E19: 1991 Twins vs Braves World Series. Greatest Ever?

A runner gets lifted off first base. A ball disappears into the Metrodome plexiglass. A Game 7 stays scoreless so long you can feel every breath in the stadium. The 1991 World Series isn’t just a classic, it’s a blueprint for why people fall in love with October baseball in the first place. We’re talking Minnesota Twins vs Atlanta Braves, seven games, constant tension, and the kind of moments that still look unreal on replay. 

Guest Jordan Dove & I start with the context that makes the story pop: both teams were in last place the year before, then stormed back to win their divisions. That “worst to first” twist isn’t hype, it’s the foundation for everything that follows, from Minnesota’s key additions like Chuck Knoblauch and Jack Morris to Atlanta’s rise under Bobby Cox and a pitching core led by Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Steve Avery. Along the way we hit the famous Kent Hrbek and Ron Gant play, the walk-off swings in Atlanta, and the little details that show how thin the margin is in playoff baseball. 

Then we get to the heart of the legend: Kirby Puckett’s Game 6 masterpiece and Jack Morris’s all-time Game 7 performance. If you search baseball history for “Kirby Puckett walk off” or “Jack Morris 10 innings,” this is the series you land on, and we break down why it still holds up for fans who love pitching duels, defense, and pressure-packed at-bats. 

If you’ve got a favorite 1991 World Series moment, share it with us, and if you want more baseball history and trivia, subscribe, leave a review, and send this to a friend who still argues about the greatest World Series of all time.

Email us at fungosandfastballs@gmail.com

Transcript

Why 1991 Still Matters

Jerry 0:00

On today's episode, we are going to tackle one of the potential candidates for greatest world series of all times. That would be the 1991 World Series, which went seven games against the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves. Well, I can't do that by myself, so we had to bring back a baseball aficionado and my good friend Jordan Dove, who's joining us today. He was on episode 11 when he discussed the World War II Cardinals and his grandfather Augie Bergamo. Jordan, thanks for coming back. There you go. Excited to do this one. Well, don't worry if you don't see Brooke, folks. I know you all love Brooke. She is here. We went to an LSU game today. There's her hand. We both got a little too much sun, and she felt that she wasn't camera ready. But she will be communicating with some coaches' signs here to you know make sure that I, you know, don't steal inappropriately. So, but Jordan, because you're live in the studio, in addition to putting up all our live guests at the Radisson, we also have some potential gifts. So, Jordan, you can choose between the classic Cracker Jack or Big League Chew. Do you have a choice?

Jordan 1:17

Let's say the Cracker Jacks, because they're in the seventh inning stretch song.

Jerry 1:21

The Cracker Jack, very good. I have my peanuts, but those are already open and uh contaminated, so I'm not going to offer Jordan that. I'll keep the Big League Chew, which, you know, maybe one day I'll eat in front of you. It's not that appealing. But and it might cause me to talk like this. But it's uh, you know, hey, baseball, right? Hello and welcome to Fungos and Fastballs, the podcast of baseball history and trivia. I'm your host, Jerry Dynes. Let's jump into today's episode. So, Jordan, with this great series, 1991, I'm not going to tell the differences in our age, but I am pretty sure you weren't quite born yet back in 1991. And yet, when I first, you know, texted you and about ideas for an episode, and this came up, and you were very excited. You know, you said, Oh my gosh, I love that series. You're sending me videos. So, so what intrigues you about this video? I mean, about this world series?

