Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 7: Two Games for the Price of One

Game 4, 2005 NLDS: Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros

October 9, 2005, Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas

Astros lead 2-1 

The first surprise was that Brad Ausmus was batting here. Two outs in the ninth, Houston trailing 6-5 - it seemed like a perfect time to go pinch hit for the catcher who was only 2-for-15 in his career against this reliever. And right there on the bench, sitting right behind his manager and holding a bat, was Jeff Bagwell. You can find a picture of Bagwell now hanging on the wall in Cooperstown. So why couldn't we find him in the batters' box in a situation where a home run would tie the game? 

The second surprise was that Kyle Farnsworth was still in the game. Atlanta's bullpen was running on fumes, sure, but Farnsworth had pitched the entire 8th inning, a frame that included a grand slam by Lance Berkman that turned a Braves runaway into a nail biter. Surly a fresh reliever was a better option. Or maybe manager Bobby Cox knew Farnsworth's past success against Ausmus and figured he was as good a choice as anybody.

When it came down to it, with all the numbers examined and players considered, both managers chose to trust the guy they had. Houston's Phil Garner ended up being right. Ausmus hit a fly ball that hit the wall right at the corner of the yellow home run line on Minute Maid Park's left field wall and caromed into play. At first the Braves outfielders scrambled after it, hoping they could keep the slow-running catcher to a double. But there was the second-base umpire making the home run signal, and there was Ausmus jogging around the bases, and there was Cox in the dugout, now probably out of relievers he trusted, thinking "now what?"    

If he only knew. Ausmus' home run rescued Houston from defeat and temporarily delayed their travel plans to Atlanta for Game 5. As impossible as it might have seemed entering the bottom of the eighth - when Atlanta held a 6-1 lead thanks in large part to a third-inning grand slam from Adam LaRoche - this game was going into extra innings. And extra, and extra, and extra...

This should have been quick for Houston. Their bullpen had already proven itself in this series, while Atlanta's had been a disaster. But it was the playoffs, and nothing was supposed to be easy in the playoffs. 

Houston could have scored in the bottom of the 10th, when they had two men on with two outs and finally played their Bagwell card. But Bagwell got jammed, and his fly ball to left hung in the air just long enough for Ryan Langerhans to run underneath it.

Atlanta could have scored in the top of the 11th, with two men on with two outs, but Julio Franco grounded out. They also could have scored in the top of the 14th, when they loaded the bases with one out, but Dan Wheeler struck out Brian McCann and got Pete Orr to ground to third. And so they played on.

Wheeler was Houston's last available reliever, so Game 2 starter Roger Clemens eventually wandered out to the bullpen to warm up. And as both teams kept failing to score, Clemens had to come in - as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 15th with a runner on first. Clemens only had to bunt, of course, and he moved the runner over. But the Astros again didn't score, the threat ending on a double play, and so they played on.

Clemens was pitching because the Astros were out of relievers, but they were also out of position players. So as he shut down the Braves, all the way to the 18th inning - the first postseason game to ever enter the 18th inning, two games for the price of one - Clemens' spot in the batting order came up again. And since there was nobody left on the bench to pinch hit for him - and nobody in the bullpen to come in to replace the pinch hitter. Clemens had to bat. And he did what any pitcher would do when batting in the 18th inning of a playoff game - he swung as hard as he could, struck out swinging, and walked back to the bench to hope for a run.

It was finally over.

And the run finally came. Chris Burke hadn't started the game; he came in as a pinch runner for Berkman in the 10th. He had played center, and then left, as Garner moved the Astros around the field to accommodate pinch-hitters and double switches. So when he came to the plate with one out in the 18th, he had played almost an entire game despite entering the game in extra innings. He had already flied out to left once in extra innings. For his second time up, he hit one just a little bit farther. 

Burke's series-ending home run - only the 8th in Major League history at that point - sent the Astros to the NLCS, where they finally got past the Cardinals and into the World Series. And we've seen what happened in that series.

 

Game 4, 2005 National League Division Series Overall Rank: 7 Top 10 Swing: 235 Top play: Brad Ausmus' game-tying home run in the 9th (WPA of 49% for Houston) Loser's largest WE: 98 T8, entire inning after Atlanta takes a 6-1 lead. Average LI: 1.69 Highest leverage moment: 6.88 (T14, 2 outs, bases loaded, game tied 6-6, Pete Orr batting for Atlanta)

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 12: The Other Jordan, the Other Two-Sport Star

Game 3, 1999 National League Division Series: Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros

October 8, 1999, Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Series tied 1-1

Sanders (left) and Jordan (right) pose with a
non-baseball-playing teammate. 

Of all the people who played for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves in the 1990s, Brian Jordan was easily the least famous. Deion Sanders got all the attention, and rightfully so; not only did Sanders play football and baseball at the same time (and once on the same day), he was one of the best football players of his generation. Jordan, meanwhile, was much better at baseball than Sanders was, to the point that he gave up on his NFL career after two seasons to focus solely on baseball.

Sanders was mostly done with baseball when Jordan reached his peak, crushing National League pitching in 1998 with 70 home run-hitter Mark McGwire batting right behind him. Jordan turned that season into a free agent contract with Atlanta, and he continued his hot hitting until a wrist injury slowed him down at the end of the season. He hit only .239 with 1 home run in the final 40 games of the season, but he was still Atlanta's cleanup hitter as they entered the National League Division Series against Houston.

After a split of the first two games in Atlanta, Houston took an early 2-0 lead in Game 3, holding that lead until the top of the sixth, when Atlanta threatened for the first time. Starting pitcher Tom Glavine led off the sixth, something that likely wouldn't have happened in 2021; teams would have easily pinch-hit for their starter while trailing 2-0 in the 6th in virtually any game in 2021, especially a playoff game. But this was 1999, and starters were supposed to give you 7 innings no matter what, so Glavine batted and grounded out.

That was when Gerald Williams came up. As the Braves' leadoff hitter, this was Williams' third at bat of the game. Again, in today's game, the Astros would have been watching pitcher Mike Hampton's workload very carefully, as teams are very quick to remove starters when they start facing hitters for the third time. But this was 1999, and starters were supposed to give you 7 innings, so Hampton stayed in. He got Williams to pop out, but Bret Boone singled, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Chipper Jones was walked, bringing up Jordan. 

It's possible that the walk to Jones wasn't exactly accidental, considering Jordan's late-season slump. Even though a walk put the tying run on base, Jones was likely viewed as a more dangerous hitter. But Jordan made Houston pay for the walk, blasting the first pitch deep to left to give the Braves the lead.

Both starting pitchers were replaced by pinch hitters in the 7th. Atlanta put in Walt Weiss, who grounded out, but Houston's pinch hitter, Russ Johnson, doubled to left to start a rally. Glen Barker ran for Johnson and eventually came home on Bill Spiers' one-out single to left. The Astros ended up loading the bases with one out, but reliever Mike Remlinger got a strike out and a fly out to escape further damage. 

Ahead to the 10th, when Williams hit a one-out infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Otis Nixon. Throughout his career, and especially at this late stage, Nixon existed for one reason, and that was to steal bases. And that's what he did, stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error. After a strike out, Jones was intentionally walked and Jordan was unintentionally walked before Andruw Jones flied out to end the threat.

After escaping the top half of the inning, the Astros loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th with nobody out. Atlanta brought in closer/bigot John Rocker to a nearly impossible situation, asking him to get three outs without allowing a run to score. The first batter, Carl Everett, grounded to first, where Atlanta got a force at home. The next batter, Tony Eusebio, hit a sharp grounder that Weiss somehow stopped at short, turning to make a great throw to home for the second out. Picked up by his defense, Rocker then struck out Ricky Guiterrez to escape the inning.

In the 12th, the Braves threatened again. Two straight singles put runners on first and second with one out and Chipper Jones up. Jones grounded out, but the runners advanced, putting runners on second and third with two out. Jordan was up again, with first base open. The logical play may have been to walk Jordan, especially after his cannon shot home run in the 6th. But the Astros, either because they were more afraid of Andruw Jones batting behind him or were still focused on Jordan's injury and slump, decided to pitch to Jordan. Another first-pitch swing, another extra-base hit, this time a double that scored two runs. 

Now leading 5-3, but having already used their closer, Atlanta used Game 2 starter Kevin Millwood  as their closer. It was an odd choice to use a pitcher that had thrown a complete game two days before, but Millwood had only give up one hit in that complete game, so maybe Atlanta thought he'd carry it over to this game. And, well, he did. Three batters, three outs, and Atlanta had a 2-1 series lead. 

Game 3, 1999 NLDS Overall Rank: 12 Top 10 Swing: 217 Top play: Brian Jordan's go-ahead double in the 12th (WPA of 41% for Atlanta) Loser's largest WE: 94 B10, 0 out, bases loaded, tied 3-3, Carl Everett up for Houston  Average LI: 1.84 Highest leverage moment: 6.90 (T10, 2 out, bases loaded, tied 3-3, Andruw Jones up for Atlanta)

 

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 22: Thrice Loaded

Game 1, 1995 NLDS: Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies

October 3, 1995, Coors Field, Denver, Colorado

Congratulations were in order to Colorado in 1995. In just their third season as a team, they earned the first-ever National League Wild Card spot. And because Major League Baseball wasn't quite sure what to do with the Wild Card spot yet, the Rockies' first playoff game was actually a home game. But that's where the good news ended. The Rockies' first-round opponents were the Atlanta Braves, owners of the National League's best record for the third time in four years. And the Braves' game 1 pitcher was none other than Greg Maddux.

The 1995 version of Greg Maddux was easily the best. He led the NL in wins (with a 19-2 record that still causes a double-take when you look at it), earned run average (1.63, when the league average was 4.18), WHIP, and strikeout to walk ratio. And although he was good all season, Maddux was especially good coming down the stretch, giving up only one run in four September starts.

