1987 Minnesota Twins season

1987 Minnesota Twins
World Series Champions American League Champions AL West Champions
Major League affiliations
American League (since 1901)
Western Division (since 1969)
Location
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (since 1982)
Minneapolis (since 1982)
Other information
Owner(s)	Carl Pohlad
General manager(s)	Andy MacPhail
Manager(s)	Tom Kelly
Local television	KMSP-TV (John Rooney, Harmon Killebrew) Twinsvision (Dick Bremer, Frank Quilici)
Local radio	830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, John Gordon)
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The 1987 Minnesota Twins won the World Series for the first time since moving from Washington in 1961, marking the second time that the franchise had won the World Series. (The Washington Senators had won it in 1924.) Manager Tom Kelly managed the rare feat of winning the World Series in his first full season as manager.

Offseason

• November 12, 1986: The Twins traded a player to be named later to the New York Mets for Ron Gardenhire. The Twins completed the trade by sending Dominic Iasparro (minors) to the Mets on April 4, 1987.^[1]
• January 9, 1987: Juan Berenguer was signed as a free agent by the Twins.^[2]
• February 3, 1987: Neal Heaton, Yorkis Pérez, Jeff Reed and minor leaguer Al Cardwood were traded by the Twins to the Montreal Expos for Jeff Reardon and Tom Nieto.^[3]
• February 20, 1987: Minor leaguer Mike Shade was traded by the Twins to the Montreal Expos for Al Newman.^[4]
• February 24, 1987: Billy Sample was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Twins.^[5]

Regular season

The Twins were 85-77, first in the American League West. The team had one of the lowest winning percentages ever for a World Series champion, at .525. They also had the remarkably bad road record of 29-52 (.358 percentage) but made up for it winning 56 home games (best in MLB). Fortunately for the Twins, they played in a very weak division; only two teams finished above .500 and only 10 games separated the Twins from the last-place California Angels and Texas Rangers.

1987 was the first year the Twins started using their modernized logos and uniforms, which are still in use today.

Only one Twin made the All-Star Game, outfielder Kirby Puckett. The highest paid player was Kent Hrbek at $1,310,000; followed by Bert Blyleven at $1,150,000.

Over a late August weekend at Milwaukee, Puckett went 10 for 11, with four homers and two doubles, raising his batting average 13 points. The feat tied a major league record.

Joe Niekro, a pitcher for the Twins, was suspended for 10 games when umpire Tim Tschida discovered an emery board in his pocket. Tschida suspected Niekro was scuffing the ball, and saw the emery board fly out of Niekro's pocket. Niekro said he was filing his nails in the dugout, but American League president Dr. Bobby Brown didn't believe him, and ordered the suspension. When the Twins won the pennant, Niekro set a major league record as he'd waited 20½ years since his debut to reach a World Series game.

2,081,976 fans attended Twins games, the sixth highest total in the American League.

The Homer Hanky was introduced in 1987's pennant drive. When the Twins made the playoffs for the first time since 1970, three members of that team remained with the club now seventeen years later. Bert Blyleven was the only remaining player; Tony Oliva became the hitting coach and Rick Renick the third base coach.

Offense

This was the last year for a long time that the Twins were stocked with power hitters. In particular, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, and Tom Brunansky combined to hit 125 home runs. (The team as a whole hit 196.) Hrbek, Gaetti, and Brunansky each surpassed 30 home runs, a number that no Twin would reach again until Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter in 2006.

Kirby Puckett led the AL with 207 hits.

Despite the power in their lineup, the Twins were outscored 806-786, one of the largest such differentials for a World Series champion.

Team Leaders

Statistic	Player	Quantity
HR	Kent Hrbek	34
RBI	Gary Gaetti	109
BA	Kirby Puckett	.332
Runs	Kirby Puckett	96

Pitching

The top three starting pitchers, Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven, and Les Straker provided stability throughout the year. Mike Smithson, Joe Niekro, and Jeff Bittiger were less reliable. Newly acquired closer Jeff Reardon was a reliable option at the end of games. Juan Berenguer was the most reliable set-up man, posting a 3.94 ERA.

Bert Blyleven led the AL with 46 home runs allowed.

Team Leaders

Statistic	Player	Quantity
ERA	Frank Viola	2.90
Wins	Frank Viola	17
Saves	Jeff Reardon	31
Strikeouts	Frank Viola	197

Defense

The defense was not as strong as would be typical for Twins teams under manager Tom Kelly. Hrbek was the most reliable fielder at first base, and the outfield of Dan Gladden, Puckett, and Brunansky was reliable. Third baseman Gary Gaetti and center fielder Kirby Puckett each won their second Gold Glove Award.

