MPR’s Bill Wareham reports from Atlanta and gives a recap of Game 4 of the 1991 World Series. The Atlanta Braves beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2. Segment includes interview clips of players and managers from both teams.
MPR’s Bill Wareham reports from Atlanta and gives a recap of Game 4 of the 1991 World Series. The Atlanta Braves beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2. Segment includes interview clips of players and managers from both teams.
BILL WAREHAM: Some may have wondered whether the Twins and Braves could duplicate the drama of Tuesday's 12-inning inning marathon at Fulton County Stadium. If they didn't, they came close on Wednesday, and there's probably a few tired baseball fans happy to see it end in the regulation 9, although that was in doubt even as Tuesday night's hero Mark Lemke tagged up and headed home on pinch hitter Jerry Willard's one out fly ball to right field.
SPEAKER 1: Started to slide around Brian Harper at home plate. And my intention was-- I seen him out in front of the plate-- was to slide around him and try to hook my hand at home plate, and I got the job done. I did get my hand on home plate. We made slight contact, but it was a situation where I felt, if I run him over, I'm out. And I just felt like that was the best option, for me was try to go around him hook my hand onto the base. And fortunately for me, it worked out all right.
BILL WAREHAM: The safe call drew immediate protest from catcher Brian Harper. But a few minutes later in the Twins' locker room, Harper sounded less than sure he actually put the tag on Lemke.
BRIAN HARPER: Well, I know we made contact, basically I was concentrating on trying to catch the ball and we made contact. And in most situations, when you make contact with a runner like that, usually, the guy's called out. And like I said, I haven't seen the play or anything.
BILL WAREHAM: It was fitting that game 4 ended on a close play at the plate. Because all night long, it was the trench in which this hard fought battle was waged. It began when Shane Mack got caught in the fourth, trying to take home on a failed bunt attempt. Then in the fifth, the Braves twice got caught trying to score, once on a wild pitch that wasn't wild enough and just before that, on Lonnie Smith's attempt to reach home from second on a hit to deep center. Chuck Knoblauch's relay from Kirby Puckett was right on the mark, and Harper managed to hold on to the ball despite Smith's best attempt to knock him senseless.
SPEAKER 2: Hadn't got hit like Lonnie Smith hit me since I got sacked in high school. And I used to get sacked a lot in high school.
BILL WAREHAM: But if the defense was thrilling, it wasn't enough. And the Twins came up short for the second night in a row. And the Braves, as manager Bobby Cox points out, are veterans at coming from behind.
BOBBY COX: We're accustomed to these things right now, going down the stretch with the Dodgers and Pittsburgh, now this. And we don't come in with cold feet, that's for sure.
BILL WAREHAM: In the visitor's locker room at Fulton County Stadium, Cox's counterpart, Tom Kelly, has his own theory on why a series that could have gone four games will now go to at least six.
TOM KELLY: Well, we're trying to keep them TV ratings up, there's no question about that.
BILL WAREHAM: Twins manager Tom Kelly. Reporting from Atlanta, I'm Bill Wareham.
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