1991 Minnesota Twins season
The 1991 Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB) won the World Series, the second time the Twins had won the World Series since moving to Minnesota in 1961. During the 1991 regular season the Twins had an MLB-leading 15-game win streak, which remains a club record. On June 17, 1991, the streak came to an end at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles but not before the Twins moved from fifth place to first, a lead they would not relinquish until winning baseball's championship. The Twins' winning streak of 1991 falls just  seven games short of the all-time American League (AL) record of 22 consecutive regular season wins set by the Cleveland Indians in 2017. The Twins finished 95-67, first in the AL West, which represented a turnaround from 1990, when the team finished last in the division with a 74-88 record. They were the first team to go from a last-place finish to a World Series championship. They and the Atlanta Braves were the first teams to go from last place to a pennant. The Twins defeated the Braves in seven games in a Series which has  been considered one of the best to have ever been played. There was a considerable reshaping of the team in January and February, beginning when third baseman Gary Gaetti left as a free agent on January 25 and signed with the California Angels. Less than 12 hours after Gaetti's departure, the Twins signed free agent Mike Pagliarulo from the New York Yankees as a new third baseman. Two more key free agent signings followed with designated hitter Chili Davis on January 30 and St. Paul native Jack Morris on February 5. The July 1989 blockbuster trade that sent 1988  AL Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola to the New York Mets in exchange for relief pitchers Rick Aguilera and David West and starter Kevin Tapani proved to be pivotal to the 1991 season. There were only seven players still on the roster from the 1987 World Championship team, none of them pitchers: Randy Bush, Greg Gagne, Dan Gladden, Kent Hrbek, Gene Larkin, Al Newman, and future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. Into this framework, young stars were blended successfully, including Scott Leius to platoon with Pagliarulo at third, Shane Mack in right field, Scott Erickson, a 20-game winner  with a 12-game winning streak, and A.L. Rookie of the Year second baseman Chuck Knoblauch. 2,293,842 fans attended Twins games, the eighth highest total in the American League. Offseason. The club moved spring training operations from Orlando's Tinker Field, where the franchise had trained since 1936, to the Lee County Sports Complex in Ft. Myers. Regular season. For the second time in his career, Kirby Puckett had a six-hit game on May 23. This was an eleven-inning game; the previous time in 1987 was in nine innings. The highest paid player on the team was Jack  Morris at $3,700,000; followed by Kirby Puckett at $3,166,667. Pitching. Jack Morris, Kevin Tapani, and Scott Erickson were a solid, 1-2-3 punch in the team's rotation. The fourth and fifth spots were less certain, with Allan Anderson, David West, and Mark Guthrie starting over 10 games. Rick Aguilera was a solid closer, earning 42 saves. Defense. The regular lineup included Kent Hrbek at first base, rookie Chuck Knoblauch at second, Greg Gagne at shortstop, Brian Harper at catcher, and Kirby Puckett, Shane Mack, and Dan Gladden in the outfield. Mike Pagliarulo and Scott Leius platooned  at third. Junior Ortiz was the backup catcher, and Al Newman was a reliable utility infielder. Player stats. Batting. Starters by position. "Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in" Other batters. "Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in" Pitching. Starting pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average ; SO = Strikeouts" Other pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Relief pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Postseason. See 1991 American League Championship Series and 1991 World Series. Seven players and five of the coaching staff from the 1987 World Champions repeated as 1991 World Champions. Only one man has been a part of each of the three Minnesota Twins World Series teams: Tony Oliva . An outfielder in 1965, he was the hitting coach on the 1987 team and bench coach in 1991. Awards and honors. All-Star Game