1987 Minnesota Twins season

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1987 Minnesota Twins
World Series Champions
American League Champions
AL West Champions
Major League affiliations
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 televisionKMSP-TV
(John Rooney, Harmon Killebrew)
Twinsvision
(Dick Bremer, Frank Quilici)
Local radio830 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, the second time that the franchise won the World Series (the Washington Senators won it in 1924). Having won only 85 games during the 1987 regular season, they won the World Series with the fewest regular season wins since Major League Baseball expanded to a 162-game season in 1961, and the fewest of any team since the 1889 New York Giants (excluding the strike-shortened 1981 and the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 seasons). They also became the first team to win the World Series despite being outscored by their opponents in the regular season, having scored 786 runs and allowed 806.

Tom Kelly became the fifth manager to win a World Series in his first full season on the job, and one of seven total, as of 2019, to accomplish the feat.[1]

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.[2] Gardenhire would spend the next 28 years in the Twins Organization including a 13-year stint as manager from 2002-2014.
  • January 9, 1987: Juan Berenguer was signed as a free agent by the Twins.[3]
  • 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.[4]
  • February 20, 1987: Minor leaguer Mike Shade was traded by the Twins to the Montreal Expos for Al Newman.[5]
  • February 24, 1987: Billy Sample was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Twins.[6]

Regular season[]

The Twins were 85-77, first in the American League West, two games ahead of the Kansas City Royals. 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 (the previous year's division champion) and Texas Rangers. The Twins' 85-77 was the lowest for a World Series champion for nearly two decades, until the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series with an 83-78 record.

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[]

  • v
  • t
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
  • v
  • t

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
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 —


Game log[]

