Tag Archives: 1991 rewind

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred One

MINNESOTA 9, DETROIT 7 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, July 30.

Batting stars:  Shane Mack was 4-for-5 with two doubles.  Scott Leius was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Gene Larkin was 2-for-3 with two walks.  Chuck Knoblauch was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-6 with a triple, a double, and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Carl Willis pitched 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up three hits and no walks and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Lloyd Moseby was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three runs.  Mickey Tettleton was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Tony Phillips was 2-for-5.

The game:  It was wild early.  With one out in the top of the first, Scott Livingstone singled, Moseby doubled, and Cecil Fielder hit a two-run double to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.  The Twins came back with three in the bottom of the first.  Dan Gladden walked, Knoblauch singled, Puckett hit a two-run triple, and a wild pitch gave the Twins a 3-2 lead.  It went to 4-2 in the second when Greg Gagne doubled, went to third on Gladden's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Detroit went back in front in the third.  Moseby and Tettleton singled, Travis Fryman had an RBI double, and Rob Deer hit a two-run single to give the Tigers a 5-4 advantage.  The Twins got the lead back in the bottom of the third.  Larkin singled and scored from first on Leius' double.  An RBI single from Knoblauch put the Twins up 6-5.  They added two more in the fourth.  Mack singled and went to second on a wild pitch.  With two out, Leius singled and Junior Ortiz tripled to make it 8-5 Twins.  There was no more scoring until the seventh, when Chili Davis walked and scored from first on a Mack double, putting the Twins up 9-5.

The Tigers tried to mount a comeback in the ninth.  Tony Phillips led off with a single.  With one out Moseby had an RBI double to make it 9-6.  A wild pitch moved him to third and he scored on a ground out to cut the lead to 9-7.  But the tying run did not come to bat, as Tettleton grounded out to end the game.

WP:  Willis (6-2).  LP:  John Cerutti (1-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  Larkin was at first base in place of Kent Hrbek.  Junior Ortiz was behind the plate in place of Brian Harper.  Al Newman pinch-hit for Leius in the eighth and stayed in the game at third base.

Puckett was batting .332.  Leius raised his average to .303.  Willis lowered his ERA to 2.16.

There were no Great Scotts in this game, as neither starter lasted long.  Scott Erickson pitched three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out one.  His ERA went to 2.34.  Detroit starter Scott Aldred went only one-third on an inning, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks and striking out one.

Willis was really an unsung hero for the 1991 Twins.  When we think of that team, we think of Morris and Tapani and Erickson.  We think of Puckett and Hrbek and Chili Davis.  But Willis had fifteen games in which he pitched three innings or more out of the bullpen.  In those fifteen games, he allowed one or zero runs in twelve of them, two runs in two, and three runs in one.  In other words, in those fifteen games in which pitched three or more innings, he had an ERA of 1.95.  Saving the bullpen, keeping the Twins in games, allowing them to win some games they would not otherwise have won.  I'm not saying he was the team MVP, but he was certainly an important contributor.

The White Sox defeated Toronto 8-7, so the Twins did not gain any ground.

Record:  The Twins were 60-41, in first place in the American League West, three games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred

MINNESOTA 6, DETROIT 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, July 29.

Batting stars:  Shane Mack was 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, a hit-by-pitch, and three runs.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Brian Harper was 2-for-4.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  David West pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks and striking out seven.  Rick Aguilera retired all four batters he faced, striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Mickey Tettleton was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Tony Phillips was 2-for-5 with a home run (his tenth) and a double.  Rob Deer was 1-for-4 with a home run (his twentieth).

The game:  Phillips led off the game with a double but only got to third base.  In the bottom of the first Gladden singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on a Puckett single.  The Tigers tied it in the second on Deer's home run, but the Twins took the lead back in the bottom of the second when Mack doubled and scored on Gagne's single.