Jordan 2:24

So I was I was negative eight in 1991. I was born in 99, so I would have been negative eight. But I mean, what can I say? I love, always have since I was a kid. I love

What Makes This Series Special

Jordan 2:35

sports history. And I love good baseball. And this is a series that had good baseball from start to finish. But to answer your question better, I mean, I think it started with me. You know, I I'm I'm just such a sports nerd. When I was younger, I would research and look at rankings of like, okay, what were the what were the best playoff series ever played? More specifically, what were some of the best World Series ever played? And when you read, you know, those consistent years come up, like 1991, you start to look more into, okay, why was it? And you look at the games and you look at, you know, the circumstances around it. And yeah, 91's a classic. 91 has everything a baseball fan would want. Two underdogs really, who who were not great the year before and came out of nowhere that year, you have great plays, memorable plays. You know, Kirby Puckett made a few, and you know, you have silly things like the Herbeck Gantt, you know, tie-up at first, and and then you have just close games. I mean, when you when you get two teams going for the championship, you want close games because these are the best that each league has to offer. And five of the seven were were one run games, and you have a couple extra inning games, three and walk-offs. Yeah, it's it's like Jack Buck is calling the whole thing.

Jerry 3:57

What I mean Jack Buck and Tim McCarver, yes, yes.

Jordan 4:01

All the Cardinals roots there, isn't it great? What I what in the series or what is there not uh what in the series does it not have? Everything you want, it has, and it's just always stuck in my mind, as I'm sure it has stuck with you know every baseball fan who's watched it.

Jerry 4:20

It's it's in the list, definitely, of greatest World Series. We're about to do an episode on Bill Mazeroski, probably our next episode, actually. Um, and uh that's 1960, also seven games. And of course, you and I have spoken, and maybe we'll have Jordan back to do this one. Not a favorite World Series of mine, but the 2001 Yankees Diamond back series. So that would be a good one to do. But but no,

Worst To First Turnarounds

Jerry 4:46

fantastic. And you mentioned the season before, and so let's go into the background between these two teams, because I think when everybody thinks the nineties and the Braves, they think you know, the quote team of the nineties are certainly debated as you and I were spoken, speaking with the Yankees, but certainly just killer pitching. They were not that way in the eighties. I mean, the Braves were horrible during the 80s. And the Twins did had a uh World Series just three years before. Against the Cardinals, yes, the Cardinals. No, but that had been their only series since 1924, when they were not the Minnesota Twins, they were the Washington Senators. So and you were you were talking about the the teams not doing right the the year before.

Jordan 5:34

That's correct. Yeah, uh 1990, Minnesota 74 and 88, last in in the American League West, the the Atlanta Braves 65 and 97, also last in in their division, and for them really a culmination of that whole entire decade of the 80s. Um, unfortunately for poor Dale Murphy, someone who's you know one of the greatest Braves ever, just not a lot of success. Minnesota had kind of you know fallen fallen away after their 87 run. I believe they actually do better in 88, but it wasn't enough to you know make the playoffs that year, and then 89 and 90, they just they completely fall apart and become very forgettable, I think, in a lot of baseball fans' eyes. Now, this turnaround, if you want to talk about it now, it it came as a surprise, I think, to many, but it it really is not a surprise when you look at the look at it in the lens of like the off-season acquisitions each made. Minnesota, I mean, Chuck Knobloch, who was also a great Yankee, rookie of the year in 1991. You acquire Jack Morris, you know, someone who had been with Detroit and who had championship experience being on that 84 team. Atlanta, I I think it starts with Bobby Cox. Bobby Cox was someone who was brought back because he had managed them before, brought back in 1990 and had finished the season, but in '91, it was his first, first time, you know, taking over for an entire season. And so you have that, and then of course, they they get Terry Pendleton from St. Louis, who turns into a MVP caliber player. And then you have for both teams, I should say, this really big pitching turnaround. You have guys like Tom Glavine, who's obviously a Hall of Fame pitcher, who had really struggled up to that point, but had finally really turned it around good enough to obviously win Cy Young for that year, and guys like Steve Avery, who had his best year up until that point for Minnesota.

Jerry 7:32

We talked about before you get to Minnesota, you're right. I mean, you had you had Avery and Glavine, you also had John Smoltz. Right. Now, you know, folks, of course, we always think Greg Maddox of the Braves of the 90s, this was this was a couple of years before Maddox joined. He was still a Chicago Cup before. So but you still had part of that core three of of Glavine and Smoltz. Avery's often forgotten. He's not mentioned among those those uh pitchers, but should be. He was a pivotal part of the early early Braves uh things. And I also want to comment on on Chad Morris because he said, you're right. I mean, he was an old man, really. He had he had come into the league since 1977. So, you know, 14 years in baseball is a long time. Uh played with the Tigers that whole time, and the twins just you know, they captured lightning in a bottle. They grabbed him just for one year. One year he got a nice contract. One year, and uh boy did he perform as we'll talk about later. So he did.

