First to Last: Game 7 of the 1991 World Series

John Smoltz and Jack Morris reflect on their epic duel in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series between the Braves and Twins

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[tylerlaforte]

Jack Morris.... this is SUCH an underrated game.
Game 7, 10 inning SHUTOUT. that will never happen again. Amazing.

[johnnyroberts]

The greatest World Series ever in my opinion. There’s been some great series in recent years (2011, 2016, 2017), but this one has some great things about it:

-5 out of 7 games decided by 1 run
-4 out of 7 decided by the final at bat
-3 extra innings games
-Walk off home run by Kirby Puckett to force Game 7
-The legendary pitching battle between two Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Jack Morris

Baseball is a beautiful game. The game never writes the same script twice

[laudanum]

John Smoltz is one gracious, humble guy. He should be proud of his performance.

[ernestkovach]

FUN FACT: Big Jack Morris was the winningest pitcher in the Major Leagues in the decade of the 1980s.

He won World Series titles with Detroit, Minnesota and 2 with Toronto and had 4 TOTAL World Series Rings! ...He pitched a no hitter. He was a World Series MVP and had a winning career playoff record. TOP 50 all time in both strikeouts and in victories. Big Jack is currently 1 of only 23 Hall of Fame pitchers to be in the Top 50 in both career wins (256) and in career strikeouts(over 2400). He also led the league in strikeouts once, in victories twice, and was a 5 time all star.

[jjstraka]

Greatest pitching performance in the history of baseball. As a 9-year old, watching this game up late with my dad is still one of the most magical moments of my life.

[lifewater]

Jack Morris pitched a 10 inning complete game shutout in game 7 of the World Series. An absolutely insane accomplishment. I honestly can’t think of any other feat in sports that can top that.

[micojone]

I quit my job the night of this game so I could watch it. I was 17. It was worth it. Best game I’ve ever seen.

[EmanMohamed-jvym]

God damn onions man, Jack talking about his kids at the end, and someones cutting onions

[Mike-pdnp]

That did not feel like a 12 and a half minute video... outstanding.

[TheTdes]

Greatest game I've ever been to. Avid sports memorabilia collector and my two prize possessions are my 1987 and 1991 signed and authenticated baseballs. I was 15 at the time, living in the Twin Cities and will always be grateful for my dad taking me to these games. Baseball!

[FreakishPower]

27 years later, I am glad to learn that Jack Morris is a good guy. I thought he was a Terminator for all these years.

[davidweber]

I was a middle-schooler in Chanhassen, MN and I knew my dad had tickets to game 7 while we watched game 6 at home on TV. I watched Kirby make the catch at the wall and hit the home run that sent the series into game 7, knowing I'd be seeing it in person. We sat in the ground level a little behind the 3rd base line. I'm there waving my Homer Hanky with the rest of the fans. That was an emotional roller coaster of a game and a highlight of my childhood to see Morris pitch 10 innings and finally see a Minnesota Twin cross home plate for the 1-0 victory.

[MGAF]

One of the greatest baseball games ever. Actually the Twins-Tigers Game 163 in 2009 was off the rails as far as greatness. But with the most at stake, this game was the best one of all-time.

[bryanhoffman]

2 hall of famers now. Congrats Jack Morris.

[LeoWhalen]

This was some serious, exciting, well-played, well-managed baseball. I wish I could have witnessed it live. Unfortunately, I was only 3 years old at the time.

[danielmccauley]

one of the greatest performances and duels in a finals game in any sport ever

[BrendanSlob]

Greatest Wold Series EVER PLAYED!!! I was 4 at the time and I didn't realize it at the time but God Damn...

[TB-klvn]

I couldn't give a shit about either franchise, but I remember EVERYTHING about this series. It was unbelievable.

[Jefff]

I still regret not being able to watch that final hit by Gene Larkin. I was in Air Force technical training, which followed basic training, at Sheppard AFB. I was in our dorm's day room watching with both Twins & Braves fans. Then a student leader who was one of those by the book types, told us we had to turn off the TV and go to our rooms. After soom resistance, we gave in. I didn't find out till the next morning from my friend from Iowa, who was supporting the Braves, who held up one finger and said it was one run. I said with a disappointing voice, "it was the Braves." He said, "nope."

Man I couldn't believe what I heard. Then I must have followed every story in the local Wichita Falls newspaper about the game. I even remember a sport journalist comparing the TX Rangers to the Twins and how the Twins played fundamental good baseball. I come on YouTube from time to time to watch those great plays from Kirby saving game 6 to that final hit in game 7.

That hit was a rare moment in men's professional sports, notice I'm excluding the Lynx, with everything on the line where our team didn't choke. This was no Garry Anderson missed field goal.

[christophercarton]

Wow, this is heavy. Just wonderful. For all that happened in the whirlwind that led to Game 7, that night really was about these two pitchers. Smoltz went to a sports psychologist after his bad start that season because he was really getting down on himself. By the postseason, you would never have known it. He was absolutely locked in against the Pirates in the NLCS, and he was clearly their hot hand by the time Game 7 arrived. At age 24, the Braves' young phenom was finally meeting the high expectations that followed his surprising All-Star season two years earlier. Morris, on the other hand, had gone from being one of the best pitchers of the 80's to having 3 of his worst seasons with the Tigers. All signs were that his best years were behind him. Even during his best years, Morris was prone to giving up the longball, and he could make his games quite an adventure. There was no way before the 91 season that anyone would have thought Jack Morris would end that season throwing a 10-inning shutout to win the World Series. You didn't have to be a fan of either team to have considered this game to be an unforgettable gift.