1987 game log: 85−77 (Home: 56−25; Away: 29−52)
April: 12–9 (Home: 7–3; Away: 5–6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak
1 April 7 Athletics 5–4 (10) Frazier (1–0) Krueger (0–1) — 43,548 1–0 W1
2 April 8 Athletics 4–1 Viola (1–0) Plunk (0–1) Reardon (1) 12,577 2–0 W2
3 April 9 Athletics 5–4 Berenguer (1–0) Howell (0–1) — 11,586 3–0 W3
4 April 10 @ Mariners 8–1 Smithson (1–0) Morgan (0–1) — 38,122 4–0 W4
5 April 11 @ Mariners 5–6 Nunez (1–0) Reardon (0–1) — 26,312 4–1 L1
6 April 12 @ Mariners 8–5 Blyleven (1–0) Langston (0–2) Berenguer (1) 9,358 5–1 W1
7 April 13 @ Athletics 3–6 Howell (1–1) Frazier (1–1) — 14,447 5–2 L1
8 April 14 @ Athletics 9–8 Atherton (1–0) Reardon (2) 10,435 6–2 W1
9 April 15 @ Athletics 5–2 Smithson (2–0) Stewart (0–2) Reardon (3) 17,182 7–2 W2
10 April 17 @ Angels 1–2 Witt (2–1) Blyleven (1–1) — 36,175 7–3 L1
11 April 18 @ Angels 0–1 Candelaria (2–0) Viola (1–1) Moore (2) 36,881 7–4 L2
12 April 19 @ Angels 6–5 Portugal (1–0) Sutton (0–3) Reardon (4) 49,627 8–4 W1
13 April 20 Mariners 13–5 Smithson (3–0) Morgan (0–3) — 11,927 9–4 W2
14 April 21 Mariners 6–1 Straker (1–0) Trujillo (1–1) — 10,776 10–4 W3
15 April 22 Mariners 3–4 Langston (2–2) Frazier (1–2) — 11,247 10–5 L1
16 April 23 Angels 3–7 Candelaria (3–0) Viola (1–2) Moore (3) 14,204 10–6 L2
17 April 24 Angels 1–8 Sutton (1–3) Portugal (1–1) — 20,116 10–7 L3
18 April 25 Angels 8–7 Reardon (1–1) Finley (0–1) — 51,717 11–7 W1
19 April 26 Angels 10–5 Frazier (2–2) Cook (1–1) — 19,116 12–7 W2
20 April 28 @ Blue Jays 1–5 Clancy (2–2) Viola (1–3) — 21,182 12–8 L1
21 April 29 @ Blue Jays 1–8 Johnson (1–2) Smithson (3–1) — 19,020 12–9 L2
May: 14–14 (Home: 9–8; Away: 5–6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak
22 May 1 Yankees 7–4 Blyleven (2–1) Rhoden (2–3) Reardon (5) 23,531 13–9 W1
23 May 2 Yankees 4–6 John (2–0) Viola (1–4) Righetti (7) 33,173 13–10 L1
24 May 3 Yankees 4–3 Frazier (3–2) Stoddard (0–1) Reardon (6) 23,798 14–10 W1
25 May 5 Orioles 4–5 Bell (3–1) Smithson (3–2) Dixon (1) 8,891 14–11 L1
26 May 6 Orioles 0–6 McGregor (1–4) Blyleven (2–2) — 10,840 14–12 L2
27 May 7 Orioles 5–2 Viola (2–4) Flanagan (0–5) Reardon (7) 14,198 15–12 W1
28 May 8 @ Yankees 7–11 Guante (2–1) Reardon (1–2) — 25,921 15–13 L1
29 May 9 @ Yankees 2–0 Straker (2–0) Rasmussen (2–2) Reardon (8) 27,220 16–13 W1
30 May 10 @ Yankees 1–6 Hudson (5–0) Smithson (3–3) — 41,691 16–14 L1
31 May 11 @ Orioles 10–4 Blyleven (3–2) McGregor (1–5) — 25,353 17–14 W1
32 May 12 @ Orioles 7–10 Dixon (3–2) Reardon (1–3) — 14,279 17–15 L1
33 May 13 Blue Jays 0–7 Clancy (5–2) Portugal (1–2) — 9,158 17–16 L2
34 May 14 Blue Jays 4–16 Stieb (2–2) Straker (2–1) — 10,053 17–17 L3
