1987 Minnesota Twins season

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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.

The Twins were 85-77, first in the American League West. 2,081,976 fans attended Twins games, the sixth highest total in the American League.

Only one Twin made the All-Star Game, outfielder Kirby Puckett.

[edit] 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 until Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter in 2006.

Kirby Puckett led the AL with 207 hits.

[edit] Pitching

The top three starting pitchers -- Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven, and Les Straker provided stability throughout the year. Mike Smithson and Joe Niekro 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.

[edit] Defense

The defense was not as strong as would be typical for 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.

[edit] Regular Season

The team had one of the lowest winning percentages ever for a World Series champion, at .525. It also had the remarkably bad road record of 29-52 (.358 percentage). Fortunately for the team, the Twins played in the weak American League West Division, where first and last place were separated by only ten games.

[edit] Roster

[edit] Postseason

See 1987 American League Championship Series and 1987 World Series.

[edit] Notable transactions

• January 9: Signed relief pitcher Juan Berenguer as a free agent.
• February 3: Traded Neal Heaton, Yorkis Perez, Jeff Reed and minor leaguer Al Cardwood to the Montreal Expos for closer Jeff Reardon and Tom Nieto. ^[1]
• February 20: Traded minor leaguer Mike Shade to the Montreal Expos for utility infielder and future Twins coach Al Newman.
• February 24, 1987: Bill Sample signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins.
• March 31: Traded minor leaguers Jose Dominguez and Ray Velázquez and a player to be named later to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Dan Gladden and minor leaguer David Blakely. On June 15, the Twins sent Bryan Hickerson to the Giants to complete the trade.
• April 4: The Twins sent minor leaguer Dominic Iasparro to the New York Mets to complete a trade. The trade dated back to November 12, 1986, when the Mets sent future Twins manager Ron Gardenhire to the Twins for a player to be named later. Gardenhire would not play again in the majors.
• June 2: In the amateur draft, the Twins drafted future major leaguers such as Willie Banks (first round, third pick), Terry Jorgenson (second round), Larry Casian (6th round), Mark Guthrie (7th round), and Chip Hale (17th round). The Twins also drafted future major leaguers Bret Boone (28th round) and Craig Paquette (36th round), but signed neither player.
• June 7: Traded Mark Salas to the New York Yankees for pitcher Joe Niekro.
• July 31: Traded a player to be named later to the Cleveland Indians for Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton, who was no longer in prime form. On August 18, the Twins sent minor leaguer Jeff Perry to the Indians to complete the trade.
• September 1: Traded a player to be named later to the Boston Red Sox for designated hitter Don Baylor, who was also past his prime. On December 18, the Twins sent minor leaguer Enrique Rios to the Red Sox to complete the trade.
• December 21: Released Don Baylor, Sal Butera, Steve Carlton, and Mike Smithson. Carlton would re-sign with the team on January 29 and play in four games during the 1988 season before retiring.

[edit] Miscellaneous

• The Twins had only one All-Star in the 1987 All-Star Game: Center fielder Kirby Puckett.

• The highest paid player was Kent Hrbek at $1,310,000; followed by Bert Blyleven at $1,150,000.

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

• It was for the 1987 Twins that Joe Niekro was suspended for 10 games when umpire Steve Palermo discovered a nail file in his 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.

• The Homer Hanky was introduced for the first time in 1987.

[edit] References

1. ^ Jeff Reardon Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com

[edit] 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