Jordan 8:29

And so you were about to jump into the that was a great that was another similar to Atlanta, where the pitching really started to come together, not only because they acquired Jack Morris, who who you know adds everything he has to offer and experience, but Kevin Tapani had, you know, if we look back at his career, the best season of his career. I think he led all starters that year with uh, or at least on Minnesota with ERA, and then Scott Erickson, who finished second in Cy Young voting, but only behind Roger Clemens. So both teams very similar were just putting it together, the pitching was starting to get on track, and just incredible turnarounds. Twins 74 and 88 to 95 and 67, and Atlanta 65 and 97 to 94 and 68, both good enough for first place in their divisions.

Jerry 9:17

And the and it had not there had never been, and we're talking what, over a hundred years of of major league baseball, there had not been a last to first, a worst to first. And now you had two of them. You had two of them in the same year.

Jordan 9:33

So both set to make history. Who pretty much? It's like whoever was gonna win was gonna be the first to go from from last in their division to winning the whole thing. So just incredible.

Record Innings And First Pitch Story

Jerry 9:43

And I want to get into before we get into the game, one more little trivia alert. This this series, because it had three extra innings series, uh games, 69 total total inning innings. Can't speak today. I think it might be the embodiment. Uh 69 total inning. We gotta do this sober next bro. I know I am sober. We gotta do this dry. How's that? 69 total innings, which which is incredible. It shared the record of longest seven-game series in the number of innings. Uh that was broken last year in the Dodgers Blue Jay series. Uh so uh now I will say baseball wonks, trivia nerds. Uh the 1912 Red Sox Giants series actually lasted 75 uh innings. But I found this interesting. It was actually an eight-game series. There was actually a tie game called Because of Darkness. How about that? So uh that is technically the longest in in series. So we're getting off base. We got to get back on base. Brooke is signaling me. So let's get to the uh let's get to the series. And uh you know, I I do want to uh the opening pitch of the World Series, they always choose uh interesting people or exciting people or sometimes poignant people. That year it was uh it was an umpire who threw the opening pitch, Steve Palermo. Steve Palermo, just a few months earlier, had actually been injured. He had intervened in a mugging outside a restaurant. Two waitresses were being mugged, and he actually intervened and was shot. Not to not to bring it down or on this the podcast, and uh they actually didn't think he would walk against spinal cord injury, and he actually was able to rehab back uh with a crutch, but he actually went out on the mouth for that first pitch. So just poignant, uh really a beautiful moment, and all the umpires are around there hugging him and giving him kisses before the before game one. So uh what a way to start a historic series in in my mind. I

Game 1 Sets The Tone

Jerry 11:53

found it very, very interesting, very poignant. But we get to game one, and uh you mentioned Jack Morris because of a long Pittsburgh series. And Jordan mentioned you know that the the the Braves had had taken on in the playoffs against uh the Pirates. But it was actually a long series. The Braves, by the way, were at that point in the National League West. Very odd. You know, remember Atlanta is in the West. If you have your it's it's a damn Mercator projection. Very odd. They are no longer in the West, although who knows after Manford uh re-engineers the whole league. Hopefully that won't happen. But we do. We have Jack Morris, the classic, and he's going on against for the Braves, Charlie Leibradt , who, again, maybe one of the reasons, although Librandt was no slouch, because they hadn't used a lot of their pitching in that long pirate series there.

Jordan 12:47

So yeah. So let's start. Let's start. Five to two five to two win for Minnesota. Yeah. One of the few in the metronome.

Jerry 12:56

The Metrodome.

Jordan 12:58

That's right, that's right, which has been called one of the ugliest um ballparks. And I mean, say it was also a football stadium for the Vikings, but you know, great memories there for Minnesota fans.