35 May 15 Red Sox 3–1 Frazier (4–2) Hurst (4–4) — 13,878 18–17 W1
36 May 16 Red Sox 1–6 Clemens (3–3) Blyleven (3–3) — 23,414 18–18 L1
37 May 17 Red Sox 10–8 (10) Atherton (2–0) Schiraldi (1–3) — 20,716 19–18 W1
38 May 19 @ Indians 3–4 Schrom (3–4) Portugal (1–3) — 7,045 19–19 L1
39 May 20 @ Indians 8–2 Berenguer (2–0) Candiotti (1–6) — 6,226 20–19 W1
40 May 21 @ Indians 3–6 Swindell (3–3) Blyleven (3–4) — 7,401 20–20 L1
41 May 22 Tigers 2–3 Morris (5–2) Viola (2–5) — 15,423 20–21 L2
42 May 23 Tigers 7–5 Anderson (1–0) Terrell (3–5) Reardon (9) 18,601 21–21 W1
43 May 24 Tigers 2–7 Robinson (3–2) Atherton (2–1) — 16,351 21–22 L1
44 May 26 Brewers 4–2 Blyleven (4–4) Nieves (3–2) Reardon (10) 23,276 22–22 W1
45 May 27 Brewers 7–2 Viola (3–5) Wegman (3–5) Frazier (1) 22,947 23–22 W2
46[permanent dead link] May 28 Brewers 13–1 Berenguer (3–0) Birkbeck (1–4) — 26,203 24–22 W3
47 May 29 @ Tigers 7–15 Terrell (4–5) Straker (2–2) — 19,031 24–23 L1
— May 30 @ Tigers Postponed (rain) (Rescheduled May 31)
48[permanent dead link] May 31 (1) @ Tigers 9–5 Reardon (2–3) King (2–4) — n/a 25–23 W1
49[permanent dead link] May 31 (2) @ Tigers 11–3 Frazier (5–2) Tanana (4–3) — 20,993 26–23 W2
June: 17–11 (Home: 10–2; Away: 7–9)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak
50 June 1 @ Red Sox 9–5 Viola (4–5) Clemens (4–5) — 20,221 27–23 W3
51 June 2 @ Red Sox 5–6 Schiraldi (3–3) Reardon (2–4) — 16,910 27–24 L1
52 June 3 @ Red Sox 6–7 (10) Schiraldi (4–3) Klink (0–1) — 20,638 27–25 L2
53 June 5 Rangers 9–15 Harris (2–4) Blyleven (4–5) — 16,092 27–26 L3
54 June 6 Rangers 3–2 (13) Atherton (3–1) Williams (3–3) — 24,992 28–26 W1
55 June 7 Rangers 7–4 Atherton (4–1) Russell (0–1) — 15,795 29–26 W2
56 June 8 Royals 5–3 Niemann (1–0) Gubicza (3–7) Reardon (11) 17,815 30–26 W3
57 June 9 Royals 5–2 Niekro (1–0) Jackson (2–8) Atherton (1) 18,563 31–26 W4
58 June 10 Royals 4–3 (10) Reardon (3–4) Gleaton (1–2) — 18,560 32–26 W5
— June 11 @ White Sox Postponed (rain) (Rescheduled June 12)
59[permanent dead link] June 12 (1) @ White Sox 5–2 Viola (5–5) Long (3–2) Reardon (12) n/a 33–26 W6
60[permanent dead link] June 12 (2) @ White Sox 7–4 Berenguer (4–0) Nielsen (0–1) Atherton (2) 18,906 34–26 W7
61 June 13 @ White Sox 2–6 Dotson (4–4) Straker (2–3) James (8) 28,087 34–27 L1
62 June 14 @ White Sox 6–3 Niekro (2–0) DeLeon (4–6) Berenguer (2) 17,334 35–27 W1
63 June 15 @ Brewers 5–0 Blyleven (5–5) Wegman (5–6) — 18,403 36–27 W2
64 June 16 @ Brewers 7–3 Viola (6–5) Crim (3–4) Reardon (13) 21,613 37–27 W3
65 June 17 @ Brewers 5–8 Clear (5–1) Straker (2–4) Plesac (14) 23,389 37–28 L1
66 June 19 White Sox 7–6 Reardon (4–4) Winn (2–3) — 24,123 38–28 W1
