MINNESOTA TWINS 5, MILWAUKEE BREWERS 4 IN MINNESOTA (15 INNINGS)

Date:  Saturday, May 13, 1972.

Batting stars:  Eric Soderholm was 3-for-6 with a two-run homer (his first), a double, and two runs.  Rod Carew was 3-for-6 with a walk.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with two walks.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched nine innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out eight.  Tom Norton pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Dave LaRoche struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Brock Davis was 2-for-3.  George Scott hit a two-run homer, his second.  Mike Ferraro hit a home run, his first.  Earl Stephenson pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Frank Linzy struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.  Jim Slaton pitched 5.2 innings of relief, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks and striking out two.

The game:  Brock Davis led off the game with a single and George Scott hit a one-out two-run homer, giving Milwaukee the early 2-0 lead.  It didn’t last long, as the Twins tied it up in the bottom of the first.  Cesar Tovar led off the bottom of the first with a single and Danny Thompson walked.  Rod Carew followed with an RBI single, putting men on first and third.  A double play followed, but the tying run scored and it was 2-2 after one.

Jim Nettles led off the third with a walk and Eric Soderholm singled.  The next two batters went out, but Cesar Tovar delivered an RBI single, putting the Twins up 3-2.  It stayed 3-2 until the eighth.  Dave May led off with a single, was bunted to second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground out to re-tie it 3-3.

The Twins missed a chance to win it in the ninth.  Eric Soderholm led off with a double and was bunted to third.  Steve Braun and Cesar Tovar were intentionally walked, loading the bases.  The strategy worked, as a short fly ball and a ground out followed, and the game went to extra innings.

In 1972 men were men, and the thought of a “ghost runner”, if anyone had been crazy enough to think of it, would have been laughed at.  Each team went down in order in the tenth and eleventh.  In the twelfth Rod Carew singled with two out and Rich Reese walked, but a ground out ended the inning.

Neither team advanced a man past first until the fifteenth, when Mike Ferraro led off with a home run to give the Brewers a 4-3 advantage.  It looked bad for the Twins, as the first two men in the bottom of the fifteenth went out.  But then Jim Nettles drew a walk and Eric Soderholm hit a walk-off two run homer.  The Twins win 5-4!

WP:  Dave LaRoche (1-1).

LP:  Jim Slaton (1-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Phil Roof was behind the plate.  He and George Mitterwald each caught 61 games, with Glenn Borgmann right behind at 56.  Rich Reese was at first base in place of Harmon Killebrew.  Charlie Manuel was in left.  Steve Brye played 74 games there, with Cesar Tovar behind with 41.  Jim Nettles was in center.  Bobby Darwin played 86 games there, with Nettles second with 58.

Steve Braun was batting .355.  He would finish at .289.  Rod Carew was batting .325.  He would finish at a league-leading .318.

Bert Blyleven had an ERA of 2.75.  He would finish at 2.73.  Tom Norton had an ERA of 1.42.  He would finish at 2.78.  Dave LaRoche had an ERA of 1.14.  He would finish at 2.83.

John Briggs was at first base, going 0-for-3.  He would play for the Twins in 1975.  Paul Ratliff was behind the plate, going 0-for-3.  He had played for the Twins in 1963 and again from 1970-1971.  

This was the second career home run for Eric Soderholm.  He would hit 102 in a nine-year career.

This was the only season Tom Norton played in the major leagues.  He played in 21 games, all in relief, and went 0-1, 2.78, 1.39 WHIP.  He had never pitched above AA before this season, and would never pitch well above AA after it, going 6-6, 5.14, 1.74 WHIP in 105 AAA innings.

Jim Lonborg was the Milwaukee starter.  This would be his only season in Milwaukee.  He had won the Cy Young award in 1967 for Boston, and would go on to have some good years for Philadelphia.

It’s interesting that Milwaukee manager Dave Bristol allowed Jim Slaton to pitch the fifteenth, after having already pitched five relief innings, rather than going to someone else once they had the lead.  Bristol would be fired about a week and a half later, although I don’t know that this decision had anything to do with that.

Even though it went fifteen innings, the game only took three hours and thirty-six minutes.

Record:  Milwaukee was 6-13, in sixth (last) place in the AL East, six games behind Detroit.  They would finish 65-91, in sixth place, twenty-one games behind Detroit.

The Twins were 15-5, in first place in the AL West, 2.5 games ahead of Oakland.  They would finish 77-77, in third place, 15.5 games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 37-41 (.474).

BALTIMORE ORIOLES 3, MINNESOTA TWINS 2, MINNESOTA (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Monday, July 18, 2005.

Batting star:  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-3.  Joe Mauer was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Carlos Silva pitched nine innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out two.  He threw 85 pitches.

Opposition stars:  Rafael Palmeiro was 3-for-5 with a double.  Melvin Mora was 2-for-5.  Sammy Sosa hit a two-run homer, his tenth.  Miguel Tejada hit a home run, his twentieth.  Erik Bedard struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks.  Jorge Julio struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  The Twins got a walk and a single with two out in the first.  Rafael Palmeiro led off the second with a double.  Nick Punto led off the fifth with a double.  Still, it was 0-0 until the seventh, when Palmeiro hit a one-out single and Sammy Sosa followed with a two-run homer, giving Baltimore a 2-0 lead.

