title: Rigid airship

text: The British Royal Navy took an early interest in rigid airships and ordered His Majesty's Airship No. 1 in 1909 from Vickers Limited at Barrow-in-Furness. It was 512 ft (156.06 m) long with two Wolseley engines. It was completed in 1911 but broke in two before its first flight and was scrapped. This caused a temporary halt to British airship development, but in 1913 an order was placed for HMA No. 9r. Due to various factors, including difficulties in acquiring the necessary materials, it was not completed until April 1917.


title: Rigid airship

text: France's only rigid airship was designed by Alsatian engineer Joseph Spiess and constructed by Société Zodiac at the Aérodrome de Saint-Cyr-l'École. It had a framework of hollow wooden spars braced with wire, and was given the name "Zodiac XII" but had the name "SPIESS" painted along the side of the envelope. It was 113 m (370 ft 9 in) long, with a diameter of 13.5 m (44 ft 3 in) and was powered by a single Chenu 200 hp engine that drove two propellers. It first flew on 13 April 1913, but it became clear that it was underpowered and required more lift, so it was lengthened to 140 m (459 ft 4 in) to accommodate three more gas cells and a second engine was added. Spiess then presented the airship to the French government as a gift. After further trials it was not accepted by the French military, because their view was that smaller non-rigid types would be more effective. The Spiess airship seems to have been broken-up in 1914.


title: Rigid airship

text: During the First World War, the Zeppelin company constructed a total of 95 military airships. These were operated by both the German Navy and the Army. German military airship stations had been established before the conflict and on September 2–3, 1914, the Zeppelin LZ 17 dropped three 200 lb bombs on Antwerp in Belgium. In 1915, a bombing campaign against England using airships was initiated, the first raid taking place on 19 January 1915 when two airships dropped bombs on Norfolk. On 31 May 1915 the first bombs fell on London. Raids continued throughout 1915 and continued into 1916. On the night of September 2–3, 1916 the first German airship was shot down over English soil by Lt. Leefe Robinson flying a BE 2c. This and subsequent successes by Britain’s defences led to the development of new Zeppelin designs capable of operating at greater altitudes, but even when these came into service the Germans only carried out a small number of airship raids on Britain during the rest of the war, carrying on the campaign using aeroplanes and reserving their airships for their primary duty of naval patrols over the North Sea and the Baltic. The last casualties occurred on 12 April 1918.


title: Rigid airship

text: The first British airship to be completed during the war was No. 9r, which was first flown at the end of 1916 and was used for experimental and training purposes. By then, the war against U-boats was at its height and 9r was quickly followed by four airships of the 23 Class, two R23X Class and two R31 Class, the last being based on the Schütte-Lanz principle of wooden construction, and remain the largest mobile wooden structures ever built. The only significant combat success of these airships, aside from their deterrent effect, was assistance in the destruction of SM "UB-115" by R29 in September 1918.


title: Rigid airship

text: By the end of the conflict, two British airships of the R33 Class were nearing completion. R33 became a civilian airship, finishing her career doing experimental work. The R34 became the first aircraft to complete a return Atlantic crossing in July 1919 but was severely damaged in January 1921 and was subsequently scrapped. R.35, a unique admiralty design, was almost finished when work was stopped in early 1919. R36 and R.37 were stretched R.35s. R.36 was completed after the war as a civilian airship registered as G-FAAF. R.36 had two engines from the German L71. Modifications for passenger service involved installing a 131 foot long combined control and passenger gondola to accommodate 50 passengers. R.36 suffered a structural failure of one horizontal and one vertical fin. It was repaired and served to aid the police in traffic control for the Ascot race in 1921. R.36 was damaged in a mooring accident in 1921, and while repaired R.36 never flew again. Retained for possible use as a commercial airship R.36 was broken up in 1926.


title: Rigid airship

text: Four airships of the R38 Class were started but only one completed: it was sold to the US Navy and renamed ZR-2. In June 1921 it broke up in the air over Kingston-upon-Hull before it could be delivered, killing 44 of its Anglo-American crew. The last airship that had been ordered amid the First World War was the R80; it was completed in 1920 but was tested to destruction in the following year after it was found to have no commercial use.


title: Rigid airship

text: After the end of the First World War I, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin resumed building and operating civilian airships. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was prohibited from building airships with a capacity in excess of , greatly limiting the company's scope. However, a pair of small passenger airships, LZ 120 "Bodensee" and a sister ship LZ 121 "Nordstern" were built, intended for use between Berlin and Freidrichshafen. They were subsequently confiscated and handed over to Italy and France as war reparations in place of wartime zeppelins which had been sabotaged by their crews in 1919. The Zeppelin company was saved from extinction by an order for an airship, the USS "Los Angeles", being placed by the US Navy; this airship conducted its first flight on 27 August 1924. The Goodyear-Zeppelin partnership would continue up until the outbreak of the Second World War.


title: Rigid airship

text: In 1924, the British Government initiated the Imperial Airship Scheme, a plan to launch airship routes throughout the British Empire. This involved the construction of two large airships, the R100 and R101, paid for by the government. The R100 was privately built by Vickers-Armstrongs using existing commercial practices, with a design team led by Barnes Wallis, who had previously co-designed the R80. After her first flight in December 1929, R100 made a successful round trip to Quebec in Canada in July and August the following year. The competing R101 was designed and built by the Air Ministry and was supposed to encourage new approaches. R101 was severely overweight, largely due to the decision to use diesel engines to reduce fire risk, and it was decided to lengthen the airship's hull to increase lift. In October 1930, R101 set off to Karachi on its first overseas flight but crashed in northern France in bad weather killing 48 of the 54 people on board, including the Secretary of State for Air and most of the design team. Following this disaster, the R100 was grounded and was finally scrapped in November 1931, marking the end of British interest in rigid airships.


title: Rigid airship

text: During 1925, the Versailles restrictions were relaxed by the Allies, enabling Dr Hugo Eckener, the chairman of Zeppelin Luftschiffbau, to pursue his vision of developing a zeppelin suitable for launching an intercontinental air passenger service. The sum of 2.5 million Reichsmarks (ℛℳ, the equivalent of US$600,000 at the time, or $ million in 2018 dollars), was raised via public subscription, while the German government also granted over ℛℳ 1 million ($ million) for the project. Accordingly, Zeppelin Lufftschiffbau began construction of the first of a new generation of airships, the LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin". On 18 September 1928, the completed airship flew for the first time. Shortly thereafter, DELAG commenced operations with the "Graf Zeppelin", being enabled to launch regular, nonstop, transatlantic flights several years before airplanes would be capable of sufficient range to cross the ocean in either direction without stopping. During 1931, the "Graf Zeppelin" began offering regular scheduled passenger service between Germany and South America, a route which was continued up until 1937. During its career, Graf Zeppelin crossed the South Atlantic a total of 136 times. The airship also performed numerous record-breaking flights, including a successful circumnavigation of the globe.


title: Rigid airship

text: The United States rigid airship program was based at Lakehurst Naval Air station, New Jersey. was the first rigid airship constructed in America, and served from 1923 to 1925, when it broke up in mid-air in severe weather, killing 14 members of its crew. was a German airship built for the United States in 1924. The ship was grounded in 1931, due to the Depression, but was not dismantled for over 5 years. A pair of large airships, the "Akron" and "Macon", that both functioned as flying aircraft carriers were procured by the US Navy. However, they were both destroyed in separate accidents. the "Akron" was flown into the sea in bad weather and broke up, resulting in the deaths of over seventy people, including one of the US Navy's proponents of airships, Rear Admiral William A. Moffett. "Macon" also ended up in the sea when it flew into heavy weather with unrepaired damage from an earlier incident, but the introduction of life-jackets following the loss of the "Akron" meant only two people died.


title: Rigid airship

text: LZ 129 "Hindenburg" carried passengers, mail and freight on regularly scheduled commercial services from Germany to North and South America. However, such services were brought to an abrupt end by the Hindenburg disaster of 1937. While the Hindenburg's sister ship, the LZ 130 "Graf Zeppelin II", was completed, it would only perform thirty European test and government-sponsored flights before being grounded permanently. During 1938, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin was compelled to terminate Zeppelin manufacturing, while all operations of existing airships was ceased within two years. The frames of "Graf Zeppelin" and "Graf Zeppelin II", along with scrap material from the "Hindenburg", were subsequently scrapped that same year for their materials, which were used to fulfil wartime demands for fixed-wing military aircraft for the "Luftwaffe".


title: Rigid airship

text: Following the "Hindenburg" disaster, the Zeppelin company resolved to use helium in their future passenger airships. However, by this time, Europe was well on the path to the Second World War, and the United States, the only country with substantial helium reserves, refused to sell the necessary gas. Commercial international aviation was limited during the war, so development of new airships was halted. Although several companies, including Goodyear, proposed post-war commercial designs, these were largely to no avail. At an Air Ministry post-war planning session in 1943, a R.104 was proposed to fulfill the Air Ministry Specification C.18/43. Despite the presence of two airship stalwarts, Nevil Shute and Wing Commander T.R. Cave-Brown-Cave the airship was not adopted. The proposed R.104 was described by Lord Beaverbrook as "A pretty face, but no good in the kitchen." The decision was to develop the Bristol Brabazon to meet C.18/43. The Brabazon was a much ballyhooed failure of the post war period. Following the rapid advances in aviation during and after World War II, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft, able to fly much faster than rigid airships, became the favoured method of international air travel.


title: Rigid airship

text: The last rigid airships designed and built were built in the 1960s. The AEREON III was constructed in Mercer County, New Jersey in the mid-1960s. It was to utilize the method of "propulsion" developed and demonstrated by Doctor Solomon Andrews in the 1860s as well as an aft mounted engine. The AEREON III, which had three side-by-side hulls, flipped over during taxi tests and was never repaired. A replacement, the AEREON 26, with a delta configuration, was constructed and flight-tested in the early 1970s. The test program ended due to the expiration of the life time of the drone engine. It was last reported hangared at the Trenton-Robbinsvile Airport in New Jersey. It is not known whether it still exists after almost 50 years.


