NEW YORK 3, MINNESOTA 1 IN NEW YORK

Date:  Friday, May 23.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 3-for-4 with a double.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his sixth.

Pitching stars:  Tom Hall pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk and striking out three.  Bob Miller pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Mel Stottlemyre pitched a complete game, giving up one run on nine hits and a walk and striking out three.  Bobby Murcer was 2-for-4.

The game:  Another game of missed opportunities for the Twins.  Uhlaender and Charlie Manuel got one-out singles in the second, but a double play ended the threat.  An error and a Rod Carew single put men on first and third with two out in the third, but a ground out ended the inning.

The Yankees had their first scoring threat in the fourth, and they cashed it in.  Joe Pepitone delivered a two-out single, driving home Murcer with the first run of the game.   The Twins tied it in the sixth, but it really was yet another missed opportunity.  Carew led off with a double and Tony Oliva singled, putting men on first and third with none out.  Harmon Killebrew hit into a double play, scoring the run but killing the rally.

The Yankees went into the lead to stay in the seventh.  Billy Cowan led off with a single and Frank Fernandez drew a one-out walk.  Bill Robinson then had an RBI double, ending Hall's day and bringing in Miller.  He intentionally walked Bobby Cox, but Stottlemyre foiled the plan with a sacrifice fly, making it 3-1.  The Twins did not get a man past first after that.

WP:  Stottlemyre (7-3).  LP:  Hall (2-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Cesar Tovar was at third base, with Killebrew at first.  Manuel was in left field.

Carew raised his average to .393.  Manuel was 1-for-4 and raised his average to .326.  Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .300.

Miller's ERA fell to 1.80.

The Twins had nine hits and a walk, but scored only one run.  They had eight singles and one double.  They hit into three double plays and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.  The one hit was Oliva's sixth-inning single, which did not produce a run.

The Twins had lost seven out of eight games.  They had scored nineteen runs in those eight games, eight of them in one game.

In their defense, the Twins continued to face some good pitchers.  Mel Stottlemyre pitched mostly in the Horace Clarke Era of Yankee baseball, so he only got into the post-season once, in 1964, which was his rookie season.  Despite playing for some bad Yankee teams (it feels so good to write the phrase "bad Yankee teams"), he won 21 games in 1968 and 20 in 1969.  He also lost 20 games in 1966 and led the league in losses in 1972 with 18 despite posting an ERA of 3.22.  He led the league in complete games twice, with 18 in 1965 and 24 in 1969.  He made the all-star team five times.  His career won-lost record is 164-139, but his career ERA is 2.97.  He pitched for eleven seasons and does not appear to have lost anything in his last season, 1974, but he tore his rotator cuff and in 1974 there was not a lot that could be done about that.  It's hard to feel sorry for a Yankee, and obviously it's not like he's had a tragic life or anything.  But still, had Stottlemyre not torn his rotator cuff, or had he come up to the Yankees in just about any other era, he might well be in the Hall of Fame.

Record:  The Twins were 20-16, in second place in the American League West, one game behind Oakland.

BALTIMORE 6, MINNESOTA 2 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Thursday, May 22.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk and striking out five.  Bob Miller retired all four men he faced.

Opposition stars:  Frank Robinson was 3-for-4 with a home run (his twelfth), scoring twice and driving in two.  Marcelino Lopez pitched five shutout innings of relief, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out three.  Dick Hall pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk.  Ed Watt pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.

The game:  It was another game of missed opportunities for the Twins.  It started well, as their first five batters reached base.  Uhlaender singled, Carew walked, Oliva and Harmon Killebrew delivered RBI singles, and Charlie Manuel walked.  Five batters into the game, the Twins led 2-0 and had the bases loaded with none out.  And that was all the runs they would get for the game.  Baltimore starter Jim Hardin was removed after the first four batters.  Lopez came in and walked Manuel, but Graig Nettles was caught looking and Leo Cardenas hit into a double play.

For a while it looked like that might be enough.  The Orioles put two on with two out in the second but did not score.  The Twins put men on first and third with none out in the third but did not score.  Baltimore had the bases loaded with two out in the fourth but did not score.  So the score was still 2-0 through five.

Robinson put the Orioles on the board in the sixth, leading off the inning with a home run.  Boog Powell followed with a double but was stranded, so the Twins still led 2-1.  The Twins missed another chance to add to the lead in the seventh.  They started the inning with two singles and a walk but lost a runner on the base paths and a Killebrew double play ended the inning.

