MINNESOTA TWINS 2, CALIFORNIA ANGELS 1 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Sunday, August 8, 1971.

Batting star:  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourteenth) and two runs.

Pitching star:  Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game, giving up one run on six hits and striking out five.

Opposition star:  Ken McMullen was 2-for-4 with a double.  Tom Murphy pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on six hits and three walks and striking out one.

The game:  The Twins got on the board in the second inning, when Leo Cardenas hit a two-out single, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Jim Holt single.  The Angels tied it in the fourth when Ken McMullen hit a two-out double and scored on a Jim Spencer single.

Steve Braun hit a leadoff double in the seventh but was stranded on second.  Meanwhile, California was not getting anyone past first base.  With two out in the ninth, Leo Cardenas hit a home run to give the Twins a 2-1 lead.  California did not get a man on base after a Mickey Rivers one-out single in the sixth.

WP:  Bert Blyleven (9-13).

LP:  Tom Murphy (6-13).

S:  None.

Notes:  Phil Roof was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.

Tony Oliva was batting .370.  He would finish at a league-leading .337.  Cesar Tovar was batting .303.  He would finish at .311.

This was one of seventeen complete games for Bert Blyleven in 1971.  He had 242 in his career.  This was one of seven complete games for Tom Murphy.  He had twenty-two in his career.  I wonder when the last time is that both pitchers pitched a complete game in the same game.

Tony Oliva won the last of his three batting titles in 1971.

I don’t remember Leo Cardenas as a home run hitter, and he wasn’t, really, but he hit eighteen in 1971 and hit twenty in 1969.  He hit 118 home runs in his career.  So while he wasn’t a home run hitter, he could go deep when the situation called for it.

Record:  California was 54-62, in fourth place in the AL West, 18.5 games behind Oakland.  They would finish 76-86, in fourth place, 25.5 games behind Oakland.

The Twins were 51-61, in fifth place in the AL West, 19.5 games behind Oakland.  They would finish 74-86, in fifth place, 26.5 games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 55-53 (.509).

MINNESOTA TWINS 2, SEATTLE PILOTS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, September 19, 1969.

Batting star:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Dave Boswell struck out fourteen in a complete game, giving up one run on five hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Steve Barber pitched five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and striking out two.  John Gelnar pitched two perfect innings, striking out one.

The game:  The Twins got one-out singles from Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew in the first, but a double play took them out of the inning.  In the second, Rick Renick singled, Leo Cardenas reached on an error, and Rod Carew singled, loading the bases with none out.  They only scored one, on a double play, but it gave them a 1-0 lead.

John Donaldson led off the fourth with a triple, but he was stranded on third.  In the fourth, singles by Bob Allison and Leo Cardenas put men on first and third with one out and a ground out scored a run to make it 2-0.

Seattle got on the board in the seventh.  Danny Walton hit a one-out double and with two out, Jerry McNertney singled him home, cutting the margin to 2-1.  With two out in the eighth Tommy Harper singled, stole second, and went to third on a wild pitch, but that was as far as he got.  The Pilots went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Dave Boswell (18-11).

LP:  Steve Barber (3-6).

S:  None.

Notes:  George Mitterwald was behind the plate in place of John Roseboro.  Harmon Killebrew was at first base.  Rich Reese played the most games there with 118, followed by Killebrew with 81.  Rick Renick was at third.  Killebrew played the most games there with 105, followed by Frank Quilici with 84.  Cesar Tovar was in center.  Ted Uhlaender played the most games there with 111, followed by Tovar with 69.

Rod Carew was batting .330.  He would finish at a league-leading .332.  Rich Reese was batting .322.  He would finish at .322.  Tony Oliva was batting .312.  He would finish at .309.

Danny Walton was in left for Seattle.  He would play for the Twins in 1973 and 1975.  Don Mincher was at first base.  He had played for the Twins from 1962-1966.  Sandy Valdespino pinch-hit.  He had played for the Twins from 1965-1967.  Ron Clark came in to play short late in the game.  He had played for the Twins from 1966-1969, sold to Seattle in July of 1969.

This was the last good year Dave Boswell had.  He went 20-12, 3.23, 1.23 WHIP in 256.1 innings.  He was injured in the playoffs and never really recovered.  But for five seasons, 1965-1969, he was 62-47, 3.26.  That’s pretty good.

Ray Oyler played for six seasons and batted .175/.258/.251 in 1265 at-bats.  Even for the 1960s, that’s awful.  His highest batting average was .207 in 1967.  His highest OPS was .559 in 1965.  One assumes he was considered an excellent defender.  One also assumes he was a good guy, because a jerk with those numbers would have been sent down the road.