title: Rigid airship

text: The Zeppelin company refers to their NT ship as a rigid, but the envelope shape is retained in part by super-pressure of the lifting gas, and so the NT is more correctly classified as semi-rigid.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: Before I Self Destruct is the fourth studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released November 9, 2009 on Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, Interscope Records and Universal Music Group. The album is his final solo release with Shady, Aftermath and Interscope excluding his 2017 Greatest Hits album "Best Of". A feature film, also titled "Before I Self Destruct" was also made, and is available within the album packaging.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: Initially, "Before I Self Destruct" was planned to be 50 Cent's 2007 album, for which he confirmed he had already completed 12 songs. However, he decided to release "Curtis" instead, and thus "Before I Self Destruct"'s release date was originally pushed back to 2008. In a red carpet interview 50 Cent stated that while he was working on the album, he wrote, produced, and directed his first film saying that the release of the film would coincide with the release of the album. Though a track list appeared in early January 2009, 50 Cent later stated he reworked much of the album. Another track stated to be on the album, though not officially confirmed as a single, entitled "Crime Wave" was released in late October 2009.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: The album's release date was initially announced to be February 4, 2008, but later moved to March 2008, due to the release date of "Curtis" being pushed up to September 2007. However it was later revealed, in an interview with Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks, that the album was scheduled to be released during the 4th quarter of 2008, with 50 Cent himself later stating that the album was due to be released December 9, 2008.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: MTV later reported that the album would instead be released in 2009, with February 3 being the date 50 Cent himself confirmed. Though it was later pushed back to March 2009, with March 24 being set as the day, until he later confirmed that mentor and labelmate Eminem's album, "Relapse", was going to be released before his own. 50 Cent then told MTV that he would release the album in June, with the date being changed once again as he decided to retool parts of the album once Eminem's "Relapse" was completed. However, the album was pushed back to a Fall 2009 release, with September being the specific month.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", 50 Cent stated that the album will be out "second week of September, I'll be back on the streets baby", with the date later stated to be specifically September 11, which at the time, was the release date of Jay-Z's "The Blueprint 3". However, these reports were later contradicted by MTV, when they stated that 50 Cent exclusively confirmed the release date as September 29, 2009. The album was later officially confirmed to have been pushed back again by 50 Cent, who claimed November 3, 2009 as the newly confirmed release date, but this was once again changed to November 17, 2009. However, in October 2009, the album was pushed back a week to make the release date November 24, 2009. Universal has pushed several albums forward to November 23, 2009, including "Before I Self Destruct".


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: 50 stated that because the album leaked and the good response it got, he will release the album a week earlier, on November 16. The album was released exclusively on the iTunes Store on November 9 at 12:00am, while the physical copy was released in stores on November 16. Since the album was released digitally a week ahead of the physical copy, Interscope records requested that "Billboard" and Nielsen SoundScan uphold a rule instituted in 2008 where a label may ask Nielsen SoundScan to hold the digital sales count of an album for up to one week, and for "Billboard" to delay charting that album, when a leak results in a digital album beating its physical counterpart to brick and mortar stores.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: 50 Cent told MTV that he named the album "Before I Self Destruct" because "it could potentially happen." 50 Cent described the album as "darker" and more "aggressive" than his previous album and stated, "hands down, [it] will be the best record of that time period".


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: When speaking of producers and guests for the album, 50 Cent has stated Rich Harrison will be producing for the album, as well as Kanye West, though his track will not be featured. Other producers that have stated they will be working on the project include Sha Money XL and Ty-Fyffe, who posted his listening session on YouTube, Swizz Beatz, after not having any tracks make the final cut of "Curtis", DJ Premier with a track entitled "Shut Your Bloodclot Mouth", and Dawaun Parker, who has stated he is featured on the single "I Get It In".


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: In contrast to "Curtis", 50 Cent explained that fans "should not expect to see guest appearances like you saw on "Curtis"". He also described "Before I Self Destruct" as an entirely different concept, which will set up "the next batch of records" in his career. After 50 Cent's collaboration with Akon on "I'll Still Kill", which appeared on "Curtis", Akon stated that 50 Cent and himself would be working on each other's upcoming albums due to the successful experience they developed while working on "Curtis", and that, when working on songs, "Whoever’s album it feel right on, that’s where we gonna put it".


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: In an interview, Timbaland stated that he has worked with 50 Cent, but he did not know which albums ("Curtis" and "Before I Self Destruct") the collaborations would end up on. This song was released on May 18, 2010, for internet download and is titled "You Should Be Dead". This song gained popularity and is a constant source of debate as to why it was not featured on the album. The Koalition website stated "It truly is amazing how 50 Cent’s leftover tracks are better than most rapper’s singles. A perfect example of this is You Should Be Dead".


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: A producer J.R. Rotem also spoke about working on the album, saying that 50 Cent is into "soulful" music, and he sat down and gave him numerous tacks and that on this album, 50 Cent was "[trying] to bring a very powerful new sound", and that is would be a "remarkable project". Play-N-Skillz also confirmed working with 50 Cent for the BISD project, saying:


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: The album's intended lead single, "Get Up" was released for digital download on October 13, 2008, after earlier being released through 50 Cent's official Internet community ThisIs50.com. The song features production from American record producer Scott Storch, and peaked at number 44 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The music video was released to Vevo on June 16, 2009. The intended second promotional single, "I Get It In", was released in early January 2009, with production credited to Dr. Dre. The song peaked at number 53 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. However, neither track appeared on the album, largely due to delays the album encountered.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: The album's eventual lead promotional single, "OK, You're Right", was released for digital download on May 19, 2009, after originally being included on 50 Cent's seventh solo mixtape "War Angel LP" (2009). The song features production from Dr. Dre, with co-production from Mark Batson. However, the song under-performed commercially, peaking at only number 20 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in America. The album's lead single, "Baby by Me", was released for digital download on September 10, 2009. The song features American R&B singer Ne-Yo, and is produced by American record producer Polow da Don. The song peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked in the upper regions of several national charts worldwide. The song features a sample from an earlier 50 Cent song, "I Get Money".


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: The album's second single, "Do You Think About Me", was released for digital download on January 16, 2010. The song features uncredited vocals from R&B singer Governor, and is produced by record producer Rockwilder. However, the song was one of 50 Cent's least commercially successful singles to date, only peaking at number 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in America. During an interview with MTV, 50 Cent announced that the third single to be released will be "Get It Hot". Shortly after this announcement, 50 Cent confirmed with MTV that "a visual" will be released for "So Disrespectful". However this did not materialize.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: The album sold 160,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number five on the "Billboard" 200. Due to the album leaking on October 28, nearly four weeks ahead of the original release date of November 23, the album was released exclusively to iTunes on November 9, and was physically released in stores on November 16, a week later. Due to this unique circumstance, 50 Cent's label Interscope requested that Billboard and Nielson Soundscan delay charting the album for a week, so the first week digital sales were added to the total number of albums sold between November 16 and 22. The album sold 46,000 copies during its iTunes exclusive week, meaning that 114,000 copies were sold between November 16 and 22.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: The album fell 15 spots to number 20 on the "Billboard" chart in its second week, selling 66,000 copies. The album fell 20 spots to number 40 in its third week, with sales of 30,000. The album sold 23,000 units in its fourth week, falling to number 64 on the "Billboard" 200. The album sold 26,000 copies in its fifth week to land at number 67 on the chart, and continued to slowly increase in sales during the holiday season for its sixth week, landing at number 61 on the "Billboard" charts with sales of 29,000. In the seventh week the album sold 15,000 copies to land at number 42 on the "Billboard" 200. "Before I Self Destruct" ended as the 111th best selling album of 2009, with year-end sales of 350,000.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: Moving into 2010, "Before I Self Destruct" sold 8,800 in its eighth week, placing it at number 57. In its ninth week it sold 7,300 moving down to number 68. In its tenth week it sold 6,800 placing it at number 73 on the "Billboard" 200. In its eleventh week it sold 6,600 copies to land at number 89 on the "Billboard" 200. The album saw an increase in sales in its twelfth week with 8,500 copies sold, to land at number 73. It sold 8,100 copies in its 13th week to land at number 99 on the "Billboard" 200. In its 14th week the album sold 7,000 copies to land at number 87 on the Billboard 200 chart. In its 15th week the album sold 8,400 copies to land at number 64 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. In its 16th week the album sold 5,800 copies to land at number 106 on the Billboard 200 chart. In its 17th week the album sold 5,000 copies to land at number 129 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In its 18th week the album sold 4,300 copies to land at number 132 on the Billboard 200 chart. In its 19th week the album sold 3,700 copies to land at number 154 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In its 20th week the album sold 3,600 copies to land at number 182 on the "Billboard" 200 albums chart. In its 21st week the album sold 2,500 copies, which was not enough to land in the "Billboard" Top 200 albums chart. However, it landed at number 188 in the Top 200 Current Albums Chart. This was the last week the album would chart on the Billboard 200 or Billboard Top Current Albums Chart.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: It was ranked 67th on the Billboard Year-End for 2010. The album was certified gold for sales of 500,000 units.


