1987 ALCS, Game 5: Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers 

The Twins arrive home and discover the Metrodome is at capacity. Fifty thousand fans . Chills!!

I remember watching this game as a college senior and now, coming back to it, I am again struck by the sheer class of Sparky Anderson.

Sparky with an incredibly humble interview at the end. Don't make em like that anymore. Thanks Mr. Anderson from a MN fan/resident.

That interview with Sparky at the end. What a class act.

Class move by Tiger fans giving Darrell Evans a standing ovation in first inning after his rough night in game 4.

Love how fast the pitchers work. Miss that in today’s game

Well spoken by the legendary Sparky Anderson. Greatest Manager ever.

Twins moments: 7:13 Gagne’s double 23:43 Gaetti’s single 28:42 Brunansky’s 2 run double 30:05 Lombardozzi’s single 33:08 Gladden’s RBI single 35:42 Puckett’s RBI single 45:17 Bush steals 2nd 59:34 Puckett’s single 1:01:21 Puckett steals 2nd 1:41:08 Hrbek’s single 1:44:43 Bush’s RBI Sacrifice Fly 1:45:26 Brunansky’s single 1:58:01 Gladden’s double 2:03:04 Gladden scores on an error by Evans 2:06:35 Hrbek’s single 2:25:45 Brunansky’s Homer 2:26:48 Lombardozzi’s infield single 2:30:14 Gladden’s RBI double 2:31:33 Gagne’s RBI double 2:47:11 1987 American League Champions Minnesota Twins

A Tiger fan for 50 plus years and one of my top five moments was at 15:05 when Evans was given a standing ovation his first time up. He made 2 errors and had been picked off of third base in the pivotal game 4 which in essence ended any chance the Tigers had to get back in the series. Evans had given so much to Detroit and was such a class act, it was a great tribute. You could see how he was doing everything he could to keep it together.

This was the first full game of baseball that I ever saw on TV. I still have the old VHS-tape in the cellar. Even though the Tigers lost, these were good times. I'll never forget Sparky and the Boys of Summer.

Old school Monday afternoon playoff baseball. This was back when a playoff game head to head with Monday Night Football was unthinkable

I had forgotten how quiet it was at Tiger Stadium. Thankfully, "Black Jack" Morris joins the Twins in 1991 for another World Series Title.

At 2:53:50 - Sparky was just 53 years old at this time - when I was growing up watching baseball in the 1980s I thought he was 65-70 years old.

Tom Kelly is a helluva of a coach

When this ALCS began, most thought the Tigers would win the series in 5 games. Get a split at the Metrodome, and then capitalize on the Twins 29-52 road record. And sure enough, the series did go 5 games........in the TWINS' favor!! We don't know if it's Metrodome magic, the Tigers underestimating the Twins, or if Detroit was exhausted from those 7 games against the Blue Jays (all decided by a run) just to get there. And with the Twins winning two on the road, it gave them confidence as they headed to the World Series. The lasting image of this ALCS was what took place after Game 5. The Twins would fly home and were told there'd be a rally after their plane landed. The rally was at the Metrodome, and 50,000+ fans were on hand to cheer their team back home. If you don't get chills from this, then you're in the wrong business. Like the song said in the Mary Tyler Moore show, "Love is All Around" when the fans saluted the Twins back home, as they made it after all. And their season was capped with their first ever World Championship.

I had forgotten some of the stellar defensive plays in this game and series. Although Gagne was charged with two errors in the series, they were both tough plays. He and Lombo made some great plays up the middle i n this game. Trammell had a great play also, where the ball goes off the pitcher, then off the base at second, and he still makes the play.

Morris pitched for the Tigers in 1987 and then for the Twins in the 1991 World Series

juan berenger, dan schatzeder, sal butera,joe niekro, chris pitaro...It was like the Tigers playing the ex-Tigers.

The Minnesota Twins are in the World Series. Words I thought I would never hear(at that time)

Kirk Gibson would have to wait a year with the Dodgers to display his post season heroics.

I remember being 12 and this series seeming to take forever. I just couldn’t take the excitement and the worry of them making it to the World Series or not. Amazing memories. Thanks for posting it.

Sparky Anderson was a man 60 years before he was born.

