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BALTIMORE 11, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, October 6.

Batting stars:  Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a double.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a triple.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Jim Palmer pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on ten hits and two walks and striking out four.  Paul Blair was 5-for-6 with a home run and two doubles, driving in five.  Don Buford was 4-for-6 with a double and a walk, scoring three times.  Elrod Hendricks was 2-for-5 with two doubles, scoring twice and driving in three.  Mark Belanger was 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs.  Boog Powell was 2-for-5.

The game:  The Orioles opened the game with singles by Buford and Blair, bu a double play took them out of the inning.  The Twins took the lead in the bottom of the first.  With two out Oliva doubled and took third on a wild pitch.  Harmon Killebrew was intentionally walked, but Reese singled to put the Twins up 1-0.

It was all downhill from there.  In the second Brooks Robinson doubled, Dave Johnson reached on an error, and Hendricks hit a two-run double to give Baltimore a 2-1 lead.  It went to 3-1 later in the inning, as Buford hit a two-out single.  The Orioles added two more in the fourth, as Belanger tripled, Buford walked, and Blair came through with a two-run double.

The Twins threatened in the bottom of the fourth, as Cardenas hit a two-out triple and Charlie Manuel walked, but Ted Uhlaender flied out to end the inning.  They did get one back in the fifth, as Killebrew hit a two-out double and scored on Reese's single to make it 5-2.

That was as close as it would get.  Baltimore scored one in the sixth on a double by Buford and singles by Blair and Frank Robinson.  The score went to 8-2 in the eighth when Buford singled and Blair hit a two-run homer.  In the ninth Johnson singled, Hendricks circled the bases on a double-plus-error, Belanger singled, and Blair had an RBI double.

WP:  Palmer.  LP:  Bob Miller.  S:  None.

Notes:  The Twins put Uhlaender back in left field and Roseboro back behind the plate.  It didn't help, as they went 0-for-5 and 1-for-4, respectively.

Oliva was the only Twin batter to have a good series, going 5-for-13.  Killebrew was 1-for-8, although he did draw six walks.  It appears that Earl Weaver had made the decision that the Orioles were not going to let him beat them.

Miller seems an odd choice to start an elimination game.  He had made only eleven starts on the season, versus thirty-seven appearances out of the bullpen.  He had not done badly in those starts, but the Twins had Jim Kaat, Tom Hall, and Dean Chance all available.  It's easy to second-guess fifty years later, of course, and I'm sure Billy Martin had his reasons for the choice he made.  Still, Miller lasted just 1.2 innings and gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits.

It seems odd to have the Orioles score eleven runs and have neither Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, no Boog Powell be a significant factor.  The top two men in the order, Buford and Blair, went a combined 9-for-11 with a home run, three doubles, and a walk.  The seventh and eighth hitters, Hendricks and Belanger, were 4-for-10 with two doubles and a triple.

And so an excellent Twins season comes to a rather sad end.  It was still a fun season, though.  I was ten during the 1969 season, and while I'd rooted for the Twins earlier this was the first Twins team I really followed on a day-to-day basis.  It probably remains my favorite Twins team ever.  It's been a lot of fun reliving the season, and I hope you've enjoyed it as well.

We'll have a couple of wrap-up posts, listing league leaders and team leaders.  Then we'll get ready to enjoy the 2019 baseball season.  And if the good Lord is willing, next winter we'll choose another great Twins team from the past and do another rewind.  And who knows?  Maybe the 2019 Twins will have a great season and appear in the rewind at some point in the future.

Record:  The Twins lost the best-of-five ALCS to the Orioles, three games to none.

BALTIMORE 1, MINNESOTA 0 (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Sunday, October 5.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 1-for-3 with a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-3 with two walks.

Pitching stars:  Dave Boswell pitched 10.2 innings, giving up one run on seven hits and seven walks and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Dave McNally struck out eleven in eleven shutout innings, giving up three hits and five walks.  Dave Johnson was 2-for-4 with two walks.  Brooks Robinson was 2-for-4.  Frank Robinson was 2-for-5 with two doubles.  Boog Powell was 1-for-3 with two walks.

The game:  The first threat came in the second, when singles by Powell, Brooks Robinson, and Johnson loaded the bases with none out.  Mark Belanger popped up, Andy Etchebarren flied to left, and McNally struck out, so the Orioles were turned aside.Baltimore again threatened in the third, as Frank Robinson hit a two-out double and went to third on a wild pitch.  Powell walked, but Brooks Robinson fouled out to end the threat.

The Twins had their first threat in the fourth.  Tony Oliva singled, stole second, and went to third on a fly ball.  Rich Reese popped up, Mitterwald walked, and Leo Cardenas fanned, and the game remained scoreless.

Nobody got a man past first until the eighth, when Frank Robinson hit a two-out double, but he was stranded at second.  In the ninth, Brooks Robinson led off with a walk.  A pair of force outs and a walk to Elrod Hendricks put men on first and second, but McNally was allowed to bat and flied out to end the inning.