Detroit took its only lead in the third.  Phillips led off with a home run to tie the score.  Travis Fryman doubled and scored on Tettleton's two-out single to put the Tigers up 3-2.  The Twins tied it in the third on singles by Chuck Knoblauch, Puckett, and Kent Hrbek.

It stayed 3-3, with neither team getting a man past second, until the bottom of the sixth.  Harper got a one-out single and scored on Mack's triple.  Gagne then delivered a two-out RBI single to give the Twins a 5-3 advantage.  The Twins added one more in the eighth when Harper singled, Mack was hit by a pitch, Scott Leius had an infield single, and Gladden drew a bases-loaded walk.

The only Tiger threats after the third were mild ones.  Tettleton hit a one-out double in the sixth but did not advance.  A pair of walks gave them men on first and second with two out in the eighth.  But that was it.

WP:  West (2-2).  LP:  Bill Gullickson (13-6).  S:  Aguilera (27).

Notes:  The Twins went with a standard lineup.  The only substitution was when Leius pinch-hit for Mike Pagliarulo in the eighth and remained in the game at third base.

Puckett raised his average to .332.  Harper went up to .321.  Aguilera's ERA was 2.72.

Gullickson pitched 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on twelve hits and a walk and striking out three.

Gladden was 10-for-24 with three doubles and a home run since coming off the disabled list.  He raised his average from .259 to .274.

The Twins had now won eight out of their last eleven games.

The White Sox defeated Toronto 12-4, so the Twins did not gain any ground on this day.

Record:  The Twins were 59-41, in first place in the American League West, three games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Ninety-eight

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 7, MILWAUKEE 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, July 27.

Batting stars:  Chuck Knoblauch was 3-for-3 with a triple, a double, a walk, and a stolen base (his twelfth).  Dan Gladden was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer (his fifth) and two runs.

Pitching star:  Paul Abbott pitched four innings of relief, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out three.  Carl Willis retired all four batters he faced, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Candy Maldonado was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his third.   Dale Sveum was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and two RBIs.  Paul Molitor was 2-for-5 with a double.  Dante Bichette was 2-for-5 with two runs.

The game:  The Twins scored two in the first inning.  Gladden singled and Knoblauch followed with a double.  A pair of productive out made the score 2-0.  Sveum hit a home run in the second to cut the lead to 2-1.  In the fourth the Brewers got two singles, a bunt, and a sacrifice fly to tie the score 2-2.

The Twins took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth.  Kent Hrbek walked, and Chili Davis and Brian Harper each singled, loading the bases with none out.  A fielder's choice/error scored one run and a force out scored another, and the Twins led 4-2.

It stayed 4-2 until the eighth.  Abbott had pitched three scoreless innings, but he gave up a leadoff single to Bichette followed by Maldonado's two-run homer, and the score was tied 4-4.

No problem.  Milwaukee starter Bill Wegman was still in the game to start the ninth.  He retired Mike Pagliarulo on a grounder, but gave up singles to Shane Mack and Randy Bush.  Now approaching one hundred twenty pitches, he remained in the game to face Gladden.  It was a mistake, as Gladden hit a walkoff three-run homer down the left field line.

WP:  Willis (5-2).  LP:  Wegman (6-5).  S:  None.

Notes:  This is the first time in a long time where the Twins completely used what one would call their standard lineup.  No one injured, no one being rested.  Bush pinch-hit for Greg Gagne in the ninth and Al Newman pinch-ran for Bush.

Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4 and was batting .333.  Harper was 1-for-4 and was batting .318.  Abbott's ERA was 3.43.  Willis lowered his ERA to 2.36.

It seems really strange that Tom Trebelhorn left Wegman in to pitch a complete game.  It's true that he hadn't given up a run since the fourth, but he wasn't exactly blowing people away, either.  He'd given up a hit in each of the last three innings.  He didn't have a low pitch count--he ended at one hundred twenty-two pitches.  He was their best starter that year, and apart from Doug Henry their bullpen was nothing to brag about.  Still, it was well-rested, and if you're not going to use them then there's no point in having them.