67 June 20 White Sox 5–10 DeLeon (5–6) Blyleven (5–6) — 33,636 38–29 L1
68 June 21 White Sox 8–6 Berenguer (5–0) Winn (2–4) Reardon (14) 29,240 39–29 W1
69 June 23 Indians 9–4 Smithson (4–3) Candiotti (2–8) Frazier (2) 17,393 40–29 W2
70 June 24 Indians 14–8 Straker (3–4) Swindell (3–7) — 19,885 41–29 W3
71 June 25 Indians 4–3 Blyleven (6–6) Niekro (5–7) Reardon (15) 27,489 42–29 W4
72 June 26 @ Rangers 0–1 Witt (3–3) Viola (6–6) Mohorcic (10) 20,605 42–30 L1
73[permanent dead link] June 27 (1) @ Rangers 6–11 Correa (3–5) Frazier (5–3) Russell (2) n/a 42–31 L2
74[permanent dead link] June 27 (2) @ Rangers 2–7 Hough (8–3) Atherton (4–2) — 35,677 42–32 L3
75 June 28 @ Rangers 3–6 Guzman (6–6) Smithson (4–4) Mohorcic (11) 17,477 42–33 L4
76 June 29 @ Royals 2–3 (5) Jackson (4–10) Straker (3–5) — 35,872 42–34 L5
77 June 30 @ Royals 3–1 Blyleven (7–6) Leibrandt (8–6) Reardon (16) 21,515 43–34 W1
July: 13–14 (Home: 7–3; Away: 6–11)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak
78 July 1 @ Royals 3–4 Quisenberry (3–0) Atherton (4–3) — 26,899 43–35 L1
79 July 2 @ Royals 3–10 Saberhagen (14–2) Niekro (2–1) — 35,992 43–36 L2
80 July 3 Orioles 6–5 (11) Reardon (5–4) Niedenfuer (1–1) — 26,331 44–36 W1
81 July 4 Orioles 4–1 Straker (4–5) Bell (6–6) Berenguer (3) 23,724 45–36 W2
82 July 5 Orioles 4–3 Blyleven (8–6) Niedenfuer (1–2) — 21,294 46–36 W3
83 July 6 @ Yankees 2–0 Viola (7–6) Guidry (1–4) — 20,141 47–36 W4
84 July 7 @ Yankees 7–12 Stoddard (2–1) Atherton (4–4) — 27,697 47–37 L1
85 July 8 @ Yankees 4–13 Rhoden (11–5) Smithson (4–5) Clements (4) 38,168 47–38 L2
86 July 9 @ Orioles 3–1 Straker (5–5) Bell (6–7) Reardon (17) 22,656 48–38 W1
87 July 10 @ Orioles 12–13 Williamson (3–6) Frazier (5–4) — 28,057 48–39 L1
88 July 11 @ Orioles 2–1 Viola (8–6) Griffin (1–3) — 25,690 49–39 W1
89 July 12 @ Orioles 0–5 Schmidt (9–2) Niekro (2–2) — 27,486 49–40 L1
58th All-Star Game in Oakland, California
90 July 16 Blue Jays 2–5 Key (10–6) Blyleven (8–7) Henke (18) 34,334 49–41 L2
91 July 17 Blue Jays 3–2 Viola (9–6) Eichhorn (8–5) Reardon (18) 28,234 50–41 W1
92 July 18 Blue Jays 5–7 Stieb (8–5) Niekro (2–3) — 38,365 50–42 L1
93 July 19 Blue Jays 7–6 Schatzeder (1–0) Lavelle (1–1) Reardon (19) 32,095 51–42 W1
94 July 20 Yankees 1–7 John (9–3) Straker (5–6) — 34,966 51–43 L1
95 July 21 Yankees 2–1 Blyleven (9–7) Stoddard (2–2) — 37,391 52–43 W1
96 July 22 Yankees 3–1 Viola (10–6) Rhoden (12–6) Reardon (20) 40,054 53–43 W2
97 July 23 @ Blue Jays 3–4 Stieb (9–5) Frazier (5–5) — 35,320 53–44 L1
98 July 24 @ Blue Jays 6–8 Eichhorn (9–5) Reardon (5–5) Henke (20) 30,382 53–45 L2
99 July 25 @ Blue Jays 13–9 Schatzeder (2–0) Musselman (7–4) — 36,395 54–45 W1
