In 1987, the Minnesota Twins won the American League West Division with a record
of 85-77, which at the time was the fewest regular season victories for a World
Series champion. In the playoffs, the underdog Twins defeated the Detroit Tigers
in the American League Championship Series and the Saint Louis Cardinals in
the World Series to win their first championship since moving from Washington,
D.C. to Minnesota after the 1960 season, and the franchise’s first championship
since 1924. The Twins success was largely due to a stellar home record, as the
Twins won 56 home games during the regular season, and all six postseason home
games. With the release of A&E Home Video’s The Minnesota
Twins 1987 World Series Collector’s Edition, Twins fans can now
own full broadcasts of all seven games from the Twins first World Series triumph.
THE SET The Minnesota Twins 1987 World Series Collector’s Edition
boxed set contains seven discs, one for each of the seven games included in
this set, as well as the bonus content, which is included on the final disc.
Each game is presented in its entirety, with commercial interruptions and the
pregame opening being the only items removed from the original broadcast. All
seven games were broadcast by ABC. Major League Baseball’s alternation
of home field advantage for the World Series between the American League and
National League meant that the Twins, who won ten less games than the Cardinals
during the regular season, had home field advantage.
World Series Game One – Minnesota 10, Saint Louis 1: In the first World
Series game to be played indoors, the Cardinals jumped out to the early lead
on a Tony Pena RBI groundout in the second inning, and Joe Magrane held the
Twins hitless through the first three innings. The Twins bats woke up in the
fourth inning, as four singles and a walk chased Magrane, and Dan Gladden capped
off the seven-run inning with a grand slam. Steve Lombardozzi added a two-run
home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Gladden’s RBI double in
the seventh inning closed out the scoring. Frank Viola, whose brother was getting
married in New York the day of the game, scattered five hits in eight innings
as the Twins jumped out to the early Series lead.
World Series Game Two – Minnesota 8, Saint Louis 4: The fourth inning
again proved to be the Cardinals downfall. Gary Gaetti’s second inning
home run gave the Twins the early lead, and the Twins added six runs in the
fourth inning on four singles, two doubles, and two walks. Catcher Tim Laudner
added a sixth inning home run, and Bert Blyleven allowed two runs on six hits
in seven innings as the Twins took a two-games-to-none lead to Saint Louis.
World Series Game Three – Saint Louis 3, Minnesota 1: In a must win situation,
the Cardinals pitching held the Twins bats in check. John Tudor allowed one
run on four hits in seven innings, but the Cardinals trailed by one run entering
the seventh inning, and had scored only five runs in 24nnings of World Series
play. Vince Coleman’s two-run double in the bottom of the seventh gave
the Cardinals a one-run lead, and Ozzie Smith followed with a RBI single to
lead the Cardinals to victory.
World Series Game Four – Saint Louis 7, Minnesota 2: The fourth inning
proved to be the key inning again, but this time the Cardinals exploded for
six runs. Tom Lawless, who had hit only one home run in his career entering
World Series play, broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run home run to start the scoring
in the fourth inning, as the Cardinals chased Twins starter Viola. Bob Forsch
and Ken Dayley each pitched two-and-two-thirds innings in relief of injured
starter Greg Mathews as the Cardinals evened the Series at two games apiece.
World Series Game Five – Saint Louis 4, Minnesota 2: In a tense Game
Five, Blyleven and Cardinals starter Danny Cox kept the game scoreless into
the sixth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, the Cardinals loaded the bases
with two outs, and Curt Ford’s two-run single gave the Cardinals the lead.
The Twins threatened in the ninth inning, but Don Baylor popped up with two
runners on base, and the Cardinals pushed the Twins to the brink of elimination
as the World Series returned to Minnesota.
World Series Game Six – Minnesota 11, Saint Louis 5: In the last World
Series game to be played entirely during the afternoon, the Cardinals built
a three-run lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning. With their backs to
the wall, and spurred on by the raucous, Homer Hanky waving home crowd, the
Twins bats exploded for four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Baylor’s
two-run home run tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, and Kent Hrbek’s
grand slam with two outs in the sixth extended the Twins lead to five runs,
as the Twins forced a deciding Game Seven.
World Series Game Seven – Minnesota 4, Saint Louis 2: The home team had
won the first six games of the World Series only four times in baseball history,
and each time, the road team was victorious in Game Seven. The Cardinals jumped
out to a two-run lead in the second inning on RBI singles by Pena and Steve
Lake, but Viola kept the Cardinals bats in check the rest of the game, allowing
only two hits in the next six innings. The umpires missed three calls in this
game, as Baylor was incorrectly called out at home in the second inning, Greg
Gagne was incorrectly ruled safe at first in the fifth inning, and Tom Herr
was incorrectly called out on a pickoff attempt in the sixth inning. Kirby Puckett
tied the game with a double in the fifth inning, and Gagne’s infield single
in the sixth inning broke the tie. Gladden’s run scoring double in the
eighth inning provided the Twins with an insurance run, and when Willie McGee
grounded out to third, the Twins had their first championship since moving to
Minnesota.