Gladden was 5-for-15 with two doubles and a home run since his return.

The Twins had won three in a row and seven out of nine.  The White Sox won, so the Twins neither gained nor lost ground.

Record:  The Twins were 58-40, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Ninety-seven

MINNESOTA 6, MILWAUKEE 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, July 26.

Batting stars:  Chili Davis was 2-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-second), a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Mike Pagliarulo was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Kevin Tapani pitched eight innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks and striking out six.  Rick Aguilera pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

Opposition star:  Chris Bosio pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and six walks and striking out five.

The game:  Davis homered in the second inning to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  It went to 2-0 in the third when Puckett singled, Kent Hrbek walked, and Brian Harper delivered an RBI single.

The Brewers had only two hits through five innings, both singles.  The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, but Harper hit into a double play to end the inning.

It cost the Twins, as Milwaukee took the lead in the sixth.  With one out Dale Sweum doubled, Paul Molitor doubled, and Darryl Hamilton tripled to tie it.  Hamilton then scored on a ground out to put the Brewers up 3-2.

The Twins tied it in the seventh.  Randy Bush singled, Puckett walked, and Davis came through with a two-out RBI double to make it 3-3.  In the eighth Pagliarulo singled, Greg Gagne reached on an error, a fielder's choice loaded the bases, and Dan Gladden delivered a bases-clearing double, giving the Twins a 6-3 lead.  The Brewers went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Tapani (7-7).  LP:  Darren Holmes (1-2).  S:  Aguilera (26).

Notes:  Bush was in right field in place of Shane Mack.  He batted second.  Al Newman was at second base, replacing Chuck Knoblauch.  Knoblauch pinch-ran for Pagliarulo in the eighth and stayed in the game at second base, with Newman moving to third.

Puckett raised his average to .337.  Harper was 1-for-3 with a walk and was batting .319.  Tapani's ERA was 3.05.  Aguilera lowered his ERA to 2.86.

Milwaukee had just five hits.  Three of them were for extra bases and all three came in the sixth inning.  They had only two singles other than that, and had no hits after the sixth.  They had only one man left on base and were 2-for-3 with men in scoring position.  The Twins, on the other hand, stranded ten men and went 3-for-13 with men in scoring position.

I remembered that Chili Davis had a good year in 1991, but I had not remembered just how important he was.  He was second on the team in runs (to Puckett), first in doubles, first in home runs, first in RBIs, first in walks (by a long way--he had 95, second was Hrbek with 67), first in OBP, second in slugging and OPS (to Mack), first in OPS+, and first in total bases.  That's almost every significant offensive category.  He was certainly the most valuable player on the offense, and maybe the MVP of the team.  He was fourteenth in MVP voting that season, behind (among others, obviously) Jack Morris (13th) and Puckett (7th).

The White Sox did not play, so the Twins gained a half game on them in the standings.

Record:  The Twins were 57-40, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Ninety-five

DETROIT 6, MINNESOTA 3 IN DETROIT

Date:  Wednesday, July 24.

Batting star:  Chili Davis was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer (his twenty-first) and a double.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Bill Gullickson pitched 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out two.  Tony Phillips was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Lou Whitaker was 2-for-2.  Travis Fryman was 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, a stolen base (his seventh), a walk, and three runs.

The game:  Each team squandered an early threat.  The Tigers opened the first with two singles and did nothing with them.  Davis doubled to lead off the second, and with one out Shane Mack singled and Mike Pagliarulo walked, but Greg Gagne hit into a double play to end the inning.  Detroit broke through in the second inning.  Walks to Fryman and Milt Cuyler put two on with two out and a double steal moved them to second and third.  Phillips then got an infield single to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

It stayed 1-0 until the sixth.  Rob Deer led off with a double.  He was still on second with two out, but Fryman doubled him home and scored on John Shelby's RBI single to make it 3-0 Detroit.  It went to 4-0 in the seventh when Cuyler walked and Phillips and Whitaker singled.

