There are times you come across players who "Catch fire" in the World Series. They have a surge in the League Championship Series. They get hot starting in their first plate appearance (Or two, as in the case of Gene Tenace in 1972). Mark Lemke had to wait until the third game of the 1991 October Finale to get hot.
The Atlanta Braves, starting the World Series against Minnesota on the road, looked like the vastly inferior team. The Braves had worked hard just to get there. The year before, Atlanta was just 65-97. But here, Atlanta was in first place, but just got by Barry Bonds and the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games in the National League Championship. What did Mark Lemke do? Why, he hit .200 despite appearing in all seven contests.
So manager Bobby Cox, appearing in his first Fall Classic, benched Lemke for game one against Minny. Jeff Treadway appeared at second instead. The move didn't seem to go too bad, as Jeff was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored. But pitcher Jack Morris limited the Atlanta Braves to just two runs over seven frames. The bullpen of Minnesota shutout Atlanta the last two innings. The 5-2 win was certainly a little discouraging for the Braves.
Well, Mark Lemke was back in the lineup for game two. But he wasn't "Lights out" Lemke in this contest. The Braves played better, but still ended up on the short end of a 3-2 ballgame.
Kevin Tapani, the Twins starting pitcher, picked up where Morris left off. He was especially tough on the Braves' second basemen. The first time Mark Lemke came up, there was a chance to make a difference. It was 1-0 for Atlanta. Sid Bream was on second, two away. Tapani made it look easy. He fanned Mark Lemke on an 0-2 pitch, which Mark didn't swing at.
In the fifth, it was more of the same. Another runner at second. Lemke back up. This time, there was nobody out, as catcher Greg Olson got it all going with a leadoff double. The visiting Atlanta Braves needed a run here, as the Twins were now up, 2-1. All Mark Lemke could do was ground out. It did, however, help. Olson made it to third, and then scored on Rafael Belliard sacrifice fly.
However, Lemke was merely the the third batter, and third out, in the top of the seventh. Kevin Tapani was rolling. Scott Leius broke the deadlock with a home run, which put Minnesota ahead for good.
Brian Hunter singled in the top of the ninth with one away, putting the tying run on against closer Rick Aguilera. This meant that Mark Lemke would come up again provided Greg Olson didn't hit into a game-ending double play. Olson became Aguilera's second strikeout in the ninth, but at least Lemke would bat. Or would he? Bobby Cox sent up pinch hitter Tommy Gregg to hit for the second basemen. It made no difference. Aguilera's third strikeout of the game made Minnesota 3-2 winners. And up 2-0 heading towards Atlanta.
And, now, here's where Mark Lemke's bat got in the way of any sweet (Sweep?) plans that the Twins had.
But first, how would the Braves' lineup look. The obvious was who'd be dropped from it as there would be no designated hitter. What about Mark Lemke? He was now oh for his last eight, dating back to the fifth contest of the NLCS. Bobby Cox knew he needed to get the bats hot if Atlanta was going to come back in this Fall Classic. Jeff Treadway had hit just .222 in the regular season. Lemke was little better, .234. But Treadway was two for his last six, .333, in the postseason. Plus, Jeff had hit .281 for his career by the end of the 1991 regular season. Hmmm...Would Atlanta play Treadway instead of Mark Lemke. Or would the slumping Lemke be in the starting lineup in a must-win game?
"Not only did Lemke not know what to expect in Game 3," wrote Jason Foster at The Sporting News years later, "But he also had no idea what was about to happen. Those might sound like the same feelings, but they turned out to be quite different — and what unfolded made Lemke perhaps the greatest example of the notion that October baseball is predictably, but joyously, unpredictable."
Mark was about to experience a big thrill. In extra innings, no less.
It didn't start out well for the home team. The good news was Mark Lemke was penned in at second base, batting seventh, two doors up from pitcher Steve Avery. The bad news was the visiting Twins scratched out a run against Avery in their first at bats.
In the bottom of the second, Minnesota starter Scott Erickson got the first two men out. But then Greg Olson drew a walk. Our boy Lemke was next. He kept the inning alive by poking one to right. Rafael Belliard came through with a big hit, singling to left, cashing in Greg Olson. On the throw home, both Lemke and Belliard advanced on the throw home. Sadly, the next batter was Steve Avery, who grounded out, depriving Atlanta of more offence.
The Braves, however, appeared to have a new lease on life. They went ahead via a Dave Justice home run in the fourth. It seemed like they might get more as Sid Bream followed with a double. But the next three batters, Greg Olson, Mark Lemke and Rafael Belliard, couldn't get Bream home.