It all fell apart in the bottom of the seventh.  After Mark Belanger led off with a double, Perry was replaced by Ron Perranoski, and for the first time all season Perranoski simply didn't have it.  They didn't pound the ball, but Don Buford, Paul Blair, and Robinson all singled, giving Baltimore a 3-2 lead.  A run scored on a ground out, Elrod Hendricks and Brooks Robinson each walked, and Dave Johnson hit a two-run single that made the score 6-2.  Miller came in to retire Belanger on a ground out to end the inning, but the damage had been done.  The Twins did not get a man past first base after that.

WP:  Hall (3-1).  LP:  Perranoski (3-2).  S:  Watt (4).

Notes:  Carew raised his average to .381.  Manuel was 1-for-3 with a walk and was batting .333.  Oliva raised his average to .301.  Johnny Roseboro was 1-for-2 and was batting .300.

Perranoski's ERA jumped from 0.59 to a still good 1.74.  Miller's ERA fell to 2.04.

In the fourth, Roseboro beat out a bunt single and was forced at second.  He was replaced by George Mitterwald in the bottom of the inning, so one assumes he was injured, or at least shaken up a little.  He would be back in the lineup the next day.

The Twins had eleven hits and three walks, but only scored two runs.  Ten of the hits were singles, with the other being a double.  They stranded ten and were 2-for-9 with men in scoring position.  They hit into two double plays.

Nettles started at third base but was pinch-hit for in the third inning by Cesar Tovar.  It gained a platoon advantage, but it seems very early in the game to use a pinch-hitter.  Men were on first and third with one out--perhaps Billy Martin was getting frustrated with the missed opportunities.  It didn't work, as Tovar struck out.

With one out and a man on third in the seventh, Hall intentionally walked Oliva to bring up Killebrew.  It makes some sense, but I suspect there weren't too many times in Killebrew's career that the batter in front of him was intentionally walked.  It worked, as Harmon hit into a 5-4-3 double play.

One wonders if Hardin had something wrong with him, only pitching to four batters, or if Earl Weaver just had that quick of a hook.  Hardin had struggled in April, but pitched quite well in three appearances (two starts) in May.  He would not pitch again until June 8, though, making one think there may have been a physical problem involved.

Record:  The Twins were 20-15, in second place in the American League West, one game behind Oakland.

BALTIMORE 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Wednesday, May 21.

Batting stars:  Johnny Roseboro was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with two doubles.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 and scored twice.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Bob Miller pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Frank Robinson was 3-for-4 with a double.  Boog Powell was 2-for-4.  Don Buford was 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs.  Pete Richert struck out three in two perfect innings.

The game:  An error, a single, and a force out plated a run for the Twins in the top of the first.  The Twins had the bases loaded with one out in the second, but Cesar Tovar fouled out and Tony Oliva flied to left.  The Orioles also had the bases loaded with one out in the second, but after a Tom Phoebus strikeout, Buford delivered a two-run single to put the Orioles up 2-1.

The Twins wasted a leadoff double by Harmon Killebrew in the third.  It cost them again, because Baltimore added to its lead in the bottom of the third.  With one out Robinson doubled and scored on a Powell single to make the score 3-1.

The Twins cut into the lead in the fifth, but again missed a chance for more.  They had men on second and third with one out, but a Charlie Manuel sacrifice fly was all the damage they could do, making the score 3-2.  In the bottom of the fifth, Paul Blair doubled and scored on Robinson's single to put the Orioles up 4-2.

Ted Uhlaender had an RBI single in the sixth to cut the margin to 4-3, but they again missed a chance for more.  They had the bases loaded with one out again, but Oliva hit into a forceout at home and Killebrew struck out.

The Twins again threatened in the eighth, but again came up empty.  Johnny Roseboro walked and Rich Reese delivered a pinch-hit single, putting men on first and second with none out.  Uhlaender struck out, however, and Tovar hit into a double play to end the inning.  The Twins went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Phoebus (5-0).  LP:  Dave Boswell (4-5).  S:  Richert (4).

Notes:  Tovar was at second base, replacing Rod Carew.  Carew was out of the lineup for the second straight game but again entered the game as a substitute, this time as a pinch-hitter.  He would be back in the lineup the next day.