In the eleventh, the Twins got two-out walks by Killebrew and Oliva, but Bob Allison lined out.  In the bottom of the eleventh, Powell walked and was bunted to second.  Johnson was intentionally walked and Belanger fouled out.  Boswell was removed for Ron Perranoski, who gave up a game-ending single to pinch-hitter Curt Motton.

WP:  McNally.  LP:  Boswell.  S:  None.

Notes:  The Twins again went with Bob Allison in left and George Mitterwald at catcher, rather than Ted Uhlaender and Johnny Roseboro.  While it doesn't prove anything, the decisions haven't paid off--Allison is 0-for-8 and Mitterwald is 1-for-7.  Of course, the Twins have a total of just seven hits in the two games, so other than Oliva (3-for-9) no one was hitting much.

Killebrew was 0-for-5 with five walks.  I don't know if anyone was suggesting that he should expand his strike zone or that he was taking too many pitches.

Boswell suffered what was essentially a career-ending arm injury on the last pitch of the tenth inning, with which he struck out Frank Robinson.  He came out to pitch the eleventh and was able to retire two batters out of four, with the other two getting walks (one intentional).  He continued to pitch through 1971 but was never the same pitcher.  Boswell had pitched 256.1 innings in 1969.  I don't know how many pitches he threw in this game, but it had to be a lot.  People complain about pitchers not throwing enough these days, and there could be a point to be made there, but I'm very glad that nobody today abuses pitchers' arms the way they used to.

Of course, McNally threw a ton of pitches, too, and he had pitched 268.2 innings that year.  He had seven consecutive seasons in which he threw well over 200 innings per season.  Of course, that may be why he was done at age thirty-two.

It had to be incredibly frustrating to lose consecutive extra-inning games in the playoffs.  Still, the series would move to Minnesota for the next game.  Would things be different there?  We shall see.

Record:  The Twins trailed the best-of-five series 2-0.

BALTIMORE 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN BALTIMORE (12 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a home run and a double, scoring twice and driving in two.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-2 with three walks.  The Twins had only two other hits.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched eight innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks and striking out three.  Ron Perranoski pitched 3.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Brooks Robinson was 4-for-5.  Boog Powell was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Frank Robinson was 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks.  Mike Cuellar pitched eight innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk and striking out seven.

The game:  Neither team really threatened until the bottom of the fourth, when Frank Robinson homered to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.  The Twins got the run back in the fifth.  Oliva led off with a double-plus-error, putting him on third base, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bob Allison.  But Baltimore went back into the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Mark Belanger hit a home run.

The Twins took their first lead of the game in the seventh.  With one out, Killebrew walked and Oliva followed with a two-run homer that made it 3-2 Minnesota.  The Twins had a chance to add to their lead in the ninth.  Well, they had a chance to add to it in the seventh and eighth, too, but they actually put together a threat in the ninth.  Cesar Tovar led off with a walk and stole second.  Rod Carew struck out, but Killebrew walked to put men on first and second with one down.  But Oliva struck out and Allison popped up, ending the threat.

It cost the Twins, because Powell led off the ninth with a home run to tie the score 3-3.  Brooks Robinson followed with a single-plus-error, chasing Perry from the game and bringing in Perranoski.  The Orioles had men on second and third with two out and Merv Rettenmund up to bat, but Robinson was caught stealing home to end the inning.

It went to extra innings.  Baltimore got a pair of one-out singles in the eleventh, but Chico Salmon lined to right and Dave Johnson hit into a forceout.  In the twelfth, Killebrew led off with a walk and Ted Uhlaender hit a one-out single.  A wild pitch moved men to second and third and led to an intentional walk to Rich Reese, loading the bases.  But Leo Cardenas struck out and Johnny Roseboro flied to right, and the game remained tied.

The Orioles ended it in the next half-inning.  Belanger led off with an infield single.  A bunt moved him to second, a ground out put him on third, and Paul Blair laid down a bunt single to give Baltimore the victory.

WP:  Dick Hall.  LP:  Perranoski.  S:  None.

Notes:  The Twins decided to start Allison in left and George Mitterwald behind the plate, despite the fact that Uhlaender and Roseboro, respectively, had manned those positions most of the season.  Uhlaender came in for defense in the ninth.  Roseboro pinch-hit for Mitterwald in the twelfth and remained in the game at catcher.

Perranoski was in his fourth inning of work when the game ended.  That's a lot for a reliever, but he had pitched that long and even longer on occasion during the season.  Plus, the two hits he gave up in the twelfth were an infield single and a bunt single, so it's not like he was getting smoked.  The infield single was hit to third--possibly a better defender would have turned that into an out, although I don't know that.  The play-by-play does not tell me where the game-ending bunt was hit.

Mark Belanger beating out an infield single is something Mark Belanger can do.  Mark Belanger hitting a home run is aggravating.  He hit a grand total of two all season and had twenty in an eighteen-year career.  His career high was five in 1974.  And then he hits a home run to put the Orioles ahead.  As they say, that's baseball.

