Old Hoss Radbourn (1854)
Art Wilson (1885)
Fred Toney (1888)
Swish Nicholson (1914)
Hal Brown (1924)
Lee Maye (1934)
Mike Henneman (1961)
Thomas Howard (1964)
Jay Bell (1965)
Derek Bell (1968)
Frankie Rodriguez (1972)
Joe Blanton (1980)
Dalton Pompey (1992)
In 2014, Dalton Pompey became the first big leaguer ever to have the given first name "Dalton".
Date: Saturday, June 26.
Batting stars: Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-3 with a double and a hit-by-pitch, scoring once. Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Joe Nossek was 2-for-4.
Pitching stars: Bill Pleis started and pitched four innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks. Jim Perry struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.
Opposition stars: Mickey Lolich struck out ten in six innings, allowing one run on four hits and no walks. Al Kaline was 1-for-2 with a double and three walks, scoring once. Jerry Lumpe was 2-for-3 with two walks and a run.
The game: There was no scoring until the fifth, when Willie Horton delivered a two-out two-run single. Oliva singled in a run in the sixth, but the Tigers scored twice more in the seventh on only one hit, getting the benefit of three walks. The Twins scored once in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate with two out, but Bob Allison popped up and the Twins did not threaten again.
Of note: Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4. Jimmie Hall was 0-for-3 with a walk, dropping his average to .319.
Record: The loss dropped the Twins to 40-26, but losses by Chicago and Cleveland kept the Twins in first place by a half game over those two teams.
Notes: This would be one of only two starts made by Pleis, who was normally a relief pitcher. He would pitch one inning of relief the next day, then make another start June 30. In retrospect, it seems odd that Pleis was given the start rather than Perry, who also pitched, but while Perry had starting experience he had made only one start in 1964 and none at this point in 1965. He would soon be placed in the rotation, however, and would stay there the rest of the season.
Jimmy Johnston (1889)
Rudy Hernandez (1931)
Jaime Jarrin (1935)
Doc Edwards (1936)
Bob Priddy (1939)
Dalton Jones (1943)
Steve Renko (1944)
Paul Assenmacher (1960)
Doug Henry (1963)
Luis Polonia (1963)
Mel Rojas (1966)
Joe Mays (1975)
Dan Wheeler (1977)
Pedro Florimon (1986)
Pitcher Rudy Hernandez was a member of the old Washington franchise in 1960, but was chosen by the new Washington franchise in the expansion draft in December of 1960.
Jaime Jarrin has been the Dodgers' Spanish-language broadcaster since 1959. For all the accolades Vin Scully gets (and they're deserved), it would be nice if Jarrin got a little more attention.
We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Moss' son.
Date: Friday, June 25.
Batting stars: Don Mincher was 2-for-3 with a home run (his third) and a walk, scoring twice and driving in two. Bernie Allen was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Joe Nossek was 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit RBI.
Pitching stars: Al Worthington pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk with one strikeout. Johnny Klippstein pitched a perfect ninth with one strikeout.
Opposition stars: Dave Wickersham pitched 8.2 innings, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts. Don Demeter was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and two RBIs. Al Kaline was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourteenth.
The game: Kaline opened the scoring with a home run in the fourth. The Twins got the run back with Mincher's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, but Demeter homered in the fifth and delivered an RBI single in the sixth to put the Tigers up 3-1. Mincher homered in the seventh, but the Twins still trailed 3-2 going to the bottom of the ninth. The first two batters went out, but then Wickersham issued a pair of walks that ended his day. Fred Gladding came in and gave up an RBI single to Allen, tying the score. The runners had moved up to second and third on a failed throw to the plate, so Rich Rollins was intentionally walked to load the bases. Nossek then pinch-hit and singled home the winning run.
Of note: Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4. Sandy Valdespino, again playing in place of Bob Allison, was 0-for-4. Tony Oliva was 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base (his sixth), and a run. Jimmie Hall was 0-for-4. dropping his average to .323. Starter Dave Boswell pitched 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks with htree strikeouts.
Record: The win made the Twins 40-25 and kept them in first place by a half game over Chicago and Cleveland.
Notes: In my memory Dave Wickersham was a relief pitcher, but that was a bit later in his career. He was a rotation starter from 1963-65, started his transition to the bullpen in 1966, and was almost exclusively a reliever from 1967-69, after which his career ended.
Joe Kelley (1871)
Cy Seymour (1872)
Adam Comorosky (1905)
Billy Klaus (1928)
Joe DeMaestri (1928)
Darold Knowles (1941)
Jim Merritt (1943)
Del Unser (1944)
Jerry Cram (1947)
Doc Medich (1948)
Steve Christmas (1957)
Ed Romero (1957)
Juan Samuel (1960)
Tony Tarasco (1970)
Todd Van Poppel (1971)
Tony Batista (1973)
Outfielder Del Unser was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 1965, but did not sign. Catcher Steve Christmas was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-third round in 1975, but did not sign.
Date: Thursday, June 24.
Batting stars: Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a run. Jimmie Hall was 1-for-4 with a double. Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Pitching stars: Camilo Pascual struck out five in four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks. Jerry Fosnow pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.
Opposition stars: Ralph Terry pitched seven innings, allowing an unearned run on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Max Alvis was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth) and two RBIs. Dick Howser was 2-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base (his tenth), scoring once.