The Twins got one back in the bottom of the seventh when Michael Cuddyer hit a one-out double and scored on a two-out single by Luis Rodriguez.  In the ninth, Torii Hunter led off with a double and Bret Boone followed with a single to tie it 2-2.

In the tenth Joe Mauer got a one-out single and went to second on a ground out, but that was as far as he would go.  With two out in the eleventh, Miguel Tejada hit a home run to put the Orioles up 3-2.  The Twins went down in order in the bottom of the eleventh.

WP:  Jorge Julio (3-2).

LP:  Juan Rincon (4-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Michael Cuddyer was at first base in place of Justin Morneau.  Bret Boone was at second base.  Nick Punto played the most games there with 73, followed by Luis Rivas at 53 and Luis Rodriguez with 40.  Punto was at third base.  Cuddyer played the most games there with 95.  Lew Ford was in right in place of Jacque Jones.

Luis Rodriguez was batting .307.  He would finish at .269.  Joe Mauer was batting .307.  He would finish at .294.

Juan Rincon had an ERA of 2.51.  He would finish at 2.45.

This was one of fourteen games Bret Boone would play for the Twins.  His RBI was one-third of his total with the club.  He would be released at the end of July and would not play in the majors again.  He did attempt a comeback in 2008 with Washington, but did not get past AAA.

Carlos Silva issued one of his nine walks all season in this game.  Two of the walks were intentional.

From 2005-2011, Erik Bedard was 50-40, 3.54, 1.27 WHIP.  He had trouble staying healthy, but when he could pitch he was really good.

Record:  Baltimore was 50-42, tied for second place with Boston in the AL East, a half game behind New York.  They would finish 74-88, in fourth place, twenty-one games behind New York.  They went 24-46 after this game.

The Twins were 49-42, in second place in the AL Central, thirteen games behind Chicago.  They would finish 83-79, in third place, sixteen games behind Chicago.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 36-41 (.468).

MINNESOTA TWINS 10, KANSAS CITY ATHLETICS 6 IN KANSAS CITY (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Monday, April 24, 1961.

Batting stars:  Reno Bertoia was 3-for-4 with two walks and three runs.  Earl Battey was 3-for-6 with a double, three runs, and three RBIs.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-6.  Bob Allison was 2-for-6.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched five innings, giving up two runs on two hits and five walks and striking out one.  Ray Moore struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Marv Throneberry hit a three-run homer, his second.  Don Larsen pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and six walks and striking out five.

The game:  The Twins had two men on in four of the first five innings, getting four hits, three walks, and a hit batsman, but the game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Kansas City broke through for two runs.  With two out, Marv Throneberry and Joe Pignatano walked, and RBI singles by Don Larsen and Dick Howser made it 2-0.

The Twins took the lead in the sixth, getting three runs on just two hits.  With one out, Earl Battey and Reno Bertoia singled and Billy Gardner walked.  Elmer Valo then reached on an error, scoring a run.  With two out, Lenny Green and Don Mincher drew bases-loaded walks, putting the Twins up 3-2.

The Athletics came back in the eighth.  Jerry Lumpe reached on an error and was bunted to second.  Norm Siebern reached on an error, putting men on first and third, and a ground out tied the score.  Andy Carey singled, and Marv Throneberry hit a three-run homer, giving Kansas City a 6-3 lead.

But the Twins staged their own comeback in the ninth.  With one out, Earl Battey and Reno Bertoia singled and Billy Gardner walked, just like in the sixth inning.  A ground out scored a run, Zoilo Versalles delivered an RBI single, and an error brough home the tying run.  The Athletics had two on with two out in the ninth, but did not score, and the game went to an extra inning.

In the tenth, Don Mincher reached on an error, Bob Allison singled, and Dan Dobbek reached on an error, loading the bases.  Earl Battey then delivered a bases-clearing double and Reno Bertoia followed with an RBI double, putting the Twins up 10-6.  Kansas City went down in order in the bottom of the tenth and the victory went to the visitors.

WP:  Ray Moore (1-1).

LP:  Bud Daley (1-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Don Mincher was at first base in place of Harmon Killebrew.  Billy Gardner was at second base in place of Billy Martin.  Reno Bertoia was at third.  Bill Tuttle played the most games there with 85.  Killebrew was second with 45, followed by Ted Lepcio with 35.

Earl Battey was batting .333.  He would finish at .302.  Zoilo Versalles was batting .319.  He would finish at .280.  Paul Giel was batting 1.000 (1-for-1).  He would finish at .500 (1-for-2).

Jim Kaat had an ERA of 2.19.  He would finish at 3.90.  Paul Giel had an ERA of 3.00.  He would finish at 9.78.

