Category: Society & Economics Key figures: Frank Viola (Twins pitcher, World Series MVP), Dan Gladden (Twins outfielder), Kent Hrbek (Twins first baseman), Kirby Puckett (Twins outfielder), Tom Kelly (Twins manager), Whitey Herzog (Cardinals manager)
The 1987 World Series, played October 17–25, 1987, saw the Minnesota Twins defeat the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three in a seven-game series, delivering the franchise’s first World Championship. The series was notable for a unique pattern: the home team won all seven games, with the Twins winning their four home games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis by wide margins, and the Cardinals winning their three games at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
The series opened with the Twins routing the Cardinals 10–1 in Game 1, featuring a fourth-inning grand slam by Dan Gladden. Game 2 ended 8–4, again in favor of Minnesota. The Cardinals then won all three games at Busch Stadium (3–1, 7–2, 4–2), setting up a climactic return to the Metrodome. Game 6 saw the Twins rout the Cardinals 11–5, with Kent Hrbek hitting a crucial grand slam. In Game 7 on October 25, the Twins clinched the championship 4–2, with Frank Viola pitching eight strong innings. Viola was named World Series MVP for his performances in Games 1 and 7.
The 1987 World Series was the first in history to be played entirely indoors. The Metrodome’s artificial turf, dome configuration, and notoriously raucous crowd noise — amplified by the enclosed structure — gave the Twins a pronounced home-field advantage. Minnesota had posted the best home record in the major leagues during the regular season (56–25), though their overall record of 85–77 (.525) was the lowest winning percentage ever for a World Series champion at that time. The Cardinals, by contrast, had finished the regular season at 95–67 but struggled with the dome’s artificial conditions.
Nicknamed the “Riverboat Series” (both cities sit on the Mississippi River) and sometimes the “Cinderella Series” (both clubs were considered unlikely pennant winners), the 1987 Fall Classic drew total attendance of 387,138 across seven games, averaging 55,305 per game.
The 1987 World Series established the Metrodome as one of baseball’s most challenging home environments and demonstrated how dramatically home-field advantage could shape a postseason series — all seven games were decided by the home team, a pattern not seen before or since in a seven-game World Series. The Twins’ championship, achieved with a below-.500-looking record against a more dominant Cardinal team, fed a “Cinderella” narrative that captured national attention throughout October.
The series also marked what would be the last World Series day game: Game 6 began at 3 p.m. CT, after which television contract negotiations ensured all subsequent World Series games would be played at night. This shift toward primetime scheduling reflected the growing influence of television revenue on Major League Baseball’s economic model, a dynamic that would define the sport through subsequent decades.
For Minnesota, the championship carried deep civic resonance. The Twins had spent much of the 1980s struggling in attendance and profitability, and the 1987 title revitalized the franchise and reinforced the Metrodome as a viable home for Major League Baseball in a smaller market.