Manuel was in left field, with Graig Nettles at third base and Harmon Killebrew at first.  Reese was used as a pinch-hitter, his first appearance since May 14.  He would pinch-hit again in the next game, but then would be out until May 30 and would not start again until June 9.

Boswell pitched just 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski faced just one man, Powell, and got him to hit into a double play, dropping his ERA to 0.59.  Miller had his ERA fall to 2.25.

Jerry Crider made his major league debut in this game.  He came in with the Twins trailing 4-2, men on first and second, and one out.  He struck out Andy Etchebarren and got Brooks Robinson out on a liner to left.  This would be his only season with the Twins.  He would go 1-0, 4.71 with one save in 21 games.  He would appear in 32 games for the White Sox in 1970, but that would be it for his major league career.  He was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  As a youth, he pitched on three South Dakota state champion American Legion teams and also pitched Humboldt, South Dakota to its only state amateur baseball championship before signing with the Twins.

Tom Phoebus wasn't in the McNally/McLain/Lolich class, but he was still a fine pitcher for four seasons, 1967-1970.  Over those seasons, he was 48-36, 3.10 in 123 starts.  It looks like he must have been injured in 1970, however, as he made only 21 starts despite posting a 3.07 ERA.  I could not quickly find what the injury was, but it looks like a turning point in his career.  He never had a good year again.  He was traded to San Diego before the 1971 campaign and went 3-11, 4.46.  He was sold to the Cubs in early 1972 and had a good year out of the bullpen for them, but that was the end of his career.  For four years, though, he was a fine pitcher.

Record:  The Twins were 20-14, in second place, in the American League West, a half game behind Oakland.

MINNESOTA 3, BALTIMORE 2 IN BALTIMORE (13 INNINGS)

Date:  Tuesday, May 20.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-5 with a home run, his ninth.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched twelve innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on eight hits and four walks and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Dave McNally pitched seven innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks and striking out four.  Dave Johnson was 2-for-5.  Paul Blair was 1-for-6 with a home run, his ninth.

The game:  The Orioles put men on first and third with two out, but did not score.  The Twins got the scoring started in the fourth inning when Killebrew hit a two-out home run to put them up 1-0.

After Frank Robinson's two-out single in the third, Kaat retired eleven men in a row.  It would've been twelve, but Brooks Robinson reached on an error charged to third baseman Rick Renick.  It would prove costly.  Johnson singled and was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double, but Robinson went to third.  Andy Etchebarren was intentionally walked, but Curt Motton delivered a pinch-hit single to tie the score.

The teams combined to get zero hits from Motton's single until the bottom of the twelfth, when pitcher Marcelino Lopez got a two-out bunt single.  In the thirteenth the Twins put together consecutive one-out singles by Frank Quilici, Graig Nettles, and Ted Uhlaender to go ahead 2-1.  Kaat was allowed to bat for himself and came through with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

Baltimore wasn't done, as Blair led off the bottom of the thirteenth with a home run to cut the margin to 3-2.  That brought in Perranoski, who retired the side on three consecutive ground outs to end the game.

WP:  Kaat (3-2).  LP:  Lopez (0-1).  S:  Perranoski (8).

Notes:  It was an interesting lineup that Billy Martin used.  Oliva was apparently not ready to play yet, so Cesar Tovar led off and played right field.  Rich Reese was still out, so Killebrew was at first base and Renick at third.  George Mitterwald caught in place of Johnny Roseboro.  Frank Quicili was at second base in place of Rod Carew.

Another interesting move is that Graig Nettles entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-hitter for Renick and took over at third base.  That's not the interesting part--the interesting part is that when the Twins got the lead in the thirteenth, Carew entered the game at second base and Quilici moved over to third in place of Nettles.  Now, Nettles is remembered as a great defensive third baseman.  Perhaps in 1969 he wasn't that great, or perhaps Quilici was better than I realize.

As we've discussed before, b-r.com doesn't give pitch counts for games in 1969, so I have no idea how many Kaat threw.  I wonder, though, when the last time is a pitcher went twelve innings in a game.  It has to be a day or two ago.

Kaat lowered his ERA from 3.42 to 2.88.  Perranoski dropped his ERA to 0.61.

The Twins really had a run in which they faced great pitchers.  McNally, Denny McLain, Mickey Lolich, and now McNally again.  Those guys would put anybody in a batting slump.