The Twins got back into the game in the eighth.  Randy Bush led off with a walk.  With two out Kent Hrbek singled and Davis followed with a three-run homer, cutting the Tigers lead to one run.  But just as quickly, they were back out of it.  In the bottom of the eighth, Fryman circled the bases on a triple-plus-error.  With two out Cuyler doubled and Whitaker singled, making the score 6-3.  The Twins got a one-out double in the ninth from Pagliarulo, but nothing more.

WP:  Gullickson (13-5).  LP:  David West (1-2).  S:  Mike Henneman (15).

Notes:  Mack was again in left in place of Dan Gladden, with Bush in right.  Bush batted leadoff.  The only substitution was that Gene Larkin pinch-hit for Gagne in the ninth.

Puckett was 1-for-3 and was batting .331.  Harper was 0-for-4 and was batting .320.  Terry Leach gave up a run in a third of an inning to make his ERA 3.44.  Steve Bedrosian retired the only man he faced and had an ERA of 3.33.

David West started and struck out eight in 5.2 innings, but allowed three runs on six hits and two walks.

The Tigers starting third baseman in this game was Skeeter Barnes.  1991 was the best year of his career--.289/.325/.491 in 171 plate appearances.  He was thirty-four years old, and before this season had a total of 122 plate appearances in seventy-five games spread over five seasons.  He was a utility player for the Tigers from 1991-1994 and actually did pretty well, at least at bat: .281/.319/.420 in 553 plate appearances.  You'll take that from a utility player any time.  He retired after the 1994 season and was a minor league coach for many years.

The White Sox lost, Texas did not play, and Oakland won, leaving those three teams in a three-way tie for second.

Record:  The Twins were 55-40, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Chicago, Texas, and Oakland.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Ninety-four

DETROIT 6, MINNESOTA 3 IN DETROIT

Date:  Tuesday, July 23.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-3.  Chili Davis was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Carl Willis pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Frank Tanana pitched six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and no walks and striking out two.  Lou Whitaker was 2-for-3 with two runs.  Cecil Fielder was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth) and five RBIs.  Tony Phillips was 2-for-4 with a double.

The game:  Scott Leius and Chuck Knoblauch opened the game with singles.  Puckett bunted them up and a ground out scored a run, putting the Twins up 1-0.  That lead didn't last long.  In the bottom of the first, Whitaker singled and Fielder hit a two-run homer, putting the Tigers ahead 2-1.

The Twins tied it in the fourth, but could've had more.  Puckett singled and Davis doubled, putting men on second and third with none out.  Brian Harper hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-2, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning.  Once again, the Tigers went right back in front.  In the bottom of the fourth, Rob Deer walked and scored from first on a Travis Fryman double to give Detroit a 3-2 advantage.

The Tigers took control in the fifth.  Phillips and Whitaker singled and Fielder hit a three-run homer, making the score 6-2.  The Twins got one back in the eighth.  Chuck Knoblauch walked, Puckett singled, and Davis had an RBI single.  The tying run was at bat with one out, but Harper and Shane Mack each grounded out to end the threat.

WP:  Tanana (7-6).  LP:  Allan Anderson (4-8).  SL  Mike Henneman (14).

Notes:  Mack remained in left field in place of Dan Gladden.  Gene Larkin was in right.  Leius batted first.

In the seventh, Randy Bush pinch-hit for Greg Gagne, but due to a pitching change Al Newman pinch-hit for Bush.  He stayed in the game at shortstop.  Mike Pagliarulo pinch-hit for Leius in the ninth.

Puckett raised his average to .331.  Harper was 0-for-3 and fell to .321.  Willis lowered his ERA to 2.44.  Rick Aguilera pitched a third of an inning to drop his ERA to 2.93.

