Monthly Archives: November 2015

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–November 10

Jim Whitney (1857)
Cy Morgan (1878)
Del Gainer (1886)
Chick Fewster (1895)
Jimmie Dykes (1896)
Birdie Tebbetts (1912)
Johnny Lipon (1922)
Cal Ermer (1923)
Gene Conley (1930)
Norm Cash (1934)
Mike Vail (1951)
Paul Thormodsgard (1953)
Larry Parrish (1953)
Larry Christenson (1953)
Bob Stanley (1954)
Jack Clark (1955)
Kenny Rogers (1964)
Keith Lockhart (1964)
Butch Huskey (1971)
Shawn Green (1972)
Brian Dinkelman (1983)

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Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-five

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MINNESOTA 17, BOSTON 5 IN BOSTON

Date:  Tuesday, May 25.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer (his fifth) and a walk, scoring three times.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fourth) and a double, scoring three times and driving in three.  Earl Battey was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a walk, scoring twice and driving in five.

Pitching stars:  Mudcat Grant pitched a complete game, giving up five runs on eight hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Eddie Bressoud was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and a double.  Jerry Moses hit a pinch-hit home run.  Gary Geiger, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, hit a home run in his only at-bat.

The game:  Tony Oliva singled in the first run and a second scored on a ground out, putting the Twins up 2-0 in the first inning.  In the fourth, Allison hit a two-run homer and Jerry Kindall had a solo shot in a four-run inning that made it 6-0.  The Red Sox got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, but the Twins scored five in the fifth to put the game out of reach.  Battey had a three-run homer and Versalles a two-run homer in the inning.

Of note:  Rich Rollins was 2-for-6 with a double.  Oliva was 2-for-6 with a home run (his seventh), scoring twice and driving in three.  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-6 with two runs, raising his average to .302.

Record:  The win made the Twins 22-13, still in second place, but only one game behind Chicago.

Notes:  Pitchers were definitely used differently in 1965.  We've seen a lot of quick hooks, and then we see Grant pitch a complete game in a 17-5 victory.  I cannot think of a circumstance in which a pitcher would throw a 17-5 complete game now.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–November 9

George Wood (1858)
Harvey Hendrick (1897)
Johnny Gooch (1897)
Jerry Priddy (1919)
Bob Wren (1920)
Bill Bruton (1925)
Whitey Herzog (1931)
Bob Gibson (1935)
Jim Riggleman (1952)
Teddy Higuera (1958)
Dion James (1962)
Chad Ogea (1970)
Adam Dunn (1979)
Chuck James (1981)
Joel Zumaya (1984)

Bob Wren was the head coach of Ohio University from 1949-1972.

Jim Riggleman has managed San Diego, the Cubs, Seattle, and Washington.

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Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-four

KANSAS CITY 6, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, May 22.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, and a walk, scoring once.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Sandy Valdespino was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Pitching star:  Dick Stigman struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Fred Talbot struck out seven in 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks.  Ken Harrelson was 3-for-5 with a triple and a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Mike Hershberger was 1-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.

The game:  In the first inning, Harrelson had an RBI triple and scored on a wild pitch to give the Athletics a 2-0 lead.  Valdespino delivered a two-out RBI single in the third to cut the lead to 2-1, but the Athletics got two more in the fourth on two singles, an error, and a sacrifice fly.  The Twins never got closer than three runs after that.

Of note:  Tony Oliva was 0-for-5 with a run, dropping his average to .227.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4.  Earl Battey was 1-for-4.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 21-13, still in second, still two games behind Chicago.

Notes:  The Twins used two pitchers as pinch-runners, Dave Boswell and Mudcat Grant.