BringMeTheNews is unveiling a new feature called “Metrodome Memories” as we count down the final days of what is one of the most reviled and ridiculed stadiums in the history of sports.
But that’s the catch – there’s a lot of history under that graying Teflon roof. Some truly great and awful things have happened in that place, from rock shows to World Series. So, we’ll look at the good, bad and the ugly until the walls come tumblin’ down.
The first installment is nothing but pure joy – a trip back to the 1987 World Series, specifically Game 6. Four years later, the Twins would play one of the greatest of all sixth games in Series history, which featured the amazing catch and then walk-off homer by Kirby Puckett.
But Game 6 in ’87 was pretty darn amazing as well. The Twins were down 3-2 in the series to the St. Louis Cardinals, and were facing elimination.
Cardinals drew first blood with a Tommy Herr homer in the 1st inning. Then the two teams played a game of back and forth, with the Twins leading 6-5 going into the sixth inning. Then the bases were loaded, and hometown hero Kent Hrbek came to the plate. Then this happened:
Here is a photo of the actual swing:
Hrbek was hardly an unknown quantity, and should have won rookie of the year a few ears earlier, but lost out to Cal Ripken. Still, he was a stud right out of the gate.
(For the record, that Sports Illustrated cover from 1982 reads: The Best of the Worst, Rookie Sensation Kent Hrbek of the Terrible Twins.)
That grand slam put the game out of reach, and the Twins went on to take the series in the next game.
For that, Hrbek got an appearance on David Letterman’s old show, where he talks about Dome-field advantage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3kWOT3NYWc
Hey, there’s a reason why there’s a statue of the guy. Thanks for the Metrodome memories, Herbie.