Season standings

AL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Minnesota Twins	85	77	0.525	—	56–25	29–52
Kansas City Royals	83	79	0.512	2	46–35	37–44
Oakland Athletics	81	81	0.500	4	42–39	39–42
Seattle Mariners	78	84	0.481	7	40–41	38–43
Chicago White Sox	77	85	0.475	8	38–43	39–42
Texas Rangers	75	87	0.463	10	43–38	32–49
California Angels	75	87	0.463	10	38–43	37–44

Record vs. opponents

1987 American League Records Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	1–12	9–3	8–4	7–6	4–9	9–3	2–11	5–7	3–10	7–5	4–8	7–5	1–12
Boston	12–1	—	4–8	3–9	7–6	2–11	6–6	6–7	7–5	7–6	4–8	7–5	7–5	6–7
California	3–9	8–4	—	8–5	7–5	3–9	5–8	7–5	8–5	3–9	6–7	7–6	5–8	5–7
Chicago	4–8	9–3	5–8	—	7–5	3–9	6–7	6–6	6–7	5–7	9–4	6–7	7–6	4–8
Cleveland	6–7	6–7	5–7	5–7	—	4–9	6–6	4–9	3–9	6–7	4–8	5–7	2–10	5–8
Detroit	9–4	11–2	9–3	9–3	9–4	—	5–7	6–7	8–4	5–8	5–7	7–5	8–4	7–6
Kansas City	3–9	6–6	8–5	7–6	6–6	7–5	—	4–8	8–5	5–7	5–8	9–4	7–6	8–4
Milwaukee	11–2	7–6	5–7	6–6	9–4	7–6	8–4	—	3–9	7–6	6–6	4–8	9–3	9–4
Minnesota	7–5	5–7	5–8	7–6	9–3	4–8	5–8	9–3	—	6–6	10–3	9–4	6–7	3–9
New York	10–3	6–7	9–3	7–5	7–6	8–5	7–5	6–7	6–6	—	5–7	7–5	5–7	6–7
Oakland	5–7	8–4	7–6	4–9	8–4	7–5	8–5	6–6	3–10	7–5	—	5–8	6–7	7–5
Seattle	8–4	5–7	6–7	7–6	7–5	5–7	4–9	8–4	4–9	5–7	8–5	—	9–4	2–10
Texas	5–7	5–7	8–5	6–7	10–2	4–8	6–7	3–9	7–6	7–5	7–6	4–9	—	3–9
Toronto	12–1	7–6	7–5	8–4	8–5	6–7	4–8	4–9	9–3	7–6	5–7	10–2	9–3	—

Notable transactions

• March 31, 1987: Minor leaguers Jose Dominguez and Ray Velázquez and a player to be named later were traded by the Twins to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Dan Gladden and minor leaguer David Blakely. The Twins completed the deal by sending Bryan Hickerson to the Giants on June 15.^[6]
• May 10, 1987: Bill Latham was traded by the Twins to the New York Mets for Jayson Felice (minors).^[7]
• May 22, 1987: Sal Butera was signed as a free agent by the Twins.^[8]
• June 2, 1987: 1987 Major League Baseball draft
  • Willie Banks was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (3rd pick overall).^[9]
  • Terry Jorgensen was drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round.^[10]
  • Larry Casian was drafted by the Twins in the 6th round.^[11]
  • Mark Guthrie was drafted by the Twins in the 7th round.^[12]
  • Chip Hale was drafted by the Twins in the 17th round^[13]
  • Bret Boone was drafted by the Twins in the 28th round, but did not sign.^[14]
  • Craig Paquette was drafted by the Twins in the 36th round, but did not sign.^[15]
• June 2, 1987: Eric Bullock was traded by the Houston Astros to the Minnesota Twins for Clay Christiansen.^[16]
• June 7, 1987: Mark Salas was traded by the Twins to the New York Yankees for pitcher Joe Niekro.^[17]
• June 24, 1987: Danny Clay and Tom Schwarz (minors) were traded by the Twins to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dan Schatzeder and cash.^[18]
• July 31: The Twins traded a player to be named later to the Cleveland Indians for Steve Carlton. The Twins completed the trade by sending minor leaguer Jeff Perry to the Indians on August 18.
• September 1: The Twins traded a player to be named later to the Boston Red Sox for designated hitter Don Baylor.^[19] The Twins completed the deal by sending minor leaguer Enrique Rios to the Red Sox on December 18.

