The 1991 World Series: A comeback story for the basement dwellers
In short: In 1990, both the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves finished their seasons in last place. By 1991, they were battling for the championship in a series so intense that ESPN later named it the greatest of all time.
The 1991 World Series was a historic anomaly. Prior to this contest, every league winner had avoided finishing the prior year at the bottom of the standings. The Twins had finished 74–88 in 1990, while the Braves had finished with the worst record in baseball at 65–97. Despite these dismal starts, both teams surged in 1991 to claim their respective division titles.
The series was defined by extreme suspense and razor-thin margins. Out of the seven games played, five were decided by a single run. Four of those were decided on the very last at-bat, and three required extra innings to resolve. The deciding seventh game remained a 0–0 tie through the first nine innings, eventually seeing the Twins win 1–0 in the 10th inning.
Jack Morris, pitching for his hometown Twins, delivered a complete game in that deciding seventh game and was named the series MVP. The series also featured significant controversy during a play involving Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek and Braves player Ron Gant. An umpire ruled Gant out after the two players became entangled while attempting a play at first base—a decision later ranked by ESPN and Sports Illustrated as one of the ten worst calls in baseball history.
The series was a grueling marathon of endurance. It totaled 69 innings, a figure that held the record for the longest seven-game series until the 2025 World Series reached 74 innings. This win was the third title for the Twins and stands as the latest men's professional sports championship secured by a team from Minneapolis–St. Paul.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 1991 World Series
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