Bill Tuttle would be traded to the Twins, along with a player to be named later, on June 1 and would play for them through 1963.  Paul Giel and Reno Bertoia were sent to Kansas City in that trade.  The player to be named later would be Giel, who was sent back to the Twins on June 10.

Paul Giel is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1953, losing out to Johnny Lattner.  He would go on to be the athletic director for the University of Minnesota.

The Don Larsen who played in this game is the Don Larsen who threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series.  He had been traded to Kansas City after the 1959 season and would be traded to the White Sox on June 10 of 1961.

Marv Throneberry would be traded to Baltimore on June 8.  Baltimore would trade him to the Mets on May 9, 1962.  He would go on to fame as “Marvelous Marv”, emblematic of the futility of the 1962 Mets team.  He really wasn’t a terrible player–in parts of seven seasons he batted .237/.311/.416.  Not great numbers, but there are certainly plenty of people who’ve done worse.

As you know, both Billy Martin and Billy Gardner would go on to manage the Twins.  Jim Lemon, who played left for the Twins, would manage Washington in 1968.  Dick Howser, who played short for Kansas City, managed the Yankees in 1980 and the Kansas City Royals from 1981-1986.  Billy Gardner would succeed him as manager.  Haywood Sullivan, who came in to catch later in the game for Kansas City, managed the Athletics in 1965.  Joe Pignatano, who started at catcher for Kansas City, was a long-time coach for several teams.  

The two teams combined for seventeen walks and seven errors in this game.  Neither team was very good in 1961, but one suspects weather may have been a factor as well.

Record:  Kansas City was 2-5, in ninth place in the American League, five games behind Detroit.  They would finish 61-100, tied for ninth with Washington, 47.5 games behind New York.

The Twins were 8-2, in second place in the American League, a half game behind Detroit.  They would finish 70-90, in seventh place, thirty-eight games behind New York.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 36-40 (.474).

SEATTLE MARINERS 5, MINNESOTA TWINS 1 IN SEATTLE

Date:  Sunday, April 14, 1985.

Batting star:  Mickey Hatcher was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Tom Klawitter pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Al Cowens was 3-for-4.  Mike Moore pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one run on seven hits and two walks and striking out five.

The game:  The Twins put two on in the first but did not score.  They got a pair of one-out singles in the third, but the game remained scoreless.  Seattle got a pair of two-out singles in the fourth, but similarly were held off the scoreboard.  The Twins got two two-out singles in the seventh, but it was still 0-0.

Seattle finally broke through in the seventh.  With one out, Al Cowens doubled and Jim Presley was intentionally walked.  With two out, Spike Owen singled home the game’s first run and Harold Reynolds walked to load the bases.  Rick Lysander then came in to replace starter Frank Viola and gave up a three-run triple to Phil Bradley.  Alvin Davis followed with an RBI single and the Mariners led 5-0.

The Twins got one back in the eighth when Tom Brunansky doubled with two out and scored on a Mike Stenhouse single.  But the last four Twins went out and the Mariners won it, 5-1.

WP:  Mike Moore (2-0).

LP:  Frank Viola (1-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Mike Stenhouse was the DH.  Roy Smalley had the most games in that spot with 56, followed by Dave Engle (38) and Randy Bush (28).

Mickey Hatcher was batting .407.  He would finish at .282.  Tom Brunansky was batting .368.  He would finish at .242.  Mike Stenhouse was batting .333.  He would finish at .223.  Kirby Puckett was batting .333.  He would finish at .288.

Tom Klawitter had an ERA of 0.00.  He would finish at 6.75.

This was the only full season Mike Stenhouse had in the major leagues.  He played in 81 games, got 179 at-bats, and batted .223/.330/.335.  He also played for Montreal from 1982-1984 and for Boston in 1986.

This was Tom Klawitter’s first major league game.  He would appear in six more, never to return.  Speculation at the time was that the main reason he made the team was that Billy Gardner enjoyed making the “claw” gesture when he wanted him to come into a game.  Given the Twins’ pitching staff in 1985, it was probably as good a reason as any.

This was Rick Lysander’s last season in the majors. He’d pitched decently in relief for the Twins in 1983-1984, but it fell apart for him this season.

Mike Moore made thirty-two starts or more every season from 1984-1993.  He pitched over 200 innings in each of those seasons except 1990, when he pitched 199.1.  He finished in the top ten in Cy Young voting twice, finishing third in 1989 (behind Bret Saberhagen and teammate Dave Stewart).  He made 440 starts over a fourteen year career, an average of 31.4 per season.  His career numbers aren’t spectacular by any means:  161-176, 4.39, 1.42 WHIP.  He’s doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame, or even in the Hall of Very Good.  But he was a guy you were happy to have in your rotation for fourteen seasons.

Record:  Seattle was 6-0, in first place in the AL West, three games ahead of Chicago.  They would finish 74-88, in fifth place, seventeen games behind Kansas City.

The Twins were 2-4, tied for third place in the AL West with California and Oakland, four games behind Seattle.  They would finish 77-85, tied for fourth with Oakland, fourteen games behind Kansas City.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 34-40 (.459).