The game: Alvis homered in the first and a run scored on an error later in the first to give the Indians a 2-0 lead. The Twins did little on offense until the seventh, when Killebrew singled in Oliva with their only run. Alvis' RBI single got the run back for the Indians in the bottom of the seventh. The Twins loaded the bases with two out in the eighth, but Hall popped up to short to end the inning.
Of note: Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-4. Sandy Valdespino was 0-for-3 with a walk.
Record: The loss made the Twins 39-25, still in first place, but only by a half game over Chicago and Cleveland.
Notes: Mincher was again at first with Killebrew at third. Bernie Allen played second. Pascual apparently was injured--he would not pitch again until July 4, then not again until July 20. Both were short starts, as were his two starts at the end of July. He would miss the entire month of August before coming back in September. Earl Battey remained out of the lineup, with Jerry Zimmerman catching.
Jack Rowe (1856)
Jimmy Austin (1879)
Sam Zoldak (1918)
Jim Pagliaroni (1937)
Brant Alyea (1940)
Ed Brinkman (1941)
Ken Roy (1941)
Masahiro Doi (1943)
Alan Foster (1946)
Jeff Grotewold (1965)
Mike Mussina (1968)
Reed Johnson (1976)
Vernon Wells (1978)
Ken Roy was a minor league umpire for two years before becoming a Catholic priest. He said that his umpiring career helped him in ministry because it gave him more patience with people and made him a better listener.
Masahiro Doi was a fifteen-time all-star in the Japanese Pacific League, playing from 1962-1981.
We would also like to wish a happy ninth birthday to AMR’s son, HPR.
Date: Wednesday, June 23.
Batting stars: Sandy Valdespino was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a stolen base (his third), and a walk. Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth), scoring twice. Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, his twelfth.
Pitching star: Mudcat Grant pitched eight innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
Opposition stars: Rocky Colavito was 2-for-3 with a home run (his sixteenth), a double, and a walk. Don McMahon pitched two perfect innings of relief with one strikeout. Max Alvis was 1-for-4 with a run.
The game: Hall and Colavito each homered in the second to make it 1-1. Vic Davalillo singled in a run in the third to give the Indians a 2-1 lead. It was short-lived, as Allison hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the fourth to put the Twins up 4-2 and Valdespino hit a two-run shot in the fifth to make it 6-2. The Indians did not score again until the ninth. They brought the tying run up to bat with one out in the ninth inning, but Dick Stigman got Joe Azcue to hit into a double play to end the game.
Of note: Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-3. Tony Oliva was 0-for-4. Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run.
Record: The win made the Twins 39-24 and increased their lead over Chicago to a full game.
Notes: Hall raised his average to .330. Valdespino's home run was his only homer of the season. The game started with Don Mincher at first, Killebrew at third, and Valdespino in left. After Allison pinch-hit for Mincher in the fourth, he initially went to first base. In the eighth, however, Rich Rollins came in to play third, with Killebrew moving to first and Allison to left, replacing Valdespino. Indians starter Sonny Siebert apparently suffered a minor injury, as he was replaced in the third inning for no apparent reason. He would pitch three innings of relief in his next appearance, June 27, and then throw a complete game July 1.
Deacon White (1847)
Denny Galehouse (1911)
Dick Donovan (1927)
Hal Smith (1930)
Don Cardwell (1935)
Bo Belinsky (1936)
Alex Johnson (1942)
Johnny Bench (1947)
Ozzie Virgil (1956)
Shane Mack (1963)
Tino Martinez (1967)
Saul Rivera (1977)
Eric Chavez (1977)
Yasiel Puig (1990)
Date: Tuesday, June 22.
Batting stars: Bernie Allen was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. Earl Battey was 2-for-2 with a double and a run. Jimmie Hall was 2-for-5.
Pitching star: Johnny Klippstein retired all four men he faced.
Opposition stars: Chuck Hinton was 2-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and two RBIs. Max Alvis was 2-for-5 with two runs. Duke Sims hit a pinch-hit home run in his only at-bat.
The game: Hinton singled in a run in the first to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. Each team scored twice in the fifth, leaving the Indians still up 3-2. The Twins again took the lead by one in the seventh, as a Sandy Valdespino sacrifice fly tied it and Oliva's RBI single put the Twins ahead 4-3. The Twins opened the eighth with a pair of singles but could do nothing with them. In the bottom of the eighth, Sims hit a pinch-hit homer in the eighth to tie it 4-4. Hinton led off the bottom of the tenth with a walkoff homer off Al Worthington, who was starting his fourth inning of work.
Of note: Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-3. Valdespino was 0-for-3 with two RBIs, both on sacrifice flies. Oliva was 1-for-5 with an RBI. Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was hit by a pitch. Starter Jim Kaat was apparently affected by his relief stint between starts, as he lasted only 4.2 innings and gave up three runs (although only one was earned) on nine hits and two walks with one strikeout.
Record: The loss dropped the Twins to 38-24 and cut their hold on first place to only a half game ahead of both Chicago and Cleveland.
Notes: Valdespino replaced Bob Allison in left. Allison apparently had a minor injury, as he would not start again until June 26. Battey was apparently injured in the game, too, as he came out in the fifth inning and did not play again until July 2. Rollins was again at second base, with Allen playing third. Sims' pinch-hit homer was the first home run of his career. He went on to hit ninety-nine more, with his highest total coming in 1970, when he had twenty-three.