Jerry 13:08

But yeah, Atlanta Stadium is still still there. That's right. Atlanta Fulton, you know, Fulton County Stadium is no longer there either. That's right.

Jordan 13:15

That's where game you know, three, four, and five would be. That's right. But five to two Minnesota win, one of two games in the series that doesn't end in a one-run game. Morris goes seven innings. It'd be a preview of what he'd do for the rest of the series and pitches extremely well. And I found this stat too. Chuck Knobloch, first World Series game of his career, and of course he played in many, three for three in an RBI, brought in the first run of the World Series.

Jerry 13:41

Yeah, he had a great game, actually. Yeah. And uh, as you mentioned, rookie of the year.

Jordan 13:45

Yes, yes, one of the one of the big acquisitions for Minnesota and helped turn it around for them.

Jerry 13:51

Yeah, the Braves could never get back. I I think one of my uh and and and because of that, Leibrandt would not get another start, even though he was chosen as the uh the first game starter. He did come in later in in relief. Yeah, and we'll we'll talk about the game six. So yeah, yeah, we'll talk about that. One of my favorite is when Dan Gladden, the the twins, runs over Greg Olson, the Braves' catcher, you know, coming home. And uh there were a couple of those in this game that were just great with the just the running into the catcher and will the catcher hold the ball. We we don't have that anymore, thanks to uh the Buster Posey rule. But back in the day, you could just barrel into the catcher and hope he dropped the ball. And Greg Olson just flips over and keeps the ball. Like a true catcher. Like a true catcher. It didn't help the Braves that much. You mentioned the twins won 5-2. That's right. That's right. So you want to move to

Game 2 And The Hrbek Lift

Jerry 14:48

game two?

Jordan 14:48

Let's do it. Let's do it. Interesting pitching matchup in game two. You got what, Tapani versus Glavine? Yes. So Tapani, who had, you know, his best who had been playing his best season of his career. And then Tom Glavine, who's the NL Cy Young winner that year. They they have their own, you know, we always talk about the, and we'll talk about the game seven, but they have their own pitchers duel through eight. And we're just going back and forth, but obviously this is do you want to do the Hrbek thing now? Do you do we want to do this now?

Jerry 15:20

Just I mean, some good homers, right? Right? Chili Davis, I think, gives him the uh Twins an early league. I one thing I do want to bring up in game t the beginnings of game two and three had almost identical poor fielding play with outfielders, David Justice. Uh I think in game two is Mark Lemke. Game three, uh, Ron Gant. And they both move towards the ball and uh it goes between them. And they both make the same fielding. I mean, again, justice is the the the common link in both of those. I'm not saying it's his fault necessarily, but they m both make these. I mean, it was really a series of these these these moments and these plays, which had they gone differently, you just had the sense that the series would have gone differently. And in two games, game two and three, both made fielding errors that that put uh put a a twin on base and and would have you know really really you know uh led to led to some some run or led to a run there eventually. So but just like my talking about the flip in game one, game two, really one of the best plays is is the the uh Kat Herbeck uh first base play. Uh go into it because you love it too.

Jordan 16:34

It it it's so hilarious looking back. It's like you watch that thing and you're every time you're like, surely they're they're gonna overturn that. At least a photo. Uh I mean, because you could just see a photo of that, but you watch that every time and you're like, surely they're gonna overturn that, right? And they don't. It's just the end of the frame. So uh yeah, you know, i Ron Gant, I guess, he he overruns, right? Overcorre and then and then he he's making his way to single. And who's throwing it back? It wasn't Kirby, right? Who w who was it that throws it back? I don't remember. But the but Minnesota makes a play in the outfield, and Ron Gant overruns.

Jerry 17:15

So they make a throw overruns, comes back into the infield, and and you're right.

Jordan 17:20

I think uh And Atlanta's down to their last out for the inning, and they throw it back to you know the great Ken Hrbek.

