1969 Rewind: Game Thirty-four

BALTIMORE 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Wednesday, May 21.

Batting stars:  Johnny Roseboro was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with two doubles.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 and scored twice.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Bob Miller pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Frank Robinson was 3-for-4 with a double.  Boog Powell was 2-for-4.  Don Buford was 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs.  Pete Richert struck out three in two perfect innings.

The game:  An error, a single, and a force out plated a run for the Twins in the top of the first.  The Twins had the bases loaded with one out in the second, but Cesar Tovar fouled out and Tony Oliva flied to left.  The Orioles also had the bases loaded with one out in the second, but after a Tom Phoebus strikeout, Buford delivered a two-run single to put the Orioles up 2-1.

The Twins wasted a leadoff double by Harmon Killebrew in the third.  It cost them again, because Baltimore added to its lead in the bottom of the third.  With one out Robinson doubled and scored on a Powell single to make the score 3-1.

The Twins cut into the lead in the fifth, but again missed a chance for more.  They had men on second and third with one out, but a Charlie Manuel sacrifice fly was all the damage they could do, making the score 3-2.  In the bottom of the fifth, Paul Blair doubled and scored on Robinson's single to put the Orioles up 4-2.

Ted Uhlaender had an RBI single in the sixth to cut the margin to 4-3, but they again missed a chance for more.  They had the bases loaded with one out again, but Oliva hit into a forceout at home and Killebrew struck out.

The Twins again threatened in the eighth, but again came up empty.  Johnny Roseboro walked and Rich Reese delivered a pinch-hit single, putting men on first and second with none out.  Uhlaender struck out, however, and Tovar hit into a double play to end the inning.  The Twins went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Phoebus (5-0).  LP:  Dave Boswell (4-5).  S:  Richert (4).

Notes:  Tovar was at second base, replacing Rod Carew.  Carew was out of the lineup for the second straight game but again entered the game as a substitute, this time as a pinch-hitter.  He would be back in the lineup the next day.

Manuel was in left field, with Graig Nettles at third base and Harmon Killebrew at first.  Reese was used as a pinch-hitter, his first appearance since May 14.  He would pinch-hit again in the next game, but then would be out until May 30 and would not start again until June 9.

Boswell pitched just 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski faced just one man, Powell, and got him to hit into a double play, dropping his ERA to 0.59.  Miller had his ERA fall to 2.25.

Jerry Crider made his major league debut in this game.  He came in with the Twins trailing 4-2, men on first and second, and one out.  He struck out Andy Etchebarren and got Brooks Robinson out on a liner to left.  This would be his only season with the Twins.  He would go 1-0, 4.71 with one save in 21 games.  He would appear in 32 games for the White Sox in 1970, but that would be it for his major league career.  He was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  As a youth, he pitched on three South Dakota state champion American Legion teams and also pitched Humboldt, South Dakota to its only state amateur baseball championship before signing with the Twins.

Tom Phoebus wasn't in the McNally/McLain/Lolich class, but he was still a fine pitcher for four seasons, 1967-1970.  Over those seasons, he was 48-36, 3.10 in 123 starts.  It looks like he must have been injured in 1970, however, as he made only 21 starts despite posting a 3.07 ERA.  I could not quickly find what the injury was, but it looks like a turning point in his career.  He never had a good year again.  He was traded to San Diego before the 1971 campaign and went 3-11, 4.46.  He was sold to the Cubs in early 1972 and had a good year out of the bullpen for them, but that was the end of his career.  For four years, though, he was a fine pitcher.

Record:  The Twins were 20-14, in second place, in the American League West, a half game behind Oakland.