BATTING STATS

PLAYERS USED

1 Seattle, 53
9 (tie) Minnesota, 36

BATTERS AVERAGE AGE

1 Kansas City, 25.8
11 (tie) Minnesota, 28.8

RUNS PER GAME

1 Minnesota, 4.88
2 Baltimore, 4.81

PLATE APPEARANCES

1 Minnesota, 6424
2 Oakland, 6405

AT BATS

1 Minnesota, 5677
2 Oakland 5614

RUNS

1 Minnesota, 790
2 Baltimore, 779

HITS

1 Minnesota, 1520
2  Baltimore, 1465

DOUBLES

1 Minnesota, 246
2 (tie) Baltimore, Boston, 234

TRIPLES

1 New York, 44
4 (tie) Minnesota, 32

HOME RUNS

1 Boston, 197
4 Minnesota, 163

RBI

1 Minnesota, 733
2 Baltimore, 722

STOLEN BASES

1 Seattle, 167
4 Minnesota, 115

CAUGHT STEALING

1 New York, 74
2 (tie) Minnesota, 70

WALKS

1 Boston, 658
6 Minnesota, 599

STRIKEOUTS

1 Seattle, 1015
6 (tie) Minnesota, 906

BATTING AVERAGE

1 Minnesota, .268
2 Baltimore, .265

OBP

1 Baltimore .343
2 Minnesota, .340

SLUGGING

1 Boston, .415
3 Minnesota, .408

OPS

1 Baltimore, .756
3 Minnesota, .748

OPS+

1 Baltimore, 110
2 Minnesota, 106

TOTAL BASES

1 Minnesota, 2319
2 Baltimore, 2282

GIDP

1 Washington, 158
8 Minnesota, 114

HIT BATSMEN

1 Oakland, 63
4 (tie) Minnesota, 43

SACRIFICE HITS

1 California, 75
7 Minnesota, 65

SACRIFICE FLIES

1 Baltimore, 59
6 (tie) Minnesota, 40

INTENTIONAL WALKS

1 Minnesota, 78
2 Oakland, 66

LEFT ON BASE

1 Oakland, 1245
3 Minnesota, 1196

PITCHING STATS

PITCHERS USED

1 Seattle, 25
9 (tie) Minnesota, 15

PITCHERS AGE

1 Oakland, 24.3
12 Minnesota, 28.9

RUNS PER GAME

1 Baltimore, 3.19
4 Minnesota, 3.81

ERA

1 Baltimore, 2.83
3 Minnesota, 3.24

COMPLETE GAMES

1 Detroit, 55
6 Minnesota, 41

TEAM SHUTOUTS

1 (tie) Baltimore, Detroit, 20
9 Minnesota, 8

COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUTS

1 Baltimore, 19
10 Minnesota, 5

SAVES

1 Minnesota, 43
2 (tie) Washington, Boston, 41

INNINGS

1 Minnesota, 1497.2
2 Oakland, 1480.2

HITS ALLOWED

1 Baltimore, 1194
9 Minnesota, 1388

RUNS ALLOWED

1 Baltimore, 517
4 Minnesota, 618

EARNED RUNS ALLOWED

1 Baltimore, 463
4 Minnesota, 539

HOME RUNS ALLOWED

1 Baltimore, 117
3 Minnesota, 119

WALKS ALLOWED

1 Baltimore, 498
4 Minnesota, 524

INTENTIONAL WALKS

1 Kansas City, 36
11 Minnesota, 76

STRIKEOUTS

1 Detroit, 1032
5 Minnesota, 906

HIT BATSMEN

1 New York, 18
7 Minnesota, 38

BALKS

1 New York, 0
2 Minnesota, 1

WILD PITCHES

1 Baltimore, 34
3 Minnesota, 48

BATTERS FACED

1 Baltimore, 5972
10 Minnesota, 6292

ERA+

1 Baltimore, 126
2 Minnesota, 114

FIP

1 Baltimore, 3.38
2 Minnesota, 3.46

WHIP

1 Baltimore, 1.15
5 Minnesota, 1.28

HITS PER 9 INNINGS

1 Baltimore, 7.3
9 Minnesota, 8.3

HOME RUNS PER 9 INNINGS

1 Minnesota, 0.7
3 Baltimore, 0.7

WALKS PER 9 INNINGS

1 Baltimore, 3.0
2 Minnesota, 3.1

STRIKEOUTS PER 9 INNINGS

1 Detroit, 6.4
8 Minnesota, 5.4

STRIKEOUT/WALK RATIO

1 Baltimore, 1.80
3 Minnesota, 1.73

LEFT ON BASE

1 (tie) Seattle, Boston, 1257
5 Minnesota, 1183

BATTING LEADERS

Games

Harmon Killebrew, 162
Leo Cardenas, 160
Cesar Tovar, 158

PLATE APPEARANCES

Killebrew, 709
Tony Oliva, 692
Cardenas, 665

AT BATS

Oliva, 637
Cardenas, 578