Jerry 17:26

Maybe they can get get uh get get him at first. Yes. Gant at first. Right. And Gant tries to get back, it goes to Hrbek. Gant gets back, but definitely gets back there. Their legs get tangled, and Herbeck literally lifts Gant off the base.

Jordan 17:44

Yeah, shows the umpire the I have the ball, he's out, and and the umpire totally goes for it and calls him out.

Jerry 17:52

He is called out even though he had clearly gotten on base, he was lifted on the base. And you you're right, it's it's an unbelievable play.

Jordan 17:58

The best part of it is it is the third out, like it's what ends the innings.

Jerry 18:03

I don't know if you could uh yeah, you should have been able to. Yeah, you would replay that today, obviously. Yes. But but it get it gets the out. And so monumental is that play that of course they had a bobblehead made of it. I was looking on eBay. Brooke is yeah, I'm No, no, no. It goes on the shelf. I want one too. I mean it's I mean, there are the expensive ones, but you can get ones for reasonably price. I've I'm uh I'm debating which bobblehead to get next. Yeah.

Jordan 18:31

I've just never seen a play like it ever. I I've never and I'm surprised that more more infielders haven't tried it to see if they can get away with it too. But I mean it's the biggest stage, and and the great Ken Hrbek, he he lifts Ron Gant and and it makes the difference, you know, and and Minnesota escapes the inning. But I just had to I had to talk about that.

Jerry 18:53

But if you The game goes and it's 2-2, you know, through much of the game after that early twins lead, the Braves come back. Tapani versus Glavine. They're going at it. And a great pitching duel. And then Scott Leius. Yes. I always remember like Dr. Zaius and Planet of the Eighth. Scott Leius.

Jordan 19:07

A rookie.

Jerry 19:08

Yeah. Homer's in the eighth. And and that that turns out to be the game-winning home run. They never come back.

Jordan 19:14

And he had only and I was looking up his his stats. He had only Homer, I don't even think he had Homered five times all season. And so yeah, had really come up big as a rookie. Chuck Knoblauch, not the only rookie coming up big for Minnesota in that series.

Atlanta Walkoffs Tie The Series

Jordan 19:27

A solid game too, too.

Jerry 19:28

And then you get to game three, which is potentially the greatest uh series. Game three is often up there with potentially the greatest game, primarily because uh it went 12 innings and it was a close one. Uh the Braves eke it out 5-4. I mean, again, you're you're you're going back to Atlanta there after the first two games. The twins are up 2-0. You know you can't go down three games. That almost never happens. Uh come back from three games. Yeah. Almost. Yeah. But but uh the stats are are certainly not in your favor. They knew they had to win. They were back home, they were excited, and so get to game three.

Jordan 20:08

First first World Series ever played in Atlanta.

Jerry 20:15

Yes, correct, but never in Atlanta.

Jordan 20:17

Correct. Atlanta's up in this game like four to one after six innings, and Minnesota claws back the great Kirby Puck ett home run uh solo shot, the seventh makes it four to two. And then uh Chili Davis in the very next inning has a two-run homer to tie it. And so it remains uh four to four until the twelfth inning. And you know, you're wondering, you know, is it is Atlanta gonna blow another game, go down three to nothing, and Mark Lemke. Mark Lemke comes up and walks it off in twelve. And yeah, honestly, like one of the I mean, we'll talk about games six and seven, but this is easily one of the three best games I'd say that was played in the series. Yeah, just like drama as it goes on. The longest game played in the series.

Jerry 21:05

The length of it, again, you do not have like nowadays, the ghost runner, the man for man that comes on, you know, at at second with extra innings. I mean, so twelve innings is is quite the quite the game for a World Series game. And uh and really Tom Kelly, the the twins manager, he had exhausted his pitch. I was just saying but and and and the homers in this game comes from i if if you were around nineties baseball and even you know, you just heard you know, Puckett and David Justice and Lonnie Smith. You do the these these names, not so much Lempe, but these are names that kind of radiate throughout nineties baseball.

Jordan 21:45

Yes. Yeah. So uh Do you get any uh Game Four? Game four. Still in Atlanta, another one run game. Atlanta takes us one three to two, and you get the game seven preview. Yes, you get Morris versus Smoke.

