MINNESOTA TWINS 6, CHICAGO WHITE SOX 0 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Sunday, April 11, 1971.

Batting star:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Jim Kaat was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a double.  Rod Carew was 2-for-5.  Jim Holt was 2-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched a complete game shutout, giving up eleven hits and one walk and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  tom Egan was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Jay Johnstone was 2-for-4.  Bill Melton was 2-for-4.  Carlos May was 2-for-4.  

The game:  The Twins got a two-out double from Tony Oliva in the first, but he was stranded on second.  In the second, Bill Melton and Carols May led off with singles, but Melton was thrown out trying to go to third.  Rick Reichardt then walked, but the next two batters went out and the inning ended.

The Twins got on the board in the third.  Jim Kaat doubled with one out.  With two down, Rod Carew delivered an RBI single and went to second on the throw home.  That enabled him to score on Tony Oliva’s single, making it 2-0 Twins.  It went to 4-0 in the fourth.  With one out, Jim Holt singled, stole second, and went to third on a wild pitch.  Leo Cardenas and George Mitterwald walked, loading the bases, and Jim Kaat delivered a two-run single.

Chicago got leadoff singles in the fourth from Mike Andrews and Bill Melton, but a double play and a strikeout ended the threat.  The Twins added another run in the sixth when Leo Cardenas led off with a double and scored on a two-out single by Cesar Tovar.

The White Sox continued to threaten and get turned aside.  Singles by Jay Johnstone and Carlos May in the sixth amounted to nothing.  A one-out double by Tom Egan in the seventh was similarly fruitless.  The Twins tallied once more in the eighth when Leo Cardenas walked, stole second, was bunted to third, and scored on a Cesar Tovar double.  Chicago got a two-out double from Tom Egan in the ninth, but Jim Kaat retired the next batter to complete the shutout.

WP:  Jim Kaat (1-0).

LP:  Bart Johnson (1-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rich Reese was at first base.  He shared first base with Harmon Killebrew, with Killebrew moving to third when Reese was at first.  When Killebrew played first, Steve Braun was on third.  

This early in the season, of course, the batting averages are skewed.  Jim Kaat was batting .500.  He would finish at .161.  Cesar Tovar was batting .478.  He would finish at .311.  Tony Oliva was batting .450.  He would finish at a league-leading .337.  Harmon Killebrew was batting .444.  He would finish at .254.

Jim Kaat had an ERA of 1.93.  He would finish at 3.32.

It appears that no Chicago player in this game ever played for the Twins.

This was Jim Kaat’s first start of the season, but not his first game.  He had appeared in relief in the season opener of April 6.  That would be his only relief appearance of the season.

Jim Kaat was known as a good hitter, but it was more “good hitter for a pitcher” than good hitter.  For his career hit batted .185/.227/.267 with 16 home runs in 1251 at-bats.

Bart Johnson had two very good years.  This one, in which he went 12-10, 2.93 and led the league in fewest homers per nine innings, and 10-4, 2.74, 1.13 WHIP.  For his career, however, he was 43-51, 3.94, 1.43 WHIP.  

Danny Thompson came in as a defensive replacement for Harmon Killebrew in the ninth inning.  This was the fourth of five consecutive appearances in which he would come in as a defensive replacement and not bat.  He would finally bat for the first time in his sixth game, on April 16.

Tom Egan was a part-time catcher for ten major league seasons, making his major league debut at age eighteen.  He played in 373 major league games and batted .200/.266/.299.  He was probably considered a very good defensive catcher.

Record:  Chicago was 3-2, tied for second with Minnesota in the AL West, a half game behind Milwaukee.  They would finish 79-83, in third place, 22.5 games behind Oakland.

The Twins were 3-2, tied for second with Chicago in the AL West, a half game behind Milwaukee.  They would finish 74-86, in fifth place, 26.5 games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 29-32 (.475).

MINNESOTA TWINS 5, TEXAS RANGERS 2 IN TEXAS (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Thursday, August 30, 1973.

Batting stars:  Steve Braun was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Steve Brye was 2-for-5 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched ten innings, giving up two runs on twelve hits and two walks and striking out seven.  Bill Campbell pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Larry Biittner was 4-for-5 with a double.  Toby Harrah was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jim Fregosi was 2-for-5 with a double.  Vic Harris was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Jim Bibby struck out fifteen in 10.2 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and six walks.

The game:  As you can see, it was a pitchers’ duel  Texas scored first, in the second inning.  With two out, Larry Biittner doubled and Vic Harris followed with an RBI single, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead.  Neither team then got a man past first base until the sixth, when Toby Harrah singled with one out and Alex Johnson drew a two-out walk.  Bill Sudakis then reached on an error, but Harrah was thrown out trying to score on the play, leaving the score at 1-0.

Each team missed a chance in the eighth.  Steve Braun hit a one-out double, but was stranded at second.  Toby Harrah singled with one out and stole second, but was similarly stranded.  In the ninth, however, Rod Carew walked with one out, stole second, and scored on a Tony Oliva single to tie the score.  Joe Lis singled to put men on first and second, but a line drive double play ended the inning.  Texas missed a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth.  They got one-out singles from Jim Fregosi and Larry Biittner, and Ken Suarez singled with two out, but Fregosi was thrown out trying to score, and it went to extra innings.

Each team missed a chance in the tenth.  Steve Braun walked with one out and Steve Brye singled, but a pair of fly outs ended the inning.  Dave Nelson led off with a double and Toby Harrah walked, but a pair of strikeouts and a fly out ended the inning.