It was Don Mincher’s bad luck to come up to the Twins when they simply did not have a spot for a first baseman.  They had Vic Power and Harmon Killebrew, and when Power left they gave time at first base to Bob Allison.  He had an OPS of well over .800 every season from 1962-1965, but never got as many as 350 at-bats in any of those seasons.  When he was traded to California in 1967 he made the all-star team.  One wonders if the Twins might have been better off to trade him sooner, as they weren’t going to give him a regular job.  Certainly Mincher would have been better off.

Record:  Seattle was 58-92, in sixth (last) place in the AL West, thirty-two games behind Minnesota.  They would finish 64-98, in sixth place, thirty-two games behind Minnesota.

The Twins were 90-60, in first place in the AL West, ten games ahead of Oakland.  They would finish 97-65, in first place, nine games ahead of Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 54-53 (.505).

MINNESOTA TWINS 11, MILWAUKEE BREWERS 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, May 22, 2009.

Batting stars:  Michael Cuddyer hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5 with a home run (his seventh), a triple, a double, two runs, and five RBIs.  Justin Morneau was 3-for-5 with a triple, three runs, and two RBIs.  Denard Span was 2-for-4 with a home run (his third), a walk, and two runs.  Brendan Harris was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Kevin Slowey pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits and striking out four.  Sean Henn pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Mat Gamel was 2-for-3 with a double.  Mike Cameron was 2-for-3 with a double.  Ryan Braun was 2-for-4.

The game:  In the bottom of the first Joe Mauer walked with one out, followed by a Justin Morneau single and a three-run homer by Michael Cuddyer.  Matt Tolbert led off the second with a single, was bunted to second, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.  Cuddyer led off the third with a ground rule double and scored on a Brendan Harris single to make it 5-0.  With one out in the fourth Nick Punto walked, Denard Span singled, a fielder’s choice error scored a run, Morneau hit a two-run triple, and Cuddyer followed with an RBI single, increasing the lead to 9-0.

Milwaukee scored in the fifth on singles by Mike Cameron and Mat Gamel, followed by a sacrifice fly.  The Twins added two more in the sixth.  Denard Span led off with a homer, Justin Morneau singled, and Michael Cuddyer hit an RBI triple, building the lead to 11-1.  Milwaukee got single runs in the seventh and eight, but never threatened to get back into the game.

WP:  Kevin Slowey (6-1).

LP:  Manny Parra (3-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Matt Tolbert was at second base.  Alexi Casilla played the most games there with 72, followed by Nick Punto at 63 and Tolbert with 36.  Brendan Harris was at third base.  Joe Crede played the most games there with 84, followed by Harris at 44.  Denard Span was in left field.  Delmon Young played the most games there with 98, followed by Span with 74.  Joe Crede was at DH, one of just four games he played there.  Jason Kubel had the most games there with 84.

Joe Mauer was batting .405.  He would finish at a league-leading .365.  Denard Span was batting .304.  He would finish at .311. 

J. J. Hardy was at short for Milwaukee.  He would play for the Twins in 2010.

This is our first Random Rewind cycle.

This was the second of fourteen games Sean Henn would pitch for the Twins.

Michael Cuddyer hit forty-two triples in his career.  He had seven of them in 2009.  Justin Morneau hit twenty-three triples in his career.  This was his only triple in 2009.

Record:  Milwaukee was 26-16, in first place in the NL Central, one game ahead of St. Louis.  They would finish 82-80, in third place, eleven games behind St. Louis.

The Twins were 20-23, in third place in the AL Central, 5.5 games behind Detroit.  They would finish 87-76 in first place, one game ahead of Detroit due to winning game 163.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 53-53 (.500).

DETROIT TIGERS 7, MINNESOTA TWINS 6 IN DETROIT

Date:  Sunday, May 29, 1983.

Batting stars:  Dave Engle was 2-for-4 with a double.  Randy Bush was 2-for-4.  John Castino was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Rick Lysander pitched 4.2 innings of relief, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out three.

Opposition star:  Lou Whitaker was 3-for-4 with a double.  Glenn Wilson was 2-for-4 with a triple.  Larry Herndon was 2-for-4 with a double.  Kirk Gibson hit a home run, his second.

The game:  Detroit jumped on Twins starter Frank Viola in the first inning.  Lou Whitaker, Enos Cabell, and Larry Herndon started the first inning with singles, producing a run.  A double steal of second and home produced a second run, and a ground out brought home a third, making it 3-0 Tigers.

It stayed 3-0 until the fourth, when the Twins struck back off Jack Morris.  Bobby Mitchell, John Castino, and Gary Ward all singled to load the bases.  An error brought home one run and a wild pitch scored another.  A pair of sacrifice flies followed, making the score 4-3 Minnesota.

The lead lasted until the bottom of the inning.  Chet Lemon walked and scored on a Lynn Jones triple.  Lou Whitaker hit a two-out RBI double to make it 5-4 Detroit.  But the Twins came back to tie it in the fifth on consecutive doubles by Dave Engle and Lenny Faedo.  