Jerry 22:00

Morris in his second of three games, the old man Morris against Smoltz, who, as you as you're projecting out there, he they will be the game seven matchup.

Jordan 22:10

Yeah, and John Smoltz. I mean, I don't even know how old he was at this point, but I mean this is early on in his career.

Jerry 22:16

Yeah, I think he's like 24. First ever World Series game. So he was a Tigers fan. Jack Morris was his title. That is said, he's admitted that throughout. So this was kind of a a dream. But man, you're pitching opposite your the guy you watched when you were a quote kid. Yeah, yeah.

Jordan 22:36

But yeah, Morris has a has another good outing, gives up one run, and then is replaced by it by Carl Willis, and that's when Lonnie Smith ties the game at two in the seventh inning. Smoltz, I don't I don't recall when he was taken out, but he went he went a pretty good ways too. So it really was the preview of these two, you know, going back and forth, and there was more drama, obviously, that had been extended from the night before.

Jerry 23:04

And then it ends in a very close tag. Again, Mark Lemke slides around the Brian Harper tag. So again, you know, a game of moments, really.

Jordan 23:14

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Right. And you have and you always have the it seems like in every World Series you have some obscure player, and in this case it was Jerry Willard who had who had the sacrifice fly, and you know, Mark Lemke once again as he was involved the night before he's involved in the last play in some way. He had to walk off the night before. Then he scores the the the winning run in this game. And I get I got a kick out of seeing Brian Harper just so livid. I mean, throwing his his mask on the ground, yelling at the umpire. You watch it in real time. It looks like Harper tagged him, but you watch it again, and he had just missed him. He was just delayed on him. It was a it was a great run in by Lemke there. So you have you have Atlanta now, they they went they went back home. The Braves went back to Atlanta down 2-0, and in two straight games have walk-off to tie the series. So it's amazing how series can shift just like that, you know.

Game 5 Blowout Shifts Pressure

Jerry 24:07

And then you get to game five, which was the only blowout of the series.

Jordan 24:11

And it was close after six.

Jerry 24:12

Yeah, it it really was. There was score the first three innings were scoreless, and even in the seventh, the Braves are up three, two. But, you know, you had Tom Glavine and again Kevin Tapani, and both of them kind of decompensated. Glavine lasted longer, but then in the sixth he started to falter. And eventually you had the Braves winning 14-5. It was just a a slew of runs that happened. In the seventh, the Braves scored six runs. And uh Lonnie Smith hit his third home run in three nights. So uh 17 total hits for Atlanta in that game, too. Yeah. And and and so now you have Atlanta up 3-2. What happened, you know, but you're back to Minnesota. You're back to the Metrodome, and and another extra inning game in game six, eleven innings. Uh you've got uh Steve Avery for the Braves, three days rest, and the twins Scott Erickson. Yeah.

Jordan 25:08

So you've got to feel confident if you're Minnesota having Scott Erickson. He was the 20-game winner that year for him. He was I talked to her earlier how he was second in Cy Young voting. But you're also really confident if you're Atlanta because you had just won with the walk-offs in games three and four and then just dominated game five. It's like, okay, we got off to a rough start. I'm gonna close it out

Kirby Puckett Forces Game Seven

Jordan 25:29

here. But this is the Kirby Puckett game. Kirby Puckett game.

Jerry 25:32

Is it the seventh inning stretch? Can I have my peanuts? Jordan has his Cracker Jack. He may choose to eat.

Jordan 25:38

Are they too are they too loud? Is this bag too loud?

Jerry 25:41

They probably are. That's right. You can open them, sure. I mean we're down to game six. I'll have a few. Uh I think I'll have a few here. It's down the whole bag. That's right. No, these are good. I'm gonna spoil my dinner.

Jordan 25:58

There we go.

Jerry 25:59

So you yeah, you mentioned the Kirby the Kirby Puckett game, as you like to say.