So naturally the Rockies led 3-1 after 5 innings.

But the Braves came back, as they so often did in the 90s. Rookie Chipper Jones, playing in his first postseason game, started the comeback with a leadoff home run in the top of the 6th, and the Braves tied it later in the inning on a one-out ground ball that was hit too slowly for the Rockies to turn a double play. 

The next threat was in the bottom of the seventh, when the Rockies loaded the bases with one out. That's when Maddux did what he did best. Even at his best, Maddux wasn't an overpowering strikeout pitcher. Instead, he'd beat you by forcing bad contact, getting soft ground balls at opportune moments. When he got that soft ground ball, he became his team's fifth infielder, and his 18 career Gold Gloves showed he knew what to do when the ball was hit.

And so he got out of his bases loaded jam in the 7th in the best way he knew how: by getting pinch-hitter John Vander Wal to ground right back to the mound, starting a 1-2-3 double play to end the threat. 

The Braves reclaimed the lead in the top of the 8th on a Dwight Smith pinch-hit single, only for the Rockies to tie the game again in the bottom of the 8th on an Ellis Burks double. After Burks' double, the Rockies loaded the bases for the second straight inning, only for pinch runner/defensive replacement Jason Bates to softly fly out to end the inning.

Once again, probably annoyed that they had to keep doing this, the Braves took the lead in the next inning, with Jones hitting his second home run of the game, this time with two outs. 

For the third straight inning, the Rockies loaded the bases in the ninth. This time, they did so with only one out, so even a deep flyball would tie the game, and a single would probably win it. But for the third straight inning, the Rockies came up empty; Braves closer Mark Wohlers, who had gotten himself into this mess, got himself out of it with two straight strike outs, and the Braves survived with a 5-4 Game 1 win.

The Rockies did get one game from Atlanta in the NLDS, but they were no match for the juggernaut Braves. Atlanta won the NLDS, swept the NLCS, then beat Cleveland for their first World Championship. Somehow, despite leading the NL in wins seven times in the decade, that 1995 championship was Atlanta's only title of the 90s.

 

Game 1, 1995 NLDS Overall Rank: 22 Top 10 Swing: 242 Top play: Jones' 9th-inning home run (WPA of 39% for Atlanta) Loser's largest WE: 79 Middle of the 5th inning, Colorado up 3-1 Average LI: 1.90 Highest leverage moment: 11.01 (The final out, bases loaded, B9, Atlanta up 5-4)

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 23: The Third-String Catcher

Game 7, 1992 NLCS: Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves

October 14, 1992, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Barry Bonds in 1992 was, almost without question, the best player in the Majors. He was the home run-hitting, base-stealing, all-around threat who was the centerpiece of Pittsburgh's three-time division championship-winning team. He was about to be named National League MVP for the second time, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner for the third straight time. As the bottom of the ninth started in Game 7, Bonds stood in left field at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium, three outs away from finally taking the Pirates to the World Series.

Sid Bream in 1992 was looking for redemption. A former teammate of Bonds with the Pirates, he came over to the Braves in 1991, joining a last place team just in time for them to ride the wave of their young pitchers all the way to a World Series berth. In that 1991 Series, it was Bream who found himself at the plate for the most important at bat in Braves history; it was Bream who then grounded into the 3-2-3 double play that turned the tables of that Game 7. As the bottom of the ninth started in Game 7, Bream was holding a bat and putting on a helmet. He was due up third, hoping to get a chance to erase the memories of 3-2-3 and to eliminate his friends on his former team.

As the bottom of the ninth started in Game 7, Doug Drabek was still on the mound for the Pirates. And why not? He was throwing a shutout. Despite an 0-2 record in the series, he was the Pirates' ace, and as the Twins proved in the World Series the previous year, you leave your ace on the mound in the postseason. So it was Drabek who faced the heart of the Braves' lineup with a 2-0 lead in Game 7. 

And it was Drabek who gave up the leadoff double to Terry Pendleton. You couldn't really blame Drabek for David Justice following that by reaching on an error, but you can blame him for then walking Bream on four pitches to load the bases. So much for Bream's chance at redemption. But count the runners - the Braves were down two, and they had three runners on base. The NLCS-winning run was in Sid Bream's back pocket. Too bad he wasn't a fast runner. He'd had five knee operations in his life, after all. There wasn't much speed left. He'd much rather have had a chance to win it with the bat.

Drabek was finally done, pulled for the Pirates' closer, Stan Belinda. What a horrendous spot to enter the game: Bases loaded, nobody out, up by 2. And now up by 1, as Ron Gant flied out to Bonds in left, too deep for Bonds to have a chance to throw out Pendleton. So deep that at first, it looked like a game-ending home run. So it was a one-run game, but there was one out. A trade the Pirates were willing to take. A double play would end it, and it would take a double for the Braves to win it.

Except Belinda walked Damon Berryhill. Bases loaded again, with Bream now standing at second base. Would he be able to score from there on a single? Would he even get the chance? 

The Braves sent Brian Hunter to pinch-hit for the weak-hitting Rafael Belliard, needing only a single. Even another deep flyball would tie the game. But Hunter popped out. The Pirates were one out away. And the Braves had their pitcher coming up next. Looking at the bench, who was left? 

Francisco Cabrera in 1992 was hanging on to his dreams by his fingernails. A third-string catcher, he had played in only 126 major league games over three seasons, including only 12 in 1992. If he hadn't been a catcher, he probably never would have left the Minors. But he was living that dream; most of those who dream of a Major League career don't get anywhere close to the Majors, and Cabrera had accomplished not only that but had the chance to bat in a World Series. How could you beat that? As the bottom of the ninth started in Game 7, he was on the bench, unused and so still technically eligible to play, but unlikely to. 

But the pitchers spot came up in the bottom of the ninth, and Cabrera was the only non-pitcher left to go. It didn't matter that he had only 10 Major League at bats that year. His name was called. 

Bottom of the ninth. Game 7. Two outs. Down one. Bases loaded. The highest possible leverage, the situation millions of kids dreamed about.

Bonds stood in left, waiting, hoping for one more out. Bream took a lead off second, waiting, hoping for one more hit. Cabrera stood in at the plate, waiting, hoping, likely knowing he'll never get a moment like this.

A single to left. Bonds charging. The tying run scoring. Bream rounding third as Bonds came up throwing. A one-hop throw slightly up the first-base line.

Take it away, Skip. 

Safe.

Game 7, 1992 NLCS Overall Rank: 23 Top 10 Swing: 228 Top Play: Cabrera's hit, a massive 74% WPA Loser's largest WE: 93 Entering the top of the 9th Average LI: 1.62 Highest leverage moment: 10.75 for Cabrera's at bat.

Reliving 1991 - Game 7: Just a Game

And now we've reached Game 7. After all the chaos and tension of the previous six games, this was the only possible way this Series could have ended. The series was destined for seven games from the start, and going in, there's no reason to believe this game will be anything but tight. The only question is if will live up to the previous six.

You know the pitching matchup by now: John Smoltz of the Braves against Jack Morris of the Twins. Morris was pitching for the team he cheered for as a child; Smoltz was pitching against the pitcher he idolized as a child.

The home team had won each of the first six games of the Series. As our broadcast begins with a shot of a packed-full Metrodome, the Twins have to feel good that they get to host the final game. After all, they've never lost a World Series game in the Dome.

Play by play here; video here.

Lonnie Smith shakes Brian Harper's hand. The fans start roaring as Morris takes the mound. And we're off.

Top 1 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Jack Morris pitching.

"And here he is. From Highland Park, a suburb of St. Paul, Jack Morris."

The game hasn't started yet, and Jack Buck has made a mistake; Highland Park is a neighborhood of St. Paul, not a suburb. I accept this mistake, though, because at least he didn't call St. Paul a suburb of Minneapolis.

Lonnie Smith flies to right. One out.

Don Denkinger is the home plate umpire. Cardinals fans hate him.

Pendleton grounds to first, unassisted. Two outs.

Whenever there was a game broadcast at the Dome, the announcers always felt the need to mention what it felt like outside. Tonight was apparently a "chilly, clear" night.

Ron Gant strikes out. Three outs.

Bottom 1 - Twins 0, Braves 0

John Smoltz: 8-1 after the All Star break, 2-0 against Pittsburgh in the NLCS (including Game 7). He was exactly who the Braves wanted on the mound for this one.

This World Series was the first in (Atlanta) Braves history, but they ended up going to five in the 1990s. This was the only one to go to Game 7.

Dan Gladden strikes out. One out.

Chuck Knoblauch flies to right. Two outs.

That ball was in the air forever. Seemed to defy gravity. The Braves staggered under it a little but Justice caught it cleanly.

And now Puckett. The fans give a roar, but it dies kind of quickly. The nervous tension is already taking over.

Here's the list of players to hit an extra-inning walkoff home run in the World Series, through Game 6, 1991: Dusty Rhodes, Eddie Mathews, Carlton Fisk, Kirby Puckett.

And since then: Chad Curtis, Derek Jeter, Alex Gonzalez, David Freese.

First 88 World Series: Four such instances. Next 19 World Series: Four such instances.

Kirby Puckett grounds to pitcher. Three outs.

Top 2 - Braves 0, Twins 0

David Justice singles to center.

Another ball falls in front of the too deep Puckett. That's at least three hits he's allowed for that reason.

Jack Buck said that hit almost makes up for Justice's near home run from Game 6. No, no it doesn't. That ball would have won the World Series if it had been fair. This was a second-inning single.

Sid Bream grounds to second, Justice to second. One out.

Justice was running on the play, so he didn't really have much of a chance. Same thing as a bunt.

Brian Hunter strikes out. Two outs.

I don't remember Morris getting a strike out on a high fastball like that in past game this series. Seems like he always went with the forkball.

Greg Olson flies to second. Three outs.