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: "Before I Self Destruct" has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 15 reviews. AllMusic called it "a fantastic juggernaut of a 50 album if you exit early, and a very good one even if you don't". "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that "Growling violent threats over hard beats, 50 sounds the hungriest he has in years. Of course, there’s nothing remotely original about the formula he’s returning to, but at least he’s going through the motions with gusto". "The A.V. Club" said that, "If Destruct qualifies as a pleasant surprise, it’s only because 50 Cent’s last few releases set the bar so low. Still, for the first time since The Massacre, it’s once again intermittently fun to root for the bad guy" "Pitchfork" wrote that, "After initially promising a return to form, 50 doesn't have the ability or initiative to hold the listener's interest over the long run." PopMatters said that, "With surprisingly little filler, renewed energy, and the unique glimpse Before I Self Destruct offers into the psyche of a public figure as intriguing as Curtis Jackson, 50 Cent has crafted easily his best album since "Get Rich or Die Trying."


title: Before I Self Destruct

text: In a mixed review, "Rolling Stone" magazine called it "an album where 'Got more guns than a gun store' passes for wordplay — but that's how 50 sticks to basics". Greg Kot of the "Chicago Tribune" wrote that, "about halfway through the album, 50 Cent detours from the street to the bedroom." "The New York Times" wrote, "Taken as a whole this album has a pleasingly morbid tone, in keeping with the best moments from 50 Cent’s first two albums. But context is this album’s undoing." Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo stated, ""Before I Self Destruct" plays as a prudent step back ... the album possesses a sense of latent menace that's been left unexplored since his early mixtapes." Marc Hogan of "Spin" criticized 50 Cent's rapping on the album's first half and stated, "The last several tracks shift to the club -- sometimes smoothly (baby-making Ne-Yo duet 'Baby By Me'), more often not (baby-mama dis 'Do You Think About Me')". MSN Music's Robert Christgau gave the album a "dud" rating (), indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Vnukovo, formally Vnukovo Andrei Tupolev International Airport (named after Andrei Tupolev) () , is a dual-runway international airport located in Vnukovo District, southwest of the centre of Moscow, Russia. It is one of the four major airports that serve Moscow, along with Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky. In 2019, the airport handled 24.01 million passengers, representing an increase of 12% compared to the previous year. It is the tenth-busiest airport in Europe.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Vnukovo is Moscow's oldest operating airport. It was opened and used for military operations during the Second World War, but became a civilian facility after the war. Its construction was approved by the Soviet government in 1937, because the older Khodynka Aerodrome (located much closer to the city centre, but closed by the 1980s) was becoming overloaded. Vnukovo was built by several thousand inmates of Likovlag, a Gulag concentration camp created specifically for this purpose, and opened on 1 July 1941. During the Great Patriotic War, it was used as a military airbase; passenger services started after the war.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: On 15 September 1956, the Tupolev Tu-104 jetliner made its first passenger flight from Moscow Vnukovo to Irkutsk via Omsk.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: On 4 November 1957, a plane carrying Romanian Workers' Party officials, including the most prominent politicians of Communist Romania (Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Chivu Stoica, Alexandru Moghioroș, Ştefan Voitec, Nicolae Ceauşescu, Leonte Răutu, and Grigore Preoteasa), was involved in an accident at Vnukovo Airport. Preoteasa, who was minister of foreign affairs at the time, was killed, as was the aircraft's crew. Several others were seriously injured.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The first passenger flights of the IL-18 (Moscow to Alma-Ata on 20 April 1956) and Tu-114 (Moscow to Khabarovsk on 24 April 1961) were also made from Vnukovo Airport. In 1980, Vnukovo was expanded because of the 22nd Summer Olympic Games. In 1993, Vnukovo Airport became a joint-stock company.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: A massive reconstruction and strategic development programme commenced at Vnukovo International in late 2003, following the transfer by the federal government of the controlling stake in the airport to the government of Moscow.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: As part of the Airport Strategic Development Plan, these projects were completed between 2003 and 2005:


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Of the three Moscow airports, Vnukovo is the highest ( above sea level), so in case of fog, it has frequently served as an alternative airport.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The airfield has two intersecting runways of and in length. Each runway is wide, with 10 m-wide safety shoulders on each side. The joint runway capacity is 60 aircraft movements per hour. Runway 24 is mostly used for departures, while Runway 01 is for landings.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The airport has two passenger terminals (Terminal A and Terminal B), one general aviation terminal (for charter and business flights), one cargo terminal, and 60 aircraft stands.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The airport can handle a maximum of 10,100 passengers per hour, and 4,000 people are employed there. In 2013, the airport handled almost 11.18 million passengers, representing a 15.3% increase compared to 2012. In February 2014 the airport handled 722,500 passengers, an increase of 23.8% compared to February 2013, partly attributed to expansion by Utair.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Vnukovo Airport is equipped with a VIP hall, which is used by many political leaders and important people visiting Russia. The Russian President also uses Vnukovo's VIP facility. The Tupolev airliner rework facility is located at the edge of the airport, and major overhaul and modification programmes are carried out in several large aircraft hangars. On the northern perimeter of the airport, the government VIP transport wing is located, operating head-of-state flights for high-ranking government officials. Thus, the airport is occasionally closed for regular flights when VIP flights arrive or depart.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The prospective development programme was intended to last until 2015, and was aimed at transforming Vnukovo International into a highly competitive air transportation hub of international significance – one that would offer a comprehensive range of quality services to both its passengers and its tenant carriers.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: A new international passenger Terminal A will have a total floor space of and passenger throughput capacity of 7,800 passengers per hour, making a total capacity of 18–20 million passengers annually. This will open up many opportunities for the tenant airlines to expand and improve the quality of their customer service at the airport, and ensure the introduction of international-quality service and comfort overall. The sprawling terminal building will be located on the site of the existing domestic passenger terminal, and will also serve as a springboard for the subsequent development of the entire adjacent landside area both next to the terminal and further out towards Vnukovo Settlement. The oldest of the Vnukovo passenger terminals, dating back to 1941, will be demolished by the time construction of the new one goes ahead (it was started to be dismantled in November 2005). The existing domestic Terminal 2, built in the late 1970s, will continue in operation until its eventual demolition during the final phase of construction and replacement with the new terminal.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The expansion plans include lengthening one of the two V-configured runways ( and long) to and upgrading the instrument landing system from the present CAT II to CAT III. The existing taxiways are to be extended as part of the expansion and new ones will also be built, along with a brand new control tower, an extension to the cargo terminal, and a multistory car park.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Terminal A is the only terminal used both for domestic and international flights. Terminals B and D are out of service as of October 2017.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Aeroexpress direct line connects Vnukovo Airport and Kiyevsky Rail Terminal in Moscow city centre was opened in August 2005. One-way journey costs 500 rubles (420 rubles for online purchase) (as of November 2017). The journey takes 35 minutes.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Moscow city can be reached by the municipal Mosgortrans bus lines: 611 - reaches two consecutive stations (Troparyovo and Yugo-Zapadnaya) of Moscow Metro Sokolnicheskaya Line, 611k () reaches only the nearest Salaryevo station of Moscow Metro Sokolnicheskaya Line, but avoids the often congested crossing with MKAD road; nearby Rumyantsevo station is only easily accessible on the way to the airport, not away from it. The fare is 50 rubles (as of September, 2016; eq. to 0.77 US$), travel time 20-35 min. by schedule. Private marshrutka line 45 also serves this direction. One-way journey costs 150 rubles (as of February 2016; eq. to 2 US$). Due to heavy traffic in Moscow, journey takes 15 minutes to 1 hour.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: Several taxi services to Moscow city and suburbs are available at the airport. Uber, Gett, Yandex.Taxi and local transportation network companies offer flat rate trips to anywhere in Moscow.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The Government of Moscow, as a part of metro line 8 (Kalininsko-Solntsevskaya) expansion, plans to open a Metro station to serve the airport. It is scheduled to be completed in 2023 as a new terminus station from Rasskazovka.


title: Vnukovo International Airport

text: The airport is co-owned by the Russian state and Russian businessman Vitaly Vantsev and his partners. In March 2018, Qatar Airways announced plans to buy a 25 percent stake in Vnukovo Airport.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: Karim Adil Ansarifard (; born 3 April 1990) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Omonia and the Iran national team. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Ali Daei (the coach who scouted him) and he has been named Daei's "successor".