Jordan 26:04

Kirby Puckett game, and he had he he was he had struggled a little bit going into that game. But in this game, three for four, three RBIs, there was a triple he had in the first that scored the first run of the game. Defensively, my goodness. I'm trying to go in order here. Third inning, Minnesota's up two to nothing, makes one of the all-time best World Series catches uh in in history. I mean, we we uh we can all see the image of him running out to I guess it was like right in center field and catching the ball right right at the plexiglass and and just firing that thing back to first base. So I mean he was he was coming up huge offensively and defensively in that game. So he was just incredible. Obviously, in the fifth, Pendleton showed why he was the MVP that year. Two run shot to tie the game in the fifth. But then Kirby, once again, answers in the bottom frame, has a sack fly to push the lead to three to two. Ron Gant has a ties the game at three in the seventh, and that's where the game remains until the eleventh. Do we want to talk about Lebrand?

Jerry 27:20

We we talked about it.

Jordan 27:21

And the decision.

Jerry 27:25

He did not have a great outing, although he had World Series experience, whereas a lot of the uh you know, a lot of the Atlanta folks did not, and but Bobby Cox decides to bring him out as a reliever.

Jordan 27:38

And there's there's a lot of debate about, you know, it's odd it's easy to read into it now, knowing what happened. But if you look back at what Leibrandt had done to the the three, you know, scheduled batters for that inning, he had done very well against against those three in game one. In game one, the three that came up that were supposed to come up for the 11th were Kirby Puckett, Chili Davis, and Shane Mack, and they had gone 0 for 6 against him in game one. So if you look at in that sense, the decision made sense. But you also had Mike Stanton and Alejandro Pena, who hadn't allowed anything in the last few innings, but he wanted to roll with them, and we know what happened happened next. The Jack Buck call and Kirby Puckett comes up. It was, and Kirby Puckett completed. So he's gonna butt.

Jerry 28:27

Kirby Puckett's plan was to butt and get on base. Yes, yes. Chili Davis, who I think you said is on deck, said, I I love this quote. Butt my ass, hit it out, and let's go home. And so uh Kirby Puckett often takes the early pitch. He waited. He waited for uh waited for his pitch, and boy did he. And and as you said, walk off home run.

Jordan 28:49

Walk off home run, and you get Jack Buck, we'll see you tomorrow night. That's the all-time famous.

Jerry 28:55

And Jack Buck just understated, “and we'll see you tomorrow night.”

Jordan 28:58

Right, just one of the most iconic calls and and plays in World Series history.

Jerry 29:03

Kirby's running about the bases and his his arms raised, and that is the pose that if you go to Target Field in Minnesota to see a twins game, you will see his statue. I have not been to Target yet. I think Jordan and I are both kind of have a goal of going to all the stadiums. I'm about halfway done. But have you been to Target? I haven't. No, I have not. Yeah, yeah. It's Minnesota's a we've got to get up there. Brooke, let's get up there. Can I call?

Brooke 29:28

Sure. Sure.

Jerry 29:30

Brooke doesn't have a mic. She's but no, no, no, no, no. We don't have the money to fly to Minnesota. But that is what you'll see, that statue. So it takes us to that last night Game 7 classic series in the Metrodome.

Game 7 And Morris Legend

Jerry 29:44

And and we, as we mentioned before, in game four, you've got a rematch now of Jack Morris and John Smoltz. And um I think I think I've mentioned before I'm not a tremendous Smoltz fan, not for his pitching, but uh he tends to be negative on the Yankees in commentating. I think because he's bitter about the 90s and the Yankees. They did beat him twice. And and and uh but I have to say, even uh non-biased about Smoltz, uh Morris had a better mustache. We're all about mustaches. I'll agree with that. We are all about mustaches on fungus and fastball. Brooke wants to do a mustache episode and Morris Morris is you you go Morris's goes deeper. You know, yeah, not the not the brush under the cell. That's right. So Morris is Morris at least one in the mustache competition. How are you doing the game, Jordan?

Jordan 30:41

Both did extremely well. I'll say but but this was this was the Jack Morris game.

Brooke 30:47

Yeah.