Killebrew, 555

RUNS

Killebrew, 106
Tovar, 99
Oliva, 97

HITS

Oliva, 197
Cardenas, 162
Tovar, 154

DOUBLES

Oliva, 39
Rod Carew, 30
Tovar, 25

TRIPLES

Tovar, 5
4 tied at 4

HOME RUNS

Killebrew, 49
Oliva, 24
Rich Reese, 16

RBI

Killebrew, 140
Oliva, 101
Cardenas, 70

STOLEN BASES

Tovar, 45
Carew, 19
Ted Uhlaender, 15

CAUGHT STEALING

Oliva, 13
Tovar, 12
Uhlaender, 9

WALKS

Killebrew, 145
Cardenas, 66
Oliva, 45

STRIKEOUTS

Cardenas, 96
Killebrew, 84
Carew, 72

BATTING AVERAGE

Carew, .332
Reese, .322
Oliva, .309

OBP

Killebrew, .427
Carew, .386
Reese, .362

SLUGGING

Killebrew, .584
Reese, .513
Oliva, .496

OPS

Killebrew, 1.011
Reese, .875
Carew, .853

OPS+

Killebrew, 177
Reese, 139
Carew, 134

TOTAL BASES

Killebrew, 324
Oliva, 316
Cardenas, 224

GIDP

Cardenas, 19
Killebrew, 16
Oliva, 10

HIT BY PITCH

Tovar, 9
Killebrew, 5
Reese, 5

SACRIFICE HITS

Cardenas, 8
Tovar, 7
Carew, 6
Dave Boswell, 6

SACRIFICE FLIES

Cardenas, 9
Oliva, 5
Killebrew, 4
Uhlaender, 4

INTENTIONAL WALKS

Killebrew, 20
Cardenas, 12
Oliva, 12
Johnny Roseboro, 12

WAR

Killebrew, 6.2
Carew, 5.5
Cardenas, 5.1
Oliva, 5.1

PITCHING LEADERS

WINS

Jim Perry, 20
Dave Boswell, 20
Jim Kaat, 14

LOSSES

Kaat, 13
Boswell, 12
Ron Perranoski, 10

WINNING PERCENTAGE*

Perry, .769
Boswell, .625
Dick Woodson, .583

*Al Worthington was 4-1 for a winning percentage of .800

ERA

Perranoski, 2.11
Perry, 2.82
Dean Chance, 2.95

GAMES

Perranoski, 75
Bob Miller, 48
Perry, 46
Al Worthington, 46

STARTS

Boswell, 38
Perry, 36
Kaat, 32

GAMES FINISHED

Perranoski, 52
Worthington, 19
Miller, 15

COMPLETE GAMES

Perry, 12
Kaat, 10
Boswell, 10

SHUTOUTS

Perry, 3
Tom Hall, 2

SAVES

Perranoski, 31
Miller, 3
Worthington, 3
Joe Grzenda, 3

INNINGS

Perry, 261.2
Boswell, 256.1
Kaat, 242.1

HITS ALLOWED

Kaat, 252
Perry, 244
Boswell, 215

RUNS ALLOWED

Kaat, 114
Boswell, 105
Perry, 87

EARNED RUNS ALLOWED

Kaat, 94
Boswell, 92
Perry, 82

HOME RUNS ALLOWED

Kaat, 23
Boswell, 18
Perry, 18

WALKS ALLOWED

Boswell, 99
Kaat, 75
Perry, 66

INTENTIONAL WALKS ALLOWED

Perranoski, 16
Kaat, 15
Perry, 10

STRIKEOUTS

Boswell, 190
Perry, 153
Kaat, 139

HIT BATSMEN

Perry, 9
Kaat, 9
Boswell, 8

BALKS

Grzenda, 1

WILD PITCHES

Boswell, 10
Kaat, 9
Grzenda, 7

BATTERS FACED

Perry, 1079
Boswell, 1070
Kaat, 1048

ERA+

Perranoski, 176
Perry, 131
Chance, 126

FIP

Perry, 3.09
Boswell, 3.14
Perranoski, 3.24

WHIP

Perranoski, 1.15
Perry, 1.19
Boswell, 1.23

HITS PER 9 INNINGS

Perranoski, 6.4
Boswell, 7.5
Chance, 7.7

HOME RUNS PER 9 INNINGS

Perranoski, 0.3
Perry, 0.6
Chance, 0.6
Boswell, 0.6

WALKS PER 9 INNINGS

Perry, 2.3
Miller, 2.4
Kaat, 2.8

STRIKEOUTS PER 9 INNINGS

Worthington, 7.5
Boswell, 6.7
Hall, 5.9

K/W RATIO

Worthington, 2.55
Perry, 2.32
Boswell, 1.95

WAR

Perry, 6.3
Perranoski, 4.5
Boswell, 3.6

Much more information than anyone is interested in regarding where the 1969 Twins ranked in various statistical categories.

Continue reading 1969 Rewind: League Leaders →

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.

