Tag Archives: 1965 rewind

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Seventy

MINNESOTA 7, CHICAGO 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, June 29.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched 7.1 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Danny Cater was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in two.  John Romano was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring twice.  Smoky Burgess was 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit two-run homer, his second.

The game:  Hall doubled in a run  and Killebrew singled in another to give the Twins a 2-0 lead in the first.  Single runs in the second and third made it 4-0.  Cater doubled in a run in the fourth, but the Twins tallied twice in the fifth, one on Killebrew's RBI double, to take a seemingly comfortable 6-1 lead.  In the sixth, however, Cater singled home a run and Ron Hansen drove in two with another single to make it 6-4.  With one out in the ninth, Burgess hit a pinch-hit two-run homer off Dick Stigman to tie it 6-6.  Bernie Allen led off the ninth with a double and was pinch-run for by Dave Boswell.  Joe Nossek bunted him to third and Zolio Versalles hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring home the winning run.

Of note:  Versalles was 0-for-3 with two sacrifice flies.  Sandy Valdespino was 2-for-4.

Record:  The win made the Twins 43-27 and lifted them into second place, a half game behind Cleveland.

Notes:  Bob Allison was apparently dealing with some sort of injury, as he was in and out of the lineup int his period.  Sandy Valdespino was playing left field in his place.  Hall's day raised his average to .325.  He was batting fourth in this stretch, between Oliva and Killebrew.  Burgess had sixteen pinch-hit home runs in his career.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-nine

CHICAGO 17, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, June 28.

Batting stars:   Jimmie Hall was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer (his fourteenth) and two runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, driving in one.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Danny Cater was 3-for-5 with a home run (his tenth) and a double, scoring twice and driving in three.  Don Buford was 2-for-5 with a walk, scoring three times and driving in three.  Tom McCraw was 2-for-5 with a grand slam, his second homer.

The game:  The Twins actually led for nearly half the game.  Jimmie Hall had an RBI single and Killebrew drove in a run with a double in the first to give them a 2-0 lead.  Hall's run-scoring single in the third made it 3-0.  In the fifth the first two White Sox were retired, but then two singles, a walk, and McCraw's grand slam made it 4-3 Chicago.  Hall homered in the bottom of the fifth to tie it 4-4, but the roof fell in in the sixth inning, as the White Sox scored seven times.  Cater and John Romano each homered to make it 6-4.  That chased starter Dave Boswell and brought in Jerry Fosnow, who walked his first batter, gave up a single, then walked two more to make it 7-4 with the bases loaded.  Dick Stigman came in and struck out McCraw but then allowed three consecutive singles that produced four runs.  The White Sox added two in the eighth and four in the ninth, all off Mel Nelson, who had started and pitched four innings the previous day.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-3.  Sandy Valdespino was 1-for-3 with a run.  Boswell struck out six in 5.1 innings but gave up six runs on six hits and a walk.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 42-27 and, coupled with a Cleveland win, dropped them all the way to third place, a half game behind both Cleveland and Chicago.

Notes:  Hall raised his average to .322.  Cater did not start the game, but came on in the second, replacing Floyd Robinson for an unknown reason.  It is hard for me to imagine a pitcher now being asked to pitch two innings of mop-up relief after starting and pitching four innings the day before.  I know there were fewer pitchers on a staff back then, but it still seems like a lot to ask.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-eight

MINNESOTA 6, DETROIT 5 IN MINNESOTA (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Sunday, June 27 (Game 2 of doubleheader)

Batting stars:  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Joe Nossek was 3-for-5 with a hit-by-pitch, scoring once and driving in one.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Mel Nelson pitched four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts.  Jim Perry pitched three innings, giving up one run on two hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Al Worthington pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Al Kaline was 4-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Don Demeter was 3-for-5 with a home run (his sixth) and a stolen base, scoring twice.  Orlando Pena struck out four in 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit.

The game:  Kaline singled in a run in the first, but an RBI double by Hall and a run-scoring single by Jerry Zimmerman put the Twins ahead 2-1 after two.  Kaline's run-scoring double tied the score in the third, but Versalles drove in a run with a single in the fourth to put the Twins back in front 3-2.  Run-producing singles by Oliva and Killebrew gave the Twins a seemingly safe 5-2 lead after seven, but Demeter led off the eighth with a home run and Willie Horton hit a two-run shot later in the inning to tie it 5-5.  The Twins loaded the bases with none out in the ninth, but Bob Allison fouled out and Hall grounded into a double play.  In the tenth, Rich Rollins led off with a single and was sacrificed to second.  Bernie Allen was walked, Zoilo Versalles flied out, but Nossek singled to center to bring home the winning run.