Jordan 30:47

Ten innings pitched, he pitches the whole game. It does go an extra inning. We'll get there. Ten innings pitched, eight strikeouts, no runs allowed, and is one of the clutchest pitching performances of all time and sticks with everyone's brains even to this day.

Jerry 31:03

If you watch baseball as many people later in the 90s did, for home runs, this is not your game. No. This is a bottom of the tent. This is a nothing-nothing game.

Jordan 31:15

This is a nothing-nothing game until the very last hit uh until the very last pitch. The ultimate pitcher's duel, everything's on the line, game seven, and it's just the perfect way to end this already great World Series that you had gotten through six games. You have several like great defensive plays that happen as well. The one I always like, and the first thing I I told you was I love the the Herbeck Harper 3-2-3, because that's a you know, that's a rare double play. But it's it's one of the few times in that game where Morris is in trouble. You know, I mean there's there's an Atlanta runner on third base. It looks like he might in fact the bases might have been loaded. I have to check on that again. But there was for but there was either way, there was for sure an Atlanta uh runner on third, and they had only gotten one out, and it you get this 3-2-3 double play. Yeah, infield hit.

Jerry 32:12

Yeah. Right, and 3-2-3 if you know your scoring. Oh, yeah. Sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry. Three is the first baseman, two is the catcher, so it goes first base catcher back to first base.

Jordan 32:24

And that was a little bit near the end of the game, so that could have been trouble for Minnesota. But yeah, Morris just kept getting out of it, kept staying in there. They take Smoltz out around the seventh. Is it the eighth inning? Okay. The eighth inning. Right. But he goes so but I mean, credit to him. I mean, he went quite a ways too.

Jerry 32:42

And I think everyone is surprised when Morris comes out in the ninth and the tenth. I mean, again, you know, well into his thirties there. Right, right. And it's a one-two-three in it. That's right.

Jordan 32:53

That's right. Stays on fire throughout, but is the ultimate pitcher's duel, and then it sets up the tenth inning. And we have another another underdog in Gene Larkin right, who who hits the the the walk-off, you know, little blooper out there in left field and gives Minnesota their second title in five years. And man, it is just perfect. It's a perfect game. I don't I mean, not I know every baseball fan wouldn't say it. They they want to see the home runs and the run and the and they want to see a lot of runs, but for someone like me who likes a pitcher's duel, it's just the perfect game. It goes.

Jerry 33:31

It's tough to go through series on a podcast because people are like, gosh, I don't remember them, and you're going through game to game. But all the great thing is it's the 90s, so all the games are on YouTube now. You can go watch watch all these all these highlights and and and even the full games themselves. And game seven, if you love pitching, and especially now, again, you've got both of them, Smoltz and and Jack Morris in the Hall of Fame for a reason. Although Jack Smoltz, I mean uh Jack Morris waited a long time. We've critiqued the Hall of Fame and their delays iconic Tigers pitcher. Again, just one year for the for the twins. So fantastic, and it really is, and it's it's in the running. Many people feel it's the greatest series of all time.

YouTube Rewatches And Final Takeaways

Jerry 34:14

We're gonna cover other series too, so you can make your judgment if you keep listening. Uh thank you, Jordan. Thank you for coming here today. Thanks always to Brooke. For his her pants, that's enough. And this wraps up today's episode. Uh, as always, we do a shout-out, uh, and I'm gonna let Jordan shout out. Jordan, who can you assure me that you're gonna tell about that's gonna listen?

Jordan 34:41

My brother, Austin Dove, the real baseball player in the family, uh, all the way up in Louisville, Kentucky.

Jerry 34:47

All right, I'm gonna be looking at the Love you, big bro. Yeah, yeah, I can I can I can tell the cities of the listeners. I'm gonna be looking for that Louisville episode. Um, we're always happy you're listening, and I hope you keep listening. Don't forget to subscribe on your podcast platform. Uh uh watch us on video on Spotify or YouTube. And uh heading back to the locker room, this is Jerry Dynes and Fungos and Fastballs.