Walking through the park and reminiscing.

I started watching baseball in the 1960s.  The 1960s were, of course, the greatest pitchers era since the lively ball was introduced.  The mound was raised, the strike zone was enlarged, and pitchers took full advantage of that.  Runs were hard to come by back then.

The first year I remember being old enough to really pay attention to baseball statistics was 1968.  1968, of course, was the Year of the Pitcher.  Even in a pitchers era, it was the Year of the Pitcher.  Bob Gibson set a record with an ERA of 1.12 and somehow still lost nine games.  Think about that; he was giving up just over one run per nine inning, but still lost nine times.  Tony Oliva batted .289 and was second in the league in batting to Carl Yastrzemski, who was the only player in the league to hit .300 (he hit .301).

The Detroit Tigers, who would win the World Championship, had a shortstop named Ray Oyler, who started seventy games despite batting a Florimonian .135 with an OPS of .399.  Their other shortstops were Tommy Matchick, who hit .203, and Dick Tracewski, who hit .156.  Their starting third baseman, Don Wert, hit .200 with an OPS of .556.  And this was the World Champion team.

This is the sort of baseball I grew up with.  Now, I am not one of these old guys who says the game was so much better way back when.  it wasn't.  But it was still a great game, and I still have an appreciation for that style of play.  So when we get a game like we had last night, it gives me kind of a nostalgic thrill.  Chicks may dig the long ball, but old guys love pitchers duels.

And last night's was, to use an old-timey word, a corker.  It even had a Gibson, Twins Staff Ace Kyle Gibson, who pitched a whale of a game, going seven innings and giving up only two hits with three walks.  The Clevelands threw Zach McAllister, who was equally dominant, going 6.2 innings with five hits and a walk while striking out eight.  The bullpens did well also, and we were scoreless through nine.  Then in the tenth, Eduardo Escobar decided this had gone on long enough and belted one over the right field fence.  Glen Perkins dominated the opposition in the bottom of the inning and the Twins came away with the 1-0 victory and climbed back up to .500.

It should be noted that Gibson made a tremendous defensive play, too.  I didn't see Baseball Tonight, but if that wasn't their number one web gem last night they might as well just stop doing that sort of thing.

Tonight it will be Samuel Deduno and His Magical Zoomball making his first start of the season.  The opposition throws Josh Tomlin, who was a good pitcher in 2010-2011, was not good in 2012, was hurt most of 2013, was very good in AAA this year, and is also making his first major league start of the season.  We're still on track for 147-15!