MINNESOTA 10, CHICAGO 5 IN CHICAGO
Date: Tuesday, July 1.
Batting stars: Rich Reese was 4-for-5 with two home runs (his fifth and sixth) and a double, scoring three times and driving in three. Johnny Roseboro was 3-for-5 and scored twice. Leo Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his fourth) and a stolen base (his third), scoring twice. Rod Carew was 2-for-5 with a triple and a double. Ted Uhlaender was 1-for-4 with a home run (his second) and two RBIs.
Pitching star: Dick Woodson pitched 5.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out five.
Opposition stars: Buddy Bradford was 2-for-4. Luis Aparicio was 2-for-5. Gail Hopkins was 2-for-5.
The game: The White Sox took the lead early, scoring three in the first. Aparicio had a one-out single and scored on Hopkins' single-plus-error. With two out, Carlos May walked and Bradford and Bill Melton delivered RBI singles to give Chicago a 3-0 lead. In the third, Don Pavletich and May each hit a one-out single and an error brought them both home, putting the White Sox up 5-0.
The Twins started their comeback in the fourth. Reese hit a one-out home run, Roseboro had a two-out single, and Cardenas followed with a two-run homer to cut the margin to 5-3. It looked like Chicago might get the runs back in the bottom of the fourth, as Aparicio and Hopkins again singled with one out. This time, however, Woodson came in to replace starter Jim Perry and retired Pavletich and May on fly balls to end the inning.
The Twins took the lead in the fifth. Uhlaender led off with a home run and Carew followed with a triple. With one out, Harmon Killebrew hit a ground ball and the White Sox failed to get Carew at home, tying the score. Reese then hit his second home run of the game, giving the Twins a 7-5 lead.
The Twins tacked on a couple of runs in the eighth. Roseboro and Cardenas led off the inning with singles and a stolen base put men on second and third with none out. A pickoff error brought home one run and a squeeze bunt scored the second, making the score 9-5. The Twins added one more in the ninth, as Reese hit a two-out double and scored on a Cesar Tovar single.
WP: Woodson (5-3). LP: Wilbur Wood (5-4). S: None.
Notes: Carew raised his average to .372. Tony Oliva was 0-for-5, dropping him to .312. Reese's big day raised him to .314.
Graig Nettles started in left, with Tovar going in for defense. Frank Quilici was also a defensive sub at third, but this time he replaced Killebrew, with Reese remaining at first.
Neither starter lasted very long or did very well. Perry pitched 3.1 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks and struck out none. Billy Wynne struck out four in four innings but allowed five runs on eight hits and no walks.
Wood was still a relief pitcher at this point in his career, and would lead the league in appearances in 1969 for the second of three consecutive seasons. He would become a starter in 1971 and would lead the league in starts for four consecutive seasons (1972-1975--he was second in 1971 to Mickey Lolich).
Billy Wynne was a rotation starter for the White Sox for the latter two-thirds or so of 1969, the only time in his career that would be true. He wasn't that bad, going 7-7, 4.06. In fact, he was the only member of the White Sox' rotation to not have a sub-.500 record. He first came to the majors in 1967 with the Mets, making six appearances. He was traded to Chicago after that season and stayed through 1970. He got off to a poor start in 1970 and spent most of the season in the minors, although he did get a September call-up. He then was traded to California, for whom he made three appearances in 1971. The Angels released him shortly before the 1972 season, he was briefly in AAA with Montreal, then went to the Mexican League through 1973. For his career he was 8-11, 4.33, 1.58 WHIP in 187 innings.
Record: The Twins were 42-33, tied for first with Oakland in the American League West, though second in winning percentage, .563 to .560.