Bottom 2 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Tim McCarver is talking about tension, and numbness in the joints. They show Tom Glavine staring straight ahead, glazed look in his eyes, slowly cracking his knuckles. Reminder, this is the 2nd inning.

Kent Hrbek flies to right. One out.

They show Chili, and behind him, the Braves dugout. Leo Mazzone is rocking full force now. I think this is when it started. And it didn't stop the rest of his career.

Now we learn about Smoltz's path to the Braves. Originally drafted by Detroit, he was traded in the 1987 Doyle Alexander trade. Alexander went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA down the stretch for Detroit in 1987 after the trade. Then he went 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA against the Twins in the ALCS that year and flamed out of baseball two years later. Smoltz, meanwhile, ended up in the Hall of Fame. So it goes.

Chili Davis strikes out looking. Two outs.

Brian Harper singles to center.

Now maybe Buck will stop counting down the number of consecutive batters Smoltz has retired. I get it when the number gets large, but not when it's the second inning.

Shane Mack is up. He got two hits in Game 6, so hopefully that stays with him tonight and gives him some confidence.

Shane Mack singles, Harper to second.

There we go. Although there are fewer things more frustrating than a pair of two-out singles. They just get you excited for no reason.

But, Mike Pagliarulo, who was 3-for-3 with a homer off Smoltz in Game 4, is up. McCarver is reminding us how pissed Smoltz was to give up that home run on a fastball. I think he should NOT remind him of that.

Mike Pagliarulo grounds to first, pitcher covering. Three outs.

Well, I tried.

Top 3 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Oh, nice, the Braves front office staff wears little Tomahawk-shaped lapel pins. How adorable.

Mark Lemke grounds to second. One out.

I enjoy not having to swear at Mark Lemke.

Everybody in the Braves dugout looks sick. Except Olson. He looks completely chill. Like he's thinking about hunting instead of baseball.

Rafael Belliard singles to right.

I feel like I've spelled his first name three different ways in these games. But I'm not going to look him up or even look to see if I've spelled it consistently.

Belliard to second on passed ball.

Less good.

I like Morris' guts, though. Harper made mince meat of a breaking ball on the passed ball, but Morris went right back to one on the next pitch.

The top of the third marks our first reference to the phrase "It's a shame somebody has to lose." There are probably some players who would take a tie right now.

Smith walks.

Probably another semi-intentional walk, although why they'd do that with Pendleton up next is a good question, so maybe not.

Pendleton flies to left. Two outs.

No issues with that one. Off the end of his bat, not deep at all.

Ron Gant is introduced as a "first-ball fastball hitter." So on the first pitch...

Gant grounds into a fielders choice, Smith out, short to second. Three outs.

Bottom 3 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Nick Esasky is shown on the Braves bench, even though he's described as having been on the disabled list for two years with vertigo. I mean, at some point they gotta tell him to stay home, right? And he never did play again.

Greg Gagne grounds to third. One out.

McCarver brings up that this is the first World Series to have three games end with a run being scored on the final swing of the bat. Possibly related, everybody has ulcers.

Gladden doubles to left.

The Gladdenstache wakes up. Wasn't a great looking swing, but it was well-placed down the left field line. I'm glad it's the Twins threatening now instead of the Braves.

Exterior shot of the Metrodome. There doens't appear to be any snow on the ground. Give it a few days. Four, to be exact.

Knoblauch flies to right, Gladden to third. Two outs.

Kirby's up with a runner on third. Hope he didn't use up all his magic last night.

They showed the Twins dugout for the first time. They don't look quite as stressed as the Braves one, but they're also not in a happy place right now.

Puckett strikes out. Three outs.

Jack Buck: "We have six more innings to go of torture and pleasure." As disturbing as that sounds, I ... I kinda like it. It's fitting.

Top 4 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Morris threw a palmball at Justice. That's so old school the ball was sepia-toned while going to the plate.

Justice strikes out. One out.

Bream flies to left. Two outs.

Hunter doubles to left.

Doubles are fine if there are two outs. McCarver gives us the helpful stat that it was the 40th extra-base hit in the World Series, which is two away from the record. I'm trying to remember the play-by-play, and I think we're only going to tie that record, not break it. CLIFFHANGER.

Lemke is on deck, which makes this current at bat with Olson the most important of the game. Morris HAS to get Olson.

(Yes, I have The Fear with Lemke. And I don't care how bizarre it is.)

The Twins dugout is full of players sitting with their elbows on their legs, hands folded nicely in their laps. It's like they're so desperate to not develop a nervous tick they're choosing to squeeze the life out of their own hands instead.

Olson flies to right. Three outs.

Mack started toward center on that ball, then ran hard in, catching it below his knees. In other words, it was terrifying.

Bottom 4 - Braves 0, Twins 0

"Tension fills the park," says Buck. He honestly can't handle this game. It's too much for him.

Hrbek hit by a pitch.

Um ... that ball didn't look like it hit Hrbek. It came awfully close to hitting his elbow, then bounced off Olson's glove and hit the umpire square in the thigh. While the umpire was grimacing, Hrbek pretended the ball hit him, and the ump believed him. Replays are inconclusive at best; if it hit him, it was just by the seams.

But whatever. The leadoff guy is on for the first time, and Chili is up.

Davis flies to left. One out.

Chili is no longer up.

Pat Olson. Not the same guy I
showed yesterday. I'm like 90% sure.

We are now introduced to Pat Olson (left), who has now attended 283 consecutive World Series games. If we assume that this game is actually 284, then that puts his streak as starting in Game 1 of 1946. (Because why would he start his streak in Game 2 of a series?) That's an awesome life.

(HINT Nicci)

Harper flies to right. Two outs.

Another awkward looking but effective play by Justice. He ran like one leg was two inches shorter than the other, but made a nice sliding catch to keep Hrbek on first.

Mack flies to second. Three outs.

Top 5 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Lemke singles to right.

I would like to kick Mark Lemke in the shins.

Now they're talking about how they're in automatic bunt territory here. It's hard to believe we've gotten that far in this game already, but they're right. I'm sure both managers know the first run is going to win this thing. So everybody expects Belliard to bunt, which he does.

Belliard sacrifices, catcher to first, Lemke to second. One out.

That was easy. He just bounced it straight down, took the Metrodome hop, and Harper had no chance at Lemke.

Smith singles to third, Lemke to third.

He was trying for a hit there, not a sacrifice. Then he slid feet first, as if to say "please get me out." Luckily for him, Pags' throw took Hrbek just barely off the bag, and he was safe. I've seen three replays, and I'm not convinced Hrbek pulled his foot. But the umpire had the best view. (Not sarcasm, either).

Still, though. Smith was a good hitter. Try to get Lemke home.

And now Pendleton is up; he's 10 for his last 11 (this is an approximation). I am not happy with these developments.

Pendleton flies to short. Two outs.

Buck said "pops him up for the second out," before Gagne was even under that ball. And then Gladden almost ran into him. Too close for my liking.

And now Gant is up. He was the Braves' second-best hitter in 1991 after Pendleton, but the Twins have been oddly unafraid of him. He did hit the ball that led to Puckett's Catch, but he hasn't been more than OK in the series, so they obviously had something on him.

The crowd is going in waves. They're silent between pitches and roaring when Morris is about to throw.

SO CLOSE! It's not in the play-by-play, but Morris just bounced one up there. Harper blocked it and it bounced about 15 feet in front of home plate. Lemke started to come, but Morris grabbed and threw back to third and almost got him. So, so close to a go-ahead run. So, so close to getting out of the inning at third.

Sorry for the blurry. I paused it right when Pags caught it.
He looks out, doesn't he?

And on replays ... I think they got him. I paused it, and I think he was out. The Twins thought he was out. I think Lemke kinda thought he was out. But he was safe.

And there was (of course) no replay challenges in 1991, and I'm glad. Just let the call stand.

(Easy to say now, 25 years later.)

(Also, I kinda want to puke.)

Then Morris almost picks off Smith, who is remarkably still at first despite what happened with Lemke. Smith has not been a good baserunner this series. That will become apparent one more time before we're done.

Gant strikes out looking. Three outs.

The Jack Morris arm pump. Gant took that ball without even flinching, and Morris responded with a long, exaggerated fist pump, one that looked more like a huge air guitar chord than anything else. Huge, huge moment.

Bottom 5 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Pagliarulo flies to center. One out.

Pags got us all excited there. Gant caught it on the run one step from the wall.

Buck is now begging us to not turn off the TV after the game is over because there will be something special. I will be happy to oblige if my DVD shows it. Partially because I won't be able to/want to move.

Gagne strikes out. Two outs.

Gladden singles to center.

Gladden's second hit, and the fourth in the game for the Twins. Two bad there's two outs. But Kirby's one batter away, so we just need Knoblauch to somehow get on. Maybe he can lean into one.

Knoblauch flies to center. Three outs.

He did not lean into one. It's hard to lean into one that's over the heart of the plate. Darn.

Top 6 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Justice grounds to first, pitcher covering. One out.

Good job by Hrbek to not panic there. The short hop kind of ate him up there, but he stayed calm and tossed it to Morris with time to spare.

Bream grounds to first, unassisted. Two outs.

Are they trying to test if Hrbek is awake? Because he is. He looks like he hasn't slept in a week, but he's awake.

Hunter is up. He apparently spent the last half inning flexing his hand, unsure if he could swing. It even got to the point that a pinch-hitter grabbed his bat and got ready. But Hunter stayed in there.

Hunter flies to center. Three outs.

Morris has his first 1-2-3 inning since the first. And Puckett, Hrbek, and Davis are coming up. 1991 me is thinking that if they don't win it here, they might not win it. I have a tension headache (present day me, that is.)

Bottom 6 - Braves 0, Twins 0

We are told that Washington beat the Giants today 17-13 to become the last undefeated team in the NFL. Because we want a fucking football score right now.

(Washington would finish that season 14-2 and go on to win the Super Bowl ... in the Metrodome.)