CHICAGO 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, October 1.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a home run (his forty-ninth) and two walks.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson pitched two shutout innings, giving up two walks.  Al Worthington pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.  Ron Perranoski pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Bob Christian was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Bobby Knoop was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Bill Melton was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his twenty-third) and a walk, scoring twice.  Billy Wynne pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and four walks and striking out one.  Wilbur Wood pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

The game:  The Twins took an early lead.  With two out and none on in the first, Oliva singled and Killebrew hit a two-run homer to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.  In the second, Christian doubled and Doug Adams singled, putting men on first and third, but Angel Bravo hit into a double play to end the inning.  The White Sox tied it in the fourth, however, as Gail Hopkins led off the inning with a single and Melton followed with a two-run homer.

With two out in the bottom of the fourth Leo Cardenas singled and Dave Boswell walked, but Graig Nettles struck out to end the inning.  In the fifth, Luis Aparicio singled, Melton drew a two-out walk, and Christian hit a two-run double to give Chicago a 4-2 lead.

The Twins got one back in the seventh but missed a chance for more.  With one out, Nettles singled and Rod Carew doubled, putting men on second and third.  Oliva singled home a run to make it 4-3, but Carew was held at third.  Killebrew was intentionally walked to load the bases, pushing Oliva to second with the go-ahead run.  The strategy worked, because Rich Reese popped up and Charlie Manuel grounded out.

The Twins mounted one more threat in the eighth.  George Mitterwald led off with a double-plus-error, reaching third with none out.  But Cardenas hit back to the pitcher, Bob Allison lined to short, and Nettles popped up.  The Twins went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Wynne (7-7).  LP:  Boswell (20-12).  S:  Wood (15).

Notes:  The Twins used what had become their regular lineup for the first time in a while.  Reese was back at first base, his first appearance there since September 24.  Johnny Roseboro was back behind the plate.  They did use some substitutes.  Nettles came in to play left for Uhlaender in the second inning.  Manuel replaced Cesar Tovar in center field in the seventh inning, the only time in his career that Manuel played center field.  George Mitterwald replaced Roseboro in the sixth.

Carew was 1-for-5 and was batting .332.  Reese was 1-for-4 and was batting .320.  Oliva raised his average to .308.  Jim Holt was 1-for-1 and was batting .385.  Perranoski lowered his ERA to 2.12.