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: "World Soccer" selected Ansarifard as one of the best young talents in the world alongside Javier Hernández and Jack Wilshere. In January 2012, FIFA.com selected him as one of the players to watch in 2012. "Goal.com" also chose him as one of the hottest 100 young football players in the world. Also in 2012, FIFA ranked him as the 48th best goalscorer in the world and second best in Asia.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: During one of Saipa's training camps in Ardabil, Karim's home city, he was taken on a training trial by then-coach Ali Daei and was accepted into the club's youth academy and reserves. In the 2007 season Saipa the Iranian reigning champions encountered problems in scoring after the departure of Mohsen Khalili and retirement of then-coach Ali Daei. After 12 weeks Ali Daei moved Ansarifard to the first team from the reserves and the young starlet answered the coach's faith with good games including the only goal against a strong Sepahan team. Ansarifard scored 13 goals during the 2009–10 season. After strong performances, Karim became fast one of the best players of Saipa and targeted by European clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Celtic. Later, Steaua București made a €200,000 bid for a half season loan. In May 2011, it was suggested that Everton are interested in signing Ansarifard. Despite major interest from European clubs, conscription problems made the prospect of Ansarifard moving to a foreign club unlikely. Ansarifard renewed his contract with Saipa for another two years on 14 July 2011. In the 2011–12 Iranian Pro League season, Ansarifard scored 21 goals and made 5 assists for Saipa, becoming the league's top scorer.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: There was much speculation during the 2011–12 Iranian Pro League season that Ansarifard would be leaving Saipa. On 17 June 2012 he signed a three-years contract with Persepolis. He was given the number 9 shirt. He scored his first goal in a pre-season match against Aluminium. He made his debut for Persepolis in an official match against Sanat Naft and scored his first goal for Persepolis against Gahar Zagros. He scored his first Hat-trick as a Persepolis player (and second in his career) against Paykan. He scored another hat-trick in the Round of 32 of Hazfi Cup at Malavan. He also scored the Persepolis' first goal in the Hazfi Cup final. His team would go on to lose on penalties. At the start of the season, Ansarifard initially decided to stay at Persepolis despite bids from Sepahan, Tractor and two UAE Pro League sides. However, he fell out with club head coach Ali Daei during pre-season. He was out listed and was eventually transferred to Tractor on 14 July 2013.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: After Persepolis listed him in the out of the squad, he decided to play another season in Iran and joined Tractor. He signed a one-year contract with the option of a transfer to the European leagues in the case of bids. He made his debut on 1 August 2013 in a 1–1 draw in Tabriz derby over Gostaresh Foolad. He won Hazfi Cup title with Tractor and was named as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Ansarifard scored seventeen goals for "Tabriz's reds" during his spell at the team, fourteen goals was in the league, making him the season's top scorer for the second time in his professional career. In July 2014 Ansarifard was released by Tractor and was allowed to sign with a European club.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 29 August 2014, Ansarifard signed a two-year deal with Segunda División's CA Osasuna. He made his league debut on 4 October 2014, coming on as a substitute for Roberto Torres in the 61st minute against Racing de Santander. He made his first start on 18 October in a 3–2 win against CD Tenerife.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: In the summer of 2015, Ansarifard signed with Panionios in the Superleague Greece. He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 win over Panetolikos on 3 October 2015. He scored the winning goal on 7 November 2015 in a match against Platanias. On 28 November 2015, Ansarifard scored a brace and helped Panionios win against PAS Giannina 2–0. His solo goal in April 2016 during matchday 28 in a victory against PAOK earned him goal of the week honours.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: In May 2016, Ansarifard, whose contract was due to run out at the end of next season, was offered to PAOK but the 26-year old international was not on top of Eagles' shortlist at the time. He started the 2016–17 season as the indisputable leader of club's offence. On 10 September 2016, he scored his first goal for the season in a 3–0 home win against rivals Asteras Tripolis.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 13 January 2017, Ansarifard signed a 3.5-year contract with Greek giants Olympiacos for a transfer fee of €400,000, Panionios held a 10% sell-on clause. He was assigned the number 17. On 24 January 2017, he made his first appearance for the club in a Greek Cup 1–1 away draw against Aris, scoring his first goal to equalise the game.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: Ansarifard made his league debut on 11 February 2017 in a 2–0 win against AEL, coming on as a late second-half substitute. On 23 February 2017, Karim scored a brace in his second Europa League game against Osmanlıspor. With Karim's goals Olympiacos advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2012. Karim won the UEFA Europa League Player of the week due to his performance against Osmanlıspor.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: Ansarifard scored his first league goal for Olympiacos on 12 March 2017 in a 2–0 victory against Atromitos. On 19 August 2017, on the first match day of the Greece Super League Ansarifard scored and assisted a goal in his team's 4–1 victory. After helping the Greek giants to a league title, he was unexpectedly left off the UEFA Champions League squad by new manager Besnik Hasi, who put the forward up for sale. On 14 October 2017, he scored a brace against his old club, in an Olympiacos 4–3 away win. On 2 December 2017, he scored a brace sealing a 3–1 home win against Apollon Smyrnis.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 9 December 2017, he bagged a goal and giving an assist to Kostas Fortounis for his second goal in the game, in a glorious 4–1 away Superleague win against Panetolikos.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 24 December 2017, Ansarifard's exceptional performance with Olympiacos sparked what has arguably become the best year of his career. The Albanian manager was fired in late September for poor results and Ansarifard has been able to work himself back into the starting lineup, becoming the league's top scorer thus far with seven goals from 11 matches, being the 6th best Asian player in Europe for the season according to "Football Tribe Asia".


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 7 January 2018, he scored in a 3–0 away win game against AEL, helping his club to achieve the 7th successive win in his rally to gain the 8th consecutive title. On 15 January 2018, he scored after an assist from Guillaume Gillet sealing a 2–0 home win game against Lamia. On 21 January 2018,


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: Ansarifard was on target in the 26th and 57th minutes for Óscar García’s Superleague leaders, chalked up their ninth win in a row with a straightforward 3–0 home victory over 10-man Xanthi at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. He was named MVP of the game. On 28 January 2018, equalised a 1–1 away game against Asteras Tripolis with a penalty kick, when Asteras Tripolis’ former Panathinaikos defender Kostas Triantafyllopoulos brought him down in the box.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 4 February 2018, he opened the score in a frustrating 2–1 home loss against rivals AEK Athens stayed behind in the rally for the 2017–18 title. On 31 March 2018, he scored with a cool finish from an exquisite Leonardo Koutris pass in a 1–1 away draw against Levadiakos. On 16 April 2018, opened the score in an emphatic 5–1 home win against Kerkyra. On 29 April, he scored a brace in a 4–0 home win game against Panetolikos, struggling with PAOK's forward Aleksandar Prijović for the title of top scorer. Ansarifard's contract was cancelled by Olympiacos after their 2017–18 season.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 3 November 2018, it was announced that Ansarifard had signed for Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship after delays obtaining a work permit. The Iranian international penned a one-and-a-half-year contract at the City Ground. He made his debut for the club coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Sheffield United on 3 November. Ansarifard scored his first goal in a 3–0 win at home to Hull City, also assisting the first goal.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 25 August 2020, Ansarifard signed a three-year contract with Greek Super League club AEK Athens. On 1 October 2020, he scored the winning goal in the 90+4 minute, to achieve a 2–1 win against Wolfsburg in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League play-off round.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 22 November 2020, Ansarifard came in as a substitute and helped to a 4–1 home win against AEL. The following week, he scored in a 2–1 away win against Asteras Tripolis. On 13 December 2020, he scored a brace in a dramatic 4–3 away win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 11 January 2021, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Lamia.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 8 March 2021, he scored a brace in a 2–0 home win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 11 April 2021, he scored with a penalty in a 3–1 away win against Aris Thessaloniki. On 22 July 2021, he opened the score for the club in the UEFA Europa Conference League, but AEK faced a frustrated away loss with 2–1 against FK Velež Mostar. On 24 October 2021, he opened the score in a 3–1 away win against Volos.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 30 August 2022, Ansarifard joined Cypriot First Division club Omonia on a two-year contract, with the option of an additional year. On 18 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 home win against Paralimni.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: On 6 October, he opened the score in an eventual 2–3 home defeat to Manchester United in the Europa League. This made Ansarifard, Omonia's 100th player to score in a European competition.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: Ansarifard was Invited to the Iran U17 national team in 2005. In 2006 AFC U-17 Championship, he wore number 14 and was a benchwarmer. Ansarifard played as a substitute in two matches against Tajikistan and Yemen.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: Ansarifard made his debut for the senior Iran national team in a match against Iceland in November 2009 under Afshin Ghotbi and scored his first international goal and the only goal of the game. He was given the number 10 previously worn by Ali Daei and scored on 15 January 2011 his third international goal against North Korea, so Ansarifard became Iran's youngest ever goalscorer in the AFC Asian Cup. In 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, Ansarifard scored a double against Maldives at Azadi Stadium. He came on as a late substitute against Uzbekistan in the World Cup Qualifiers and assisted with a pass for Mohammad Reza Khalatbari as a 94th-minute winner. On 1 June 2014, he was called into Iran's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad by Carlos Queiroz. He played his first World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, coming on as a substitute for Ashkan Dejagah in the 68th minute. He was called into Iran's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad on 30 December 2014 by Carlos Queiroz. He provided an assist to Sardar Azmoun in their Asian Cup preparation match against Iraq. In May 2018 he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He scored a penalty against Portugal with a 1–1 as the result.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: He has been compared to Iranian legend Ali Daei and German forward Thomas Müller by his fans. His favourite player is Fernando Torres. He is a centre forward with great energy and impressive in both air and ground. He played as a right winger in first season for Saipa but in next seasons returned to his main position.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: Ansarifard is the last child of an Iranian Azerbaijani family and has three brothers and three sisters. He studied physical education at Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch.


title: Karim Ansarifard

text: In August 2018, Ansarifard married Greek businesswoman Alexandra Sofia Kalouli at a ceremony held in Vouliagmeni. Kalouli is the managing director of the Innovative Maritime Emotional Intelligence Center (IMEQ Center), a mental health research center with offices in Cyprus and Greece.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The 1991 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) held after the 1991 season. The 88th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Minnesota Twins (95–67) and the National League (NL) champion Atlanta Braves (94–68). The Twins defeated the Braves four games to three to win the championship, their second in Minnesota and third overall. The series was also unique because of the standings of the two participating teams in the previous season: both finished the 1990 season in last place; before 1991, no league champion had ever finished the previous season in last place.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In 2003, ESPN selected this championship as the "Greatest of All Time" in their "World Series 100th Anniversary" countdown, with five of its games decided by a single run, four decided in the final at-bat and three going into extra innings. In addition to the suspense of the outcome of many of its games, the Series had other highlights. For example, the series-deciding seventh game was a scoreless tie (0–0) through the regular nine innings, and went into extra innings; Minnesota won 1–0 in the 10th inning, with their starting pitcher, Jack Morris, pitching a complete game. Morris was named the MVP for the series. A number of other outlets regard the 1991 World Series as one of the greatest ever.


title: 1991 World Series

text: With 69 innings in total, the 1991 World Series shares the record for longest seven-game World Series in terms of innings that had been set with the 1924 World Series (the 1912 World Series, a best-of-nine series, logged the most innings ever, at 75).


title: 1991 World Series

text: Three years after their 1987 World Series championship, the Minnesota Twins went 74–88 in 1990 to finish last in the American League West for the first time since 1982. However, in 1991, thanks to breakout seasons from pitchers such as Scott Erickson and Kevin Tapani and a Rookie of the Year-winning performance from second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, the Twins won their division by eight games over the Chicago White Sox. They defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the American League Championship Series to advance to the Fall Classic.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Following a late-season collapse in 1983, the Atlanta Braves had a string of seven consecutive losing seasons and finished last in the National League West three times in a row from 1988 to 1990. However, in 1991, after having a 39–40 record at the All-Star break, the Braves surged in the second half to win the division title on the penultimate day of the season. Aided by MVP third baseman Terry Pendleton and Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine, 1991 was the franchise's best season since 1957. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games in the National League Championship Series to win their first National League pennant since 1958.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The 1991 World Series was notable for several grueling contests, with five of its games decided by one run (three of which in extra innings; including the third game, a 12-inning marathon that saw Twins manager Tom Kelly run out of hitters).