100 July 26 @ Blue Jays 2–4 Key (11–6) Blyleven (9–8) Henke (21) 33,393 54–46 L1
101 July 27 @ Mariners 4–3 Viola (11–6) Nunez (3–2) Reardon (21) 13,858 55–46 W1
102 July 28 @ Mariners 1–6 Morgan (8–11) Niekro (2–4) — 13,495 55–47 L1
103 July 29 @ Mariners 3–8 Guetterman (9–2) Smithson (4–6) — 14,320 55–48 L2
104 July 31 @ Athletics 5–3 Blyleven (10–8) Lamp (1–2) Reardon (22) 32,097 56–48 W1
August: 13–15 (Home: 10–4; Away: 3–11)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak
105 August 1 @ Athletics 2–3 Stewart (14–7) Viola (11–7) — 40,929 56–49 L1
106 August 2 @ Athletics 5–6 (11) Nelson (5–2) Reardon (5–6) — 33,215 56–50 L2
107 August 3 @ Angels 11–3 Schatzeder (3–0) Witt (13–7) — 33,983 57–50 W1
108 August 4 @ Angels 3–12 Sutton (8–9) Carlton (0–1) Lucas (2) 37,371 57–51 L1
109 August 5 @ Angels 1–6 Candelaria (6–3) Blyleven (10–9) — 34,059 57–52 L2
110 August 6 Athletics 9–4 Viola (12–7) Stewart (14–8) — 39,177 58–52 W1
111 August 7 Athletics 9–4 Niekro (3–4) Lamp (1–3) — 36,146 59–52 W2
112 August 8 Athletics 9–2 Carlton (1–1) Young (10–6) — 50,237 60–52 W3
113 August 9 Athletics 7–5 Blyleven (11–9) Ontiveros (6–6) Reardon (23) 33,948 61–52 W4
114 August 11 Angels 7–2 Viola (13–7) Candelaria (6–4) — 39,163 62–52 W5
115 August 12 Angels 2–8 McCaskill (3–4) Straker (5–7) — 33,033 62–53 L1
116 August 13 Angels 1–5 Witt (14–8) Carlton (1–2) — 35,837 62–54 L2
117 August 14 Mariners 6–3 Blyleven (12–9) Morgan (10–12) — 26,291 63–54 W1
118 August 15 Mariners 14–4 Smith (1–0) Guetterman (9–4) — 31,154 64–54 W2
119 August 16 Mariners 5–1 Viola (14–7) Moore (5–15) — 28,006 65–54 W3
120 August 17 Mariners 4–2 Straker (6–7) Langston (13–10) Reardon (24) 29,623 66–54 W4
121 August 18 @ Tigers 2–11 Morris (14–6) Carlton (1–3) — 32,053 66–55 L1
122 August 19 @ Tigers 1–7 Terrell (10–10) Blyleven (12–10) — 38,163 66–56 L2
123 August 20 @ Tigers 0–8 Alexander (1–0) Niekro (3–5) — 45,804 66–57 L3
124 August 21 @ Red Sox 3–11 Clemens (13–7) Viola (14–8) Gardner (5) 33,490 66–58 L4
125 August 22 @ Red Sox 5–6 Schiraldi (8–5) Straker (6–8) — 29,794 66–59 L5
126 August 23 @ Red Sox 4–6 Sellers (5–6) Carlton (1–4) Gardner (6) 32,956 66–60 L6
127 August 24 Tigers 5–4 Reardon (6–6) King (6–9) — 27,338 67–60 W1
128 August 25 Tigers 4–5 Alexander (2–0) Niekro (3–6) Henneman (4) 30,639 67–61 L1
129 August 26 Tigers 8–10 Petry (8–6) Reardon (6–7) Hernández (7) 29,265 67–62 L2
130 August 28 @ Brewers 0–1 Bosio (8–5) Straker (6–9) — 22,461 67–63 L3
131 August 29 @ Brewers 12–3 Blyleven (13–10) Barker (2–1) — 34,834 68–63 W1
132 August 30 @ Brewers 10–6 Atherton (5–4) Crim (5–6) Reardon (25) 22,417 69—63 W2