It is unusual, certainly, to walk a man with runners on first and third, especially when the man on first is the go-ahead run.  It shows the respect Killebrew was given at the time.  And they walked him to face Reese, who was having an excellent season.  They gained a platoon advantage, but Reese hit left-handers to the tune of .322/.367/.600, which is a pretty good tune.  Of course, this left-hander was the knuckleballing Wood, which may have made a difference.  At any rate, it worked.

This was the last major league game of Doug Adams' career.  It was a short career, as he was a September call-up in 1969 and never got back to the majors again.  I was really hoping to discover that forty-two was a significant number in his career, but sadly that is not the case.  A catcher, he played in 8 games and had 14 at-bats.  His career numbers are .214/.267/.214.  He presumably was considered a good defensive catcher, because he never hit much in the minors, either.  His career minor league numbers are .235/.321/.367.  His minor league career started in 1965 and ended in 1970.

Record:  The Twins were 96-65, in first place in the American League West, nine games ahead of Oakland.  They had clinched first place in the division.

MINNESOTA 4, CHICAGO 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, September 30.

Batting stars:  Leo Cardenas was 3-for-4.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-2.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5.  Jim Holt was 1-for-1 with a home run.  George Mitterwald was 1-for-3 with a home run, his fifth.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Walt Williams was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.  Tommy John pitched six innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and no walks and striking out four.

The game:  The Twins got two-out singles from Cesar Tovar and Oliva in the third, but did not score.  The White Sox got on the board in the fourth.  Williams led off with a single but was replaced on the bases by Luis Aparicio when Aparicio hit into a force out.  A ground out moved him to second and a Bill Melton single gave Chicago a 1-0 lead.

The Twins got the run back in the fourth.  Bob Allison led off with a single and went to second on a fly ball.  With two out, Cardenas delivered an RBI single to make it 1-1.  The Twins missed a chance to take the lead in the fifth, when two-out singles by Oliva and Harmon Killebrew went nowhere, but they went up 2-1 in the sixth when Mitterwald led off the inning with a home run.

The lead didn't even last a half-inning.  The first two White Sox were retired in the seventh, but then singles by Ken Berry, Bobby Knoop, and Ron Hansen loaded the bases and Williams hit a two-run single to make it 3-2 White Sox.

The Twins tied it in the eighth when Holt hit a two-out home run.  In the ninth, Rick Dempsey singled with one out.  Killebrew drew a two-out walk, and Uhlaender ended the game with a single that scored Dempsey.

WP:  Jim Kaat (14-13).  LP:  Danny Murphy (2-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Allison started the game in left field, with Uhlaender on the bench.  Uhlaender pinch-hit in the eighth inning and went to center field.  Cesar Tovar had started the game in center field, but came out of the game when Dempsey entered the game to catch.  George Mitterwald had started the game at catcher, but Graig Nettles pinch-hit for him in the eighth.  Nettles remained in the game in left field.

Cotton Nash started the game at first, with Killebrew on third.  It was his only start of 1969 and one of two starts he made in his major league career.

Frank Quilici was at second base, with Rod Carew on the bench.  Regular catcher Johnny Roseboro was also on the bench.

Holt's home run in the eighth came as a pinch-hitter.  It was the first home run of his major league career.  He hit nineteen homers in his career, eleven of them in 1973, when he was the Twins' mostly-regular left fielder.  He actually did pretty well that season, batting .297/.341/.442.  It was the only good year he had, though.  The Twins traded him to Oakland in August of 1974, and by 1976 he was out of baseball.

It seems strange that Kaat was used for three innings of relief in a meaningless game, especially when the expanded rosters allowed for more pitchers.  I'm sure Kaat was fine with it--from what I've read he'd have pitched every day if they'd let him--but it doesn't seem like it was necessarily the smartest move.