Jack Morris started, but pitched just 1.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks and striking out one.  His ERA was 3.47.  I assume he came out due to injury.  The play-by-play on the play before he came out says "Single (line drive to P's right).  I don't know if it went off him or if perhaps he tweaked something trying to field it.  At any rate, he did not miss a start.  Anderson came in and pitched the next 3.1 innings, doing well until the three-run homer in the fifth.

It seems strange that, after starting the game with two singles, Puckett would then bunt.  My guess is that he did that on his own, but it still doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  They had a chance for a big inning, and he was at least arguably their best batter.  Bunting, even if he was bunting for a hit, does not seem like a good strategy at that point.

Willis came in to start the sixth.  He had gotten into some trouble int he seventh, but a double play ended the inning.  He then retired the first two batters in the eighth, and was removed for no obvious reason in favor of Aguilera.  Aguilera hadn't pitched since July 19, so I could understand the idea that he might need some work.  But then, why not give him an inning, rather than bringing him in with two out and none on in the last inning?  He threw six pitches, and could very well have just thrown one.  That's getting him some work?  It really seems strange.

The Twins did pretty well against  Frank Tanana for his career.  His record against them was 19-20, 4.49, 1.37 WHIP.  For his career he was 240-236, 3.66, 1.27 WHIP.  In 1991, however, Tanana did well against the Twins in two starts:  1-1, 3.86, 1.07 WHIP.  His season in 1991 was 13-12, 3.77, 1.36 WHIP.

Texas and Chicago each won, so they remained tied for second and each gained a game on the Twins.

Record:  The Twins were 55-39, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Chicago and Texas.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Ninety-three

MINNESOTA 14, BOSTON 1 IN BOSTON

Date:  Sunday, July 21.

Batting stars:  Shane Mack was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two runs.  Chili Davis was 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base, his third.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  Scott Leius was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, and three runs.  Brian Harper was 2-for-6 with two runs.  Chuck Knoblauch was 1-for-3 with three walks and three runs.

Pitching stars:  Kevin Tapani pitched six innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and no walks and striking out none.  Paul Abbott struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.  Allan Anderson pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

Opposition star:  Steve Lyons was 2-for-3 with a double.

The game:  Leius led off the game with a single, followed by singles by Knoblauch and Puckett to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  An RBI ground out made it 2-0.  In the third Knoblauch walked and went to third on Davis' two-out single.  Davis then stole second.  A passed ball scored one run, a Harper single scored another, and a Mack double made it 5-0.  in the fourth, Greg Gagne hit a one-out double, walks to Leius and Knoblauch filled the bases, and Puckett's two-run single made it 7-0.

The Red Sox got on the board in the bottom of the seventh.  Jody Reed reached on an error and scored on a Jack Clark double.  That was the end of their good news, though.  The Twins scored five in the sixth and two more in the seventh to get the 14-1 victory.

WP:  Tapani (6-7).  LP:  Tom Bolton (7-7).  S:  None.

Notes:  Mack was again in left field in the absence of Dan Gladden.  Gene Larkin was in right.  Leius was the leadoff batter.

Jarvis Brown pinch-ran for Puckett in the fifth and stayed in the game in center field.  Al Newman went into the game at shortstop in the fifth, replacing Gagne.  Randy Bush went into the game in the sixth inning at first base, replacing Kent Hrbek.  Davis went to left field in the eighth inning, with Abbott entering the lineup in Mack's spot.

Puckett raised his average to .328.  Harper went up to .325.  Tapani lowered his ERA to 3.03.  Abbott went down to 3.31.

Tapani hadn't gotten much run support up to this point in the season, but that turned around in this game.  Including this game, he won five starts in a row and went 9-0 over ten starts.  In those games, the Twins scored 71 runs.  Tapani was still pitching well--he did not give up more than four runs in any of those starts, and six times gave up fewer than three.

