text: In 1988, the Twins actually won more games than in their championship season, finishing with a 91–71 record. In spite of this improvement, they finished 13 games behind the AL West champion Oakland A's, who won 104 games. The Twins eventually sank towards the bottom of the standings, finishing last in 1990. In 1991, the Twins returned to the playoffs by beating the Blue Jays in the ALCS and winning what many call the greatest World Series every played, over the Atlanta Braves.
  The 1987 World Series featured at least two players who went on to win Manager of the Year awards. The Twins' Don Baylor won it in 1995 for his work with the Colorado Rockies while the Cardinals' Tony Peña won it in 2003 for his efforts with the Kansas City Royals.
  The success of the 1987 Twins inspired Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) in Beverly Hills 90210 to explain why the Twins were the ultimate definition of a team, thus enabling him to win the Dreyer Scholarship. His interview, however, included a factual inaccuracy; he said Gladden hit a grand slam in Game 4, when in fact Gladden hit one in Game 1, and Hrbek hit one in the pivotal Game 6.