This was the first loss of Danny Murphy's career.  He had come up in the middle of August and pitched really well, going 2-1, 2.01, 1.21 WHIP in 31.1 innings (17 games).  He could not sustain it in 1970, going 2-3, 5.69, 1.26 WHIP, although he did manage to stay with the club all season.  The White Sox traded him to Boston, he was in AAA for all of 1971, and then he was done.  Murphy had actually started his major league career in 1960 as a seventeen-year-old outfielder for the Cubs.  He had been a big star in high school and received a $100,000 bonus from the Cubs--while no source actually says so, I suspect he got caught in the "bonus baby" rule that required him to be in the majors.  He was used as a reserve and clearly wasn't ready, batting .120/.175/.187 in 81 plate appearances.  He played briefly with the Cubs in 1961 and 1962 as well.  He hit well in AA in 1963 and 1964, but struggled when promoted to AAA in 1965.  He made a handful of appearances as a pitcher in 1965 but turned to it full-time in 1966, at age twenty-three.  One has to wonder what would've happened had he been allowed to make a normal progression to the major leagues, but of course we'll never know.

Record:  The Twins were 96-64, in first place in the American League West, nine games ahead of Oakland.  The Twins had clinched first place in the division.

SEATTLE 4, MINNESOTA 1 IN SEATTLE (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Sunday, September 28.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a double.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-4.  Rod Carew was 1-for-4 with a home run, his eighth.

Pitching star:  Bob Miller pitched six innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and no walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Dick Baney pitched eight innings, giving up one run on eight hits and a walk and striking out five.  Ex-Twin Don Mincher was 3-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-fifth), a double, and three RBIs.  Wayne Comer was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Steve Hovley was 2-for-4 with a double.  Tommy Harper was 2-for-4.

The game:  Carew hit a home run with one out in the first to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  Killebrew followed with a double, but Tony Oliva and Graig Nettles struck out to end the inning.  In the second the Twins got singles from Leo Cardenas and Tom Tischinski with one out, but Miller hit into a double play.

The Pilots missed a huge chance in the second.  Singles by Mincher, Hovley, and Jim Pagliaroni loaded the bases with none out.  But ex-Twin Sandy Valdespino hit into a force out at the plate, and Fred Stanley and Baney were caught looking.  Seattle took the lead in the third, though.  With two out, Comer doubled and Mincher hit a home run to give the Pilots a 2-1 lead.

Seattle threatened again in the fourth, getting one-out singles from Valdespino and Stanley, but could do nothing with them.  The Twins meanwhile, could do nothing, period.  They did not get a man past first base in innings three through eight.  In the bottom of the eighth, Comer hit a one-out single, followed by back-to-back doubles by Mincher and Hovley, building the lead to 4-1.  That's where it was when the game ended.

WP:  Baney (1-0).  LP:  Miller (5-5).  S:  Diego Segui (12).

Notes:  Reese remained out of the lineup, with Killebrew at first and Nettles at third.  Cotton Nash replaced Nettles in the fifth inning and went to first base, with Killebrew moving to third.  Cesar Tovar started the game in center but came out in the second inning.  He was replaced by Charlie Manuel, who went to left with Ted Uhlaender moving to center.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate, with Johnny Roseboro on the bench.

Carew was batting .333.  Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .304.  Jim Holt got a pinch-hit single and was batting .364 (4-for-11).

Mincher had a fine year for the Pilots, batting .246/.366/.454 with 25 homers and 78 RBIs and making the all-star team.  He had another fine year for Oakland in 1970, batting ,246/.327/.460 with 27 homers and 74 RBIs.  Oakland traded him to Washington in early May of 1971 and he again put up good numbers, batting .280/.386/.427, although with just 12 home runs.  He became a part-time player in 1972 and retired after that.  He is the only man to play for both Washington Senators franchises and for the two teams they became, the Twins and the Rangers.

This was the first win of Dick Baney's major league career and his only start of 1969.  In 18.2 innings he was 1-0, 3.86 at age 22.  He spent the next three seasons in AAA, not making it back to the majors until 1973 as a September call-up with the Cincinnati Reds.  He again did well, going 2-1, 2.93 in 30.1 innings.  He was with Cincinnati for about four months in 1974 and did not do well, going 1-0, 5.49 in 41 innings.  If you take out two really bad appearances, though, in which he gave up 11 runs in 1.2 innings, his ERA becomes 3.20.  Apparently no one wanted to look at it that way, though, and he never played in the majors again.  He did have a successful career after that, however, first working in his father's contracting business and then working as a real estate investor and property manager.

Record:  The Twins were 95-64, in first place in the American League West, nine games ahead of Oakland.  They had clinched first place in the division.