Puckett walks.

That's his first unintentional walk of the Series. And now the leadoff batter is on, with three good hitters coming up, and Puckett has decent speed, and oh man the Twins are gonna win and it's awesome.

Hrbek is 0 for his last 14, although he got hit by a pitch his last time up, so maybe the streak is over.

Hrbek honestly looks exhausted. Like he's gonna fall over any minute. It must be taking literally all his energy to swing these full swings.

Hrbek flies to center. One out.

Gant barely moved. Puckett wasn't able to move, either.

But Chili's up, and he's homered twice this series, so why not another one? Time to win.

Davis grounds into a double play, first to short to first, Puckett out at second. Three outs.

I'm literally speechless. That was so fast.

Top 7 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Bream is rubbing somebody's earlobes in the dugout. I don't know whose ears they were. I don't want to look it up because I'm nervous and I need to get some Advil.

Olson strikes out. One out.

Morris completely overpowered him.

Lemke flies to center. Two outs.

Lemke's at bat was so quick I didn't get a chance to be nervous that he was batting.

Rafael Belliard chokes up like an inch and a half. It looks like he weights 105 pounds. It's amazing players who look like that can have a big league career.

Belliard strikes out. Three outs.

Belliard was openly trying to walk there. Morris realized he had no intention on swinging and just poured the last two down the middle.

Bottom 7 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Morris and Smoltz have been remarkably calm this game. I'm sure their hearts were racing, but they haven't betrayed that at all.

Harper grounds to third. One out.

Mack grounds to third. Two outs.

Smart play by Mack. Pendleton was way back, and he's had a sore leg, and it was a decent bunt. Problem is the turf was so fast that it got to Pendleton quickly and gave him a chance to get the out.

Pagliarulo grounds to third. Three outs.

Quit hitting to him, huh?

Top 8 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Smith singles to right.

Smith didn't want to swing at that. He checked up, made contact anyway, and it fell in front of Mack.

And now Pendleton's up. They're wondering if Smith will try to steal or if Pendleton will bunt, but I'm having a hard time paying attention, because my legs are bouncing nervously. They have been for a while and I just now noticed it, so I think this counts as cardio? I'm not sure.

The bullpen is going for the Twins. Morris might be tiring. This is dumb.

Son of a! Pendleton got a two-strike foul-tip. Harper claimed he caught it, and the home plate umpire didn't see it and asked for help, but it very clearly bounced. So still two strikes.

Morris is about to throw his 100th pitch.

Pendleton doubles to left, Smith to third.

Oh dear God. Morris' 100th pitch is drilled to left center, and it bounces high off the plexiglass. Gladden had to wait for what seemed like ages for it to come down, then fired to the infield, only to find that, somehow, Smith was only at third.

Smith pulling up as Knoblauch pretends to throw him out at
second, with Gagne in on the act.

Smith apparently got deked by Knoblauch as he was running to third - Knoblauch faked a throw to Gagne, as if it was a double play, with Gagne even running to the base to keep up the act. Smith saw that, stopped at second, and hopped for a solid three seconds before running to third.

He's had two bad baserunning plays so far this series, but this third and final one was by far the worst. There is no way a guy fast enough to be a leadoff hitter shouldn't have scored on that play. The Twins got so, so lucky.

And yet, it's still second and third with nobody out.

Gant is up, and first base is open, and they're fjkhkdaswl PITCHING TO HIM!??! Wait .. Justice is on deck. I'm sure Kelly trusts the righty-righty matchup instead of Morris vs. Justice. So it makes sense.

Gant grounds to first. One out.

Man, Kelly looked smart there.

And he'll look even smarter here. He walks slowly to the mound to talk to Morris himself: "Who would you rather face, Justice or Bream?" Kelly walks off the mound and leaves Morris there, leading to a big cheer from the crowd.

Justice walks intentionally.

Morris has spoken. It's up to Bream. Bases loaded, one out. Still no score. A man is eating a foam tomahawk in the stands. My neck is sore.

Kelly's relievers (Bedrosian and Guthrie) are ready to go. But he left Morris in there. Balls of steel there from the manager.

Bream fouls off three or four pitches. I stopped counting because I can no longer count. Then he hits one to Hrbek. The play is to home.

Bream grounds into a double play, first to catcher to first, Smith out at home. Three outs.

Of all the pitches Jack Morris threw in his life, none were bigger than that. That play increased the Twins' chances of winning the game - and, by extension, the championship - by 29 percent. The website Grantland determined that it was the 12th most valuable play in baseball history since 1947, and the only one of the top 15 that was a defensive play. That makes it the most valuable pitch ever thrown. A career-defining, World Series-saving pitch.

Hrbek does a double fist pump in celebration, then bounces the ball in celebration. The crowd is roaring. I have goosebumps, 25 years after it happened. What a play. What a game. What a series.

Bottom 8 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Randy Bush hitting.

Bush singles to center.

Damn, Randy! One pitch and you did your job! I completely forgot he played in this game. It's the start of a rally. Time to win a World Series.

Al Newman running.

At this point, Buck can only say "wow-o-wow-o-wow." He's completely done. We're all just along for the ride at this point. Nobody has any clue what's happening.

Gladden's trying to bunt Newman over. It's not going well.

Gladden flies to center. One out.

Smoltz made mincemeat of him there.

Knoblauch singles to right, Newman to third.

One pitch after saying you can't hit-and-run on a pitcher like Smoltz, the Twins hit-and-run on a pitcher like Smoltz. The Series-winning run in on third, and Kirby Puckett is at bat. I feel like I'm in a fever dream.

Cox is walking to the mound. Smoltz looks furious, then frustrated. He can't believe he's getting taken out. He can't believe he didn't get the job done.

Mike Stanton pitching.

They didn't bring in Stanton to face Puckett. They're walking him to load the bases and get to Hrbek, who is 0-for-3 against Stanton this series. McCarver is describing this like it's incredibly controversial and/or ballsy, but it makes sense to me.

So Kent Hrbek can win the World Series now. Bases loaded, one out. Just like the Braves had in the top of the inning. This game is beyond comprehension at this point.

Hrbek lines into a double play to second, Knoblauch out, second unassisted.

My god. Dear god.

Top 9 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Newman playing short.

I'm not sure anybody is even having fun at this point. This is just excruciating.

Hunter grounds to third. One out.

Olson grounds to short. Two outs.

Not really sure you should be swinging first-pitch at a pitcher who is well over 100 pitches in the 9th inning, but that's what Olson did. I approve of the result.

Now Lemke is up in the 9th inning of the 7th game of a series in which he's been awesome. I don't like that he's up. He's not a home run guy, but he has three triples this series. I wish it wasn't Lemke.

They show a woman with bright red nails looking completely miserable in the stands, and McCarver tries a bad pun about how Lemke is trying to "nail" one. I mean, at least he's trying.

Lemke strikes out. Three outs.

Lemke's magic is done. And Jack Morris just threw 9 innings of shutout ball in the 7th game of the World Series.

 Bottom 9 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Davis, Harper, and Mack are due up in the 9th. I would appreciate it if Chili just ripped one out of here and take us out of our misery. So anytime now Chili.

He's trying to listen. His swings haven't exactly been compact here. But now with two strikes, he has to shorten his swing a bit. Right?

He's fouled off several pitches. He's got Stanton measured. He's not scared of the situation.

Davis singles to right.

CHILI! A great at bat and it pays off. The World Series-winning run is on first.

Jarvis Brown running.

Will something called Jarvis Brown actually score the Series-winning run? No way, right?

Harper shows bunt, and Stanton almost hits the backstop. I think Stanton might be a bit amped up.

Ooh, the corner infielders charge, and Harper swings away. Then he bunts on the next pitch.

Harper singles to pitcher, Brown to second.

Stanaton and Bream both went for it, neither got it. The second baseman was running to first to cover, so Stanton had to chase the ball all the way to the second-base line, and he pulled something doing it. He's gotta come out.

So, the Braves have to make an injury replacement for their pitcher in the bottom of the 9th. Because of course.

Alejandro Pena pitching.

Mack is up. McCarver is again talking about bunting, and Mack shows the bunt but it goes foul. Lots of bunts this inning. And really, all you need is one (similar to All You Need is Love), so get those runners closer.

Mack grounds into a double play, second to short to first, Brown to third. Two outs.

That was a great turn by Lemke. Falling away from second, and throwing around Harper, and he gets the ball to second in time for Belliard to get it back to first. That took the air out of the stadium, which is understandable, but also weird, since the Series-winning run is still on third.

Pagliarulo walks intentionally.

Al Newman was on deck. He's not going to bat here, though.

Paul Sorrento hitting.

I don't like this option for the guy with the game on the line, mostly because I didn't remember that he played for the Twins in 1991 until I started watching these games again. Why is he batting here? Leius is still on the bench - and, presumably, will have to come in if Sorrento fails here - so why not let him bat? He's seen more pitches lately too.

Ugh. I can't stand this. Just win this thing already!

The infielders are all playing super far back, like all of them almost in the outfield. Can't Sorrento bunt? I know he's a power guy, but just drop it down and see what you can do. Keep it fair, you win the Series.

Sorrento strikes out. Three outs.

Ugh. Stupid.

Top 10 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Scott Leius playing short.

How is this game still happening? How has nobody scored? This isn't possible. This has been absolutely remarkable.

Honestly, this game was taken out of the players' hands a long time ago. I believe I've written this before, but this series should really be considered a tie. Starting about the 8th inning, it turned into a giant cosmic coin flip. Somebody is going to win only because somebody must. There are no ties in championships. But both these teams deserve it.

And Jack Morris is still on the mound, warming up for the 10th. Apparently during the ninth, Kelly went to him and thanked him for the game. Morris said there was no way on earth he was coming out. Kelly responded with "Ok, it's just a game."

Just a game.