Roster

1987 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers 49 Allan Anderson 22 Keith Atherton 40 Juan Berenguer 30 Jeff Bittiger 28 Bert Blyleven 38 Steve Carlton 21 George Frazier 46 Joe Klink 36 Joe Niekro 19 Randy Niemann 36 Mark Portugal 41 Jeff Reardon 31 Dan Schatzeder 23 Roy Smith 48 Mike Smithson 17 Les Straker 16 Frank Viola		Catchers 33 Sal Butera 15 Tim Laudner 11 Tom Nieto 12 Mark Salas Infielders  8 Gary Gaetti  7 Greg Gagne 14 Kent Hrbek  9 Gene Larkin  4 Steve Lombardozzi 26 Al Newman  2 Chris Pittaro  5 Roy Smalley		Outfielders 20 Billy Beane 24 Tom Brunansky 25 Randy Bush 27 Mark Davidson 32 Dan Gladden 34 Kirby Puckett Other batters 18 Don Baylor		Manager 10 Tom Kelly Coaches  6 Tony Oliva (hitting) 44 Rick Renick (third base) 43 Rick Stelmaszek (bullpen) 42 Dick Such (pitching) 45 Wayne Terwilliger (first base)

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	Laudner, TimTim Laudner	113	288	55	.191	16	43
1B	Hrbek, KentKent Hrbek	143	477	136	.285	34	90
2B	Lombardozzi, SteveSteve Lombardozzi	136	432	103	.238	8	38
3B	Gaetti, GaryGary Gaetti	154	584	150	.257	31	109
SS	Gagne, GregGreg Gagne	137	437	116	.265	10	40
LF	Gladden, DanDan Gladden	121	438	109	.249	8	38
CF	Puckett, KirbyKirby Puckett	157	624	207	.332	28	99
RF	Brunansky, TomTom Brunansky	155	532	138	.259	32	85
DH	Smalley, RoyRoy Smalley	110	309	85	.275	8	34

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
Newman, AlAl Newman	110	307	68	.221	0	29

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
Bert Blyleven	37	267	15	12	4.01	196
Frank Viola	36	251.2	17	10	2.9	197
Les Straker	31	154.1	8	10	4.37	76
Mike Smithson	21	109	4	7	5.94	53
Joe Niekro	19	96.1	4	9	6.26	54

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
Mark Portugal	13	44	1	3	7.77	28
Steve Carlton	9	43	1	5	6.7	20
Joe Klink	12	23	0	1	6.65	17
Roy Smith	7	16.1	1	0	4.96	8
Allan Anderson	4	12.1	1	0	10.95	3
Jeff Bittiger	3	8.1	1	0	5.4	5

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
Jeff Reardon	63	8	8	31	4.48	83
Juan Berenguer	47	8	1	4	3.94	110
George Frazier	54	5	5	2	4.98	58
Keith Atherton	59	7	5	2	4.54	51
Dan Schatzeder	30	3	1	0	6.39	30

Postseason

See 1987 American League Championship Series and 1987 World Series.

The Twins won the American League Championship Series beating the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 1. Gary Gaetti was named the ALCS MVP. He'd set a record by homering in his first two post-season at-bats.

The Twins won all four home games to top the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Frank Viola was named the Series' MVP.

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Portland Beavers	Pacific Coast League	Charlie Manuel
AA	Orlando Twins	Southern League	George Mitterwald
A	Visalia Oaks	California League	Danny Schmitz
A	Kenosha Twins	Midwest League	Don Leppert
Rookie	Elizabethton Twins	Appalachian League	Ray Smith

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Kenosha^[20]

References

1. Ron Gardenhire at Baseball Reference
2. Juan Berenguer at Baseball Reference
3. Jeff Reardon at Baseball Reference
4. Al Newman at Baseball Reference
5. Billy Sample at Baseball Reference
6. Dan Gladden at Baseball Reference
7. Bill Latham at Baseball Reference
8. Sal Butera at Baseball Reference
9. Willie Banks at Baseball Reference
10. Terry Jorgensen at Baseball Reference
11. Larry Casian at Baseball Reference
12. Mark Guthrie at Baseball Reference
13. Chip Hale at Baseball Reference
14. Bret Boone at Baseball Reference
15. Craig Paquette at Baseball Reference
16. http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bulloer01.shtml
17. Mark Salas at Baseball Reference
18. Dan Schatzeder at Baseball Reference
19. http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/baylodo01.shtml
20. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

External links

• Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
• Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com
• The 1987 Twins from www.mlb.com
• 1987 Standings
• A set of 10 audio clips of plays from the World Series with the Cardinals