1987 World Series

Game 7 (1x7)

Exibido em:: Out 25, 1987

Game 7 was the 500th World Series game ever played. Game 7 forced the scheduled National Football League game between the Denver Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings to be played the following night (also on ABC). Joe Magrane of the St. Louis Cardinals became only the sixth rookie pitcher to start the seventh game of a World Series.[11] He also is the only pitcher in World Series history to start Games 1 and 7 of a World Series without any starts in between. Magrane had actually started the 1987 season pitching for the Cardinals Triple-A team, the Louisville Redbirds. In the second, the Cardinals looked poised to send Frank Viola to an early shower. Three straight no-out singles by Jim Lindeman, Willie McGee, and Tony Pena plated the first run. Viola settled down to retire the next two hitters, but then Steve Lake singled in McGee for a 2–0 lead. Viola would settle into a groove, however, and allow only two more hits and no runs in eight strong innings. The Twins came back in their half of the second on a Steve Lombardozzi RBI single, but not before a missed call at home plate by umpire Dave Phillips had already cost the Twins a run. Twins DH Don Baylor reached base on a hit-by-pitch by Magrane to lead off the inning and Tom Brunansky singled him to second. With one out, Tim Laudner singled to left and Baylor was gunned down at home by Vince Coleman in left, but replays clearly showed that Baylor was safe. Lombardozzi then singled in Brunansky. In the fifth, the Twins tied it when Greg Gagne reached on an infield hit and Kirby Puckett drove him in with a double. Incidentally replays showed Gagne to be out on his infield hit, thus this run served to counteract the run the Twins lost in the second on the missed call on Baylor at the plate. The Twins seemed on the verge of taking the lead when Gary Gaetti followed Puckett with a walk and went to second when Puckett was thrown out by Lake trying to advance to third on a wild pitch that was deflected when it hit the home plate umpire in the face-mask. Baylor followed with a single to left, but Coleman threw out Gaetti at the plate in a violent collision with Lake. Coleman became the first outfielder to throw two runners out at the plate in one World Series game. Final out victim Willie McGee. The sixth inning proved to be controversial. In the top of the sixth, Tom Herr was picked-off of first base, and called out. In the third missed call of the game, replays showed Herr to be safe. Umpire Lee Weyer's view was blocked by Kent Hrbek who, according to the broadcast crew, not only made the tag late, but also should have been called for interference as he stood in Herr's path during the run-down before he had the ball. Had this been called, Herr would not only have been safe, but been awarded second base, and the Cardinals would have had a runner at second with one out. As it was, the Cardinals would score nothing. The Twins then took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, off Danny Cox, who had relieved Magrane the previous inning. Cox walked Brunansky and Hrbek to lead off, and was replaced by Todd Worrell. As Cox was leaving, he got into an argument with home plate umpire Dave Phillips and was ejected as he was leaving the field. After retiring the first batter he faced, Worrell walked pinch-hitter Roy Smalley to load the bases and then gave up a two-out RBI single to Gagne. The Twins' final run came in the eighth on an RBI double by Dan Gladden. Jeff Reardon retired the side in the ninth to give Minnesota their first World Series victory. Twins manager Tom Kelly became the youngest non-playing manager to win the World Series since John McGraw in 1905.