And so Morris is on the mound for the 10th. And it's obvious he would have been there, if needed, for the 11th, the 12th ... who knows how long? Kelly didn't appear to have a gun with him in the dugout, so maybe he wouldn't have been able to take him out at all.

Jeff Blauser hitting.

Blauser pops to catcher. One out.

Harper drifted back, unable to see that ball. Then at the last moment, he saw it and caught it right up against the fence. I wonder if we've seen the result of the cosmic coin flip.

Lonnie Smith, the goat of the moment, is up.

Our first view of Ted Turner in the stands, and he looks like he's about to fall asleep. I know he's just relieving the tension, like everybody in the Dome, but the timing of the camera shot was bad.

Smith strikes out. Two outs.

Morris' fastball is just as fast in the 10th as it was in the 1st. Remarkable.

Pendleton grounds to short. Three outs.

Somehow, Morris' 10th inning of work might have been his cleanest. Maybe the Braves are just done.

Bottom 10 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Blauser playing short.

A lot of the innings I've seen while rewatching this Series were so unfamiliar to me that they may as well have been happening live. But the bottom of the 10th? I've got this one memorized.

The Gladdenstache is leading off. He swings at the first pitch and saws his bat in half. A little blooper into shallow left that takes a high hop off the turf, over Hunter. Gant is right there to back him up, and is up firing to second, but Gladden, who never stopped running, beats it by a whisker.

Gladden doubles to left.

Knoblauch's up. He has one job: Get Gladden to third, any way possible. The crowd is roaring, but now there are no nerves behind that roar: It's one of anticipation. It feels like, finally, this is it. This is where it happens. Knoblauch gets the bunt down.

Knoblauch sacrifices to third. Gladden to third. One out.

Puckett's up, and the crowd doesn't roar as loud as they normally would for their hero, because they know: Puckett's getting walked. There's no way he gets to swing a bat this inning.

Puckett walks intentionally.

The outfielders are coming in now, standing where they can catch a ball flat-footed and still throw out Gladden at third. Any Twin that can hit it deep wins the series.

Hrbek walks intentionally.

Jarvis Brown is on deck, but he's not going to swing. Gene Larkin grabs a bat.

Gene Larkin hitting.

He can barely run - his leg is visibly swollen. If he hits it on the ground, the inning is probably over. But if he hits it in the air...

Larkin singles to left, Gladden scores. Twins 1-0.

............................................

The Twins are celebrating like mad on the field, but it gets subdued pretty quickly. They're all clearly spent. They won the series, sure, but it's more like they survived it.

The Braves are stunned in their dugout. They're too tired to truly show sadness, or any other emotion. Just blank stares.

As the Twins celebration breaks up, the cameras show a different site: Jack Morris shaking hands with Ron Gant, Brian Hunter walking away after congratulating another Twin. There's no animosity here; the Braves are gracious in defeat, the Twins humble.

It's not a common site to see the losing team shaking hands with the winning team during the on-field World Series championship celebration, but it's because the players are fully aware of what just happened. They didn't so much play in the World Series as much as they witnessed it. They were just as much a part of the audience as we were. They fully grasped the magnitude of what took place in these seven games, and they knew they were lucky to be a part of it.

It was 25 years ago today that Dan Gladden jogged home and jumped on home plate, ending the greatest World Series ever played. It seems like a lifetime ago, but the memory is fresh. Whenever the Twins win their next World Series, whether it's next season or 25 years from now, the celebration will be long and loud, and Twins fans will be overjoyed. But there will also be something in the back of our minds: Sure, winning that future World Series will be great, but it still won't quite compare to the magical 9 days in October of 1991.

Reliving 1991 - Game 6: Kirby Puckett, Hall of Famer

So, Atlanta happened. The Twins took a 2-0 series lead down to Georgia, played two of the best World Series games ever and a third that was competitive as late as the seventh inning stretch, then came home trailing 3-2. They had to win twice at the Metrodome, and their Game 6 starter, Scott Erickson, did not exactly inspire confidence.

But the Twins had two things going for them. The first was the the best home field advantage in baseball - entering Game 6, they had never lost a World Series game in the Metrodome, and were 9-1 all time in the postseason there.

The second thing they had was Kirby Puckett. Puckett was already in the discussion of the game's best players before the 1991 World Series, but had been mostly quiet over the first five games. Before Game 6, with the season on the line, he famously told his teammates to jump on his back that night, that he was going to carry them. And over the next 11 innings, he did exactly that, coming as close as any player ever has to winning a World Series game by himself. In the process of single-handedly forcing a Game 7, Puckett transformed. He was no longer All Star Kirby Puckett; he was now Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.

Aside from all that, the best thing about Game 6? No more Tomahawk Chop.

Anyway, if you want to follow the play-by-play, it's here; video of the game is here.

............

Top 1 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Scott Erickson pitching.

Erickson, who has struggled so badly in the second half of the season that Tom Kelly genuinely worried about starting him tonight, has never pitched a game on three days of rest in his Major League career. There's a lot of angst in me right now, and the game just started.

Of his first three pitches, two made Lonnie Smith duck out of the way, including one that McCarver said "was between his helmet and his head." I don't know either.

Lonnie Smith grounds to third. One out.

Terry Pendleton is up, and they mention, again, how he played against the Twins in the 1987 World Series. Just like that series, he has a leg injury. I wonder if he hates the Metrodome.

Terry Pendleton singles to right.

Tim McCarver: "One thing Tom Kelly wants of Scott Erickson is for him to throw the ball." This game's gonna be a McCarver classic, isn't it.

Ron Gant grounds to first, unassisted, Pendleton to second. Two outs.

David Justice walks.

He wasn't trying that hard to get Justice out since first base was open, but I still don't like the Braves having two runners on in the first.

Sid Bream lines to left. Three outs.

Runners were going on that pitch, and that was a loooong run for Gladden. Bullet dodged.

Bottom 1 - Braves 0, Twins 0

Steve Avery pitching.

Avery completely dominated the Twins in Game 3. If it hadn't been for Bad News Bears-style outfielding on the first batter of the game, he would have entered the sixth with a perfect game. But, the Twins did get two on him that game, including one in the first. You'd think they have to get at least one in the first tonight, if only for their own confidence.

Dan Gladden grounds to first. One out.

Gladden just isn't hitting this series. Like all the Twins outfielders, really.

Chuck Knoblauch singles to right.

Knoblauch, on the other hand, has been pure clutch. Where would the Twins have been without him so far?

And now the man of the hour is up. The blue of his socks is showing, which usually meant he had big things planned...

Kirby Puckett triples to left, Knoblauch scores. Twins 1-0.

And it begins. A 15-hopper down the third-base line that just kept on bouncing and bouncing. Hunter misplayed the hop in the left field corner, and that was all she wrote. Puckett promised to deliver, and he did, giving the Twins the lead.

And now the crowd is loud, and Chili Davis is up, and things are looking good for the Twins.

They show Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone in the dugout. He is decidedly NOT rocking back and forth like he would later in his career. That adds credence to my theory that this series broke him, causing him to rock continuously forever after.

Chili Davis flies to right. Two outs.

Oh, good, it's Shane "0-for-15" Mack at the plate. He's just the man to drive home Kirby.

Shane Mack singles to left, Puckett scores. Twins 2-0.

Of course.

His bat broke right at the knob and flew almost all the way to third base. It actually hit Kirby. But the hit fell cleanly, and the Twins have a 2-0 lead on a pitcher they could barely touch in Game 3.

Scott Leius singles to left, Mack to third.

That one was a straight-up pop up, but because the outfielders were so deep (because they just saw how fast the ball moved on Kirby's triple), it fell in.

And now Kent Hrbek, who has also been pretty bad, can break the game wide open.

Kent Hrbek grounds to first, unassisted. Three outs.

Damn.

Top 2 - Braves 0, Twins 2

Ok, Scottie, the Twins gave you a two-run lead. Try not to blow it.

Brian Hunter lines to third. One out.

Full extension leap for Leius, and he caught it at the absolute height of his jump. Awesome play.

Greg Olson grounds to short. Two outs.

Weird, the Twins didn't walk Olson. I don't know how to react to that.

And now booing from the crowd, which means Mark Lemke is up. Or, as Jack Buck called him, "the reMarkable Lemke."

Hyuck. Hyuck.

Mark Lemke singles to center. 

Why does Lemke not want us to have nice things?

Rafael Belliard strikes out looking. Three outs.

Bottom 2 - Braves 0, Twins 2

Junior Ortiz lines to third. One out.

Ortiz was out so quickly he didn't give me a chance to complain about how he was in the lineup instead of the genuinely good Brian Harper, who was hitting quite well in the series. I would have continued on this particular rant, but McCarver and Buck are astonished at that call - that ball bounced a clear two feet in front of Pendleton, but the umpire called it an out anyway. Didn't really matter, though - Pendleton threw anyway and got Ortiz easily.

Greg Gagne grounds to third. Two outs.

The umpire did not call this one a catch.

Gladden grounds to short. Three outs.

Pretty sure that was a three-pitch inning. (NOTE: It was a five-pitch inning). Good bounce-back inning for Avery.

Top 3 - Braves 0, Twins 2

Smith hit by a pitch.

Erickson threw two pitches close to him in the first inning, then hit him that time. I'm pretty sure that was a purpose pitch in retaliation for Smith running over Harper in Game 4. Or perhaps to back him off the plate after Smith homered in all three Atlanta games. Or perhaps it wasn't a purpose pitch at all.

Ortiz just threw behind Smith at first and almost picked him off. So THAT'S why he's in the lineup.

They keep showing Ortiz shaking his head "no," telling Erickson to do the same. Very strange that catchers think that helps their pitcher. Like Pendleton will approach this pitch any differently because Erickson shook his head no?

Ooof. Pendleton just lined one down the left field line that was called foul, and it was ... (waiting for the replay) ... wow. Foul by mere inches. Watching it live, it looked like it landed right on the line, but watching it down the line, it was clearly foul.