One of the things we've lost with today's deep bullpens and short benches is professional pinch-hitters.  We've already talked about Gates Brown--Curt Motton was another one.  In 1969 he was used as a pinch-hitter 33 times, going 8-for-28 with five walks.  He hit two pinch-hit home runs and had an OPS as a pinch-hitter of .930.  Oddly, and I guess showing the vagaries of small sample size, this was the only good year he had as a pinch-hitter.  He never topped a .200 batting average as a pinch-hitter in any other season, and his career numbers are .168/.276/.305 in 153 pinch-hitting appearances.  When he did play the field he was an outfielder, usually in left, but he appeared in only 144 games in the outfield in an eight-year major league career.

Record:  The Twins were 20-13, in second place in the American League West, a half game behind Oakland.

DETROIT 8, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, May 18.

Batting star:  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two stolen bases (his third and fourth), and a hit-by-pitch.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Mickey Lolich pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on four hits and six walks and striking out six.  Dick McAuliffe was 3-for-5 with a triple and a double, scoring four times.  Mickey Stanley was 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs.  Al Kaline was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Jim Northrup was 2-for-5 with a double.  Tommy Matchick was 2-for-5.  Bill Freehan was 2-for-5.  Lolich was 2-for-5.

The game:  A pair of singles and a ground out put the Tigers on the board 1-0 in the first.  The Twins threatened in the second, loading the bases with one out, but pitcher Dave Boswell hit into a double play.  Detroit stretched the lead to 2-0 in the third when McAuliffe tripled and scored on a Kaline double.

This time, however, the Twins would not be shut out.  In the bottom of the third, Tovar led off with a single, was balked to second, and stole third.  Rod Carew walked.  With Harmon Killebrew up to bat, Carew and Tovar pulled off a double steal of second and home to cut the lead to 2-1.  With Killebrew still up to bat, Carew first stole third and then stole home, tying the score 2-2.

Both teams put two men on in the fourth but did not score.  In the sixth, the Tigers went into the lead to stay.  With two on and two out, Stanely blooped a two-run double to right field.  Tony Oliva was apparently injured trying to field the ball, as Charlie Manuel came in to replace him.  McAuliffe had an RBI single and Kaline walked, chasing Dave Boswell from the game.  Joe Grzenda came in and walked Norm Cash to load the bases, then balked home a run, making the score 6-2.

The Tigers added a single run in the seventh on Lolich's RBI single and another in the eighth when Northrup singled home a run.  The Twins did not threaten again and did not a hit after the third inning.

WP:  Lolich (5-1).  LP:  Boswell (4-4).  S:  None.

Notes:  Oliva would miss a couple of days, but would be back in the lineup May 21.

Tovar was in left field for this game.  The Twins really didn't have a regular left fielder in 1969.  Bob Allison played there the most, but he only had 58 games at the position.  Graig Nettles was there for 53, Ted Uhlaender 44, Manuel 41, and Tovar 40.  Others to play left briefly were Rick Renick (8), Rich Reese (5), George Mitterwald (2), Jim Holt (1), and Cotton Nash (1).

Renick was again at third base, with Killebrew at first and Reese still out.  Mitterwald was the catcher in place of Johnny Roseboro.

Carew was 0-for-3 and was batting .377.  Manuel was 0-for-1 and was batting .361.

I would think it has to be extremely rare for a team to pull of two steals of home in the same inning.  Maybe it happened occasionally in the dead ball era, I don't know.  But given how rarely even one steal of home happens, two in the same inning has to be really unusual.

Twins starter Boswell pitched 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on twelve hits and a walk.  He did strike out six.

The Twins weren't generating much offense, but they were also facing some really good pitchers.  First McNally, then McLain, now Lolich.  Lolich was perhaps not quite as good as the other two, but was still a fine pitcher.  He made the all-star team for the first time in 1969, going 19-11, 3.14, 1.20 WHIP.  That was the first of six consecutive seasons in which he pitched over 270 innings.  In the last four of those seasons he pitched over 300 innings, with a high of 376 in 1971.  In 1971-1972 he went 47-28, 2.73, 1.11 WHIP.  He made 86 starts and pitched 703.1 innings.  He made the all-star team both seasons but did not win the Cy Young award, finishing second to Vida Blue (24-8, 1.82) in 1971 and third behind Gaylord Perry (24-16, 1.92) and Wilbur Wood (24-17, 2.51) in 1972.  He was with the Tigers through 1975, pitched for the Mets in 1976, and was in the San Diego bullpen in 1978-1979.

