1991 minnesota twins

this post covers the 1991 minnesota twins and cards number 291 to 293 in the set. here are the fronts:

and backs:

upper deck skipped over 1989 and 1990 (sorry a's, giants, and reds) to get to 1991 and the unlikely world champion twins.

what team is this:  the 1991 world champion minnesota twins who beat the national league champion atlanta braves in 7 games, including two of the best world series games ever played - games 6 and 7.

why this team?: the twins went from worst to first in 1991 - their 95-67 record was a 21-win improvement over the previous year.  they won their second title in 5 years under manager tom kelly.

which players are featured?: just three - jack morris, kent hrbek, and kirby puckett

why these players?: aside from the fact that they have each appeared in the set previously, these three twins are good representatives for the 1991 team.  let's break it down.

jack morris was a free agent pick-up in the offseason, and the saint paul native came through for his hometown team.  he was 18-12 during the regular season and finished fourth in the cy young award voting.  in the postseason, morris was 2-0 in the alcs against the toronto blue jays, and 2-0 in the world series as well.  he won the world series mvp award in large part thanks to his 10-inning shutout of the braves in the winner take all game 7.

kent hrbek hit .284 with 20 homers and 89 rbi during the regular season.  the bloomington, minnesota native didn't play all that well in the postseason, but he did double and homer in the first game of the world series, as well as kind of/sort of pull ron gant off of first base on a pick off attempt in game 2 to help the twins win both of those contests.

kirby puckett was the mvp of the 1991 alcs thanks to his 2 homers, 5 rbi, and .429 batting average.  he had hit 15 homers with 89 rbi and a .319 average during the regular season and finished 7th in the league mvp voting.  when the world series rolled around, puckett put the team on his back for their must-win game 6, and wound up making a terrific catch early in the game to keep the braves off the scoreboard, and later hit an 11th inning walk-off home run to force game 7 the following night.  that home run is the subject of the memorable moment card puckett receives in this subset.

the stadium on the back is...?:  the no longer in existence hubert h. humphrey metrodome.  the new minnesota vikings stadium is currently being constructed in its place.

did upper deck get it right?: morris and puckett are no-brainers for this team, and hrbek is not a bad choice. other players that would have made sense include 1991 al rookie of the year chuck knoublach, 20-game winner scott erickson, and closer rick aguilera.  heck, even game 7 hero gene larkin who drove in the series winning run would have been welcome.

as for the photos, morris is obviously shown in 1991 as he did not pitch for the twins in any other season.  hrbek's picture looks about right as well, but puckett's may not be from 1991.  i don't think the twins wore their navy tops in '91, but i am not certain. either way, i wish upper deck had used the photo of puckett during his game 6 home run trot - the same photo that served as the model for his statue at target field.

is this team timeless?: yes. even though the twins won their first title in 1987, this team from just four years later is timeless.  thanks in large part to one-year twin jack morris and puckett's heroics in game 6, this team remains at the forefront of twins fans' minds.

1987 minnesota twins

this post covers the 1987 minnesota twins and cards numbered 272 to 274 in the set. here are the fronts:

and backs:

this is the smallest team subset so far, but features two new players to the set - kent hrbek and kirby puckett.  that blyleven card is in the blog header - a nod to my adopted hometown(s).

what team is this: the 1987 world champion minnesota twins.

why this team?:  the twins went from worst to first under rookie manager tom kelly to win the world series over the saint louis cardinals 4 games to 3.  it was the first title for the twins and the first for the franchise since walter johnson led the senators to the crown in 1924.

which players are featured: bert blyleven, kent hrbek, and kirby puckett.

why these players?:  well, let's break it down

bert blyleven was three years into his second stint with the twins when he went 15-12 with 8 complete games and a shutout.  of course, he also led the league for the second straight year in home runs allowed.  the 36-year old hall of famer to be was also the only guy on the team who had been on the twins previous division winner, way back in 1971!  in between stints as a twin, blyleven had earned a world series ring with the pittsburgh pirates for whom he appeared games 2 and 5 of the fall classic.  in 1987, he was the winning pitcher in both game 2 and game 5 of the alcs against the tigers, and he also earned the victory in game 2 of the world series.  he took the loss in game 5 of the fall classic despite giving up only 2 earned runs in 6 innings.

kent hrbek was the hometown boy straight outta bloomington when he took over the first base duties in 1981.  by 1987, he was firmly entrenched in the lineup, and was one of three twinkies (tom brunansky and gary gaetti were the others) to hit over 30 home runs that year.  he hit only .150 in the alcs against detroit, and only .208 against the cardinals in the world series, but he did deliver a grand slam at the metrodome in game 6 to pad the twins' lead and force the decisive game 7.  that granny is the subject of the memorable moment portion of hrbek's card.

kirby puckett was in his prime in 1987.  he hit .332 during the regular season while leading the american league in hits with 207.  it was the second of four straight seasons in which he would surpass the 200 hit mark and hit .328 or higher.  he also fell just two home runs short of 30, which would have given the twins the first foursome to reach that mark since the 1977 dodgers did it with dusty baker, ron cey, steve garvey, and reggie smith.  in the postseason, puckett hit .208 with a home run and 3 rbi against the tigers, but then in the world series he hit .357.  he did most of his damage in the last two games with a 4 for 4 game 6 in which he scored 4 times and then with a game tying double in game 7 to turn the tide in favor of the twins.

the stadium on the back is...?: the hubert h humphrey metrodome, which was deflated (on purpose this time) a couple of weeks ago and is in the process of being demolished.  not sure when this photo was taken (maybe the 2002 alcs as the huge banners/seat covers are not being used so there were a lot of tickets sold for this game), but at least it's the right stadium for this team.

did upper deck get it right?: world series mvp frank viola, gary gaetti, and tom brunansky (and why not manager tom kelly?) would have been good choices for this team, in addition to bert, herbie, and puck.  kudos, by the way, to upper deck for not including steve carlton in this team subset (yes, he pitched for the twins in 1987) even though he was already included on the checklist with various phillie and cardinal teams.

the photos are all wrong, however, as the twins switched to their pinstriped uniforms in 1987, complete with a 'm' logo on their hats and helmets.  no more baby blues or 'tc' logo for a while.

is this team timeless?:  yes.  here in minny, they never forget their first.