This was Davis' first appearance in the field all season.  He would make just one more, about a month later.  He would, of course, play one game in the field in the World Series.  He had been a regular outfielder from 1982-1989 and had played a substantial number of games in the outfield in 1990, but would make only token appearances there after that and none from 1995-1999, when his career ended.

Boston starter Bolton pitched just 2.2 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks and striking out one.  He had pitched five innings of relief just three days earlier.  He really couldn't be expected to pitch well after that, and he didn't.

Tapani pitched six innings and neither struck out nor walked anyone.  I don't know how rare that is, but it is at least unusual.  I suspect it might have been more common years ago than it is now, but I don't think it was all that common in the old days, either.

The White Sox lost and Texas won, so the Twins gained a game in the standings while the Rangers tied Chicago for second place.  The Twins had won four in a row, five of six, and eight of ten.

Record:  The Twins were 55-38, in first place in the American League West, 5.5 games ahead of Texas and Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Ninety-two

MINNESOTA 5, BOSTON 0 IN BOSTON

Date:  Saturday, July 20.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his twelfth) and a walk.  Junior Ortiz was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Scott Erickson pitched seven shutout innings, giving up seven hits and a walk and striking out one.  Mark Guthrie struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Mike Gardiner pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks and striking out two.  Mo Vaughn was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Wade Boggs was 2-for-4 with a double.

The game:  With one out in the first, Chuck Knoblauch reached on an error and Puckett followed with a two-run homer, putting the Twins up 2-0.  The Twins started the second with two walks, but a caught stealing helped take them out of the inning.  The Red Sox got a pair of singles in the third, but a double play helped take them out of the inning.

The Twins missed a chance to break the game open in the fourth.  With one out, Ortiz and Greg Gagne singled and Randy Bush walked, loading the bases.  The Twins got one run on a ground out, but that was it, so the lead was only 3-0.

Boston missed a chance in the sixth.  Boggs led off with a double, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.  Jody Reed then singled and Vaughn walked, but a pair of ground outs ended the inning.  They never really threatened again.  The Twins added two runs in the ninth when Shane Mack doubled, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a fielder's choice.  Singles by Jarvis Brown and Knoblauch produced another run, making it 5-0.

WP:  Erickson (13-3).  LP:  Gardiner (3-4).  S:  Guthrie (1).

Notes:  Bush started in left field in place of Dan Gladden, with Mack in right.  Again, Tom Kelly usually did that the other way, but the configuration of Fenway Park apparently changed his mind.  With Erickson pitching, Ortiz was again behind the plate in place of Brian Harper.

Brown came in for defense in the seventh in place of Bush.  Brown went to right, with Mack moving to left.  Al Newman pinch-hit for Mike Pagliarulo in the eighth and stayed in the game at third base.

Puckett raised his average to .326.  Erickson lowered his ERA to 2.02.

Erickson was incredibly efficient, throwing just sixty-five pitches in seven innings.  That was obviously much easier on his arm.  Had he been able to do that all season, he might not have had the struggles he had later in the year, but of course, something like that is not really sustainable.

Puckett had an eleven game hitting streak.  He was 18-for-46 in that span.  His average had only gone from .316 to .326, and in fact his average went down a little in the first three games of the streak, when he went 3-for-12.

This was the first save of Guthrie's career.  He would have two for the season and fourteen for his career.  He would make only two more starts in his career, both in 1994.

Mike Gardiner is one of those guys who kept getting chances in the majors despite the fact that he never did anything there.  He appeared in five games in 1990 and went 0-2, 10.66.  Despite that, he got 22 starts in 1991, going 9-10, 4.85.  in 1992 he went 4-10, 4.75 in 28 games, 18 of them starts.  He moved to the bullpen in 1993 and appeared in 34 games combined for Montreal and Detroit, going 2-3, 4.93.  1994 was his best season, as he was 2-2, 3.97.  In 1995 he went 0-0, 14.59 and then he was done as a big-leaguer.  For his career, he was 17-27, 5.21, 1.48 WHIP in 393.2 innings (136 games, 46 starts).  His AAA numbers were 34-22, 4.07, so it's not like he was blowing people away there, either.  I'm sure he's a nice guy--he wouldn't have gotten all those chances if he wasn't.  But it always bugs me to see a guy like this, who's never done anything in the majors, get chance after chance after chance, while other guys do well in AAA year after year and can't get the call.