Pendleton grounds into a fielders choice, Smith out, first to short. One out.

And now, Kirby's second Moment.

Gant flies to center. Two outs.


Those six words do not do that play justice, of course. Those six words describe the greatest defensive play in Twins history, and one of the best defensive plays in World Series history. It was the play that cemented Puckett's place as one of the best defensive center fielders of his time and helped enhance his already-impressive legacy.

And no, Kirby didn't take a home run away from Gant there. The wall was 13 feet high at that point, so he couldn't have. But somehow, seeing him hanging there on that plexiglass makes it more impressive than a more traditional home run robbery. It makes his leap seem superhuman.

Also impressive was his throw. As soon as he landed, he uncorked a throw back to first base to try to double off Pendleton, who had rounded second by the time the ball fell into Kirby's glove. Puckett got the throw there on one hop, and if it had been on line, it would have been a double play.

Justice grounds to first, unassisted. Three outs.

An inning doesn't have to have any scoring to be a huge inning. That was an example. Pendleton missed a run-scoring double by six inches, and the Gant missed an extra-base hit by the length of one Kirby. What could have been a disaster for the Twins ended up being just another zero on the linescore.

Bottom 3 - Braves 0, Twins 2

Knoblauch grounds to short. One out.

Puckett's up. "Doesn't it seem like whenever a guy makes a great play in the field, he comes up the next inning?"

(I don't know if anybody says that anymore. I hope not.)

Puckett strikes out. Two outs.

He didn't get a hit this time because the Twins did not need him to get a hit. There would be a time for that later.

Uh oh. Mazzone's rocking in the dugout. Slowly, but it's still there. Did it start this game?

Davis flies to right. Three outs.

Top 4 - Braves 0, Twins 2

Random stress check: Stress is a 4 out of 10. They're leading, and Erickson hasn't been in a ton of trouble, and it seems like Kirby's got this one. I'm doing ok. To be fair, though, I'd rather the Twins were leading the series, but you take what you can get.

Bream walks.

Stress level 6.

Hunter lines to short. One out.

Better. But that's another hard-hit ball by the Braves. And he's at 60 pitches or so (God forbid the announcers/producers give us an exact count). Stress level is still 6.

Olson strikes out. Two outs.

And now Mark Lemke is up, so my stress level is up to an 8. I think my stress level would increase if he walked into my living room today.

Lemke grounds to short. Three outs.

Bottom 4 - Braves 0, Twins 2

Mack doubles to right.

And now Mack has woken up for the series. Two straight hits for him, with that one causing ripples in the right-field baggie.

And Tim McCarver says it's time for a "curtain call." Because it's the curtain in right field. You know he's been sitting on that one all series.

Leius grounds to third. One out.

That was almost a Metrodome chop. Bounced straight up in the air and just hung there like so many hits did. I'm surprised Pendleton had time to throw out Leius.

Hrbek to second, Mack to third on error by left.

The Metrodome strikes again! Hunter in left field looked down to make sure Belliard wasn't going to crash into him, then looked up and lost the ball, having it fall behind him. I think that's twice this series the Twins got on base specifically because of the Metrodome's roof.

So, good: The Twins have runners on second and third, with one out.

Bad: Junior Ortiz is up.

Ortiz strikes out looking. Two outs.

Gagne grounds to second. Three outs.

Ugh.

Top 5 - Braves 0, Twins 2

McCarver's blaming Hunter's play on the fact that the Braves couldn't work out in the Dome the night before because of a football game. The announcers sure happily ate up that Bobby Cox-provided excuse, huh?

Belliard singles to third.

Another Metrodome chop. That one ended up as a hit because Belliard is fast.

Smith grounds into a fielders choice, Belliard out, third to second. One out.

Should have been two. Looked like Knoblauch bobbled the ball trying to get it out of the glove. Of course, McCarver gave credit to the sliding Belliard, who had zero to do with it.

Pendleton homers to center. Braves 2, Twins 2.

Not ideal.

Fail to get the double play, the next batter homers. Of course. And now Erickson isn't pitching from ahead anymore.

Also, Pendleton has six hits in his last 10 at bats. If he gets going, the Twins are in trouble.

Gant grounds to short. Two outs.

And now Justice parks it off the upper deck facade in right. But it was foul by inches. Erickson is increasing my stress level.

Justice grounds to second. Three outs.

Knoblauch playing shallow right on that one.

Bottom 5 - Braves 2, Twins 2

Now would be a good time for the Gladdenstache to do something productive.

Gladden walks.

Thank you, Dan Gladden. A 10-pitch at bat that turns into a leadoff walk absolutely counts as "productive."

Gladden steals second.

Not gonna lie, he looked out. The throw bounced there, so maybe it bounced just high enough for Gladdenmullet to slide under it.

And yes, Dan Gladden, that also counts as productive.

Knoblauch flies to right, Gladden to third. One out.

Knoblauch did his job, moving Gladden to third. And he took a seven-pitch at bat. Avery has needed 17 pitches so far this inning.

Puckett flies to center, Gladden scores. Two outs. Twins 3-2.

For the second time tonight, Puckett gives the Twins the lead. And he's saved at least one run with his glove. Not bad so far.

(He's not done.)

Davis strikes out looking. Three outs.

Top 6 - Braves 2, Twins 3

Bream flies to third. One out.

Bream is 2 out of 18, as Buck just got done saying. Glad it's not just the Twins hitters who are being terrible this series.

Smith flies to second. Two outs.

And Gagne cut in front of/almost ran over Knoblauch, because Metrodome, and I had to take a deep breath there. As did 55,000 people inside the Dome.

And the first pitch to Olson goes behind him. Olson glares at Erickson. Erickson looks at his hand as if he couldn't believe something like that could happen. And maybe Erickson was right - he didn't seem to have a ton of control over where the ball went.

Olson flies to center. Three outs.

Erickson's first 1-2-3 inning of the night. And it also has to be his last inning. The Twins got 6 innings out of him, and he only gave up 2 runs. Thank you, and good night.

Bottom 6 - Braves 2, Twins 3

I just saw now that there's a guy in the Twins dugout wearing Zubaz, and he's now my hero.

Mack leads off. He's got two hits tonight, and now he's having a great at bat here. Although,

Mack grounds to first, pitcher covering. One out.

Don't slide into first, kids.

(He was probably gonna be out anyway, but still)

Leius singles to center.

Leius was the Twins' other rookie infielder in 1991. He was almost as good as Knoblauch this series.

They just showed a sign: " 'Days' of our 'Leius' Fan Club." That's so far beyond a stretch that I don't know the proper metaphor to use.

Hrbek grounds into a double play, first to short to first. Three outs.

Hrbek is another player who has been anonymous this series. Aside from pulling Gant off the bag, that is.

Top 7 - Braves 2, Twins 3

Tom Kelly doesn't agree with me that Erickson should be done. He's out there to start the 7th, against Evil Mark Lemke.

Lemke singles to center.

"Isn't he something?" asks Jack Buck. Yes, Jack, he's something.

Tommy Gregg hitting.

Mark Guthrie pitching.

So Erickson came out for one batter in the 7th. Seems weird, but Kelly was forcing Cox into a move. Cox used the lefty pinch hitter, so Kelly went with his lefty reliever, forcing Cox to waste his batter.

Jeff Blauser hitting.

So the Twins took out one pitcher (probably tired pitcher), and forced the Braves to take out two batters. Good move, TK.

Blauser strikes out. One out.

And really, Tommy Gregg couldn't have done that? Three pitches, three strikes.

Lemke to second on wild pitch.

Blauser just got scolded for not being able to advance the runner. Now there's a runner on second with one out, just as if Blauser had moved him over. So it worked out anyway. Or something.

Lonnie Smith is up; he's the first non-Yankee to hit a homer in three straight World Series games. So of course, he's spent three pitches trying to bunt the runner over to third even though there's already one out.

Smith walks. 

That walk sucked for a couple reasons. First, Smith was trying to bunt all at bat. Just let the guy bunt! Also, the go-ahead run is now on first, and both runners that are on base have good speed.

Plus, Pendleton is up, and he is red hot.

Pendleton singles to second, Lemke to third, Smith to second.

Ugh. That was off the end of bat, and it couldn't have been rolled out there any better. Perfectly between Guthrie, Hrbek, and Knoblauch. Nobody had a prayer.

And now the bases are loaded, and this is dumb. It's dumb.

Carl Willis pitching.

I'm chewing a pen right now. This happened 25 years ago and I'm chewing a pen.

"The World Series might be on the line right here." YOU THINK, JACK?!?!?

Gant grounds into a fielders choice, Pendleton out, short to second, Lemke scores, Smith to third. Two outs. Braves 3, Twins 3.

Willis got exactly what he wanted there: A ground ball. Problem was it was hit too slowly for a double play or for Gagne to get the out at home. He tried for two, and he and Knoblauch damn near turned it, but Gant beat it out. And we're tied, and the inning isn't over yet, and there is stress.

Greg Olson is in the dugout hiding in a towel, looking like he wants to throw up. The guy next to him (Blauser, I think) is looking down running his hand through his hair like he just got fired. People are not handling this well.

Justice strikes out. Three outs.

That was the biggest out in the series so far. It will be eclipsed approximately 1,000 times over the next two days.

Bottom 7 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Blauser playing short.

Mike Stanton pitching.

Brian Harper hitting.

Double good! The Twins got Avery out of the game, and they got Harper into it. Anything they gained on defense with Ortiz (and today anyway it wasn't much), they lost twice over on offense. I'm glad Harper's bat is in the lineup.

Harper strikes out. One out.

No, seriously, he's good.

Gagne singles to right.

Lemke acted like he didn't see that ball right away. He looked like he was trying to get out of the way rather than stop the ball. Strange, since it was nowhere near the roof.

