players who made it possible, at the links below. This article will focus specifically on the games of the American League Championship Series itself.

READ MORE ABOUT THE 1991 MINNESOTA TWINS
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1991 TORONTO BLUE JAYS

On a Tuesday night in the old Metrodome, Jack Morris took the ball for Minnesota against Toronto knuckleballer Tom Candiotti. The Twins got after Candiotti right away. Dan Gladden and Chuck Knoblauch led off the first inning with singles. A one-out sacrifice fly moved Gladden to third and Knoblauch stole second. Chili Davis then delivered a two-out RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

Minnesota kept it going in the second. Shane Mack beat out an infield hit, stole second and scored on a base hit from Greg Gagne. Gladden and Knoblauch each singled again and it was 4-0. In the bottom of the third, Davis walked, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI double from Mack. Candiotti was gone and the lead was 5-zip.

Toronto got great relief work from David Wells and Mike Timlin, and their offense started chipping back. They got a run in the fourth. With one out in the sixth, Devon White, Roberto Alomar, John Olerud and Kelly Gruber all singled in succession. Suddenly the lead was cut to 5-4 and there were runners on first and second. Minnesota manager Tom Kelly summoned Carl Willis from the bullpen.

Willis retired all seven batters he faced and get the ball into the hands of closer Rick Aguilera, who got the final four outs and held on to the 5-4 lead and the Game 1 win.

The Blue Jays turned to Juan Guzman for a Game 2 they realistically needed to win. They got him early support, touching Twins’ starter Kevin Tapani for a first-inning run. Devon White started that rally and he did it again in the third, when a leadoff double started that rally that ended when Gruber hit a two-run single to right.

Guzman pitched around some trouble in the first when he walked a couple guys and allowed a run in the third when a wild pitch let Knoblauch get to second where he scored on a base hit by Puckett. But otherwise, the 3-1 lead stood into the sixth when walks again got him in trouble.

Knoblauch and Chili Davis each drew free passes. With two outs, Puckett singled to score a run. Guzman was out and Toronto manager Cito Gaston went to his closer early. Tom Hehnke came on to end that inning and the Twins never threatened again. The Jays touched Tapani for two more runs in the seventh to secure their 5-2 win.

Homefield advantage had been vital to Minnesota in their 1987 World Series title run, as they had gone 6-0 in the Metrodome. The Game 2 loss in this ALCS meant they had to get at least one win on the road. It turned out, the Twins would do a lot more than that.

It didn’t look like the weekend was going to be a Twins-fest when Toronto’s Joe Carter hit a solo home run in the first inning of Friday night’s Game 3. And then that was followed up by a walk, an infield hit and an RBI double from Candy Maldonado. It was 2-0, but Minnesota’s 20-game winner Scott Erickson turned out to be done giving up runs for the night.

Jimmy Key pitched well for the Blue Jays and the 2-0 lead stood to the fifth when Mack tripled and scored. In the sixth, Knoblauch doubled and Puckett picked him up with a single that tied the game. It stayed 2-2 into extra innings and both starters were out.

Timlin was on for Toronto facing Minnesota third baseman Mike Pagliarulo. After a disappointing season following his free agent signing, Pagliarulo made up for it. He homered to right. Aguilera closed the game out and Minnesota had reclaimed homefield.

The pressure was on the Blue Jays for Saturday night with Morris on the mound. Toronto threatened early. They got on the run in the second, and one inning later, put runners on second and third with one out. Carter was at the plate. Morris got the big strikeout, escaped the inning and the rest of the evening went Minnesota’s way.

Puckett homered off Todd Stottlemyre to start the fourth and the game was tied. Davis hit a one-out double. With two outs, Mack walked and Pagliarulo singled in a run. After a hit batsman, Gladden ripped a two-run single, it was 4-1 and the rout was on. Minnesota added two more in the sixth. Morris went eight strong innings. The final score was 9-3.

Candiotti would get a chance to redeem himself in a must-win Game 5 in the late afternoon on Sunday. It didn’t begin well. Puckett homered in the first. In the second, Davis singled and then moved up to third as a couple knuckleballs got away. A base hit from Mack made it 2-0 and the Twins put runners on second and third with one out. Candiotti got Greg Gagne to pop up and kept his team in the game.

The Toronto offense awoke against Tapani in the third. Singles from Manny Lee, White and Alomar brought in one run. Carter doubled to tie it. Olerud drove in a third run with a productive out and the Blue Jays had the lead. That lead was extended to 5-2 in the fourth. After two were out, Lee and Mookie Wilson singled putting runners on the corners. Wilson stole second and Alomar drove in both runners with a single.

In the top of the sixth, Mack and Pagliarulo each singled, and Candiotti was removed for Timlin. Gagne popped up, but a Toronto error let a run in. Knoblauch blooped a double to right, two more runs scored and the game was tied.

Ward came on for Timlin and the 5-5 score held until the eighth. Ward got the first two Minnesota batters out. Then the final blow came from the Twins. Gladden singled and Knoblauch walked. A base hit from Puckett brought in Gladden with the lead run. The throw to the plate let Knoblauch and Puckett each move up a base. Kent Hrbek went the other way with a single to left center that provided two insurance runs.

