Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–October 12

Sam Field (1846)
Pop Smith (1856)
Malachi Kittridge (1869)
Pete Hill (1882)
Dixie Davis (1890)
Rick Ferrell (1905)
Joe Cronin (1906)
Al Smith (1907)
Bob Sheppard (1910)
Tony Kubek (1935)
Glenn Beckert (1940)
Herman Hill (1945)
Garth Iorg (1954)
Jim Lewis (1955)
Sid Fernandez (1962)
Jose Valentin (1969)
Derrick White (1969)
Tanyon Sturtze (1970)
Tony Fiore (1971)

B-r.com says "Sam Field played only 12 games in the majors, but managed to do so with three teams in two leagues. He played mostly catcher.  His career may have been doomed by his .712 fielding percentage."  It may also have been doomed by his .146 batting average.

Pete Hill is considered one of the greatest outfielders of the Negro Leagues.  Incomplete statistics list his average as .326.

Hall of Famer Joe Cronin, of course, played for the Washington franchise from 1928-1934, managing the team in the latter two years. He married Clark Griffith’s niece, which did not keep Griffith from trading him to Boston after the 1934 season.

If there was a Hall of Fame for public address announcers, Bob Sheppard would be the first one in.

Jose Valentin is the brother of ex-Twin Javier Valentin.

First baseman/outfielder Derrick White was drafted by Minnesota in the 23rd round in 1989, but did not sign. He played in the major leagues for Montreal, Detroit, the Cubs, and Colorado, playing in three seasons and totaling 116 at-bats.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Dr. Chop.

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Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Six

MINNESOTA 8, NEW YORK 2 IN NEW YORK

Date:  Thursday, April 22.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, and a stolen base, scoring twice and driving in three.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his second and third), driving in four.  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-5 with a run.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched a complete game, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Rollie Sheldon struck out four in 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up three hits.  Bob Schmidt was 2-for-4.  Joe Pepitone was 1-for-2 and was hit by a pitch, scoring once.

The game:  A walk, an error, and a ground out put the Yankees on the board 1-0 in the first.  The Twins came back with three in the second, tying it on a Jerry Kindall RBI single and taking the lead on a two-run single by Versalles.  It stayed 3-1 until the seventh, when Oliva hit a two-run homer.  Hector Lopez delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Twins lead to 5-2.  The Twins added three in the ninth when Versalles hit an inside-the-park home run and Oliva hit another two-run homer.

Of note:  Rich Rollins was 0-for-4 with a walk and a run.  Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.  Kaat was 1-for-4, dropping his average to .300.

Record:  The win made the Twins 5-1, in first place, a half-game ahead of Detroit.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–October 10

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Otto Hess (1878)
Bill Killefer (1887)
Wally Berger (1905)
John Stone (1905)
Floyd Baker (1916)
Bobby Tiefenauer (1929)
Don Schaly (1937)
Gene Tenace (1946)
Roger Metzger (1947)
Terry Enyart (1950)
Les Straker (1959)
Jim Weaver (1959)
Ramon Martinez (1972)
Placido Polanco (1975)
Pat Burrell (1976)
Troy Tulowitzki (1980)
Kolten Wong (1990)

Don Schaly was the head baseball coach at Marietta College for forty years.  His teams reached the finals of the Division III College World Series ten times, winning three times.

Kolten Wong was drafted by Minnesota in the sixteenth round in 2008, but did not sign.

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Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Five

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MINNESOTA 7, NEW YORK 2 IN NEW YORK

Date:  Wednesday, April 21.

Batting stars:  Rich Rollins was 2-for-5 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in three.  Jimmie Hall was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Camilo Pascual pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts.  Jerry Fosnow pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and four walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Mickey Mantle was 1-for-3 with a home run (his third) and a walk.  Bobby Richardson was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Tom Tresh was 2-for-5 with a run.

The game:  The Yankees struck first, getting a two-run homer from Mantle in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.  The Twins came back in the third, as Rollins had an RBI single followed by Oliva's two-run homer to put Minnesota up 3-2.  The first two Twins of the fifth went out, but Zoilo Versalles drew a walk followed by a Rollins two-run homer to make it 5-2.  Hall followed Harmon Killebrew's walk with another two-run homer in the eighth to build the lead to 7-2.  The Yankees put men on first and third in the fifth, first and second in the eighth, and loaded the bases in the ninth, but were turned aside each time.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, scoring once.  Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Record:  The win made the Twins 4-1, tied for first with Detroit, though ahead based on winning percentage.

Remodeled basement. Same half-baked taste.