Jack Buck: "Stanton can pick them off, but baserunners are 10-for-10 stealing against him. So they either read him, or they don't."

Gladden grounds into a double play, short to second to first, Gagne out at second. Three outs.

A double play on a 3-0 count. Naughty, Gladdenmullet.

A fan watching Game 6. He is 31 years old. 

Top 8 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Harper catching.

Bream flies to center. One out.

I can't imagine watching this live. Is this how people got ulcers? This is far more excruciating than I remember. And I'm not taking liberties with this to make this more interesting. This is genuinely stressful.

Hunter pops to first. Two outs.

Olson grounds to short. Three outs.

Bottom 8 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Knoblauch, Puckett, and Davis are up this inning. This is their chance. Stanton is still in for Atlanta, and he's still good, but maybe he's tired because he's already thrown one inning?

Knoblauch flies to short. One out.

They provide a flashback to Carlton Fisk's Game 6 home run in 1975, complete with dramatic music. And they show that clip with Puckett about to come to the plate. It's like they were trying to predict something.

Puckett singles to right.

Maybe a bit early on the prediction. But another hit for Kirby. He promised he'd deliver, and so far he has.

Chili is up. Two pitches to him so far, two swings attempting to launch a ball into orbit. I see what he's trying to do here.

They keep bouncing between Gardy giving signs at third to Olson looking in the Braves dugout for the sign from Cox, so Olson giving the sign, to Kirby wiping sweat off his head at first. Now they're showing fans in the crowd looking genuinely upset. I think everybody involved in this game has lost it. It's all too much.

Davis flies to center. Two outs.

The Twins dugout: Knoblauch appears to be crying into a towel; Erickson is staring off into nothing, eyes unfocused; Hrbek has dark circles on top of the dark circles under his eyes; and Morris is sitting right on the end, closest to home plate, completely chilling out. Waiting his turn. Hoping it comes.

Puckett steals second.

Sheesh, is there anything else he needs to do to win this game? Get a single now, Mack!

Mack flies to left. Three outs.

Broke his bat again. Hunter had to run about 30 yards to catch that in front of him. Dang.

Top 9 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Lemke flies to third. One out.

They got Lemke out! Like, for real! It counts!

Blauser singles to center.

That's the first baserunner off Willis. Somehow he's been on the mound since coming in with the bases loaded in the 7th. Aguilera is warming up furiously now to save the day if needed.

Willis keeps throwing over to first on Blauser, who is virtually no threat to run. I wonder if he's just killing time to get Aguilera in there.

Smith grounds into a double play, short to first, Blauser out at second.

That was ideal.

Bottom 9 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Alejandro Pena pitching.

Mike Pagliarulo hitting.

Time to be a hero again, Pags. You've done it twice already in the playoffs.

Pagliarulo strikes out. One out.

Just blew him away. All power.

Hrbek's up. I'm now chewing on one of my daughter's toys.

Hrbek strikes out looking. Two outs.

Hrbek threw his bat aside like he drew the walk, and ... well, it looked pretty good.

Harper grounds to short. Three outs.

You know what this series needed? More extra innings! Here we go.

Top 10 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Pagliarulo playing third.

Rick Aguilera pitching.

They're showing the crowd again. Many of them look like they'd rather not be there. The only person who looks relaxed is Atlanta pitcher Marvin Freeman, who is not on the postseason roster; he is listening to a headset provided by the camera men. I don't know what he is listening to. Jack Buck thinks he's listening to him and keeps trying to talk to him, but there's no answer. Nobody knows anything. Nothing makes sense.

Pendleton singles to center.

Pendleton just got his fourth hit of the night. I don't like him very much.

Gant lines into a double play to short, Pendleton out, short unassisted. Two outs.

Wow, that's about as fast as you can kill a rally. That happened so fast that my hair didn't get a chance to turn gray.

Twins with an interesting shift on Justice now. Hrbek is right on the line, at the very back of the infield; Knoblauch is in shallow right; and the third baseman and shortstop are playing him pretty much like normal. That leaves a gaping hole up the middle.

Justice flies to third. Three outs.

Justice did not hit it into the gaping hole up the middle.

Bottom 10 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Charlie Liebrandt is warming up now for Atlanta. He doesn't look like he wants to be warming up. I like that.

Gagne flies to second. One out.

Gladden grounds to second. Two outs.

Knoblauch grounds to short. Three outs.

I wish the Twins hadn't forgot how to hit.

Top 11 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Buck says that Mark Lemke will bat if anybody gets on base for Atlanta, which is as good a reason as I've ever heard for a pitcher to get a 1-2-3 inning.

Bream singles to right.

Bream is so slow. He hit that into the corner off the right field wall and could only get a single. Sure, Mack made a good play on it, but it wasn't THAT good.

Keith Mitchell running.

In the Braves dugout, Greg Olson appears to be choking John Smoltz, which is an interesting way to react to having the potential World Series-winning run on base.

Mitchell caught stealing, catcher to second. One out.

Remember when Harper couldn't throw, and was considered a defensive liability? But no, it's a good thing Ortiz was in the game earlier.

Hunter pops to first. Two outs.

For some reason this play was not shown on the DVD. It was just straight up skipped. I even played it back to make sure I wasn't going through stress-related memory loss. Did it actually happen? If I didn't see it, was it real? Maybe he actually homered, and it's a vast conspiracy to trick us into thinking this game turned out differently. I'd believe anything at this point.

Olson flies to third. Three outs.

Bottom 11 - Braves 3, Twins 3

Mitchell in left.

Hunter at first.

Charlie Liebrandt pitching.

And now, here it is. The moment Puckett was actually referring to when he told his teammates to jump on his back.

Imagine this, though. A player has been the best and most popular player on your team for years. You are in a position where you absolutely need a win or your season is over. You need a leader, so you naturally turn to him. It's a team game, but it's his team.

That's why Kirby has a statue outside Target Field. That's why he's in the Hall of Fame. Kirby Puckett was not a perfect man, not by any stretch. But when the Twins fans needed a hero, they naturally turned and pointed to the man who most closely fit that definition and asked him to be that hero. And he did it. I don't pay much heed to miracles or jinxes or anything in between, but Kirby Puckett in Game 6 was the closest thing to a religious experience I've ever seen on an athletic field. And I know I'm not alone.

Puckett homers to left. Twins 4, Braves 3.

And we'll see you tomorrow night.

Reliving 1991 - Game 5: Well, That Escalated Quickly

Two games in Atlanta, two nail biters decided on the final pitch. And now we're in Game 5 with the series tied at 2, and everybody is all stressed out and wondering how many games are going to be played. This one had a chance to be as close as the first four. But then ... not so much.

Play-by-play and boxscore are here, video of the game is here.

Top 1 - Twins 0, Braves 0

Tom Glavine pitching

Tom Glavine was pretty good in Game 2 of the series, but ended up with the loss thanks to Scott Leius. Leius' home run was just one of several lesser known players who have come through big time for their teams in this series. Greg Gagne, Leius, Mark Lemke, Jerry Willard. It's been a relative who's-who of who's that?

Tim McCarver just said that power pitchers are more affected by short rest than non-power pitchers, so Glavine and Tapani should be just fine tonight. I have no data to support or refute that, so we'll go with it.

Dan Gladden grounds to second. One out.

Chuck Knoblauch lines to right. Two outs.

Kirby is up, batting .125 for the series. Before him, Dan Gladden was batting .188 in the series. Shane Mack was 0-for-15 before getting benched for this game. So far it's just been a bad, bad series for Twins outfielders.

Kirby Puckett grounds to short. Three outs.

Bottom 1 - Twins 0, Braves 0

Kevin Tapani pitching.

Tapani beat Glavine in Game 2 of the Series, which nobody will ever be able to take away from him for as long as he lives.

Chili Davis is starting in right field tonight because of how bad Shane Mack has been in this series. He hasn't played right field in three seasons, and only played three innings of defense this year. He appears, at least, to have remembered to bring his glove with him.

Lonnie Smith grounds to third. One out.

Terry Pendleton grounds to pitcher. Two outs.

Pendleton bunted for some reason and it almost worked. Cox came out to argue - correctly - that Pendleton beat the throw, but he failed to become the first manager in baseball history to overturn an umpire's call by arguing about it.

Ron Gant strikes out. Three outs.

Top 2 - Twins 0, Braves 0

Chili is up. Two hits in the series, both home runs. You can tell that (obviousness alert) Kelly really wanted this game. The hope is that he can drive in more than he lets in, as McCarver said as I was finishing that sentence.

Chili Davis pops to first. One out.

During Harper's at bat, they show an interview with the previous night's home plate umpire explaining the game ending call he made. I can't remember the last time I saw an interview with an umpire televised like that.

Brian Harper grounds to second. Two outs.

Jack Buck is saying how the teams wanted to work out in the Metrodome the day after this game, but they can't because the Gophers were playing Michigan that day. I mean, they already had to move that game to a Friday to accomodate the World Series, and now Bobby Cox was mad nobody could practice there. Go Metrodome!

Scott Leius singles to center.

Hrbek is up, so we see this sign: "Gant, how do we spell Fat Boy? H.R.B.E.K." That's ... I have nothing.

Leius caught stealing. Three outs.

Goes in the books as a caught stealing, but it was a pickoff. Leius claimed he wasn't tagged at second in time, and he might have been right, but umpire will ever give a runner that call.

Bottom 2 - Twins 0, Braves 0

David Justice strikes out looking. One out.

Sid Bream strikes out. Two outs.

Tapani's cruising right now. This whole series there just hasn't been much doing in the early innings.

Greg Olson singles to center.

Fell between a too-deep Puckett and Davis, who was completely uninterested in trying to get that ball. Puckett cut in front of Chili to field it.

(This was it. This was the moment that I decided I never needed to hear the Tomahawk Chop chant again. I hated it so much I cheered for the Yankees both times they played Atlanta in the series.

