Cardinal Vince Coleman heads to first base on the first pitch of the game on Saturday, Oct. 17, 1987 in game one of the Series in Minneapolis. Coleman bunted on the first pitch but did not beat out the throw to Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek from pitcher Frank Viola. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
The Series returned to the Metrodome with the Twins facing elimination…..which is the same position they would find themselves in once more four years later against the Atlanta Braves….as ABC allowed the game to be played at 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. ET) on Saturday afternoon…..whereby, it was the only day game of the series….and the last World Series game to date to be played in the daytime.
The Cardinals would draw first blood off Twins P Les Straker on a Tommy Herr home run in the first…..when the Twins countered with two in their half of the first on RBI singles by Kirby Puckett and Don Baylor….then the Cardinals quickly tied it in the second on a Jose Oquendo RBI single. In the fourth, the Cards chased Straker when Dan Driessen led off with a double to right….and went to third on a Willie McGee single…..as McGee took second on the attempted throw home by center fielder Kirby Puckett…..when Terry Pendleton followed by singling home Driessen….nd Oquendo hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4 – 2 in favor of the Cards. Another run scored for the Cards in the fifth when lefty Dan Schatzeder walked Ozzie Smith…..who went to second on a ground out….and then to third on a fly out….then scored on another McGee single.
But, in the bottom of the fifth, the Twins began to claw back against John Tudor….as Puckett led off with a single….and was doubled in by Gary Gaetti…..then while benefiting from use of the designated hitter in their home ballpark…..the Twins then tied it on a mammoth home run by their DH Don Baylor…..when after Tom Brunansky followed with a single…..the Twins took the lead for good when Steve Lombardozzi singled him home with two out on a close play at the plate.
The Twins then blew the game open in the sixth as Greg Gagne led off with an infield single….and Puckett walked…..then a passed ball by Cards C Tony Peña advanced the runners…..and with first base open and one out, Cards veteran Bob Forsch intentionally walked Baylor to load the bases…..and after Brunansky popped out….Mgr Whitey Herzog brought in left-hander Ken Dayley to face the lefty-hitting Kent Hrbek…..who finally broke out of his batting doldrums and hit a grand slam home run. Brunansky drove in the final run in the eighth and the Twins had staved off defeat.