September: 16–11 (Home: 13–5; Away: 3–6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak
133 September 1 Red Sox 0–9 Sellers (6–6) Niekro (3–7) — 25,508 69–64 L1
134 September 2 Red Sox 5–4 Straker (7–9) Nipper (8–11) Reardon (26) 19,565 70–64 W1
135 September 3 Red Sox 2–1 (10) Atherton (6–4) Gardner (1–6) — 20,009 71–64 W2
136 September 4 Brewers 2–1 (12) Berenguer (6–0) Plesac (5–5) — 27,380 72–64 W3
137 September 5 Brewers 2–1 Atherton (7–4) Crim (5–7) — 51,122 73–64 W4
138 September 6 Brewers 0–6 Higuera (15–9) Carlton (1–5) — 36,586 73–65 L1
139 September 7 White Sox 8–1 Bittiger (1–0) LaPoint (3–3) — 22,623 74–65 W1
140 September 8 White Sox 3–4 Bannister (12–10) Blyleven (13–11) Thigpen (9) 12,360 74–66 L1
141 September 9 White Sox 2–1 Viola (15–8) Winn (4–6) — 15,394 75–66 W1
142 September 11 @ Indians 13–10 (11) Reardon (7–7) Gordon (0–3) Berenguer (4) 7,964 76–66 W2
143 September 12 @ Indians 4–5 Jones (4–4) Berenguer (6–1) — 9,156 76–67 L1
144 September 13 @ Indians 7–3 (10) Reardon (8–7) Candiotti (7–16) — 7,474 77–67 W1
145 September 14 @ White Sox 2–8 LaPoint (4–3) Viola (15–9) — 7,898 77–68 L1
146 September 15 @ White Sox 2–6 McDowell (1–0) Niekro (3–8) — 7,947 77–69 L2
147 September 16 @ White Sox 10–13 DeLeon (10–12) Smithson (4–7) Thigpen (11) 8,921 77–70 L3
148 September 18 Indians 9–4 Blyleven (14–11) Akerfelds (2–5) — 23,173 78–70 W1
149 September 19 Indians 3–1 Viola (16–9) Candiotti (7–17) Reardon (27) 23,581 79–70 W2
150 September 20 Indians 3–2 Straker (8–9) Yett (3–8) Reardon (28) 18,906 80–70 W3
151 September 22 Rangers 6–4 Niekro (4–8) Harris (5–10) Reardon (29) 18,294 81–70 W4
152 September 23 Rangers 4–2 Berenguer (7–1) Guzman (14–12) Reardon (30) 20,640 82–70 W5
153 September 24 Rangers 4–0 Viola (17–9) Hough (17–12) — 23,496 83–70 W6
154 September 25 Royals 4–6 Farr (4–3) Schatzeder (3–1) Garber (6) 52,704 83–71 L1
155 September 26 Royals 4–7 Davis (5–2) Reardon (8–8) Garber (7) 46,263 83–72 L2
156 September 27 Royals 8–1 Blyleven (15–11) Leibrandt (15–11) — 53,106 84–72 W1
157 September 28 @ Rangers 5–3 Berenguer (8–1) Guzman (14–13) Reardon (31) 9,986 85–72 W2
158 September 29 @ Rangers 5–7 Hough (18–12) Atherton (7–5) — 10,328 85–73 L1
159 September 30 @ Rangers 1–2 Witt (8–10) Straker (8–10) — 9,309 85–74 L2
October: 0–3 (Home: 0–0; Away: 0–3)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak
160 October 2 @ Royals 3–6 Saberhagen (18–10) Viola (17–10) — 22,578 85–75 L3
161 October 3 @ Royals 2–4 Leibrandt (16–11) Blyleven (15–12) Garber (8) 28,082 85–76 L4
162 October 4 @ Royals 1–10 Gubicza (13–18) Niekro (4–9) — 26,341 85–77 L5
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Twins team member