title: 1991 World Series

text: The ceremonial first pitch of the series was thrown by retired AL umpire Steve Palermo, who had been forced into early retirement when he was seriously injured by gunshot while coming to the aid of a robbery victim in Dallas on July 7, 1991. After the pitch, the Twins' Al Newman returned the ball to Palermo and the series umpires jogged to the mound to exchange well wishes.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Twins started their ace, Minnesota native Jack Morris. In his first season with his hometown team, the future Hall of Famer won 18 games, recorded a 3.43 ERA (16th best in the American League), and pitched ten complete games. He was also one of the few starting pitchers in the series on either side with prior experience; seven years earlier, as the ace of the Detroit Tigers, Morris won two games in the 1984 World Series and helped lead Detroit to its most recent world championship. He also had recorded two victories in the ALCS over the Toronto Blue Jays.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Braves countered with Charlie Leibrandt, the only Brave with Series exposure. Before joining the Braves in 1990, Leibrandt was a member of the Kansas City Royals for six seasons and had won 17 games for their 1985 World Series champion squad. Thus he was also the only Braves starter who had previously faced several members of the Twins lineup, including Dan Gladden, Kirby Puckett, and Kent Hrbek. In 1991, Leibrandt was 15–13 with a 3.49 ERA. His win total was third on the team behind Tom Glavine and Steve Avery. In the NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Leibrandt pitched in Game 5 and recorded a no-decision.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Minnesota scored first in the bottom of the third. With two out, leadoff hitter Dan Gladden walked and then stole second. Rookie second baseman Chuck Knoblauch then singled to drive him in, but was caught in a rundown in between first and second and tagged out to end the inning. Manager Tom Kelly later said that he wanted Knoblauch to take the turn around first to draw the throw away from the plate and allow the run to score. The Twins added three more runs in the fifth, as Kent Hrbek led off with a double, Scott Leius singled and shortstop Greg Gagne hit a three-run shot. Leibrandt was pulled from the game after the home run, and reliever Jim Clancy promptly allowed Gladden and Knoblauch to reach base on an error and a walk. Gladden reached third on a fly ball by Kirby Puckett for the first out, and after Knoblauch stole second Chili Davis was put on intentionally. Twins catcher Brian Harper then lifted a fly ball to left field that was caught for the second out. Gladden tagged again and tried to score, running over Atlanta catcher Greg Olson in the process, but Olson held onto the ball for the third out even though Gladden flipped him so hard that he momentarily stood on his head.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Braves broke through against Morris in the top of the sixth, as Jeff Treadway and David Justice reached base with two out. Ron Gant then followed with a single that Gladden misplayed, which scored Treadway and left runners at second and third. Morris got out of the jam by striking out Sid Bream to end the inning, and the Twins added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning as Hrbek homered off Clancy.


title: 1991 World Series

text: After walking the first two batters to lead off the eighth, Morris was pulled from the game in favor of Mark Guthrie, who induced a double play off the bat of Terry Pendleton. After Guthrie walked Justice, Twins closer Rick Aguilera came into the game and gave up a hit to Gant. The hit drove in Lonnie Smith from third base, and the run was charged to Morris. It was the last run scored, as the Twins won 5–2 with Aguilera picking up the four-out save.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Morris's win was his third World Series win in as many starts, as he won Games 1 and 4 of the 1984 Series. Leibrandt's poor performance resulted in his being removed from the rotation, although he did pitch in Game 6, facing just one batter and giving up the game-winning home run to Puckett.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The pitching matchup featured 1991 National League Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine against the Twins' 16-game winner and number two starter, Kevin Tapani. Tapani had the lowest ERA of the Twins' rotation, 2.99, while Glavine led the Braves in wins with 20. In their respective League Championship Series, Tapani had not pitched particularly well having lost Game 2 and giving up five early runs in Game 5. Glavine lost his NLCS starts in Games 1 and 5, giving up a total of six runs.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Leading off the bottom of the first, Gladden lifted a seemingly routine pop-up toward second base. Atlanta fielders Justice and Mark Lemke miscommunicated and collided, and the ball fell from Lemke's glove. Gladden reached second on a two-base error. After walking Knoblauch, Glavine induced Puckett to ground to third, where Pendleton stepped on the bag to retire Gladden and threw across to Sid Bream to retire Puckett for the double play. But the next batter, Davis, homered off Glavine and gave the Twins an early 2–0 lead.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Braves got a run back in the top of the second when Justice singled, was doubled to third by Bream, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Brian Hunter. Controversy occurred the next inning when Lonnie Smith reached first on an error by Scott Leius. With two outs, Gant ripped a single to left. Smith, playing for a record fourth team in World Series play, tried to beat the throw to third from Gladden, which was wild and missed third baseman Leius. Smith took third, but Gant was caught between bases trying to advance on the throw. Tapani, backing up the play, fielded Gladden's throw and threw back to first. Gant headed back to the base standing up but off balance, and in the process became entangled with Hrbek, who continued to apply the tag. Gant lost touch with first base so first base umpire Drew Coble called Gant out. A furious Gant and first base coach Pat Corrales argued to no avail. Coble said in an interview conducted for the home video recap of the series that, in his view, Gant was not in control of his body when he returned to the base, that his own momentum caused him to get entangled with Hrbek, and that he fell off the base. He explained, "everybody watches the feet on the replays, but if you watch his upper body, he's falling over and in my judgment his momentum after he hit the bag carried him on and off." Hrbek said that Gant fell on him and pushed him. Tom Kelly said that Gant would not have had a problem if he had slid into the bag. This call was ranked as one of the top ten worst baseball calls by both ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Hrbek became a hated figure in Atlanta, was lustily booed, and even received a death threat. In 2011, the Twins celebrated the 20th anniversary of the controversial play by commissioning a bobblehead doll of Hrbek and Gant entangled, a promotion that proved popular with Twins fans.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Braves tied the game in the fifth when Olson doubled, advanced to third on a groundout by Lemke, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Rafael Belliard. The game stayed tied into the eighth. In the top half, Belliard got a leadoff hit on a bunt single, and after a sacrifice, Pendleton beat out an infield hit. But Tapani got Gant out on a foul popup and Justice on a fly out to end the threat. Kelly remembered seeing a tape of the game that showed Glavine in disbelief that Atlanta was unable to score, and felt that Glavine's emotions took over. Immediately in the bottom half, the unheralded Leius drilled Glavine's first pitch into the left-field seats for what proved to be the game-winning home run.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Both starting pitchers stayed in the game through eight innings and were quite effective, giving up just five runs combined (three earned). Rick Aguilera earned the save for the Twins, and the Series headed to Atlanta with the Twins leading two games to none.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In what is considered one of the greatest World Series games ever played, the Braves outlasted the Twins in a thrilling 12-inning battle in the first World Series game played in the Deep South. This game matched Minnesota's 20-game winner Scott Erickson against Atlanta's late-season hero Steve Avery. In the NLCS, Avery had not allowed a run to the Pirates in innings of work, winning Game 2 and Game 6 and garnering series MVP honors. Erickson made one start in the ALCS, taking a no decision in Game 3.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Going into the three games in Atlanta, Twins manager Tom Kelly said that managing without the designated-hitter rule was "right up there with rocket science".


title: 1991 World Series

text: In a play reminiscent of Game 2, Dan Gladden led off the game by reaching on a fielding mistake. He lifted a fly ball toward right-center field where David Justice and Ron Gant both went to catch it, but neither called for the ball and it dropped between them. Gladden reached third on the hit standing up, and Chuck Knoblauch subsequently flied out to allow him to score the first run of the game and end Avery's scoreless innings streak.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Braves got the run back in the second when Greg Olson scored on Rafael Belliard's single. Justice led off the fourth with his first World Series home run, and the Braves led for the first time in the Series, 2–1. In the fifth, the Braves scored again when Lonnie Smith homered. Erickson was pulled from the game after allowing Terry Pendleton and Justice to reach base, on a walk and an error by Knoblauch on a ground ball that should have ended the inning. David West entered the game and walked two consecutive batters, forcing home an unearned run (charged to Erickson) and leaving the bases loaded for Terry Leach, who struck out Mark Lemke to end the inning. With the score 4–1, the Braves looked to close it out. As it turned out, the game was just beginning.


title: 1991 World Series

text: After the run that resulted from the first-inning misplay between Gant and Justice, Avery had been perfect for five innings, recording 15 consecutive outs. But then he seemed to tire a bit. Kirby Puckett homered in the seventh to make it 4–2, one inning after two Twins hits and two other fly outs to the warning track. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox reluctantly sent Avery out for the eighth inning. The first batter he faced was Brian Harper, pinch hitting for his replacement catcher Junior Ortiz (Harper never started games that season when Erickson pitched, as he preferred to pitch to Ortiz). After he reached on an error Avery went to the showers in favor of the Braves' regular-season closer, Alejandro Peña. Peña had been 13 for 13 in save opportunities since joining the Braves in a late-season trade with the Mets, but he had not pitched since the previous Wednesday. Chili Davis, pinch hitting for pitcher Steve Bedrosian, took advantage of this and hit a home run to tie the game.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The game remained tied into extra innings, and a series of substitutions and double switches turned the game on its ear. Kelly exhausted the remaining players on his bench by the eleventh inning, and entering the twelfth he was down to only three remaining players, all pitchers. Of those three, Rick Aguilera was the only one who was available to play; the other two were his other two starters, Jack Morris and Kevin Tapani.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The top of the twelfth began with Mark Wohlers on the mound for the Braves. After he retired Randy Bush on a fly out, Gladden reached on a single. Knoblauch followed with a ground ball to second that would likely have resulted in a double play, but Lemke misplayed it and it rolled between his legs. Gladden was able to advance to third on the error, and with the go-ahead run in scoring position, Braves manager Bobby Cox brought in Kent Mercker to pitch.