In any event, Atlanta scored twice more in the next inning, and the game appeared over. But Mark Lemke made the last out of the fifth, leaving the bases loaded. With a 4-1 lead, the Braves seemed home free, though.
Minnesota wouldn't quit, as they were looking to take a commanding lead of 3-0 in this Fall Classic. They ended up tying the game, and that's how it stayed. Atlanta actually had a chance to win it in the very first inning of extras. There were two outs, but once again, the Braves found a way to keep it going. Greg Olson hit a two-bagger. Mark Lemke drew a walk. Bobby Cox sent up Jeff Blauser to either win the game or keep the inning alive. Jeff did neither, ending the tenth inning by lining out.
It seemed like Atlanta would rue not scoring earlier or in the tenth inning. Minnesota actually loaded the bases in the top of the twelve. Reliever Rick Aguilera was allowed to hit for himself with two away. Rick gave it a ride to centre, but Ron Gant had no trouble settling under it.
Gant himself would send one to cente for out number one in the bottom of the frame. But then Dave Justice reached via single. Aguilera then got Brian Hunter to pop out. Two away.
With Greg Olson up, the count quickly went to 0-2. Justice took off, and the pitch was a ball. The throw from catcher Brian Harper was a little off the mark, and Atlanta had the winning run in scoring position. Olson was walked intentionally, his third bases on balls of the game.
So, it all came down to this. Rick Aguilera pitching. Mark Lemke, hitting. Dave Justice on second and Greg Olson on first. Olson was not what Minnesota was concerned with. Justice was. But what Minnesota need to worry about, really, was Mark Lemke. On a 1-1 offering, Mark came through with a clutch single to left! He hit it off the end of the stick. Jack Buck, calling his last World Series, came up with a memorable call:
"Lemke hits it into left field. Here comes Justice...Safe! And Atlanta wins it!"
Well, the Braves sure had some much-needed life. The jolt of fresh air provided by Mark Lemke would carry over to the next two games. Whereas Atlanta might have been a little bit discouraged by losing games one and two, now they had renewed vigor.
Jack Morris was back for Minnesota. But this time, he had Mark Lemke to deal with. And Jack didn't deal with Mark very well.
First time up, Lemke came up with two away and Greg Olson on first. The two outs meant nothing for Mark. He'd seen this situation before in the 1991 World Series. Here, he saw it again. And Lemke came through again. His single sent Olson to second. Jack Morris retired Rafael Belliard to end the inning.
Minnesota had grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but Atlanta would find a way again tonight. They tied it via a Terry Pendleton. Pendleton had won the regular season National League MVP. So that was expected. What his teammate Mark Lemke would do on this night, was unexpected!
Lemke lashed a double in the fourth, but nothing came up it. But now, there could be no doubt he had the hot bat, and the Twins had better take note the hot batter!
Morris, pitching a strong game, managed to retire Lemke in the bottom of the sixth, but that was the last time the Twins' pitcher did that in this game. The teams traded runs in the seventh, and it was soon time for some re-Mark-able magic in the bottom of the ninth.
There was one out and Mark Guthrie was pitching for the Twins. Mark, the pitcher, was a lefty. Mark Lemke, the batter, was a switch hitter. So you really couldn't bring in any specialist to stop him. Batting from the right side of the plate, Mark appeared to win the game with a big blast into the gap in left. The ball merely hit the wall, staying in the park. But Lemke motored into third!
Jeff Blauser was put on intentionally to set up a double play. Steve Bedrosian came in to pitch to Francisco Cabrera, who'd been sent up to bat for pitcher Mike Stanton. That was before Minnesota brought in Bedrosian. So, Bobby Cox sent up still another pinch hitter, Jerry Willard. Willard would feast off the power that Mark Lemke was bringing to the park.
Even with the count 1-2, this game was Atlanta, you had to know. Willard brought home Mark Lemke with a fly to right. Shane Mack had fired a near-perfect strike to the plate, but Lemke didn't hesitate, sliding home. And Brian Harper couldn't get the tag. The Minny catcher did make contact with Lemke, but only with the elbow. And not the ball!
See it all for yourself!
Lemke had driven in the run on the walk-off in game three. Here, in game four, the 1991 World Series ended with Mark scoring the winning run, walk-off style. This was shaping up to be a classic Fall Classic!