It stayed 5-5 until the seventh, when Lou Whitaker singled and scored on a two-out triple by Glenn Wilson.  The Twins tied it again in the eighth on consecutive two-out singles by Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, and Randy Bush.  But in the bottom of the eighth Kirk Gibson homered to make it 7-6 Tigers, and this time the Twins couldn’t come back.  They went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Aurelio Lopez (3-2).

LP:  Rick Lysander (1-4).

S:  None.

Notes:  Lenny Faedo was at short.  Ron Washington played the most games there with 81, followed by Faedo with 51.  Bobby Mitchell was in center.  Darrell Brown played the most games there with 76, followed by Mitchell with 44.  Mickey Hatcher was in right field in place of Tom Brunansky.

Dave Engle was batting .327.  He would finish at .305.  Lenny Faedo was batting .308.  He would finish at .277.  Kent Hrbek was batting .302.  He would finish at .297.  Mickey Hatcher  was batting .300.  He would finish at .317.

Rick Lysander had an ERA of 2.98.  He would finish at 3.38.

As you may know, Jack Morris would pitch for the Twins in 1991.

This was one of five triples Lynn Jones would hit in an eight-year career.  Glenn Wilson hit twenty-six triples in a ten-year career.  1983 would be his high, with six.

Jack Morris v. Frank Viola sounds like a great pitching matchup, but while Morris was a star in 1983, Viola was not.  He was in the second year of his career, and it would be the second year in which he had an ERA over five.  He would lead the league in earned runs allowed in 1983 with 128.  He was a lesson to me in patience with young players.  After two seasons, he was 11-25 with an ERA of 5.38, and I was ready for the Twins to give up on him.  Luckily, I was not running the Twins, because in 1984 he would go 18-12, 3.21 and finish sixth in Cy Young voting.

Glenn Wilson was born on the same date that I was, December 22, 1958.  He was not a star, but he had a respectable career.  He played for ten seasons and had a line of .265/.306/.398.  He made the all-star team in 1985 with Philadelphia, a year in which he drove in 102 runs.  He got a tenth-place vote for MVP that year.  Again, not a star, but a good ballplayer.

Record:  Detroit was 22-22, in fifth place in the AL East, three games behind Boston and Toronto.  They would finish 92-70, in second place, six games behind Baltimore.

The Twins were 21-27, in sixth place in the AL West, 7.5 games behind California.  They would finish 70-92, tied for fifth with California, twenty-nine games behind Chicago.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 52-53 (.495).

MINNESOTA TWINS 2, KANSAS CITY ROYALS 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, May 24, 1973.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 3-for-4.  Jim Holt was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Steve Braun was 2-for-4 with a double.  Bobby Darwin was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game one-hit shutout, walking two and striking out seven.

Opposition star:  Dick Drago pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on eleven hits and two walks and striking out six.

The game:  Neither team got a man to scoring position until the third, when Jim Holt led off with a double, but he only got to third.  In the fourth, Bobby Darwin led off with a double and went to third on a passed ball.  The next two batters went out, but George Mitterwald delivered an infield single to put the Twins ahead 1-0.

Ed Kirkpatrick led off with a bunt single in the sixth, the only hit Kansas City would get.  The Twins got an insurance run in the eighth.  Steve Braun doubled with two out and scored on a Danny Thompson single.  It was more than enough, and the Twins got the victory.

WP:  Bert Blyleven (5-6).

LP:  Dick Drago (4-4).

S:  None.

Notes:  Harmon Killebrew was at first base.  He missed much of the season, playing just 57 games at first.  Joe Lis had the most games there at 96.

Jim Holt was batting .313.  He would finish at .297.  Rod Carew was batting .308.  He would finish at a league-leading .350.  Steve Braun was batting .304.  He would finish at .283.  Larry Hisle was batting .300.  He would finish at .272.

The Twins had eleven hits, four of them doubles, and two walks, but still didn’t have that many scoring threats.  They had a leadoff double in the third and put men on first and third in the seventh, but those were the only times they threatened but did not score.

When I saw the score, my first thought was “Bert must have pitched that game.”  Sure enough.  He had a league-leading nine shutouts in 1973 with twenty-five complete games.  He also led the league in WAR, ERA+, FIP, and strikeout/walk ratio.  It was also the only time he won twenty games.  Somehow, he only finished tied for seventh in Cy Young voting.  

Record:  Kansas City was 23-20, fifth in the AL West, four games behind Chicago.  They would finish 88-74, in second place, six games behind Oakland.

The Twins were 21-17, tied for second with California in the AL West, 3.5 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 81-81, in third place, thirteen games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 52-52 (.500).