The Twins had won three in a row and four of five.  The White Sox beat Milwaukee 7-6 in ten innings, so the Twins lead remained the same.

Record:  The Twins were 54-38, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Ninety-one

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MINNESOTA 3, BOSTON 2 IN BOSTON (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Friday, July 19.

Batting stars:  Kent Hrbek was 3-for-3 with a walk.  Scott Leius was 3-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Shane Mack was 2-for-4.  Randy Bush was 1-for-1 with a home run, his fourth.

Pitching stars:  David West pitched six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out none.  Carl Willis pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Steve Bedrosian pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.  Rick Aguilera pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Joe Hesketh pitched 6.1 innings, giving up one run on nine hits and two walks and striking out five.  Wade Boggs was 4-for-4 with a triple.  Tony Pena was 1-for-4 with a home run, his fourth.

The game:  The Twins opened the game with two singles, but never advanced either runner.  The Red Sox got a single and two walks in the bottom of the first but also did not score.  The Twins got a single, a walk, and a double in the second, but due to a caught stealing again did not score.  Boston got three singles in the third, but a runner was thrown out at the plate and the game still remained scoreless.

The theme continues.  In the fourth the Twins got a walk and a single and could not score.  In the fifth Leius led off with a triple and still did not score.

In the bottom of the fifth the Red Sox finally broke through.  Pena led off with a home run.  With one out, Boggs tripled and Reed singled to make it 2-0 Boston.

The Twins got a pair of singles in the sixth, but a double play took them out of the inning.  Finally, in the seventh, Leius hit a one-out double and scored on Kirby Puckett's two-out double to get the Twins on the board.  It was still 2-1 through eight, but Bush came through with a pinch-hit homer in the ninth to tie the score 2-2.  Boston got a leadoff double from Ellis Burks in the bottom of the ninth, but again did not score, so we went to extra innings.

Neither team threatened in the tenth.  With two out in the eleventh, Chuck Knoblauch singled and scored all the way from first on a Mike Pagliarulo single to put the Twins ahead.  Mike Greenwell got a one-out single in the bottom of the eleventh, but he did not move past first base and the Twins came away with the win.

WP:  Bedrosian (3-2).  LP:  Greg Harris (6-9).  S:  Aguilera (25).

Notes:  Mack was again in left field in place of Dan Gladden.  Gene Larkin was in right.  Al Newman was at second base in place of Knoblauch.  Leius was again in the leadoff spot, with Newman batting second.

Jarvis Brown pinch-ran for Kent Hrbek in the eighth and stayed in the game in right field, with Larkin moving to first base.  Knoblauch pinch-hit for Greg Gagne in the ninth and stayed in the game at second base, with Newman moving to shortstop.  Bush pinch-hit for Leius in the ninth, with Mike Pagliarulo coming in to play third base.

Harper was 0-for-5 and was batting .325.  Puckett was 1-for-5 and was batting .324.  West lowered his ERA to 3.18.  Willis' ERA was 2.59.  Bedrosian went down to 3.35.  Aguilera went down to 2.95.

Brown was 0-for-1 and was batting .154.

The Twins stranded eleven runners and were 1-for-14 with men in scoring position.  The Red Sox stranded eight runners and were 2-for-10 with men in scoring position.

Pagliarulo extended his hitting streak to eight games, despite only getting one at-bat.  He was 16-for-25 over that stretch and raised his average to .294.

This was the lowest West's ERA would be for the rest of the season.  He would end up at 4.54.

Oakland and California both lost, but Chicago won to take over second place.

Record:  The Twins were 53-38, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of Chicago.