1991 ALCS: Game 3

Game 3:

Friday, October 11, 1991 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Minnesota	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	3	7	0
Toronto	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	1
WP: Mark Guthrie (1–0) LP: Mike Timlin (0–1) SV: Rick Aguilera (2) Home runs: MIN: Mike Pagliarulo (1) TOR: Joe Carter (1)

Box Score Info. - (read me)

BATTING

Minnesota Twins              AB   R   H RBI      BB  SO      PO   A
Gladden lf                    5   0   0   0       0   0       4   0
Knoblauch 2b                  5   1   2   0       0   0       4   3
Puckett cf                    5   0   2   1       0   1       6   0
Davis dh                      4   0   1   0       0   2       0   0
Mack rf                       4   1   1   0       0   1       0   0
Hrbek 1b                      3   0   0   1       1   1       8   1
Gagne ss                      2   0   0   0       1   1       0   2
  Sorrento ph                 1   0   0   0       0   1       0   0
  Newman ss                   0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Ortiz c                       3   0   0   0       0   0       6   0
  Larkin ph                   1   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  Harper c                    0   0   0   0       0   0       1   0
Leius 3b                      3   0   0   0       0   0       0   4
  Pagliarulo ph,3b            1   1   1   1       0   0       0   0
Erickson p                    0   0   0   0       0   0       1   1
  West p                      0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  Willis p                    0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  Guthrie p                   0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  Aguilera p                  0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Totals                       37   3   7   3       2   7      30  11

FIELDING - 
DP: 1. Leius-Knoblauch-Hrbek.

BATTING - 
2B: Puckett (1,off Key); Knoblauch (1,off Key).
3B: Mack (1,off Key).
HR: Pagliarulo (1,10th inning off Timlin 0 on 1 out).
GDP: Ortiz (1,off Key).
Team LOB: 6.

Toronto Blue Jays            AB   R   H RBI      BB  SO      PO   A
White cf                      5   0   1   0       0   0       2   0
Alomar 2b                     3   0   1   0       1   1       3   3
Carter rf                     3   1   1   1       1   2       0   0
  Ducey pr,rf                 1   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Olerud 1b                     2   1   0   0       3   0      16   0
Gruber 3b                     5   0   1   0       0   1       0   2
Maldonado lf                  4   0   1   1       1   1       1   0
Mulliniks dh                  1   0   0   0       1   0       0   0
  Tabler ph,dh                0   0   0   0       1   0       0   0
  Wilson pr,dh                1   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Borders c                     3   0   0   0       0   0       7   0
Lee ss                        4   0   0   0       0   1       1   4
Key p                         0   0   0   0       0   0       0   3
  Wells p                     0   0   0   0       0   0       0   1
  Henke p                     0   0   0   0       0   0       0   1
  Timlin p                    0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Totals                       32   2   5   2       8   6      30  14

FIELDING - 
DP: 2. Key-Lee-Olerud, Alomar-Olerud.
E: Timlin (1).

BATTING - 
2B: Maldonado (1,off Erickson).
HR: Carter (1,1st inning off Erickson 0 on 2 out).
SH: Borders (1,off Erickson); Alomar (2,off West).
GDP: Borders (2,off West).
IBB: Carter (1,by West).
Team LOB: 10.

PITCHING

Minnesota Twins              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP
Erickson                      4     3   2   2   5   2   1  20
West                          2.2   1   0   0   3   3   0  11
Willis                        2     1   0   0   0   1   0   7
Guthrie W(1-0)                0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1
Aguilera SV(2)                1     0   0   0   0   0   0   3
Totals                       10     5   2   2   8   6   1  42

Erickson faced 1 batter in the 5th inning
WP: West 2 (2).
IBB: West (1,Carter).

Toronto Blue Jays            IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP
Key                           6     5   2   2   1   1   0  23
Wells                         1.2   1   0   0   0   2   0   6
Henke                         1.1   0   0   0   1   3   0   5
Timlin L(0-1)                 1     1   1   1   0   1   1   5
Totals                       10     7   3   3   2   7   1  39

Umpires: HP - Rocky Roe, 1B - Tim Welke, 2B - Mike Reilly, 3B - Jim McKean, LF - Larry Barnett, 
RF - Mark Johnson

Time of Game: 3:36   Attendance: 51454

Starting Lineups:

   Minnesota Twins               Toronto Blue Jays          
1. Gladden             lf        White               cf
2. Knoblauch           2b        Alomar              2b
3. Puckett             cf        Carter              rf
4. Davis               dh        Olerud              1b
5. Mack                rf        Gruber              3b
6. Hrbek               1b        Maldonado           lf
7. Gagne               ss        Mulliniks           dh
8. Ortiz               c         Borders             c
9. Leius               3b        Lee                 ss
   Erickson            p         Key                 p

With the series tied at one win apiece, the teams ventured across the border to Toronto's Skydome where Jimmy Key squared off against the Twins' twenty-game winner, Scott Erickson. The Blue Jays quickly jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first when with two out, Joe Carter homered, Kelly Gruber singled, John Olerud singled, and Candy Maldonado doubled Gruber home. Erickson was able to get the third out retiring Rance Mulliniks.

The Twins got on the board in the fifth. Shane Mack led off and hit a triple against the right field wall after Carter twisted an ankle trying to reach the ball and make a circus catch. On Kent Hrbek's grounder to second, Roberto Alomar attempted to get Mack out at the plate, but Mack beat the throw to score. In the bottom half of the inning, manager Tom Kelly, believing that Erickson was hesitant to pitch to Carter, brought on reliever David West. West then struck out Carter, Gruber and Maldonado. The Twins tied it in the sixth when Chuck Knoblauch doubled and scored on Kirby Puckett's single with a head-first slide at the plate. The tie got rid of Jimmy Key as David Wells came on in relief.

The score stayed 2–2 until the tenth. Reliever Mike Timlin came on and after retiring Gene Larkin, gave up an eventual game-winning homer to pinch-hitter Mike Pagliarulo, who was hitting for Scott Leius. Kelly had made an unexpected lineup change having Greg Gagne bat seventh and Leius ninth, ultimately setting up Pagliarulo facing Timlin. Rick Aguilera closed out the bottom of the tenth with a 1–2–3 inning to give the Twins a 3–2 win and a 2–1 lead in games. The hamstring injury to Joe Carter, the Blue Jays' most influential hitter, proved pivotal. Although Carter played in the next two games as the Designated Hitter, he was in obvious discomfort and was largely a non-factor in the following two games.