Record:  The Twins were 19-13, in second place in the American League West, 1.5 games behind Oakland.

DETROIT 6, MINNESOTA 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, May 17.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a double.  Charlie Manuel was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Ron Perranoski pitched a scoreless inning, walking two.  Bob Miller pitched a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Denny McLain pitched a complete game shutout, giving up eight hits and a walk and striking out four.  Tommy Matchick was 2-for-3.  Gates Brown was 2-for-4 and scored twice.  Norm Cash was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fourth.

The game:  The Tigers opened the scoring in the top of the first, as Mickey Stanley walked, stole second, and scored on Cash's single.  Detroit broke the game open in the fourth, starting the inning with five consecutive singles that produced three runs and drove Dean Chance from the game.

The Twins threatened in the fourth.  With one out Harmon Killebrew singled and Charlie Manuel doubled, putting men on second and third.  Graig Nettles struck out, however, and Leo Cardenas fouled to the catcher to end the inning.  It would be the Twins' lone threat.

Cash led off the fifth with a home run to make the score 5-0.  There was no more scoring until the eighth, when singles by Brown and Jim Northrup were followed by a Don Wert sacrifice fly.

WP:  McLain (6-3).  LP:  Chance (3-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  The Twins had eight hits and a walk, but the fourth was the only time they had two men on base at the same time.  You can truly say that McLain "scattered" eight hits.

Manuel was in left field and Nettles was at third base.  Killebrew was at first, with Rich Reese remaining out of the lineup.

Carew raised his average to .387.  Manuel raised his average to .371.  Nettles was 1-for-4 and was batting .311.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .306.  Ted Uhlaender was 0-for-3 with a walk and was batting .300.

Chance gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk and struck out one.  His ERA was still a fine 2.26.  Joe Grzenda struck out two in two innings, giving up one run on one hit.  His ERA was 2.66.  Perranoski lowered his ERA to 0.33.  Miller dropped his ERA to 2.45.

The Twins had been shutout in consecutive games, but it came at the hands of a couple of really good pitchers.  First it was Dave McNally, here it was McLain.  Arm problems, probably due to overuse, cut McLain's career short, but for two seasons, 1968-1969, he was the best pitcher in baseball.  In those two seasons he was 55-15, 2.37, 1.00 WHIP.  He led the league in innings pitched in both of those seasons, throwing an astonishing 661 innings.  In 82 starts he had 51 complete games.  He won the Cy Young award in both of those seasons and was the MVP in 1968, when he won 31 games.  He never had a good year after 1969 and was only able to stay in the rotation for a full season once more, in 1971, when he went 10-22 and led the league in losses for Washington.  For two years, though, he was the best there was.

Record:  The Twins were 19-12, in second place in the American League West, a game behind Oakland.

BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, May 15.

Batting star:  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-4.  This was the Twins' only hit.

Pitching star:  He barely qualifies, but Jim Kaat pitched six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Dave McNally pitched a complete game shutout, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out six.  Andy Etchebarren was 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk, driving in two.  Boog Powell was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.  Merv Rettenmund was 2-for-5 with a stolen base, his second.

The game:  With two on and two out in the second, Etchebarren delivered a two-run triple to put the Orioles up 2-0.  In the third, Paul Blair was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on Powell's single to make it 3-0.

Meanwhile, the Twins could do nothing against McNally.  Their first baserunner came in the fifth, when Leo Cardenas drew a two-out walk.  In the top of the seventh, Mark Belanger singled, was sacrificed to second, and scored on a Rettenmund single to make the score 4-0.

The Twins got another baserunner in the seventh on another two-out walk, this time by Tony Oliva.  He again did not advance past first base.  Baltimore scored another run in the eighth when Frank Robinson tripled and scored on Powell's sacrifice fly.

The Twins' lone hit came with one out in the ninth, when Tovar singled.  He was erased when Rod Carew hit into a game-ending double play.

WP:  McNally (6-0).  LP:  Kaat (2-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Tovar was in center field, replacing Ted Uhlaender.  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese out of the lineup.  Tom Tischinski was given the start behind the plate.  It was his first major league start, and he got to face McNally in his prime.  Billy Martin didn't exactly do him a favor there.

Carew went 0-for-4 and was batting .383.  Oliva was 0-for-2 with a walk and was batting .317.  Cardenas was 0-for-2 with a walk and was batting .304.