Olson steals second, Olson to third on error by catcher.

Kind of an unfair error. It was a bad throw, but Gagne was in position to field it until the throw hit a sliding Olson in the stomach and kicked into left field.

Mark Lemke walks.

Because Lemke was apparently Babe Ruth this series, this was the right call.

Rafael Belliard grounds into a fielders choice, Lemke out, short to second. Three outs.

Belliard, though, has not been Ruth-like.

Top 3 - Twins 0, Braves 0

Kent Hrbek grounds to second. One out.

Lemke bobbled that twice and still had time to throw out Hrbek by a step. Hrbek was never a fast or small man.

Because I have nothing else to add to that, here's a gif of Kent Hrbek repeatedly pointing at Chili Davis during a film shoot from earlier in the summer.

Greg Gagne doubles to right.

A double that went no more than 120 feet in the air. Like Knoblauch's from ... Game 3? Game 4? I don't remember.

At least they can now bunt Tapani.

Kevin Tapani grounds to second, Gagne to third. Two outs.

Ok, not a bunt, but it had the same effect.

Gladden grounds to catcher. Three outs.

Gladden checked his swing twice, then topped the ball into the dirt in front of home plate. I don't think he was seeing Glaving well.

Bottom 3 - Twins 0, Braves 0

Braves fans are all holding up brooms. They're in reference their hoped-for three game sweep of the Twins in Atlanta (although it doesn't REALLY count since they entered these three games down 0-2, but whatever). Tim McCarver thinks the brooms are in reference to Halloween, and that we'll be bewitched.

Glavine grounds to short. One out.

Smith grounds to short. Two outs.

Great, now they're showing the Twins streak of 13 consecutive World Series road losses. Counting their time in Washington, they haven't won a road World Series game since Walter Johnson won Game 1 of the 1925 series. If you count only the Twins, they're at 0-for-8 entering this game.

Pendleton flies to left. Three outs.

Top 4 - Twins 0, Braves 0

Three scoreless innings and my foot is actually kinda shaking already. This series was great for nervous ticks.

Knoblauch singles to center.

They brought in Tommy Lasorda, active Dodgers manager, to give his opinion. His opinion is that these have been some great games. Thanks, Tommy.

Puckett sacrifices. Knoblauch to second. One out.

That was listed on the scoresheet as a sacrifice, but it was not. Puckett was trying for a hit there.

It doesn't explain why Kirby dropped down a flipping BUNT with a runner on base in the fourth inning. Come on, Kirby!

Jack Buck: "Were you surprised by that play, Tommy?"

Tommy Lasorda: "I was!"

Glad Tommy was in the booth for that inning.

Davis flies to center, Knoblauch to third. Two outs.

Gant almost threw out Knoblauch there. Knoblauch almost knocked Pendleton off the bag on the slide, then almost slide over the base himself. Maybe Pendleton should have tried to push him off the base...

Harper strikes out. Three outs.

Damn. First real threat. I don't like this. This is stupid.

Bottom 4 - Twins 0, Braves 0

Gant singles to left.

Leadoff hitters haven't really been getting on base much this series. That one missed Leius' glove by about three inches.

Justice homers to left, Gant scores. Braves 2-0.

SON OF A.

Opposite field, off the very top of the wall. Gladden thought he had it at first, too.

....

Shit.

Bream walks.

This is not going well.

Olson singles, Bream out on runners interference. One out.

I learned something watching this. I learned that batters are credited with a hit on a ball that hits a baserunner. I thought it would be ... a fielders choice, maybe? I don't know. I knew that was an out, but not how they ruled it for the hitter.

Lemke triples to center, Olson scores. Braves 3-0.

Goddamn Lemke. That one was off Chili's glove, but it was hit hard enough and deep enough that it would have been hard for many right fielders.

Goddamn Lemke.

The only good thing about this is that with all these Braves hits, the fans are actually cheering and celebrating, rather than that stupid, monotonous chant.

Belliard doubles to left, Lemke scores. Braves 4-0.

I don't like this. This is stupid. Baseball is stupid, and the Braves are stupid.

Glavine grounds to second, Belliard to third. Two outs.

Nope, never mind, the chant is back.

Smith strikes out. Three outs.

The misery is over. But this is fine, because the Twins were down 4-1 in Game 3 and came back to tie it, so there's still time. This is fine.

Top 5 - Twins 0, Braves 4

Leius strikes out. One out.

The sound suddenly got like four seconds ahead of the action here in this inning. Apparently they don't store the master tapes of World Series games in the best of conditions.

Hrbek grounds to second. Two outs.

I heard that well before it happened. It's like I'm watching this while listening on the radio.

The broadcasters keep talking about how the Twins are concerned about Scott Erickson's fastball, and how they really don't want to start him in Game 6, which is a great thing to hear when they're trailing 4-0 in Game 5 and at risk of falling behind in the series. I'm not happy.

Gagne to first on error by Pendleton.

Replay shows that Gagne was out. I wish I could say that call was what got the tide rolling for the Twins to make a comeback in this game. Alas...

Gene Larkin hitting.

Larkin grounds into a fielders choice, Gagne out, third to second. Three outs.

Bottom 5 - Twins 0, Braves 4

Terry Leach pitching.

UPDATE: The sound is back in synch with the video. I know you were worried.

Pendleton singles to pitcher.

More like Pendleton singles OFF pitcher.

Kelly went out to "check on Leach," but he stuck around long enough to say how much he hates the home plate umpire's strike zone. I haven't seen the Twins players complain about it at all, so that's weird. TK wasn't normal though.

Gant singles to left, Pendleton to third.

Hit and run. The Braves obviously do not fear Harper behind the plate, or their pitchers holding them on. They're taking advantage this game.

Terry Pendleton has twins on the way. It is described as "ironic," because he's playing the Twins in the World Series.

Justice grounds into a fielders choice, Gant out, first to short, Pendleton scores. One out. Braves 5-0.

McCarver is scolding Hrbek for not going home on that play, saying he had no chance on a double paly and should have cut down the run at the plate. That makes sense. But also, I hate Game 5.

Justice steals second.

Brian Harper straight up can't throw out a runner right now.

Bream flies to center. Two outs.

Olson pops to first. Three outs.

Ok, there's time. Only three innings left, but if they score two runs per inning, they'll go ahead and take the lead into the bottom of the 9th. There's still time.

Top 6 - Twins 0, Braves 5

Gladden flies to center. One out.

They took out Mack before this game. They might have to take out Gladden before the next one.

Knoblauch walks.

A four-pitch walk with a 5-0 lead and Kirby Puckett on deck. Not Glavine's best moment.

Puckett singles to right, Knoblauch to third, Puckett to second on throw.

Great baserunning there. First by Knoblauch to get to third, then to Puckett to be alert enough to get to second on the throw to third.

McCarver is now scolding Justice for throwing all the way to third with a 5-run lead, saying he should have just thrown it to second and preserve the double play. I'm not sure I know what to do in a world where Tim McCarver repeatedly makes sense.

Davis walks.

Now we got something cooking. Just need one big hit from Harper and the Twins are right back in it.

Harper walks, Knoblauch scores, Puckett to third, Davis to second. Braves 5-1.

Jesus, what's happening to Glavine? According to McCarver, it's not how he's throwing, but how he's thinking. I will say he seems to be chomping the hell out of his gum right now.

Leius walks, Puckett scores, Davis to third, Harper to second. Braves 5-2.

No, Bobby Cox, don't take out Glavine! He's doing so well! Let him keep throwing the ball near, but not over the plate.

Dammit, he's not listening.

Kent Mercker pitching.

His first pitch is low and in, too. And Hrbek is, right now, the go-ahead run. If he homers, that is.

Hrbek grounds to short, Davis scores, Harper to third, Leius to second. Two outs. Braves 5-3.

He did not homer. But, the good news is that now Gagne is the go-ahead run. And a single ties the game.

Gagne grounds to second. Three outs.

Oooh! That was hit hard, just right at Lemke. A foot over and the Twins are tied. I am hating this game significantly less than I did at the start of this inning.

Bottom 6 - Twins 3, Braves 5

Terry Leach almost fell down twice in this at bat. That's what a crazy sidearm (sorry: submarine) delivery will do for you.

Lemke strikes out. One out.

Lemke's been so good that I didn't know how to react to him failing.

Tim McCarver: "For most pitchers they have a radar gun. I guess for a submarine pitcher, they use a sonar gun."

Yep, that's how that works Tim.

Belliard grounds to short. Two outs.

Tommy Gregg hitting.

Gregg flies to right. Three outs.

That one sounded like it was going to go a lot farther than it did.

Top 7 - Twins 3, Braves 5

Jim Clancy pitching.

Mike Pagliarulo hitting.

Pagliarulo grounds to first, unassisted. One out.

C'mon, Mike. One pitch!

McCarver has been talking about the 1968 World Series for about 15 minutes and I don't know why.

Gladden strikes out. Two outs.

Dazzle Dan hasn't been good in Atlanta.

McCarver is now complaining that umpires don't call the strike above the belt "anymore." 25 years later, announcers are still lamenting that umpires don't call that strike anymore as if it's a fairly recent occurrence.

Also, baseball would change significantly if umpires called the strike zone as the rule books says they should.

Knoblauch strikes out, catcher to first. Three outs.

Stretch time. The Twins still have a chance in this one.

Bottom 7 - Twins 3, Braves 5

See, the strangest thing happened here. Just as this half-inning was about to start, the DVD flew out of the player and soared across the room, embedding in the wall. Then, still stuck in the wall, it burst into flames, then exploded. And the case the DVD was previously stored in melted into a pile of goo. It was all very bizarre. I have no idea what happened in the bottom of the 7th, or in the rest of the game, and I have absolutely no way of checking what happened, either.

Oh well.

On to Game 6.

..........

...................................

Final: Braves 14, Twins 5