Of note:  Versalles was 2-for-6 with a run and an RBI.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.  Hall raised his average to .315.

Record:  The Twins improved their record to 42-26, but doubleheader sweeps by Chicago and Cleveland held their lead to a half game over both teams.

Notes:  This was the last of Nelson's three starts in 1965.  He would pitch in relief the next day and stay in the bullpen the rest of the season.  He would make four more starts in his career, all with St. Louis in 1968.  It was the next-to-last relief appearance for Perry, who would join the rotation July 5.  Nossek raised his average to .315.  He played third base, with Rollins playing second, and the way the Twins were searching for infield options you'd think he might have been given a shot there.  Apparently Sam Mele didn't think the defensive cost was worth it, though, as he only started at third two more times in 1965 and would make only one more appearance there in his career.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-seven

MINNESOTA 6, DETROIT 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, June 27 (Game 1 of doubleheader).

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-3 with a home run (his seventh) and two walks, scoring twice.  Don Mincher was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his fourth) and a double.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Mudcat Grant struck out six in 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on eleven hits and a walk.  Al Worthington struck out two in 2.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits.

Opposition stars:  Joe Sparma struck out eight in six innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks.  Don Demeter was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fifth.  Don Wert was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

The game:  Killebrew had a two-run single in the first and Versalles homered in the second to give the Twins a 3-0 lead.  Dick McAuliffe had an RBI single in the third and Demeter hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie it 3-3.  The Twins scored once in the fifth to go ahead 4-3, a lead which held until Jackie Moore's RBI single in the eight tied it 4-4.  In the bottom of the eighth, Mincher hit a two-run homer to put the Twins in the lead to stay.  Detroit went down in order in the ninth.

Of note:  Sandy Valdespino was 0-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases (his fourth and fifth) and a run.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 with a double.  Jimmie Hall was 0-for-4 with an RBI, dropping his average to .313.

Record:  The win made the Twins 41-26 and kept them a half game ahead of Chicago and Cleveland.

Notes:  I'd forgotten how common Sunday doubleheaders were in the 1960s.  It was not unusual for their to be seven or eight doubleheaders among the ten matchups played on a Sunday.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-six

DETROIT 5, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

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.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-five

MINNESOTA 4, DETROIT 3 IN MINNESOTA

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.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-four

CLEVELAND 3, MINNESOTA 1 IN CLEVELAND

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.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-three

MINNESOTA 6, CLEVELAND 3 IN CLEVELAND

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.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-two

CLEVELAND 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN CLEVELAND (10 INNINGS)

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.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-one

MINNESOTA 7, NEW YORK 4 IN NEW YORK

Date:  Sunday, June 20 (Game 2 of doubleheader).

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with a home run (his thirteenth) and a double, driving in three.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a triple and a double, scoring once.  Joe Nossek was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching star:  Dick Stigman struck out four in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and two walks.

Opposition stars:  Hal Reniff struck out five in three shutout innings, allowing only a walk.  Ray Barker was 1-for-2 with a three-run homer (his second) and a walk.  Steve Hamilton struck out three in two shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk.

The game:  Killebrew hit an RBI double in the first, Zoilo Versalles doubled home two in the second, and the Twins got run-scoring singles in the third by Earl Battey and Nossek to go ahead 5-0.  Barker hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the bottom of the third to get the Yankees back in the game at 5-3.  There was no more scoring until the sixth, when an error allowed the Yankees to cut the lead to one.  They had the tying run on third with two out, but Stigman struck out Hector Lopez to end the inning.  The Yankees did not get a hit after that and Killebrew's two-run homer in the ninth put the game out of reach.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-5 with a stolen base (his seventh), scoring once and driving in two.  Rich Rollins was 0-for-5.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with a double and a run, raising his average to .325.  Dave Boswell started and pitched 5.2 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Record:  The doubleheader sweep made the Twins 38-23 and increased their lead over Chicago to a full game.

Notes:  Rollins again played second base, with Nossek at third.  Normally an outfielder, Nossek played ten games in his career at third base, nine of them in 1965.  I had never heard of Ray Barker.  He played in five games for Baltimore in 1960, then did not get back to the majors until 1965 at age twenty-nine.  He played in eleven games for Cleveland, then was traded to the Yankees in May.  This was the second of his ten career home runs, seven of which came in 1965.  He played in parts of the 1966 and 1967 seasons for the Yankees as well.