I don't remember Rettenmund as a base stealer, but he stole sixty-eight of them in his career.  He would have six in 1969.  His career high was fifteen, in 1971.  He was 68-for-96, a percentage of .708.

Had things happened differently, Dave McNally could've had a Hall of Fame career.  From 1965-1973 (except for 1967, when he was injured), McNally was as good a pitcher as anyone, but he didn't always have the gaudy win totals to show for it.  He won twenty or more games for four straight years (1968-1971), going 87-31 over that span.  But here are some of his other years:  11-6, 2.85; 13-6, 3.17; 13-17, 2.95; 17-17, 3.21.  With better luck and/or run support, he could easily have won twenty games eight times.  In 1974 he was still pretty good, going 16-10, 3.58.  His WHIP, however, was 1.32, the first time it had been over 1.30 since 1964.  The Orioles traded him to Montreal after the 1974 season.  He did not do well for the Expos and retired after making just twelve starts in 1975.  He was only thirty-two, but he had a chain of successful automobile dealerships and decided it was time to devote himself to them.  McNally was, however, a part of a legal action (along with Andy Messersmith) after that season which resulted in an arbitrator ruling that the reserve clause was illegal, opening the way for players to become free agents.  For his career, Dave McNally was 184-119, 3.24, 1.21 WHIP in parts of fourteen seasons.  He was an all-star three times, was in the top four in Cy Young voting three times, and received MVP votes four times.  He passed away on December 1, 2002 in his home town of Billings, Montana.

It's the middle of May, and the Twins have played just thirty games.  I have a feeling some doubleheaders are coming up.

Record:  The Twins were 19-11 and dropped to second place in the American League West, a half game behind Oakland.

BALTIMORE 9, MINNESOTA 8 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, May 14.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer (his sixth) and a walk, scoring twice.  Ted Uhlaender was 3-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Joe Grzenda pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.  Ron Perranoski pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Paul Blair was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his seventh and eighth) and five RBIs.  Tom Phoebus was 2-for-4 with a double.  Brooks Robinson was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Boog Powell was 2-for-5.

The game:  The Orioles scored five runs on just three hits in the second inning.  A walk and an error opened the inning and Robinson followed with a two-run double.  With one out, Phoebus delivered an RBI double to make it 3-0.  Then, with two down, Blair hit a two-run homer.  All the damage came off starter Dick Woodson.

The lead went to 6-0 in the fourth, as Blair hit another home run, this time off Charlie Walters.  The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Uhlaender singled and Oliva hit a two-run homer, making the score 6-2.

Baltimore appeared to put the game out of reach in the fifth.  A walk, a single, and a walk loaded the bases with one out.  Bob Miller relieved Walters and struck out Phoebus, but Belanger had an RBI single and Blair came through again, this time with a two-run single.  The Orioles led 9-2.  The Twins got one back in the bottom of the fifth when Rich Reese doubled and eventually scored on a ground out, but it was still 9-3 going to the eighth.

In the eighth, though, the Twins got back into the game.  With one out Uhlaender singled, Rod Carew doubled, and Oliva walked to load the bases.  Harmon Killebrew struck out, but Charlie Manuel singled home two runs, Graig Nettles doubled home one, and Leo Cardenas delivered a two-run single, cutting the margin to 9-8.  Pinch-hitter Tom Tischinski singled to put men on first and third, but Cesar Tovar grounded out to end the inning.

The Twins threatened again in the ninth.  Uhlaender led off the inning with a single and Oliva had a one-out single, putting men on first and third.  Ed Watt came in and got Killebrew to pop up to first base, however, and Manuel flied to center to end the game.

WP:  Phoebus (4-0).  LP:  Woodson (1-1).  S:  Watt (3).

Notes:  Manuel was the starting left fielder.  Nettles made a rare appearance at third base, coming in to start the seventh.  Killebrew, who had been at third, moved to first, with Reese coming out of the game.  Reese may have been injured somehow--he would not play again until May 21.

Carew was 1-for-5 to "drop" his average to .398.  Manuel was 1-for-5 and was batting .355.  Oliva raised his average to .322.  Nettles was 1-for-2 and was batting .316.  Cardenas was 1-for-4 and was batting .309.  Uhlaender raised his average to .308.

Miller, despite giving up hits that produced three runs, was not charged with any himself, so his ERA went down to 2.70.  Grzenda's ERA was 2.45.  Perranoski had his ERA sink to 0.34.

