text: Game 1 A raucous, sold-out Metrodome met the Cardinals on October 17, stunning the visitors with crowd noise that could exceed 110 decibels SPL. The Cardinals struggled defensively, with outfielder Willie McGee losing sight of pop flies against the Metrodome's white roof in the fourth and eighth innings, and infielder Tom Lawless committing an infield error in the sixth inning. None of those miscues, however, contributed to Twins runs.  The Twins' aggressive play further compounded the problems of the Cards, and the game ended as a 10–1 blowout. Starting pitcher Frankie "Sweet Music" Viola had little trouble with the Cardinals' potent lineup. For the Twins, Dan Gladden hit a grand slam and totaled five RBIs, capping off a seven-run fourth inning, with Steve Lombardozzi adding a two-run homer, while Kent Hrbek had two RBIs.
  Frank Viola was scheduled to be best man at his brother's wedding, but had to cancel when the Twins reached the World Series as it fell on the same night as Game 1, in which he was scheduled as starter. ABC showed clips of the wedding throughout the game's broadcast.
  Coincidentally, the song "U Got The Look" peaked in popularity (#2 on the Billboard singles chart) on this date. The song was written and performed by Prince (a Minneapolis native) and contains the line "boy versus girl in the World Series of love".