SOUND + VISION The Minnesota Twins 1987 World Series Collector’s Edition
is presented in 1.33:1 Full Screen, which preserves the original aspect ratio
of the 1987 televised series. The only audio track available is Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo in English, and there are no subtitles available. The announcing
team of Al Michaels, Tim McCarver, and Jim Palmer anchors the broadcasts of
all seven games. A transparent bug of the MLB logo is present in one corner
of the screen during each of the games, but it is not a nuisance. The ambient
sound (crowd noise, bat hitting the ball, etc.) is crisp and clearly audible,
although at times it is difficult to hear the announcers because the crowd noise
is so loud.
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT
The seven discs for The Minnesota Twins 1987 World Series Collector’s
Edition are stored in a sturdy five-sided slipcase. The top and bottom
of the slipcase are emblazoned with the Twins logo, while the back of the slipcase
gives a brief summary of the set, lists the features of the bonus disc, and
includes a photo of Twins manager Tom Kelly holding the Commissioner’s
Trophy. The front of the slipcase includes two pictures of game action, the
Twins logo, and assorted trivia. Each of the seven discs is stored in its own
slimline case, one disc for each of the seven World Series games included in
the set. The bonus content is included on the disc that features Game Seven.
Each disc features SleeveStats, which includes a complete box score on the back
of each case and a complete game log on the inside of each case. The front of
each case has an assortment of information, including: date, length, and location
of the game, the starting pitching matchup, a line score, attendance, game time
temperature and other related trivia. There is a minor error in the game log
for Game Two, as Gaetti’s second inning home run is listed as to right
field, when in actuality, it was to left field. Also, the game time temperature
for Game Three and Game Five is listed in all caps as “COLD” instead
of a numeric figure. The menu screens for each game are easy to navigate, with
the viewer having the option of viewing each game in totality from start to
finish, or jumping to the inning of their choosing by scrolling through a line
score, with a baseball graphic guiding the viewer.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The nine special features for The Minnesota Twins 1987 World Series
Collector’s Edition are contained on one disc, and the total
run time for these features is approximately 50 minutes. Specifically, the features
are:
• History of the Minnesota Twins – This 10-minute long
feature provides a brief history of the Twins franchise, from their move to
Minnesota after the 1960 season to the present day. Most of the presentation
focuses on the World Series appearances in 1965, 1987 and 1991, although players
from other eras, such as Rod Carew, are also highlighted.
• AL West Division Clincher – The bottom of the ninth inning
as the Twins clinched their first AL West title in 17 seasons with a 5-3 win
against the Texas Rangers. Jeff Reardon strikes out Pete Incaviglia for the
first out, but gives up a single to Oddibe McDowell. Gino Petralli then lines
into a double play to Lombardozzi at second base, leading to the Twins celebrating
on the infield. The broadcast of this half-inning features the Twins television
announcing team of Harmon Killebrew and John Rooney.
• ALCS Game 1: Eighth Inning Rally – In the first game
of the ALCS, two sacrifice flies in the top of the eighth inning gave the Tigers
a one-run lead. The Twins rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth
inning and took the early lead in the ALCS. The at bats for Puckett’s
game-tying double, Baylor’s go-ahead single, and Tom Brunansky’s
two-run double are shown. The broadcast is from NBC and features the announcing
team of Bob Costas and Tony Kubek.
• ALCS Clincher – The Twins advance to their first World
Series in 22 seasons as Matt Nokes grounds out to Reardon. The on-field celebration,
locker room celebration, and an interview with Tom Kelly are all shown, and
this broadcast is also from NBC.
• World Series Trophy Presentation – The presentation of
the Commissioner’s Trophy from commissioner Peter Ueberroth to Twins owner
Carl Pohlad. The footage is from the ABC broadcast, and also includes interviews
with Pohlad and Kelly.
• Championship Parade Highlights – Footage from the Twins
victory parade and rally, including the players traveling via a motorcade to
the stage, Kelly’s speech, and the introduction of each player from the
World Series roster.
• Other features included are: Killebrew throwing out the first pitch
of Game One of the World Series, the presentation of the World Series MVP Trophy
to Viola, and an interview with Puckett from the locker room after Game Seven.
CIRCLING THE WAGONS
With seven complete World Series games, The Minnesota Twins 1987 World
Series Collector’s Edition provides Twins fans with more than
18 hours of footage from the 1987 World Series. This set is not perfect, though,
as three of the games in this set are losses for the Twins. Some or all of these
losses could have been switched out in exchange for Game One and Game Five of
the ALCS to improve the draw of the set. Also, the 1991 World Series, which
the Twins won in seven games over the Atlanta Braves, is considered by many
to be the best World Series ever, and a set with those seven games could have
been released prior to this set. For Twins fans, the set is still worth purchasing,
because it does include full broadcasts of the four World Series wins.
DVD Set Games Score: B-
DVD Set Sounds and Visuals Score: A
DVD Set Packaging and Layout Score: A
DVD Set Extras Score: B DVD Set Overall Score: B
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