The Twins broke through in the eleventh.  Rod Carew and Mike Adams opened the inning with walks.  Rich Reese bunted and reached base to load the bases, as no one was retired on a fielder’s choice.  Jim Holt then singled to put the Twins ahead, George Mitterwald hit a sacrifice fly, Steve Braun hit a run-scoring ground out, and Steve Brye hit an RBI double, giving the Twins a 5-1 lead.

The Rangers tried to come back.  Jim Fregosi doubled, Larry Biittner singled, and Vic Harris hit an RBI single, making it 5-2 and bringing the tying run to bat with no one out.  But a double play was followed by a ground out, the game was over, and the victory was preserved.

WP:  Bert Blyleven (16-14).

LP:  Jim Bibby (6-10).

S:  Bill Campbell (2).

Notes:  Jerry Terrell was at shortstop.  He shared the position with Danny Thompson, with Thompson playing more games there (95 to 81).  Larry Hisle, who usually played center, was in left, with Steve Brye in center.  Jim Holt, who usually played left, was in right in place of Bobby Darwin.

Rod Carew was batting .351.  He would finish at a league-leading .350.

Bert Blyleven had an ERA of 2.57.  He would finish at 2.52.

There do not appear to be any former or future Twins who played for Texas in this game.

I wonder when the last time is that both team’s starter pitched at least ten innings.  It’s rare now that each team’s starter even pitches seven.

This was not the longest start of the season for Bert Bleleven.  He pitched 10.1 innings against Oakland in the first game of a doubleheader on September 27.  He made forty starts in 1973 and averaged 8.125 innings per start.  He led the league in WAR with 9.7.  These days, if someone makes one start of more than eight innings, he’s treated like Iron Man McGinnity.

Bill Campbell was in his rookie season, having been called up in mid-July.  It was his second career save.  The Twins really didn’t have a closer in 1973.  Ray Corbin led the team with fourteen saves.  Ken Sanders had eight, but he also had a 6.09 ERA and was waived in early August.  Campbell had seven.

This was Vic Harris’ first full season and his only season as a starter.  He was in the majors through 1980, though, playing a utility role for the Cubs, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Milwaukee.

Back then, I had a heck of a time keeping Steve Braun and Steve Brye straight.

Record:  Texas was 46-86, in sixth (last) place in the AL West, thirty-two games behind Oakland.  They would finish 57-105, in sixth place, thirty-seven games behind Oakland.

The Twins were 63-69, in third place in the AL West, fifteen games behind Oakland.  They would finish 81-81, in third place, thirteen games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 28-32 (.467).

MINNESOTA TWINS 4, BALTIMORE ORIOLES 1 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Sunday, August 20, 1972.

Batting stars:  Bobby Darwin was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer (his sixteenth) and a walk.  Steve Braun was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Danny Thompson was 2-for-4.  Glenn Borgmann was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Ray Corbin pitched a complete game, giving up one run on four hits and two walks and striking out eight.

Opposition stars:  Terry Crowley hit a home run, his eighth.  Roric Harrison pitched 7.2 innings of relief, giving up one run on seven hits and two walks and striking out seven.

The game:  The Twins jumped on Baltimore starter Mike Cuellar for three runs in the first inning.  Cesar Tovar led off with a single, Steve Braun hit a one-out single, and Bobby Darwin blasted a three-run homer to give the Twins a 3-0 lead.

It became a pitchers’ duel after that, but it’s always good to start a pitchers’ duel with a 3-0 lead.  Boog Powell led off the second with a double but was stranded at third.  Bobby Darwin drew a two-out walk in the third and Danny Thompson followed with a single, but nothing came of it.  The Twins put two on in the fifth as well, when Steve Braun walked and Darwin singled with one out, but again the runners were stranded.

Terry Crowley put Balitmore on the board in the fifth with a leadoff homer, cutting the lead to 3-1.  It stayed 3-1 until the seventh, when Rod Carew hit a one-out single, stole second, and scored on a Steve Braun double, making it 4-1.  The Orioles did not get a man past first base after that, and the Random Twins’ losing streak was over!

WP:  Ray Corbin (7-6).

LP:  Mike Cuellar (12-10).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rich Reese was at first base in place of Harmon Killebrew.  Steve Braun was at third base, a position he shared that season with Eric Soderholm.  Steve Brye, who mostly played in left, was in center.  Bobby Darwin, who mostly played center, was in right.  Cesar Tovar, who mostly played in right, was in left.  Perhaps the configuration of the ballpark had to do with that, but that’s speculation.

Rod Carew was batting .312.  He would finish with a league-leading .318.  Steve Braun was batting .303.  He would finish at .289.

Ray Corbin had an ERA of 2.43.  He would finish at 2.62.

Don Baylor was in center field for Baltimore and went 1-for-4.  He would play for the Twins at the end of the 1987 season.  Terry Crowley would be the Twins’ batting coach from 1991-1998.

We think of the 1960s as low offense, but things hadn’t improved a lot by 1972.  The league average ERA was 3.06.  Boston led the league with 604 runs scored, a total which beat only the White Sox in 2024.  The American League would introduce the designated hitter the next year to increase offense.

Bobby Darwin and Terry Crowley, both of whom homered in this game, share a birthday, February 16.

I don’t know if Mike Cuellar wasn’t feeling well or if Earl Weaver just had a quick hook, but Cuellar was out after a third of an inning, facing just five batters.  Roric Harrison, in his rookie season, took over and pitched through the eighth.  Cuellar would not miss a start, so if it was illness or injury it was short-lived.

Record:  Baltimore was 61-54, in second place in the AL East, 1.5 games behind Detroit.  They would finish 80-74, in third place, five games behind Detroit.

The Twins were 60-52, in third place in the AL West, five games behind Chicago and Oakland.  They would finish 77-77, in third place, 15.5 games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 27-32 (.458).