The Baltimore bullpen was clearly superior to that of the Twins.  They had Dick Hall, Dave Leonhard, Pete Richert, and Eddie Watt, all of whom had ERAs less that 2.50 and WHIPs of less than 1.25, mostly a lot less.  By contrast, the only Twins reliever to meet those criteria was Perranoski.  Bob Miller was close in the WHIP department at 1.26.  Thus, the Orioles had four excellent relievers to use in extra innings, while the Twins basically had Perranoski and pray for rain.

Record:  The Twins trailed the best-of-five series 1-0.

MINNESOTA 6, CHICAGO 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, October 2.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his eighth) and a double.  Rich Reese was 2-for-3 with a home run (his sixteenth) and two RBIs.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-3 with a home run, his twenty-fourth.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Joe Grzenda pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit.  Al Worthington pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Ron Perranoski pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Jose Ortiz was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Rich Morales was 2-for-4 with a triple.

The game:  Reese hit a home run in the first inning to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The White Sox came back to get the lead in the second, as Bill Melton and Gail Hopkins singled and Ortiz delivered a two-out two-run double.  They extended the lead to 4-1 in the third.  Morales tripled, Duane Josephson walked, and Ron Hansen came through with a two-run triple.

The Twins got one back in the bottom of the third, but could have gotten more.  Jim Kaat singled and Cesar Tovar doubled, putting men on second and third with one out.  Reese's sacrifice fly brought home one, but that was all, leaving the Twins down 4-2.  They cut the margin to 4-3 in the fourth when Oliva led off with a home run, but Chicago got the run back in the fifth.  Walt Williams singled to lead off the inning and Morales followed with a single-plus-error.  A wild pitch scored Williams, but Kaat was able to escape without further damage.  Still, the White Sox once again had a two-run lead at 5-3.

Chicago threatened in the sixth, putting two on with none out, but a double play took them out of the inning.  It cost them, because in the bottom of the sixth Oliva hit a one-out single and Allison followed with a two-run homer, tying the score 5-5.  The Twins took the lead in the seventh.  With one out, Tovar and Reese singled, putting men on first and third.  A passed all then brought Tovar home with the go-ahead run.  The White Sox did not get a man on base after that.

WP:  Grzenda (4-1).  LP:  Bart Johnson (1-3).  S:  Perranoski (31).

Notes:  Allison started in left in place of Ted Uhlaender.  George Mitterwald was behind the plate in place of Johnny Roseboro.  Frank Quilici started at second in place of Rod Carew.

Herman Hill went to center field in the sixth, with Tovar moving to second base and Quilici coming out of the game.  Tom Tischinski came in to catch in the seventh, with Mitterwald going to left field and Allison coming out of the game.  Jim Holt, who had pinch-run for Oliva in the sixth, stayed in the game to play right field.  Cotton Nash went to first base in the eighth, replacing Reese.

This was one of two career games in which Mitterwald played left field.  The other was August 25 of this season, in which he was there for one inning.

The usage of Kaat at the end of the season seems strange to me.  He started on September 25 and pitched five innings.  He then pitched three innings of relief on September 30.  He then started two days later, this game, and pitched five innings.  None of these games meant anything, so I don't understand why you'd do that.  As I said the other day, I wouldn't expect Kaat to have complained, but that doesn't mean it was a smart thing to do.

Carew ended the season batting .332.  That's a fine average--it led the league--but he tailed off badly in the last two months of the season.  On July 31 he was batting .373.  Over the last two months he batted just .227.

Oliva ended the season batting .309.  He also tailed off in the last two months, although not nearly as badly as Carew.   On July 31, he was batting .327.  Over the last two months, he batted .281.  Not that there's anything wrong with .281, but it's not .327.

Killebrew ended the season with forty-nine home runs, leading the league.  That was tied for the most he hit in a season, equaling his total in 1964.  He hit just eighteen home runs in the first three months of the season, but hit thirty-one in the last three months.  That's almost the exact opposite of his nearest rival in the home run race, Reggie Jackson, who hit twenty-nine homers in the first three months of the season but just eighteen in the last three months and only seven in the last two months.

Kaat gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks in his five innings, striking out two.  Chicago starter Danny Lazar pitched six innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out one.

This would be the last appearance of Danny Lazar's major league career.  He had appeared in eight games in 1968, and this was his ninth and last in 1969.  For his career, he was 0-1, 5.56, 1.47 WHIP in 34 innings.  He made four starts in his seventeen games.  He'd been a thirty-first round draft choice, so just making the majors at all is really quite an accomplishment for him.  He had an excellent college career at Indiana State, and is in the Indiana State Hall of Fame.

Record:  The Twins closed out the season at 97-65, in first place in the American League West, nine games ahead of Oakland.  They would face Baltimore in the American League Championship Series.  The Orioles had finished with a record of 109-53, finishing nineteen games ahead of Detroit in the American League East.