NATIONAL LEAGUE 5, AMERICAN LEAGUE 4 IN CINCINNATI (12 INNINGS)
Date: Tuesday, July 14.
Twins: Harmon Killebrew started at third base and went 1-for-2 with a walk. Tony Oliva was a reserve outfielder and went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Jim Perry struck out three in two innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk.
The game: Neither team got a man to third base for five innings. In the sixth, Ray Fosse led off with a single, was bunted to second, and scored on a Carl Yastrzemski single to give the Americans a 1-0 lead. It went to 2-0 in the seventh, as Brooks Robinson hit a one-out single, Oliva walked, Dave Johnson got an infield single, and Fosse hit a sacrifice fly.
The Nationals got on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Bud Harrelson singled, Cito Gaston walked, and Denis Menke was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with none out. Willie McCovey hit into a double play, but a run scored to make it 2-1.
The Americans took what looked like a commanding lead in the eighth. Yastrzemski and Willie Horton singled, and Robinson hit a two-out triple, scoring them both and making the score 4-1. In the bottom of the ninth, however, Dick Dietz led off with a home run. Harrelson singled, Joe Morgan hit a one-out single, McCovey had an RBI single, and Roberto Clemente hit a sacrifice fly, tying it 4-4.
It stayed 4-4 until the twelfth. With two out, Pete Rose and Billy Grabarkewitz singled, putting men on first and second. Jim Hickman then delivered an RBI single to win the game for the Nationals.
WP: Claude Osteen,
LP: Clyde Wright
S: None.
Notes: As you probably know, the game ended on the famous (or infamous) play in which Rose ran over Fosse. It's not really accurate to say the play ended Fosse's career--he was a starter for two more seasons and a part-time catcher for five seasons after that. It clearly affected his career, of course. People have debated endlessly whether what Rose did was a hard-nosed play or a cheap shot. To a large extent, it depends on what you think of Pete Rose.
There were four pitchers who pitched three innings in this game and four more who pitched two innings. Someone pitching two innings in the all-star game is rare these days. Three is unheard of. We could debate whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Subjectively, though, I think the game was more fun when the starting pitcher threw three innings.
Rod Carew clearly would have been an all-star had he not been injured.
Two players for the Americans played the entire game: Luis Aparicio and Yastrzemski. Dave Johnson played ten innings, coming out as part of a double switch.
As these rewinds are for the Twins, we usually have just American League players. I thought it might be fun to do the all-star game, to hear some great National League names again, too. I hope you enjoyed it.