title: 1991 World Series

text: While all of this was going on, Aguilera was warming up in the Twins’ bullpen. On the CBS television broadcast, Tim McCarver noted that the pitcher’s spot was due in two batters. Kent Hrbek was the batter, and McCarver theorized that if Mercker retired Hrbek, Cox would elect to walk the on deck hitter, Kirby Puckett, if Knoblauch and Gladden were still on base, and force Kelly to decide to use Aguilera as a pinch hitter for pitcher Mark Guthrie.


title: 1991 World Series

text: On the fourth pitch of the at bat, with Knoblauch running to avoid a potential double play, Hrbek struck out looking. Cox brought in Jim Clancy to pitch to Puckett and, just as McCarver had thought, put him on intentionally to load the bases. With his hand forced, Kelly summoned Aguilera from the bullpen to pinch hit. Aguilera had some previous success as a hitter, and had in fact come up as an infielder, but he had not had any at bats since he played with the New York Mets in 1989. On the third pitch of the at-bat he flied out to deep center field, leaving the bases loaded and the game deadlocked. Kelly said in an interview that if the game had gone on longer, since he had used up all his relief pitchers, he would have put left fielder Gladden (who had previously made emergency pitching appearances on at least two occasions) on the mound and Aguilera in the outfield.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In the bottom of the 12th, Aguilera remained in the game to pitch and quickly got the first out on one pitch. But then Justice singled to right and after Brian Hunter popped out, Justice stole second on an 0–2 pitch to Olson. With two outs and first base open and the normally light-hitting Lemke on deck, Aguilera, wary of Olson's stealth status as one of the Braves' best clutch hitters (despite an overall average of only .241, he had batted .373 with two outs and runners in scoring position during the season), pitched him very carefully after the stolen base and walked him. Lemke (who had nearly caused a major Twins rally with his fielding error in the top of the inning) now entered the pantheon of World Series heroes by hitting a single to left that enabled Justice to just beat the throw home from Gladden. His score gave the Braves a 5–4 win and cut the Twins' lead in the Series to two games to one. Clancy took the win while Aguilera received the loss.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The game lasted a then record four hours, four minutes, broken in 2005 in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series, which ran five hours, 41 minutes. It was the first of four games in this Series to end with the winning team scoring the deciding run in the ninth inning or later. It was also the first World Series game played in Georgia.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Game 4 matched up Jack Morris against Atlanta starter John Smoltz, a former Detroit prospect and Michigan native who idolized Morris as a youngster when he was pitching for the Tigers. Morris was looking to record his second victory of the series while Smoltz was making his first start. Smoltz had won both of his starts against the Pirates in the NLCS, including in the seventh and deciding game in Pittsburgh where he pitched a complete game shutout.


title: 1991 World Series

text: As was the custom in the first three games, the Twins scored first. In the second inning, Brian Harper scored on Mike Pagliarulo's double. The Braves tied it in the third when Terry Pendleton hit his first postseason home run.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Braves appeared ready to take a lead in the fifth when Lonnie Smith singled and stole second. Pendleton then followed with a deep fly ball to center field. As Kirby Puckett went back to field it, Smith watched from approximately halfway down the baseline to see where the ball was going to land. Puckett got under the ball and Smith went back to tag up, since the fly ball was deep enough for him to advance to third if Puckett caught it.


title: 1991 World Series

text: As Puckett reached up to try and catch the ball, it nicked the top of his glove and dropped behind him. Since Smith had gone to tag up instead of staying where he had been, he now had to start running from a dead stop and was unable to gain much momentum as the relay throw reached the infield. Smith was waved around third anyway, with the relay reaching Harper on the bounce just before Smith got to the plate. Smith’s only recourse was to try to dislodge the ball from Harper, doing so by throwing himself at Harper and bowling him over. Despite the violent collision, Harper held onto the ball and Smith was out.


title: 1991 World Series

text: With Pendleton on third now and Morris having walked Ron Gant, David Justice stood in. Morris threw a pitch that got past Harper, but he was able to recover and tag Pendleton out as he tried to score. The game remained tied through the sixth.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In the top of the seventh, Pagliarulo homered to give the Twins the lead, 2–1. With a lead and a bullpen that had allowed only one earned run in the entire post-season, the Twins opted to go for more runs by pinch hitting for Morris and removing him after six innings. He had been effective, allowing only the one run, but had a high pitch count. The move backfired as Braves got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Smith made up for his baserunning gaffe and homered off Twins reliever Carl Willis to tie the game.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The game entered the bottom of the ninth still tied at two. With one out and Mark Guthrie pitching, Mark Lemke drilled a triple off the left-center field wall. Jeff Blauser was walked intentionally to set up a possible double play to force extra innings.


title: 1991 World Series

text: With the pitchers’ spot due up after Blauser, Bobby Cox sent Francisco Cabrera to the on-deck circle. Once Blauser was given his intentional walk, Tom Kelly brought in former Brave Steve Bedrosian to pitch. Cabrera, who had been announced as the next batter, was called back to the dugout and veteran minor leaguer Jerry Willard was sent in to pinch hit. Willard hit a short fly ball to Shane Mack in right field. Lemke tagged and broke for the plate as soon as Mack caught the ball. Mack’s throw beat Lemke to the plate, but he slid around Harper’s tag attempt and home plate umpire Terry Tata called him safe despite the objections of both Harper and Bedrosian.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Tim McCarver explained on the CBS broadcast the specific reason Lemke was called safe. Since the play at the plate was not a force play, Harper needed to tag Lemke with the ball, whether it was in his hand or in his glove. While Harper did have the ball in his possession and had made contact with Lemke, he did not do so with his catcher’s mitt—the contact was up his arm near the elbow and thus, Tata ruled that he had missed the tag. It was not uncommon at the time for umpires to call a runner out when the ball beat them to the plate, regardless of the time or location of the tag, but Tata held to the letter of the law. McCarver later narrated the play as "An arm's length; an elbows width: the subtle difference between out...and safe." The win tied the Series at two games apiece and ensured a return to Minnesota.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In Game 5, Tom Glavine faced Kevin Tapani in a Game 2 rematch. Unlike the previous game, neither pitcher had his best stuff this time around, with Tapani falling apart in the 4th and Glavine in the 6th. Whereas in their first matchup the game was relatively close, Game 5 would be the biggest offensive outburst of the series for either team. But despite the score, the game was kept close until after the 7th inning stretch.


title: 1991 World Series

text: For three innings, the pitchers matched zeroes. In the fourth, Ron Gant singled to left and David Justice homered off the top of the left-field wall for a 2–0 Braves lead. Sid Bream followed up with a walk, and Greg Olson then hit what appeared to be a double play grounder to second. But the ball hit Bream's leg, resulting in Bream being called out for runner interference and Olson safe at first. Mark Lemke, the hero of Games 3 and 4, drilled a triple that scored Olson, and then scored on a double by Rafael Belliard At this point, the Braves led 4–0, their biggest lead in any game in the Series.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In the fifth, Terry Pendleton and Gant singled, with Pendleton moving to third. Then Justice hit into a fielder's choice that scored Pendleton and gave the Braves a 5–0 lead. With Glavine working on a two-hitter, the game seemed in hand for the Braves. But Glavine's control deserted him in the sixth inning and he was pulled from the game. Chuck Knoblauch reached on a one-out walk and then went to third on a single by Kirby Puckett. A walk to Chili Davis loaded the bases, and Glavine suddenly had difficulty finding the strike zone. He gave up two runs on bases-loaded walks to Brian Harper and Scott Leius. Kent Mercker came on to get out of the jam and got the last two outs with one additional run scoring. The game entered the seventh with the Braves leading 5–3.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Minnesota sent David West out to begin the bottom of the seventh. West had failed to retire a batter in Game 3, facing two batters and giving up two walks (while one of these walks did force a run home, this run was an unearned run charged to starter Scott Erickson). Lonnie Smith hit his third home run in three nights to give the Braves a 6–3 lead. And then the floodgates opened. Pendleton and Gant walked, Justice singled to score Pendleton, and West was again taken out without retiring a batter; in this game, he was charged with four earned runs without retiring a batter, for an infinite ERA (West retired his first World Series hitter in the 1993 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies). Brian Hunter singled to score Gant and put two on with nobody out and an 8–3 Braves lead. After Olson popped out, Lemke hit his third triple in his last four at bats, driving home Justice and Hunter, and scoring when Belliard singled to center. The Braves ended the seventh with an 11–3 lead and the announcers began talking about the teams' chances in Game 6.


title: 1991 World Series

text: But there were still two innings left. Davis, playing this game in right field in place of Mack, who was 0–for–15, singled. He moved to second on a ground out and scored on Al Newman's triple. In the bottom of the eighth, Pendleton doubled and Gant tripled, scoring Pendleton. Justice grounded out to the pitcher, scoring Gant, and Hunter then ended the Braves' offensive barrage with a home run.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Both managers emptied their benches to give playing time to non-starters. Randy St. Claire gave up a run when Gladden tripled (the fifth triple of the game) and scored on a fielder's choice by Junior Ortiz, but the game ended in a 14–5 Braves rout, the Series' only lopsided game. The Braves scored just under half their total runs for the series in these eight innings. They now had their first lead in Series games, three to two. The marquee wall at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium read "Three at home and one at the Dome." The Washington/Minnesota franchise had now lost 14 straight World Series road games dating to 1925, a streak that remains active as the Twins have not advanced to a World Series since 1991.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Twins returned to the Metrodome, where they had a 9–1 postseason record (including 4–0 in the World Series). After the reshuffling of the Braves' rotation following Game 1, Steve Avery started for Atlanta on three days' rest. The Twins kept their three-man rotation, with Scott Erickson, who had been batted around in Game 3, getting the start for Minnesota.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In the top of the first, the Braves got two runners on, but stranded them. In the bottom of the first, Chuck Knoblauch singled with one out and then Kirby Puckett strode to the plate looking to break out of the slump he had been in for most of the series. He tripled to left field, scoring Knoblauch, his first big play of the game.