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.[7]
  • May 10, 1987: Bill Latham was traded by the Twins to the New York Mets for Jayson Felice (minors).[8]
  • May 22, 1987: Sal Butera was signed as a free agent by the Twins.[9]
  • June 2, 1987: 1987 Major League Baseball draft
  • June 2, 1987: Eric Bullock was traded by the Houston Astros to the Minnesota Twins for Clay Christiansen.[17]
  • June 7, 1987: Mark Salas was traded by the Twins to the New York Yankees for pitcher Joe Niekro.[18]
  • June 24, 1987: Danny Clay and Tom Schwarz (minors) were traded by the Twins to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dan Schatzeder and cash.[19]
  • 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.[20] The Twins completed the deal by sending minor leaguer Enrique Rios to the Red Sox on December 18.

Opening Day Lineup[]

Opening Day Starters
# Name Position
32 Dan Gladden DH
4 Steve Lombardozzi 2B
34 Kirby Puckett CF
8 Gary Gaetti 3B
14 Kent Hrbek 1B
24 Tom Brunansky RF
27 Mark Davidson LF
7 Greg Gagne SS
11 Tom Nieto C
28 Bert Blyleven P

[21]

Roster[]

1987 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

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

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 Tim Laudner 113 288 55 .191 16 43
1B Kent Hrbek 143 477 136 .285 34 90
2B Steve Lombardozzi 136 432 103 .238 8 38
3B Gary Gaetti 154 584 150 .257 31 109
SS Greg Gagne 137 437 116 .265 10 40
LF Dan Gladden 121 438 109 .249 8 38
CF Kirby Puckett 157 624 207 .332 28 99
RF Tom Brunansky 155 532 138 .259 32 85
DH Roy 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
Randy Bush 122 293 74 .253 11 46
Al Newman 110 307 68 .221 0 29
Gene Larkin 85 233 62 .266 4 28
Mark Davidson 102 150 40 .267 1 14
Sal Butera 51 111 19 .171 1 12
Tom Nieto 41 105 21 .200 1 12
Don Baylor 20 49 14 .286 0 6
Mark Salas 22 45 17 .378 3 9
Billy Beane 12 15 4 .267 0 1
Chris Pittaro 14 12 4 .333 0 0

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 2.90 197
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 6.70 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 5.40 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
Randy Niemann 6 1 0 0 8.44 1

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 the series by winning two of the three road games at Detroit despite a 4-8 regular season record vs the Tigers as well as 29 regular season wins on the road.

The Twins won all four home games to top the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Frank Viola was named the Series' MVP even though it was the Twins bats that were instrumental in the first three wins outscoring St. Louis 29-10 in the process.

Game log[]

1987 Postseason: 8−4 (Home 6−0; Away 2−4)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Series
1 October 7 Tigers 8–5 Reardon (1–0) Alexander (0–1) — 53,269 1–0
2 October 8 Tigers 6–3 Blyleven (1–0) Morris (0–1) Berenguer (1) 55,245 2–0
3 October 10 @ Tigers 6–7 Henneman (1–0) Reardon (1–1) — 49,730 2–1
4 October 11 @ Tigers 5–3 Viola (1–0) Tanana (0–1) Reardon (1) 51,939 3–1
5 October 12 @ Tigers 9–5 Blyleven (2–0) Alexander (0–2) Reardon (2) 47,448 4–1
World Series: (4−3)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Series
1 October 17 Cardinals 10–1 Viola (1–0) Magrane (0–1) — 55,171 1–0
2 October 18 Cardinals 8–4 Blyleven (1–0) Cox (0–1) — 55,257 2–0
3 October 20 @ Cardinals 1–3 Tudor (1–0) Berenguer (0–1) Worrell (1) 55,347 2–1
4 October 21 @ Cardinals 2–7 Forsch (1–0) Viola (1–1) Dayley (1) 55,347 2–2
5 October 22 @ Cardinals 2–4 Cox (1–1) Blyleven (1–1) Worrell (2) 55,347 2–3
6 October 24 Cardinals 11–5 Schatzeder (1–0) Tudor (1–1) — 55,293 3–3
7 October 25 Cardinals 4–2 Viola (2–1) Cox (1–2) Reardon (1) 55,376 4–3
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Twins team member

Farm system[]

See also: Minor League Baseball
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[22]

References[]

  1. ^ Simon, Andrew; Kelly, Matt. "Rookie managers who won the World Series". MLB. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  2. ^ Ron Gardenhire at Baseball Reference
  3. ^ Juan Berenguer at Baseball Reference
  4. ^ Jeff Reardon at Baseball Reference
  5. ^ Al Newman at Baseball Reference
  6. ^ Billy Sample at Baseball Reference
  7. ^ Dan Gladden at Baseball Reference
  8. ^ Bill Latham at Baseball Reference
  9. ^ Sal Butera at Baseball Reference
  10. ^ Willie Banks at Baseball Reference
  11. ^ Terry Jorgensen at Baseball Reference
  12. ^ Larry Casian at Baseball Reference
  13. ^ Mark Guthrie at Baseball Reference
  14. ^ Chip Hale at Baseball Reference
  15. ^ Bret Boone at Baseball Reference
  16. ^ Craig Paquette at Baseball Reference
  17. ^ "Eric Bullock Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  18. ^ Mark Salas at Baseball Reference
  19. ^ Dan Schatzeder at Baseball Reference
  20. ^ "Don Baylor Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  21. ^ 1987 Opening Day Lineup at Baseball-Reference
  22. ^ 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[]

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