It was 8-5 and all but over. Willis handled the Toronto half of the eighth with ease. Aguilera closed out the ninth, with Alomar’s fly ball to Gladden triggering the celebration in the Twin Cities.

Puckett was named 1991 ALCS MVP. He went 9-for-21, homered twice and drove in five runs, including the one that clinched the pennant. Also worthy of mention are Knoblauch, who batted .350 for the series and the relief work of Willis and Aguilera. They combined to pitch 8.2 IP of shutout ball and were vital to three of the four wins.

Toronto was hurt most by Candiotti not pitching deep into either one of his starts. Offensively, Olerud, Lee and Maldonado combined to go 7-for-55. Alomar was the bright spot, with his nine hits for the series.

Good things were ahead for both franchises. For Minnesota, that was immediate—they won a thrilling seven-game World Series from the Atlanta Braves and had their second championship in five years. Toronto wouldn’t have to wait very long for their vindication—they made it back and won the World Series in 1992. Then they did it again in 1993.

Deal Them In: The 1991 Toronto Blue Jays Trade Their Way Back On Top Of The AL East

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The 1991 Toronto Blue Jays were a consistent contender. They had won the AL East in 1985 and 1989 and run a close second in 1987 and 1990. What they hadn’t done was complete the job by winning a World Series or even getting there. 1991 saw them return to the top of their division, but again come up short of the Fall Classic.

After losing a close AL East race to the Boston Red Sox in 1990, the Blue Jays did a major personnel shakeup. The dealt their most productive offensive player, first baseman Fred McGriff, to the San Diego Padres. Included in that deal was shortstop Tony Fernandez, who’d been with the franchise throughout its run of success.

They also trade a good young outfielder, Junior Felix, in a separate deal with the California Angels, and parted ways with veteran outfielder George Bell, a one-time MVP and reliable starting pitcher Bud Black.

But the players they got back were pretty good too—Roberto Alomar was a future Hall of Famer at second base. Joe Carter was a multi-talented offensive threat in the outfield and would one day author this club’s most memorable moment. Each came in the McGriff deal. Toronto also acquired centerfielder Devon White in exchange for Felix.

Carter hit 33 home runs and finished with 108 RBI in 1991. Alomar, age 23, posted respectable numbers of a .354 on-base percentage/.436 slugging percentage. White was similar at .342/.455. John Olerud was a good young hitter at first base, putting up a .353/.438 stat line in 1991.

But there wasn’t enough help. Kelly Gruber experienced a sharp decline at third base, the bench was weak and Toronto finished 11th in the American League in runs scored. What saved them was a deep and balanced pitching staff.

Jimmy Key, David Wells and Todd Stottlemyre all won at least 15 games and finished with ERAs in the 3s. Juan Guzman, a talented 24-year-old, won 10 games and his ERA was 2.99. Tom Candiotti threw his knuckleball and in 19 starts posted a 2.98 ERA. Tom Henke continued to be one of baseball’s most consistent closers. Mike Timlin and Duane Ward were effective setup relievers. The Jays might not have had an individual Cy Young contender, but they had the best pitching staff in the American League.

Toronto split six games with Boston in April and both teams again moved to the top of the division. The Blue Jays reached Memorial Day just a half-game off the pace with a record of 25-19. In June, the Red Sox started to slump and Toronto got hot. They went on a 14-3 streak going into the All-Star break and took a 5 ½ game lead.

August was the Blue Jays’ turn to slump. They lost 12 of 19 games against AL East rivals in the Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers, all of whom were in the same division prior to 1994. By Labor Day, the Tigers were within 2 ½ games and the Red Sox had come off the mat from ten games back to close back within five.

The Blue Jays continued to muddle along for much of September. Detroit played themselves out of it, but Boston kept surging and closed to within a half-game of the lead with two weeks still to play. All the momentum was with the Red Sox.

Toronto started to move the pendulum back the other way by taking two of three in California, while Boston lost a series in Baltimore. Breathing room was regained and the penultimate weekend then proved decisive. While the Jays took two of three at home from a Minnesota Twins team that had already clinched the AL West, the Red Sox lost three straight in Milwaukee. The lead was back up to 3 ½ games and there were only six to play.

On Wednesday of the season’s final week, Toronto trailed California 5-4 in the ninth inning .Facing American Leagues saves leader Bryan Harvey, they rallied. White beat out an infield hit and scored the tying run on an error. Carter’s RBI single won it and a third AL East title in seven years was clinched.

The ALCS battle with Minnesota was seen as evenly matched, especially when Guzman won Game 2 on the road and Toronto was able to come home with the series knotted at 1-1. But the weekend middle games were a disaster. Missed opportunities led to an extra-inning loss in Game 3. Stottlemyre was rocked in Game 4. The reliable pitching staff couldn’t hold a 5-2 lead in Game 5 and the season was suddenly over. The Twins went on and won the World Series.

For the Blue Jays it was “wait till next year” one more time. But “next year” was coming for the good people of Ontario. Toronto won the AL East again 1992 and this time they went all the way, winning the World Series. In 1993, they did it again, clinching a repeat championship on a walkoff home run by Carter.