Tischinski's pinch-hit in the eighth was his first major league hit.  He had not hit much in the minors, so using him as a pinch-hitter for Johnny Roseboro seems really strange.  It's even stranger when you realize that, as a right-handed batter, he was sent up rather than the lefty-batting Roseboro to face right-hander Dick Hall.  All you can say in defense of the move is that it worked.  This was one of just twenty-one hits Tischinski had in the majors.

Woodson had just pitched an inning of relief on May 11.  We'll never know whether that contributed to his poor performance, but it probably didn't help.

I don't really think of Paul Blair as a home run hitter, but he hit 134 of them in a career that included parts of seventeen seasons.  1969 was his most prolific home run season, as he swatted twenty-six of them.  His next highest total was eighteen in 1970.  He made the all-star team for the only time of his career in 1969.  He won eight Gold Gloves, however, and was well-known as an excellent defensive center fielder.  Oddly, given the twenty-six home runs, and given that he played for Earl Weaver, he led the league in sacrifice hits in 1969 with thirteen.

Record:  The Twins were 19-10, tied for first in the American League West with Oakland, although they led in winning percentage .655 to .645.

MINNESOTA 4, BALTIMORE 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, May 13.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer (his third) and two runs.  Bob Allison was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Dave Boswell struck out thirteen in 8.2 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks.

Opposition stars:  Dave Johnson was 2-for-4.  Mike Cuellar pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out five.

The game:  The Orioles played small ball in the first inning, with Don Buford drawing a walk, Paul Blair getting a bunt single, and Boog Powell delivering a one-out RBI single to give Baltimore a 1-0 lead.  The Twins put men on first and third with one out in the bottom of the first, but Tony Oliva grounded into a double play to end the inning.  The Twins got two-out singles from Oliva and Allison in the fourth, but George Mitterwald hit into a force out to end that threat.

The Twins got on the board in the sixth.  Carew got a bunt single, his second bunt single of the game.  Harmon Killebrew walked.  With two out, Allison singled to tie the score 1-1.

The Orioles threatened in the seventh.  Elrod Hendricks and Johnson singled to open the inning, and Mark Belanger bunted them to second and third.  Boswell struck out Cuellar and Buford, however, and the inning ended.  Baltimore did get the lead in the eighth, though.  Frank Robinson was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a ground out.  With two down, it appears that Boswell missed a return throw from Mitterwald, and that his error allowed Robinson to score and give the Orioles a 2-1 lead.

The Twins went into the lead to stay in the bottom of the eighth.  Cesar Tovar led off with a single and Carew followed with an inside-the-park home run to center field that gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead.  With two out, Allison walked and his pinch-runner, Ted Uhlaender, stole second.  Leo Cardenas then singled him home for an insurance run.

Boswell nearly got the complete game, but with two out in the ninth he walked Mark Belanger.  Dave May was announced as a pinch-hitter, prompting Billy Martin to bring in Ron Perranoski.  Merv Rettenmund then pinch-hit for May and flied out to center to end the game.

WP:  Boswell (4-3).  LP:  Cuellar (3-4).  S:  Perranoski (7).

Notes:  Tovar was in center field, replacing Uhlaender.  Rick Renick played third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Rees sitting out.  Mitterwald caught in place of Johnny Roseboro.

Carew raised his average to .408.  Cardenas was 1-for-4 and was batting .311.  Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .307.

Boswell's ERA was 2.68.  Perranoski had an ERA of 0.36.

The Twins had a lot of guys on the roster who could play third base.  Killebrew was the primary third baseman, of course.  But there was also Frank Quilici, who was used as Killebrew's defensive replacement in games in which the Twins had a late lead.  Graig Nettles, who was usually used in left field in 1969, was really a third baseman, and there was also Renick.  In addition, Tovar could also play third base.    The Twins also used Ron Clark at third base for two games.

Back when teams had deep benches, using a pinch-hitter for pinch-hitter was a common strategy.  A pinch-hitter would be announced, the defense would change pitchers to gain a platoon advantage, and the offense would pinch-hit for the pinch-hitter to get the platoon advantage back.  The pitcher, of course, had to stay in the game at that point.  As I said, this was common back in the day.  I don't remember the last time I've seen it, though.  Teams just don't have enough guys on the bench to do it any more.

Record:  The Twins were 19-9, tied with Oakland for first place in the American League, although ahead on winning percentage.