2:53:56 Sparky is old school class. They just don't make 'em like this anymore. I was a freshman in high school in Minneapolis and this whole postseason for the Twins was like the Minnesota sports world blowing up decades of frustration all at once. We also blew up the old stereotype of Minnesota fans (and in general): overly polite, quiet, stoic, uptight...'Minnesota Nice'. Growing up there you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, disconnected from mainstream America (because....you were.) We didn't win championships. We didn't go crazy as fans. And then...we did. Combined with '91 (was at the game when Hrbek hit his granny and it was like being inside of a tornado) we had planted our flag. I left for college in '94 and never came back (to live) and those Twins pennant runs and Series wins were highlights of growing up there. It was such a different place then, and it's very sad to see what Minneapolis (aka 'Murderapolis') has become. Cheers for posting these.

I agree with Kubeck around the 15:50 mark. Baseball is a game of ups and downs, but if you are down one day, you have a chance to be up the next. Of course, it can go the other way as well. Many players throughout history can attest to this.

One of the worst memories of my childhood. 1987 Tigers were my favorite team - even more so than 1984 - but they just couldn't get on track. If they had won, they'd be legends because of their late rally over Toronto to win the division; but since they didn't they have been largely forgotten.

Kostas: Any pitch could be the last... Reardon has it! The Minnesota Twins are in the World Series! 30 years later, I still get chills listening to that.

Not sure what happened to Detroit after 1984. That team was stacked and at least had another title run in them. 87 Twins were fun to watch and just destined that year.

In a way, I thought it was somewhat symbolic and uniquely epic that the Twins clinched on the road considering all the background noise about their road record

Thirty years later and I still don't believe it.

Great game! Thank you for the memories.

Gagne was a great shortstop,he should have won multiple gold glove awards. He could come up with a big hit , but he also chased the down and away pitch.

everyone in detroit knew the series was over before the game. a very quiet 47,000 crowd.

exciting series

1987 Twins A mega elite 56-25 home record A horrendous 29-52 road record If I was the Tigers, I would be beatching as to why in the world do the Twins have homefield, to scratch that "random" homefield selection, and just go with best record for homefield

This game is the last post season game ever played in Tiger Stadium, and their next post season appearance comes in 2006 at the new Tiger Stadium (Coamerica Park).

Twins strikeouts: 14:54 Blyleven K’s Whitaker 1:09:41 Blyleven K’s Grubb 1:32:03 Blyleven K’s Lemon

2:53:28 Sid Hartman walks in front of the camera.

Why show the winner in the thumbnail? Some people want to watch it as if it were live at the time and not know the result.

This isn’t the actual NBC broadcast from that day. It’s a replay from the late 1990’s on Midwest Sports Channel (Bally Sports North today) The MSC logo in the upper right hand corner of the screen gives it away

2:47:10 And thus begins the Tigers postseason drought, as they wont be in the postseason for almost 20 years. Next time they will be in will be in the 2006 season, when the Twins snatched the AL Central division from them on game 162 and the Tigers had to settle for the AL Wild Card. Shame these two teams didnt face each other in the 2006 ALCS

36 years ago today

I loved tiger stadium

Remember this like yesterday! 1987 Twins played great against a great Tigers team. Win TWINS

The Twins were too good! I think I hear someone banging on a trash can lol.

Tom Kelly was 37? Jesus

no game 4?

Circle me Bert!

los tigres no que muy gallos aqui pagaron lo que isieron. alos padres de 1984.

17:18 sounded like Jerry the King Lawler.

What the hell was that at 17:19? What are they anxiously awaiting the arrival of!?!

2:47:10

90% of this broadcast is heavily centered around Detroit.

i wish they go back to these uniforms, the ones now....does not remind me of baseball uniforms.

The final post season game at the corner!

So back then home field advantage was rotated every year and not decided by the records?

It's hard to believe twins won it all..probably one worst records for a WS winner

se les aparesio papa

The twins first world series I thought was a fluke

Why did Detroit let Gibson move on after the 87 season?

Great except for Costas

Trammell really struggled in this series, cost him the MVP

What a joke that Minnesota got in. They won 85 fucking games. The AL East had 4 teams with better records. Just goes to show that the postseason is a crap shoot. Anyone can win.

I still can’t believe these clowns won the whole thing

Boooooo!