A surprisingly calm Lemke (After all, he'd hit a single, double, triple and scored the winning run) would tell CBS's Jim Kaat after the game, when asked to describe the winning play. "Yeah, I kind of bumped him (Harper) on the shoulder, and slid around the outside...I was lucky enough to get around and get my hand on home plate..." Explaining his rather sedated state, Lemke explained. "These are the most emotionally drained games I've ever been through this season...I mean, you want to be so excited about it, but, uh, you know you're just tired, and your drained and you just want to look forward to a nice quite place [get] some rest and look forward to tomorrow's game."
Mark and the Braves would take the Minnesota Twins apart in the fifth contest. It was the last game of the season for Atlanta at Fulton County Stadium.
And it was a one-sided affair. Minnesota had made Lemke a Mark-ed men by this point, but it didn't make a difference.
After walking the first time up, Lemke's first at bat of the contest had the same result as his last of game four. The three-bagger sent Greg Olson across the plate in the fourth. Rafael Belliard followed with a run-scoring double. Atlanta scored four times in that inning. They'd add another in the fifth.
The Twins actually did make it a game of it in the top of the sixth, cutting the lead to 5-3. Maybe it would be a game after all? Lemke and the Braves ended any thoughts of that in the bottom of the seventh.
Atlanta added three more runs by the time their second basemen came to bat. He was amazingly still batting in the seventh slot. But, again, Mark came through. Another triple. Lemke would score not long after. The game ended up 14-5 in favour of the Braves. Remarkably, they were just one win away from the World Crown.
Minnesota, however, came home and were bound and determined to send this to a seventh and deciding contest. Lemke, for his part, was doing all he could to end this splendid World Series in game six.
Although he'd singled earlier in the game, Mark came up in the top of the seventh with his team trailing 3-2. Facing Scott Erickson, he singled. Mark Guthrie came in to pitch for Minnesota, but the rally continued. A walk and a single loaded the bases.
It was Ron Gant, who grounded into a force at second, that scored Mark Lemke. 3-3. Sadly, Lemke was not able to contribute more to this game, which went to extras. The Twins pulled it off, which meant the whole 1991 season would come down to just one game between two teams that refused to roll over.
And game seven was a classic. Both pitchers, Jack Morris and John Smoltz, were superb. Morris was especially tough on the red-hot Lemke. He got him to ground out in the third and line out in the seventh.
In between, Mark launched a leadoff single in the fifth. The game was scoreless, and Atlanta had a good shot at breaking the tie. A sacrifice bunt and a single put runners on the corners with just one out. However, Jack Morris bore down and got Terry Pendleton to pop out and then fanned Ron Gant.
Morris made it nine innings, no runs, when he got the Braves in order in the ninth. It was Mark Lemke, batting for the last time in 1991, that ended the inning by striking out.
Eventually, it was the Twins that pulled this magnificently played Fall Classic by walking it off in the tenth. But the beaten Braves had nothing to hang their heads about by coming up just a little short. One of the big reasons they kept battling back was their red-hot second basemen.
Despite missing game one, Mark Lemke topped all batters with a .417 batting average in the 1991 World Series. His three triples were one more than Dan Gladden, who topped the Twins with two himself. Mark would have to settle for second in hits, as his ten trailed only Terry Pendleton, who had 11.
But the Minnesota players and fans had suddenly taken notice of the Atlanta second basemen, and weren't even afraid to let Mark know it. A Twins brought a banner to game seven that read, "What's a LEMKE?" During his last plate appearance against Morris, this banner got some air time on CBS. Maybe Mark didn't come through there, but the light-hitting second basemen for the Braves had certainly been living rent-free in the heart of the Twin Cities.
References
Columbia Broadcast Company (CBS). 1991 World Series. Episodes 1-7 (Miniseries).14 Mar. 2023.
Foster, Jason. “Mark Lemke’s 1991 World Series Remains the Best Example of How October Baseball Is Joyously Unpredictable.” Sporting News, Sporting News Holdings Limited, 10 Nov. 2021, https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mark-lemke-1991-world-series/ 1dgt5fwyh8j1n1ex0whx2i7umr.
Morissey, Scott C. 114 World Series in 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.
Foster, Jason. “Mark Lemke’s 1991 World Series Remains the Best Example of How October Baseball Is Joyously Unpredictable.” Sporting News, Sporting News Holdings Limited, 10 Nov. 2021, https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mark-lemke-1991-world-series/ 1dgt5fwyh8j1n1ex0whx2i7umr.
Morissey, Scott C. 114 World Series in 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.
Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993.
“1991 World Series.” Major League Baseball Productions, 1991.
“1991 World Series.” Major League Baseball Productions, 1991.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. 14 Mar. 2023.
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 14 Mar. 2023.
YouTube, Google, https://www.youtube.com/. 14 Mar. 2023.
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