title: 1991 World Series

text: After retiring Chili Davis for the second out of the inning, Avery faced another slump-ridden batter in Shane Mack, who was hitless so far in the series. Mack hit a broken-bat single to score Puckett. Scott Leius followed with a single, advancing Mack to third, but Avery escaped further damage by retiring Kent Hrbek to keep the game at 2-0.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In the top of the third, the Braves hit Erickson hard, but failed to score. After Terry Pendleton reached with one out, Ron Gant drove a pitch deep to left field. Puckett, giving chase, tracked the ball down and then leaped to snare it before it could hit the 13-foot Plexiglas barrier over the left field wall. Pendleton, who had reached second and was trying to advance to third, was forced to turn around and barely beat Puckett’s throw back to first.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In the fourth, the Twins appeared ready to increase their lead, putting runners at second and third with one out. But Avery buckled down and retired the side to keep the game close. Another critical play occurred in the fifth when Rafael Belliard kept the Twins from completing a double play with a fierce slide. His hustle enabled Lonnie Smith to reach first. This became important when Pendleton golfed Erickson's next pitch into the seats, his second World Series home run, to tie the game at two. With two outs, Justice lifted what appeared to be a go-ahead home run for the Braves to right, but at the last instant, the ball hooked foul by about two feet. Erickson retired Justice and the Twins came to bat with the score tied.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Dan Gladden responded with a walk and a steal of second. He moved to third on Knoblauch's lineout to right and scored on Puckett's center field sacrifice fly. The Twins led 3–2. Avery was relieved after the inning. The Twins kept their one-run lead into the seventh. Mark Lemke singled to center, knocking Erickson out of the game, and went to second on a wild pitch by reliever Mark Guthrie. After a strikeout, Smith walked and Pendleton reached on an infield single. The Braves now had the bases loaded and one out as CBS commentator Jack Buck said the Series was now on the line. Gant hit what seemed to be a sure double play ground ball off Carl Willis. The ground ball retired Pendleton, but the speedy Gant beat the relay to first and Lemke scored the tying run, charged to Erickson. Willis got out of the jam by striking out Justice to end the inning with the score tied at three. Willis was charged with a blown save, but he pitched two more scoreless innings, the eighth and ninth. Atlanta kept the Twins off the scoreboard, with left-handed specialist Mike Stanton pitching the seventh and eighth innings and struggling closer Alejandro Peña pitching the ninth and tenth innings.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The game remained tied at three until the 11th. Bobby Cox sent Game 1 starter Charlie Leibrandt to the mound to face Puckett, who recalled telling Davis that he planned to bunt for a base hit, to which Davis responded, "Bunt my ass. Hit it out and let's go home!" Puckett replied that he would take a few pitches first—a rare move for him, as he was known as a free swinger who often went after the first pitch. After uncharacteristically taking a strike and two balls from Leibrandt, Puckett launched the next pitch into the left-center-field seats for a dramatic game-winning home run that tied the Series at three games apiece. Buck famously called the home run with the line "And we'll see you tomorrow night!"


title: 1991 World Series

text: This moment is captured in a statue of Puckett just outside Gate 34 at the Twins' new home, Target Field. The statue is of Puckett rounding second base, pumping his fists after hitting the dramatic walk-off home run.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Puckett's home run forced the first Game 7 since the 1987 World Series, which was also played at the Metrodome. With his walk-off home run, he completed the game a double shy of hitting for the cycle.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Aguilera took the decision for the Twins after pitching the 10th and 11th innings, while Leibrandt earned his second loss of the series. He took it hard. Normally known as one of the friendliest and most cordial Braves, a despondent Leibrandt refused to answer questions from reporters after the game. He also lost Game 6 of the 1992 World Series by allowing an extra-base hit to the Blue Jays' Dave Winfield for the eventual game- and series-winning runs, but was significantly more philosophical about that misfortune, saying, "I was devastated last year. I'm down right now, but I'll get over it."


title: 1991 World Series

text: Game 7 saw a rematch of the Game 4 starters. Jack Morris returned to the mound for his third start of the Series while John Smoltz made his second for the Braves. Going into the game, this Series had been regarded as one of the best ever. Game 7 reinforced that point. A symbolic moment for this Series occurred on the first at-bat when Braves leadoff hitter Lonnie Smith shook hands with Twins catcher Brian Harper just before stepping up to the plate. This seen as a gesture of the respect the teams had for each other, though Morris later admitted that in the competitive heat of the moment he had not been happy with his catcher about it, even though Smith extended his hand initially.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Neither team was able to score a run early on. The Twins had their first opportunity in the bottom of the third inning, when Dan Gladden doubled and advanced to third on a flyout by Chuck Knoblauch. But Smoltz struck out Kirby Puckett to end the inning. The Braves put a runner into scoring position with one out in the top of the fifth, as Mark Lemke reached third on a sacrifice bunt by Rafael Belliard and a bunt single by Smith. But Morris got Terry Pendleton to pop out and then struck out Ron Gant to end the threat.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Neither team threatened again until the eighth inning. Morris retired the Braves in order in both the sixth and seventh, and Smoltz only allowed a single by Gladden in the bottom of the fifth and walked Puckett the next inning before inducing a double play. With Morris and Smoltz both still working on shutouts, the game entered the road half of the eighth with the top of the Atlanta lineup due up. Smith started the inning with a single.


title: 1991 World Series

text: What followed proved to be the first in a costly series of events for the Braves. With Pendleton up, manager Bobby Cox called for a hit and run and Smith took off. Pendleton responded by hitting a deep fly ball into the gap in left center field on a 1-2 pitch for a double, and with the hit and run called Smith likely would have scored. However, as he rounded second Smith stopped running for a moment and ended up having to stop at third base after the relay throw reached the infield. The middle of the Twins’ infield, Knoblauch at second and Greg Gagne at shortstop, feigned like they were going to start a double play, and some thought Smith might have fallen for it. Smith himself later denied this, saying that he had been following the trajectory of the ball and wanted to see if either Puckett in center field or Gladden in left would catch the ball.


title: 1991 World Series

text: To further complicate matters, on the pitch before Pendleton’s double Morris got him to swing and miss at a pitch in the dirt. Pendleton contended that he had made contact with the ball and asked home plate umpire Don Denkinger for an appeal. Denkinger then asked third base umpire Terry Tata to rule, and Tata said the ball was foul tipped. While the ball did bounce in the dirt, there was no conclusive replay angle that confirmed the foul tip. Morris contended in 2009 that he had indeed struck Pendleton out and that Denkinger had made the wrong call.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Nonetheless, although the run had not scored, both runners were now in scoring position and a hit would likely drive them both in and give the Braves the first runs of the game. With the middle of the order looming and nobody out, Morris faced Gant looking for a way out of the jam he now found himself in. He was able to induce a weak groundout to first, which did not allow either runner to advance and gave Minnesota its first out.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The next batter was David Justice, and Tom Kelly emerged from the dugout to talk to his ace. Morris was not pleased to see his manager, as he thought that he was coming to the mound to remove him from the game. Instead, he was there to discuss strategy. Justice was a significant enough power threat that Kelly thought of intentionally walking Justice and pitching instead to Sid Bream, who had been struggling throughout the series with only three hits.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Morris agreed with Kelly, and Justice was walked to load the bases for Bream. This proved to be the last in the series of events that ended up costing the Braves, as Morris induced a ground ball up the first base line. First baseman Kent Hrbek threw home to retire Smith, whose gaffe set the series in motion. Harper then fired back to Hrbek to retire Bream, who had been playing with chronic knee injuries (five previous surgeries and playing with a large brace on one knee still) and as a result was regarded as one of the slowest baserunners in the league. The rare 3-2-3 double play ended the inning, and the Braves did not have a runner reach base for the remainder of the game.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In the bottom of the eighth, Randy Bush pinch-hit for Gagne to lead off for the Twins, and singled off Smoltz, then was removed in favor of the faster Al Newman to pinch-run. Smoltz then retired Gladden but gave up a single to Knoblauch, his eighth hit of the Series. With one out, runners on the corners, and Puckett coming to the plate, Cox elected to remove Smoltz from the game.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Mike Stanton entered and was ordered to intentionally walk Puckett to load the bases—an unusual decision as managers usually only issue intentional walks when first base is open, not in circumstances where the walk will advance a runner into scoring position. But in this case, the next batter was Hrbek, who, though normally a power threat, had not had a hit since Game 3, and whom Stanton had struck out three times in a row (a reason the Braves used Stanton, a left-handed specialist). This time, Stanton got Hrbek to hit a relatively soft line drive to Lemke, who then stepped on second to double-up Knoblauch. The game continued with no score.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Braves went down in order in the top of the ninth, as Morris retired Brian Hunter, Greg Olson, and Lemke. The Twins, with a chance to win the game in their final at-bat, led off with a Chili Davis single. After Jarvis Brown came in to run for Davis, Harper attempted to move him over with a bunt down the first base line. Stanton misstepped coming to play the bunt, allowing Harper to reach base without a play. To make matters worse for Atlanta, Stanton's misstep caused him to strain a muscle in his back, and he had to be removed from the game. Cox was forced to bring in Alejandro Peña to pitch to Shane Mack. Despite his earlier struggles, Peña induced a ground ball double play from Mack to record the first two outs. He then gave Mike Pagliarulo an intentional walk and struck out pinch hitter Paul Sorrento for the last out, marking the third time in the series that a game would be decided in extra innings.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Refusing to come out of the game, Morris pitched the top of the tenth. A Twin Cities sportswriter wrote that on that night, "[Morris] could have outlasted Methuselah." He successfully rebuffed several attempts by Kelly to remove him during the game, and was supported by pitching coach Dick Such. Confronted with Morris's insistence on pitching the 10th, Kelly is purported to have said, "Oh hell. It's only a game." And as he had been for most of the night, Morris was effective, retiring Jeff Blauser, Smith, and Pendleton in order. Morris threw 126 pitches in the game. Smoltz later said that if he had had the experience Morris had at the time, he might also have tried to argue his way out of being removed from the game when he got in trouble in the 8th, but as a young and fairly inexperienced pitcher, he didn't feel he had the standing to argue with Cox the way Morris did with Kelly. (Though this admission shows Smoltz’s competitive fire, the truth is this would have made no difference in the actual game situation, because Smoltz was removed on the second mound visit of an inning—a circumstance under which a manager is required by the rules to remove the pitcher.)


