1987 ALCS Gm1: Gaetti belts two home runs

10/7/87: Gary Gaetti homers twice for the Twins in his first two career postseason at-bats
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[@SteveSwags]

In 1987, I was in 3rd grade and my grandma lived next-door to Gary. He hid his wife and kids' presents in her garage and came over to get them on Christmas Eve when we were over there with the rest of my family. He hung out with us for 2 hours. Nicest guy in the world and my all-time favorite ballplayer.

[@Wolf.88]

WOW 🤩

[@michaelblanco4614]

I’ve modeled my baseball career and then lifestyle and restaurant career after a good guy like Gaetti. He’s the best, and whenever I where my Gaetti jersey around wrigley people give me respect

[@kja9881]

That's great Michael I wish you the best Gary is a great guy! God Bless You.

[@deanladue3151]

Gary set the tone for that Twins team with those HRs, and Gary did it against the ace the Tigers traded for in Alexander.

[@jdspreest]

I loved how the Metrodome used to have what looked like Saran Wrap for a wall from center to right field

[@TL2354]

It was called The Hefty Bag

[@DanStrayer]

And just like that, the winning end of the Alexander/Smoltz trade goes irreversibly to the Braves!

[@deanladue3151]

Yep, in Alexanders second start in Game 5 he didn't make out of the 2nd inning. Sparky Anderson wanted a pitcher who was similar to Jack Morris, and that's what the Tigers thought they were getting in the trade with Atlanta.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Gaetti and Viola, my 2 favorite Twins!

[@jasonslepica3932]

Love your guitar content man! Hyped too see such a great guitarist roots for such a great team

[@travismcdonald6576]

Two great players in the mid-late 80’s who just struggled in the 90’s.

[@ckendall67]

Tigers: "Awesome we won the East! Now let's get ready to roll past the Twinkies!" Gaetti: "Hi fellas." ;-)

[@nels7347]

Both of those home runs went to almost exactly the same spot This was my favorite world series I liked this one more than 91

[@lonolson1328]

Was there for that game. It took a couple of days for my ears to quit ringing.

[@timestampgod7338]

The "G" man 😎🔥

[@sominboy2757]

I once served him in a burger king drive through in Minnesota. Nice guy

[@raymiller6351]

He had a good span with the royals

[@dougmaclennan8654]

I was there. The Twins were heavy underdogs in this series and no one gave them a chance. Doyle Alexander was red hot. But Gaetz gave the Twins lots of confidence in this one.

[@robertfenton4629]

Frank Viola first Twin I ever collected his Baseball cards of course I have all the Twins Herbie Harmon Kirby Viola for what he did in 87 WS still my favorites Twin wish there were more Gladdens out there

[@nunyabizness5391]

I went to a lot of games in the Dome, (unfortunately, none of the '91 post season games) but other than the ridiculously loud music they played at Vikings games, this game and game 2 of this series on the next night were the loudest I can remember.

[@Kornelli98]

Went in 91 against the Bluejays so loud what a game vikings bears Monday night football was close

[@twine3410]

I remember listening as the KQ morning show gave him a call, he gave them a play by play of him cleaning his garage, LOL!

[@Buffro20]

32 years later Twins infielder Royce Lewis hits 2 homeruns in his first postseason game

[@unclekennymusic]

G-man gettin' it done!

[@Wolf.88]

Awesome 😎

[@paulkoscielski5337]

Loved the rat. But Gladden was the spark plug of that team. He was the key guy they got that year.

[@RIPSGT]

"Wrench"

[@AJKPenguin]

2 off Doyle Alexander, geeze!

[@jayNicks10]

At the time Game 1 seemed like our game to win if any of them. We were heavy underdogs going into games 2 & 3.

[@billschipper1718]

Remember it well

[@TheMnoer48]

First one was crushed

[@tastethejace]

Man that rat can really swing the bat!

[@LarryRickenbacker]

For the life of me, I cannot understand why the good people of Minnesota wanted to get their Twins out of the Metrodome.

[@loganpoppe3494]

I'm from MN and I liked the Metrodome a lot. But you tell that to anyone around here and they're ready to have you committed.

[@krossen4]

He's right! A dome stadium that was supposed to be the vikings advantage turned out to be the Twins. The fast carpet, playing the white roof it was their building not the vikes.

[@KOHF34]

LarryRickenbacker What would have been awesome is if the Twins made a retractable roof stadium for their new stadium. Sound would have carried big time there.

[@TomNguyen]

I also never had a problem with the Metrodome. I miss it

[@tdavidg9176]

I’m almost 55 and from Mn, went to several Twins games including the ‘87 season. There’s no doubt they had a decisive home field advantage with the bounces and the ceiling but in a fans perspective the building was awful for spectators. If you were in the center field seats you literally could not see past the 2nd baseman. They had a big screen for awhile to look over at. Eventually they closed some of it off. The vantage points were terrible for baseball.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

The dumps always seemed to have the best home field advantages.

[@jefffunnell6205]

Would the twins have had a tougher time vs Toronto if they didn't blow it at the end of the season

[@deanladue3151]

Probably, but I couldn't imagine playoff games being played at Exhibition Stadium. That place was even worse than the Metrodome.

[@ckendall67]

The Jays were riddled with injuries to some of their star players, even they'd won the East that year instead of Detroit they probably would've met the same fate against the Twins.

[@jRabbit76]

As a Tigers fan, it wouldn't have made a difference if Toronto had made it. The Twins were possessed in the postseason.

[@redpillfreedom6692]

Many speculated that they were using juiced balls in '87. Watching the flight of his second home run, I would have to say it was definitely juiced. The way the ball is carrying just looks a bit...off. That should have been a double in the gap at most.

[@deanladue3151]

The dome had air circulation ducts around the inside of the stadium to keep the roof inflated. When the ducts were running, it was estimated that a baseball could probably travel an extra 15 to 25 feet because of the moving air. Very similar to the weather phenomenon at Anaheim Stadium, where there would be high winds blowing out to left field and left center. If a hitter hit a ball high enough, it would catch those winds and ride them out of the park.

[@redpillfreedom6692]

@@deanladue3151 Several studies were done on that but they were all inconclusive.

[@katherineberger6329]

It's because Gaetti frickin smoked that ball. Laser home runs look a little weird because we're so used to seeing the high arc.

[@morefiction3264]

@@deanladue3151 Those vents behind the plate were air return but I do think there were times the air conditioning could lower the density of the air but as someone else said, any studies were inconclusive.

[@deanladue3151]

@@morefiction3264 even at Vikings games there they noticed a difference in the trajectory of the football if it was thrown high enough. The Vikings in the late 90s and early 2000s were masters of the deep bomb that went 50 + yards with Carter, Moss, and Reed.