Happy Birthday–October 26

Frank Selee (1859)
Kid Gleason (1866)
Lee Tannehill (1880)
Dick Hoblitzel (1888)
Tommy Griffith (1889)
Snuffy Stirnweiss (1918)
Bud Byerly (1920)
Toby Harrah (1948)
Mike Hargrove (1949)
Steve Rogers (1949)
Dave Coleman (1950)
Harry Chappas (1957)
Gil Heredia (1965)
Mark Sweeney (1969)
Francisco Liriano (1983)

Frank Selee was the manager of the Boston Beaneaters from 1890-1901, winning the National League pennant five times.  He also managed the Cubs from 1902-1905 until his health forced him to retire.

We would like to wish a very happy birthday to AuntieWalt.

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1965 Rewind: Game Twenty

MINNESOTA 6, CHICAGO 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, May 9.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Camilo Pascual was 1-for-3 with a home run, his second.

Pitching star:  Pascual pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Ron Hansen was 2-for-3.  Ken Berry was 2-for-3.  Greg Bollo pitched two perfect innings.

The game:  Versalles led off the bottom of the first with a home run and Hall singled in a run later in the inning to make it 2-0 after one.  Hall singled in another run in the third and Pascual homered in the fourth to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.  Rich Rollins contributed a two-run single in the fifth.  Meanwhile, the White Sox did not even put together a threat until the seventh, when they opened the inning with two singles and Moose Skowron later singled in their lone tally.  It was the last hit they would get, as the last seven White Sox were retired.

Of note:  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-4 with a run.  Bob Allison was 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base, his fourth.

Record:  The win gave the Twins a record of 13-7 and left them tied for second with California (though ahead based on winning percentage), a half game behind Chicago.

Happy Birthday–October 25

Jack Doyle (1869)
Smoky Joe Wood (1889)
Jack Kent Cooke (1912)
Lee McPhail (1917)
Russ Meyer (1923)
Bobby Thomson (1923)
Bobby Brown (1924)
Roy Hartsfield (1925)
Chuck Schilling (1937)
Al Cowens (1951)
Roy Smalley (1952)
Rowland Office (1952)
Tito Landrum (1954)
Danny Darwin (1955)
Andy McGaffigan (1956)
Steve Decker (1965)
Keith Garagozzo (1969)
Pedro Martinez (1971)
Wilkin Ramirez (1985)

Jack Kent Cooke, better known as the owner of the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Lakers, owned the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team in the International League from 1951-1964.  He made several unsuccessful attempts to bring major league baseball to Toronto and is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Lee MacPhail was the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1958-1965 and of the New York Yankees from 1966-1973.  He was the president of the American League from 1974-1983.  He is the son of Larry MacPhail and the father of Andy MacPhail.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–October 25

1965 Rewind: Game Nineteen

MINNESOTA 4, CHICAGO 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, May 8.

Batting stars:  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fifth.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.  Bob Allison was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Mudcat Grant pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Floyd Robinson was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Don Buford was 2-for-4.  Gary Peters pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with one strikeout.

The game:  There was no score through five.  In the top of the sixth, the first two Sox were retired, but then came a walk and two singles to put Chicago up 1-0.  Tony Oliva's sacrifice fly tied it in the bottom of the sixth.  Zoilo Versalles contributed a sacrifice fly in the seventh to put the Twins ahead 2-1 and Hall hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Hoyt Wilhelm to make it 4-1.  The White Sox did not seriously threaten after the sixth inning.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.  Rich Rollins was 2-for-4 with a double.  Oliva was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Record:  The win made the Twins 12-7 and kept them tied for second with California (though ahead based on winning percentage), 1.5 games behind Chicago.

Note:  Jerry Zimmerman came in as a defensive replacement for Earl Battey and caught the last three innings.

Happy Birthday–October 24

Ned Williamson (1857)
Bill Kuehne (1858)
Lou Sockalexis (1871)
Ossie Bluege (1900)
Jack Russell (1905)
Jim Brosnan (1929)
Rawly Eastwick (1950)
Omar Moreno (1952)
Gary Serum (1956)
Ron Gardenhire (1957)
Junior Ortiz (1959)
Danny Clay (1961)
Rafael Belliard (1961)
Gene Larkin (1962)
Arthur Rhodes (1969)
Rafael Furcal (1977)
Chris Colabello (1983)

Third baseman Ossie Bluege played for the franchise in Washington for eighteen years and remained in the organization for many years after that. He is credited as being the first third baseman to guard the lines in the late innings. He is also credited as the scout who discovered Harmon Killebrew.

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