title: 1991 World Series

text: Peña faced Gladden to start the bottom half of the inning, and the Twins' leadoff hitter lifted a fly ball to left field after breaking his bat upon the impact. The ball landed in front of the charging Hunter for a bloop hit, and the ball then took a high bounce that Hunter was unable to field. Center fielder Gant backed up the play and caught the hop, but Gladden dashed to second and beat Gant's throw to the bag. Kelly then called for a sacrifice bunt, and Knoblauch executed to put the winning run on third with one out. As he'd done in the eighth, Cox called for an intentional walk to the resurgent Puckett. Hrbek, who had not gotten a hit in his last 16 at-bats dating back to his single in the eighth inning of Game 3, was next up. Despite Hrbek's .115 Series average (3 hits in the Series, two of which were in Game 1) and lack of speed, and even though the Braves had left-hander Kent Mercker, who had struck Hrbek out in a similar situation earlier in the series, warming up in the bullpen along with right-hander Jim Clancy, Cox decided to call a second consecutive intentional walk, loading the bases to set up a force play at home plate and the possibility of a double play, which would have ended the inning.


title: 1991 World Series

text: This left Kelly with a tough decision. Brown, who pinch ran for designated hitter Davis, was due up and he had not recorded a hit in the series. Entering the 10th inning, Kelly had already used four of the seven players on his bench (Bush, Newman, Brown, and Sorrento). Then in the top half of the inning, he had inserted Scott Leius, normally a third baseman, into the game at shortstop in place of pinch hitter Sorrento. This left Kelly with backup catcher Junior Ortiz—a weak hitter whom he would need if the game continued and something happened to Harper and who he would often use as a late-game defensive replacement as he was a better defensive catcher than Harper—and utility man Gene Larkin, who was playing with an injured knee but had gotten one hit in three previous series plate appearances.


title: 1991 World Series

text: Since he would not have needed to play him in the field, as he would have filled the designated hitter role if the game advanced beyond the tenth, Kelly decided to send Larkin to the plate. On the first pitch he saw, Larkin drove a single into deep left-center over the drawn-in outfield, scoring Gladden with the series-winning run and giving the Twins their second world championship since moving to Minnesota. Morris was the first player to embrace Gladden at the plate, followed by others. At the same time, Larkin was mobbed at first base. The two jubilant groups eventually merged in the middle of the diamond. The victorious players were soon joined by their families on the field, including Morris's two sons. Later, the Twins players did a victory lap around the perimeter of the Metrodome.


title: 1991 World Series

text: For the first time since , a seventh game of the World Series ended 1–0. It was also the first World Series-deciding game to go into extra innings since Game 4 of the 1939 Series. This World Series was also the first to end with an extra-inning Game 7 since , when the home team, the Washington Senators (who became the Twins in 1961), won it in their last at-bat. The same thing happened in the 1997 World Series, when the Florida Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians in the 11th inning of Game 7. (Game 7 of the 2016 World Series also went to extra innings, when the visiting Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings.) This game set a World Series record for the longest scoreless tie in Game 7. Only one other World Series game went longer without a run, Game 6 of the 1956 World Series, which went to two outs in the bottom of the 10th before the winning run scored.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The 1991 World Series was the second of five seasons in which the home team won all seven games in the Series. The other time this happened was in 1987, which was also won by the Twins over the St. Louis Cardinals. This was replicated in the 2001 World Series when the Arizona Diamondbacks won Game 7 at home with a walk-off bloop hit. Game 7 of this series was the last World Series game played at the Metrodome before the Twins moved out at the end of the 2009 season, and the last postseason game played there until 2002, when the Twins lost the ALCS to the Angels.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The home team did not win every game again until the 2001 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees. Seven Twins players appeared in both the 1987 and 1991 Series, playing for the Twins both times: Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Greg Gagne, Dan Gladden, Gene Larkin, Randy Bush and Al Newman. In addition, the Braves' Terry Pendleton also played in the 1987 Series, as a Cardinal.


title: 1991 World Series

text: After the Twins' triumph, the 1993 Phillies, 1998 Padres, 2007 Rockies and the 2008 Rays followed previous seasons' last-place finishes with a World Series appearance, but fell short. But the 2013 Red Sox joined the 1991 Twins as the only other team to win the World Series a year after finishing in last place.


title: 1991 World Series

text: After Game 7, CBS Sports analyst Tim McCarver consoled Atlanta fans by stating that this was an excellent team and that he expected they would "be around" for some time to come. In fact, the Braves won an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles (three as members of the NL West, and the last 11 in the East), not counting the strike-aborted 1994 season. They returned to the World Series the next year, losing in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Braves made three more trips to the World Series before the decade ended, defeating the Cleveland Indians in 1995 and losing in 1996 and 1999 to the Yankees.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Twins contended for the 1992 American League Western Division title for much of the season but finished six games behind the Oakland Athletics, who won the division for the fourth time in five seasons. The Twins' 90–72 record was their last winning campaign until 2001, Kelly's last season as manager. Over the next several seasons, the players that made up the core of the 1987 and 1991 Twins slowly began to leave. Gladden, the left fielder, departed in the offseason for Detroit. Morris, the pitching hero of the series, signed with Toronto and returned to the World Series the next year. Gagne and Davis departed after the 1992 season and Harper at the end of the 1993 season. Hrbek's production began falling due to injuries that kept him off the field for much of the next two seasons, and he retired in 1994. The Twins traded away both Erickson and Tapani (neither ever regained his 1991 form) in 1995, and Puckett retired due to a loss of vision in his right eye caused by glaucoma. Knoblauch was the last hitter of the 1991 team to remain in Minnesota, eventually forcing a trade after the 1997 season to the Yankees, with whom he won three additional World Series titles. After being traded to the playoff-bound Red Sox in 1995, Aguilera returned to the Twins in 1996, used by Kelly as a starter. Aguilera returned to the pen in 1997, and stayed until midway through the 1999 season, the last remaining player from the 1991 team. Traded to the Cubs, he finished his career with Chicago that season.


title: 1991 World Series

text: This was the last World Series that Fay Vincent presided over as commissioner, as the owners forced him to resign near the end of the 1992 season.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Twins and Braves have met four times in interleague play since the 1991 World Series. In 2002, the Braves finally experienced a Metrodome win by taking two games from the Twins in a three-game series; the Twins swept a three-game series from the Braves at the Metrodome in 2007. The Braves ultimately finished with an all-time record of 2–8 in the stadium before it closed as a baseball venue in 2009. In 2010, the teams played a three-game series at the new Target Field, where the Braves won two out of three games. After the 1991 Series, the Twins did not play in Atlanta again until 2011 for two preseason exhibition games at Turner Field. The Braves and Twins split the series 1–1. Then, as part of the new season-long interleague schedule, the Twins played their first regular-season series against the Braves at Turner Field in May 2013; the Braves swept the three-game set.


title: 1991 World Series

text: To date, this is the most recent appearance (and win) by a Minnesota-based Big Four team in the final round of its sport. In addition to the 2002 Twins reaching the ALCS before falling to the Anaheim Angels in five games, the closest a Minnesota-based team has come to reaching the final round of its sport since the 1991 World Series were the NFL's Minnesota Vikings reaching the NFC Championship Game in 1998, 2000, 2009, and 2017, the NHL's Minnesota Wild reaching the Stanley Cup Western Conference Final in 2003, and the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2004.


title: 1991 World Series

text: In 1991, CBS used three field reporters, Jim Kaat (both teams as well as the trophy presentation), Lesley Visser (Twins' dugout) and Andrea Joyce (Braves' dugout).


title: 1991 World Series

text: This was also the last World Series broadcast by Jack Buck. In 1992, CBS replaced him in the role of lead play-by-play man with Sean McDonough and he returned to his role as the lead broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck called postseason action for the Cardinals several times before the decade was over, but his health steadily worsened and he succumbed to lung cancer in 2002, two years before the Cardinals returned to the World Series.


title: 1991 World Series

text: The Series telecast drew an overall national Nielsen rating of 24.0 and a 39 share for CBS; Game 7 drew a 32.2 rating and 49 share. As of 2021, no subsequent World Series has approached either number in national TV ratings.


title: Whiteman Air Force Base

text: Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located just south of Knob Noster, Missouri, United States. The base is the current home of the B-2 Spirit bomber. It is named for 2nd Lt George Whiteman, who was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.


title: Whiteman Air Force Base

text: In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps selected the site of the present-day base to be the home of Sedalia Glider Base, a training base for WACO glider pilots. In May 1942, construction workers began building a railroad spur for the new air base in an area known to locals as the "Blue Flats" because of the color of the soil. The new railroad line was built by the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The base was officially opened on 6 August 1942. On 12 November 1942, the name was changed to Sedalia Army Air Field.


title: Whiteman Air Force Base

text: After the end of World War II, operations at the airfield declined, and many of the buildings were abandoned. In December 1947, the base was put on inactive status.