Summary
The 1987 Series was notable in several regards: It featured the first World Series games played in an indoor stadium (the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome) and the final Series game to start earlier than prime time in the eastern United States (Game 6, with a 4 p.m. ET start), and was the first World Series in which all games were won by the home team. (Four previous series had the home team winning the first six games.) The 1987 Twins set the record for the worst (full 162 game) regular season win-loss record of any World Series championship team (85–77, .525). This record stood until broken in 2006 by the Cardinals themselves, who won the World Series after going 83–78 (.516).
Besides setting a record for the worst ever regular season winning percentage for a World Series winner and hosting the first ever World Series game indoors, the 1987 Twins were the first team to ever enter the World Series having been outscored in the regular season. The 1987 Twins, as a team, were pretty much outnumbered in virtually every major statistical category. As ABC play-by-play man Al Michaels put it in the pre-game show for Game 1 "They were out everything!"
The Cardinals posted a 95–67 record during the regular season, but were affected by injuries throughout the postseason, most notably with the loss of their lone home run threat, first baseman Jack Clark, due to a sprained right ankle suffered in a game in Montreal on September 9. During the regular season, Clark led the National League in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage despite playing in Busch Memorial Stadium, which was reputed to be the league's most extreme "pitcher's park." He hit 35 home runs in 131 games, and was the only Cardinal to hit more than 12. The Cardinal who hit 12, starting third baseman Terry Pendleton, though named to the World Series roster, was hampered with a ribcage injury. Normally a switch-hitter, Pendleton was only able to swing lefthanded during the World Series and was also unable to play the field.
The Cardinals replaced Clark on their World Series roster with 36-year-old Dan Driessen, who was a starting major league first baseman from 1977 through 1985, but was released by two different organizations in 1986. The Cardinals had signed Driessen to a minor league contract on June 9 and called him up to the majors on September 1.
AL Minnesota Twins (4) vs. NL St. Louis Cardinals (3)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 17 | St. Louis Cardinals – 1, Minnesota Twins – 10 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 2:39 | 55,171 |
| 2 | October 18 | St. Louis Cardinals – 4, Minnesota Twins – 8 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 2:42 | 55,257 |
| 3 | October 20 | Minnesota Twins – 1, St. Louis Cardinals – 3 | Busch Stadium (II) | 2:45 | 55,347 |
| 4 | October 21 | Minnesota Twins – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 7 | Busch Stadium (II) | 3:11 | 55,347 |
| 5 | October 22 | Minnesota Twins – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 4 | Busch Stadium (II) | 3:21 | 55,347 |
| 6 | October 24 | St. Louis Cardinals – 5, Minnesota Twins – 11 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 3:04 | 55,293 |
| 7 | October 25 | St. Louis Cardinals – 2, Minnesota Twins – 4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 3:04 | 55,376 |
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