If it’s possible for the best parts of a World Series to come after it has end

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If its po sible for the best parts of a World Series to come after it has ended, 1991 offered a glimpse of what it might look like.Not that the 1991 World Series was short on good parts. Not by a longshot: five one-run games, Brian Urlacher Jersey four walk-offs, an iconic game-winning homer from a future Hall of Famer, and a scorele s duel in Game 7 between two guys also bound for Cooperstown.Many observers call that battle between the Braves and Twins, two worst-to-first clubs in 91, the greatest World Series of all time, and its hard to argue against it.Still, despite the high drama and excruciating roller coaster ride that defined the series, it can also be argued that the best parts of the whole thing came after the final play.MORE: Moments after Gene Larkin singled home Dan Gladden to give the Twins a 1-0 victory in Game 7, a series of unusual events began to unfold largely outside the spotlight events that surprised observers at the time and remain outliers today because theyre so far removed from the postseason norms that have defined baseball history.Before that story is told, however, consider the prologue.As the 1991 World Series approached, the Braves and Twins already felt a unique connection. The teams had each defied the longest of odds to reach the Fall Cla sic after finishing in last place in 1990. The Braves finished 1990 with a record of 65-97. The Twins finished 74-88.Coming into the season, the odds against the Braves to win the World Series were 250 to 1. The odds against the Twins were 100 to 1. The odds of those teams playing each other in the World Series seemed astronomical.Though Atlanta and Minnesota came into 1991 with upgraded rosters, both also returned a lot of players who had experienced those cellar-dwelling seasons.That meant the improbable nature of the matchup certainly wasnt lost on the players, who, after playing all season as underdogs and constantly bucking expectations, could relate to one another in a way that most World Series competitors couldnt.I Dick Butkus Jersey think everybody on the field understood why we were there and understood the magnitude of what was going on there,said Terry Pendleton, who joined the Braves in the 1990-91 offseason after playing on two pennant-winning Cardinals teams.Every team goes into the World Series wanting to win, perhaps even expecting to win, but these two teams, having experienced those worst-to-first turnarounds, both came with a particular chip on their shoulders. After all, they were both one step away from a true baseball Cinderella story.So while the mutual respect was high, You really wanted to knock them out,Pendleton said. And Im quite sure they felt the same way.And so it went for six games. Back and forth, taking turns owning the elusive October momentum.Which brings us to Oct. 27, 1991,that cla sic Game 7and those unusual events that transpired afterward.The events, acts performedoff to the side or completely in private, were small and brief, but meaningful moments of humanity, of respect and of appreciation for what had just happened.This is the inside story.I honestly cant even explain why it happenedAnd now were seeing something that we rarely see in a World Series: Terry Pendleton, leading a group of Atlanta Braves out to congratulate the Minnesota Twins. Braves radio announcer Pete Van Wieren, moments after Game 7 endedTerry Pendleton had been Anthony Miller Jersey close before, having played in two previous seven-game World Series as a member of the Cardinals. Both times, in 1985 and 1987, his St. Louis teams came up frustratingly short in seven games. The second of those lo ses came at the hands of the Twins, the final defeat happening inside the deafening Metrodome.The 1991 Series gave him his third chance at a title. His Braves came back to Minnesota for Game 6 up 3-2 in the series. But Kirby Pucketts heroics ruined Game 6. Then Jack Morris pitching stifled the Braves in Game 7.So as Pendleton watched Larkins walk-off single bounce off the Metrodome turf in deep left center to plate the only run of Game 7, Atlantas third baseman again found himself in an achingly familiar position.I honestly could not believe we lost, to be honest with you,Pendleton, the eventual 1991 NL MVP, told Sporting News, thelo s still able to evoke emotion three decades later. I sat there trying to gather my emotions on how I would react, how I would go up and face my teammates. Because it was tough. I honestly did not expect to lose the series.MORE: But, it turned out, this lo s wasnt exactly like those others.As Pendleton walked slowly toward the first-base visitors dugout and the Twins began their raucous celebration, he caught a glimpse of Puckett, who he had played against not just in two World Series, but in their minor league days. He also saw former Cardinals teammate Brian Harper and Gladden, a fellow Fresno State alum, all celebrating and all feeling the opposite of what he felt.Pendleton made eye contact. Then a strong but unusual desire seized him: He wanted to congratulate the Twins.It wasnt planned. It hadnt been a thought five seconds earlier. The feeling came from nowhere. But the crazy and intense nature of the series theyd just concluded seemed to demand it.Just something that happened,Pendleton said.So the de facto Atlanta captain led a small group of teammates, including outfielder Keith Mitchell and catcher Mike Heath, into the edges of the celebration to Riley Ridley Jersey offer congratulations. A handshake. A nod. A few pleasantries. Mutual respect.Hey, great series.You guys earned it.What a battle.And that was it. Small, but huge.It was kind of sad because everyone played really good. Nobody lost that series. It was just won, Harper said, citing a theme that would soon dominate the postgame atmosphere.Pendleton had never congratulated an opponent before and he never did it again. But then, there was never a series like 1991.Ive been on five losers where we didnt win the World Series,he said. That was the only time I did that. I honestly cant even explain why it happened. You felt a little bad that this had to endWhy dont we play all winter and make it a best of 90? MLB commi sioner Fay Vincent to Braves owner Ted Turner during the 1991 World Series, as reported by The Sporting News, Nov. 4, 1991The compulsion to connect with the opponent wasnt limited to Pendleton and the Braves. Twins manager Tom Kelly felt the pull too. The emotions are hard to describe, he said, but knowing what both teams had gone through, how much everyone gave toward the same goal, Leonard Floyd Jersey it wasunfortunate that one side had to come up short.At the end of Game 7, Im not saying the Braves were devastated or anything like that, but you felt a little bad that this had to end but youre glad it was over,Kelly said. You felt