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Here are the top 10 moments from the 1991 World Series, ranked in descending order of drama and excitement:
10. Game 3 - Chili’s pinch hit home run ties the game
Even though it was in a losing effort, Chili Davis’s home run in Game 3 was monumental at the time. The home run for Davis came in the eighth inning when the Twins were down 4-2. Pitching for the Braves was closer Alejandro Peña who was 13-for-13 in save opportunities since being acquired by the Braves earlier that season. Chili was called upon to pinch hit for the pitcher spot (universal DH please) and blasted a two-run shot to tie the game and eventually force extra innings.
9. Game 2 - Chili homers off Glavine
Chili Davis hit two home runs in the 1991 World Series and both of them proved to be big ones. His first home run of the Series came in the second inning of Game 2 where he hit a homer off of Cy Young Award winner, Tom Glavine. While the Davis home run didn’t come late in the game or win the game, it was huge given the opposing pitcher and the opportunity to set the tone in Game 2.
8. Game 1 - Gagne’s three-run Shot
The 1991 World Series started off as a nail biter in Game 1. Through 4 1/2 innings, the Twins were just up 1-0, however that all changed in the bottom of the fifth inning when Greg Gagne stepped up to the plate with two-runners on and knocked a three-run shot. This put the Twins up 4-0 and the Twins never looked back in taking a 1-0 series lead.
7. Game 2 - Leius’s eighth innning bomb secures win
After Chili Davis’s first inning home run off of Glavine, the Twins only managed one more hit off of Tom Glavine up to the eighth innning. In a 2-2 tie game, Scott Leius took the first pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning and hit it over the left field fence to give the Twins a 3-2 lead and secure a 2-0 series lead for the Twins.
6. Game 2 - Hrbek “pulls Gant off the bag”
In “the tag heard ‘round the world”, Kent Hrbek fielded a Kevin Tapani throw and placed a tag on Gant’s leg, getting tangled with him in the process. Gant and Braves’ first base coach pleaded with the first base umpire that he was pulled off the bag. For the rest of this series and to this day, Hrbek remains hated by Braves fans. Did he pull Gant off the bag, though? Let’s ask the man himself:
https://twitter.com/Hrbie14/status/1249137689112215553?s=20
5. Game 7 - Morris escapes jam in eighth with 3-2-3 double play
Before the Larkin walk-off in the 10th, the Twins found themselves in a tough position in the top of the 8th inning in Game 7 as the Braves had the bases loaded with just one out in a 0-0 game. Tom Kelly decided to keep Jack Morris in the game and allow him to pitch to Braves batter, Sid Bream, who proceeded to hit into a 3-2-3 double play and keep the game at 0-0. This moment probably induced the second loudest roar from the Metrodome crowd in what was an all-timer Game 7.
4. Game 6 - Puckett scales the plexiglass
Puckett had another incredible moment in Game 6 that will come up later, but that moment may not have been possible if it wasn’t for his catch in the top of the third inning off of the bat of Ron Gant. Puckett scaled the plexiglass wall in center field to secure the fly ball. With a runner on first base, Puckett saved a run and made the most iconic catch in Twins history.
3. Game 7 - Morris throws 10 shutout innings
While not a single play, Jack Morris’s 10 shutout innings remains the best pitching performance in World Series history. Morris threw a total of 126 pitches in the 10 inning outing and provided Larkin with the opportunity to win the baseball game for the Twins. When Tom Kelly was thinking about whether he should’ve continued with Morris in the game or taken it out, Kelly iconically was quoted by saying, “Oh hell. It’s only a game.”
2. Game 6 - Puckett’s walk off
Bottom of the 11th inning, no outs, nobody on, tie game. Puckett launched a 2-1 pitch over the left-center fence and won the game for the Minnesota Twins, forcing a Game 7. This was the moment that spurred the legendary Jack Buck call, “We’ll see you tomorrow night” and still stands as the lasting Kirby Puckett memory for Twins fans everywhere. While the Puckett walk-off isn’t number one since it didn’t win a World Series, our number one moment would’ve been possible without it, and it’s a moment that will never be forgotten.
1. Game 7 - Larkin’s single wins it
The number one moment from the 1991 World Series was, of course, the moment that won the series. Larkin hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to score Dan Gladden and win the Twins their second World Series in team history. Up to the point of the hit, Larkin had only hit .167 in the postseason but came through when it mattered most. Larkin remains a Minnesota legend and will never buy a meal again in Minnesota after delivering the deciding hit of Game 7.
What was your favorite moment from the 1991 World Series? Did I leave any off? Leave a comment below and start the conversation.
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