A Quarter Century Since the 15-Game Streak
I had a chip on my shoulder about the Minnesota Twins in the spring of 1991, a chip I had been carrying since the summer of 1989 when they traded away Frank Viola, former star pitcher and 1987 World Series MVP. The team did poorly in 1989 and even worse in 1990. In April 1991, I happened upon a magazine display where the Sports Illustrated baseball preview was lurking and I gave it a gander. Sports Illustrated predicted the team standings for season's end, and predicted to be in dead last in the old American League West was the Minnesota Twins, denigrated for their unimpressive roster of rookies and has-beens. Those Homer Hankies, said the Sports Illustrated, were about to become crying towels.
Suffice it to say things didn't work out that way for the 1991 Minnesota Twins, although the first couple of months of the season sure made it look like it would. What happened? The streak happened! Starting on June 1, the still below .500 Twins began winning...and winning...and winning. I was checked out of the Twins, but my dad was home for the summer and listening to a lot of WCCO AM radio, passing along reports about the streaking Twins. As the streak kept going into a second week, I finally had to set aside my hard feelings and get in on the excitement, starting to listen to the games on the radio with the wins continuing to pile up to a full 15 games. The streak appeared to continue to a 16th game but the Baltimore Orioles came from behind to win in the ninth inning and end the longest winning streak in Minnesota Twins history. But the good mojo kept rolling from there, into October when the Twins went from worst to first in their division and went on to win what most consider the greatest World Series of all-time, with four of the seven games decided on the final play.
This Cinderella story was cobbled together with the assortment of rookies and has-beens belittled in Sports Illustrated all coming together for above-average years. Veteran pitcher Jack Morris signed on for his (sadly) only season in Minnesota in 1991 following a couple years of decline in Detroit.....but rebounded to win 18 games in 1991 with the Twins. Rookie pitcher Scott Erickson won 12 games in a row in May and June, going on to be a 20-game winner. Rookie second baseman Chuck Knoblauch put up batting and fielding numbers impressive enough to be chosen as rookie of the year by season's end. Veteran designated hitter Chili Davis, considered past his prime, went on to have one of his better seasons, hitting 29 homeruns. Journeyman third baseman Mike Pagliarulo, signed on when well into his 30s, also had one of the better years of his career. Kirby Puckett has another great year hitting well over .300. Even veteran pinch hitter Randy Bush hit over .300, indicative of a team that was delivering in the clutch. There were no Babe Ruths or Walter Johnsons on this team, but there was an entire roster of players who were collectively doing what was needed to win most of their games. I believe left fielder Dan Gladden's batting average slipped below .250 in the last weekend of the season, but beyond that the 1991 Twins' entire roster was batting above .250.
Another key ingredient to the Twins success came from.....the players they received in the 1989 Frank Viola trade, which included 16-game winning starting pitcher Kevin Tapani and closer Rick Aguilera. As for Viola, he never completely collapsed but his career was past peak and finished with a 13-15 record in 1991, meaning the Twins general manager made the right call to go for the trade.
The Minnesota Twins team of 25 years later is having the reverse scenario this summer, falling disastrously short of expectations with a record that puts them on track to be the worse team in franchise history, and one of the worst teams in the history of the game. Even if the Twins had a 15-game winning streak tomorrow, they'd still be nearly 10 games below .500! And it's not even the All-Star break! This makes me appreciate the 1991 team that much more, as it was good for me personally to get the Twins back on my good graces that year. Best yet, I was at about the perfect age to really appreciate a world champion baseball team that pulled off one of the most unexpected rallies ever seen in baseball. And it all started this very week 25 years ago.
Suffice it to say things didn't work out that way for the 1991 Minnesota Twins, although the first couple of months of the season sure made it look like it would. What happened? The streak happened! Starting on June 1, the still below .500 Twins began winning...and winning...and winning. I was checked out of the Twins, but my dad was home for the summer and listening to a lot of WCCO AM radio, passing along reports about the streaking Twins. As the streak kept going into a second week, I finally had to set aside my hard feelings and get in on the excitement, starting to listen to the games on the radio with the wins continuing to pile up to a full 15 games. The streak appeared to continue to a 16th game but the Baltimore Orioles came from behind to win in the ninth inning and end the longest winning streak in Minnesota Twins history. But the good mojo kept rolling from there, into October when the Twins went from worst to first in their division and went on to win what most consider the greatest World Series of all-time, with four of the seven games decided on the final play.
This Cinderella story was cobbled together with the assortment of rookies and has-beens belittled in Sports Illustrated all coming together for above-average years. Veteran pitcher Jack Morris signed on for his (sadly) only season in Minnesota in 1991 following a couple years of decline in Detroit.....but rebounded to win 18 games in 1991 with the Twins. Rookie pitcher Scott Erickson won 12 games in a row in May and June, going on to be a 20-game winner. Rookie second baseman Chuck Knoblauch put up batting and fielding numbers impressive enough to be chosen as rookie of the year by season's end. Veteran designated hitter Chili Davis, considered past his prime, went on to have one of his better seasons, hitting 29 homeruns. Journeyman third baseman Mike Pagliarulo, signed on when well into his 30s, also had one of the better years of his career. Kirby Puckett has another great year hitting well over .300. Even veteran pinch hitter Randy Bush hit over .300, indicative of a team that was delivering in the clutch. There were no Babe Ruths or Walter Johnsons on this team, but there was an entire roster of players who were collectively doing what was needed to win most of their games. I believe left fielder Dan Gladden's batting average slipped below .250 in the last weekend of the season, but beyond that the 1991 Twins' entire roster was batting above .250.
Another key ingredient to the Twins success came from.....the players they received in the 1989 Frank Viola trade, which included 16-game winning starting pitcher Kevin Tapani and closer Rick Aguilera. As for Viola, he never completely collapsed but his career was past peak and finished with a 13-15 record in 1991, meaning the Twins general manager made the right call to go for the trade.
The Minnesota Twins team of 25 years later is having the reverse scenario this summer, falling disastrously short of expectations with a record that puts them on track to be the worse team in franchise history, and one of the worst teams in the history of the game. Even if the Twins had a 15-game winning streak tomorrow, they'd still be nearly 10 games below .500! And it's not even the All-Star break! This makes me appreciate the 1991 team that much more, as it was good for me personally to get the Twins back on my good graces that year. Best yet, I was at about the perfect age to really appreciate a world champion baseball team that pulled off one of the most unexpected rallies ever seen in baseball. And it all started this very week 25 years ago.
posted by Mark at 4:59 PM
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