Tag Archives: 1970 rewind

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-eight

BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, May 12.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 2-for-5.  Brant Alyea was 1-for-4 with a home run, his sixth.

Pitching star:  Stan Williams pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Elrod Hendricks was 4-for-4 with a double.  Don Buford was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Boog Powell was 3-for-5 with two doubles.  Dave Johnson was 2-for-3 with a walk.

The game:  Cesar Tovar led off the first with a triple and scored on a foul out to the first baseman, putting the Twins up 1-0.  Each team got a pair of two-out singles in the second and did not take advantage of them, but the Twins' singles were preceded by an Alyea homer which put the Twins ahead 2-0.

The Orioles got on the board in the fourth when Powell doubled, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on Johnson's single.  They took the lead in the fifth when Mike Cuellar and Buford opened the inning with singles and both scored on Frank Robinson's double.  They increased the lead to 5-2 in the sixth as Johnson drew a one-out walk, Hendricks followed with a single, and Buford hit a two-run triple.

The Twins came back in the seventh.  Minnie Mendoza pinch-hit a single with one out.  Tovar walked, and Carew and Harmon Killebrew hit back-to-back RBI singles to cut the lead to 5-4.  Unfortunately, Carew was then caught stealing home to take the Twins out of the inning.  Jim Holt got a pinch-hit walk in the ninth and got as far as third base with one out, but a double play ended the game.

WP:  Mike Cuellar (4-2).

LP:  Jim Perry (5-2).

S:  Pete Richert (6).

Notes:  Mendoza pinch-hit for Tom Hall in the seventh.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the eighth, with Paul Ratliff coming in to catch.  Holt pinch-hit for Williams in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .336.  Carew was batting .333.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .327.  Alyea was 1-for-4 and was batting .305.  Tovar was 1-for-3 and was batting .301.  Perry gave up three runs in 4.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.80.  Williams had an ERA of 0.98.

Manuel was 0-for-1 and was batting .167.  Mitterwald was 1-for-3 and was batting .192.

Cuellar pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out five.

Hall had made two appearances from April 25--May 9, and now had appeared in back-to-back games, pitching four innings.

This was the only four-hit game Hendricks had in 1970.  He was 1-for-11 in the three games prior to this and went 1-for-12 in the three game after it.

Record:  The Twins were 18-10, in second place in the American League West, one game behind California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-seven

CLEVELAND 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Sunday, May 10.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a double.  Bob Allison was 2-for-4.  Leo Cardenas was 1-for-4 with a home run (his third), a walk, and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Tom Hall struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks.

Opposition stars:  Duke Sims was 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs.  Sam McDowell pitched 8.1 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks and striking out eight.  He also hit a home run.

The game:  In the bottom of the first, Larry Brown reached on an error and scored on a double by Ted Uhlaender, giving the Indians a 1-0 lead.  McDowell homered leading off the third and Sims homered with one out in the fourth to make it 3-0.  Meanwhile, the Twins had only two singles through five innings and only advanced one man as far as second base.

The changed in the sixth when Cardenas got the Twins on the board with a home run.  The Twins' joy was short-lived, however, as with two out in the sixth Vada Pinson walked and Sims followed with a two-run homer, putting Cleveland up 5-1.

The Twins did try to come back.  In the eighth Cardenas walked, Killebrew singled, and Tony Oliva had an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.  In the ninth Allison singled, Rick Renick had a pinch-hit double, and Minnie Mendoza hit a two-run single, cutting the lead to 5-4 and putting the tying run on base with one out.  The Twins could do no more, however, and the game ended with a 5-4 score.

WP:  McDowell (4-3).

LP:  Dave Boswell (0-5).

S:  Rich Hand (2).

Notes:  Allison was at first base in place of Rich Reese.  Frank Quilici was at second in place of Rod Carew.  Mendoza went to second base in the seventh inning as part of a double switch.  Renick pinch-hit for Hall in the ninth.  Carew pinch-hit for Cesar Tovar in the ninth.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Mendoza in the ninth.

Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .345.  Killebrew was batting .330.  Carew was 0-for-1 and was batting .328.  Renick was 1-for-1 and was batting .308.  Brant Alyea was 0-for-4 and was batting .308.  Tovar was 0-for-4 and was batting .300.

Mendoza was 1-for-2 and was batting .154.  Quilici was 0-for-3 and was batting .167.  Mitterwald was 0-for-4 and was batting .186.  Boswell allowed five runs (four earned) in 5.2 innings and had an ERA of 6.17.

This was only Hall's seventh game of the season.  Prior to this game, he had pitched just 1.1 innings since April 24.  I don't know if he was battling an injury, but it doesn't appear that way.  He just was not being used for some reason.

This was the second and last home run of Sam McDowell's career.  The other came in 1967.  He also had seven doubles and two triples.  His lifetime batting numbers are .154/.171/.176.

I find it odd that, with Rod Carew on the bench, Bill Rigney chose to use him in place of Tovar, rather than the light-hitting Mendoza.  Mendoza got a two-run single, so either Rigney knew something I don't or he just got lucky.

The Twins went 6-3 on their nine-game East Division road trip, taking two of three in each series.

Record:  The Twins were 18-9, in first place in the American League West, a half-game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-six

MINNESOTA 5, CLEVELAND 3 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Saturday, May 9.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his sixth), a walk, and a stolen base (his second).  Paul Ratliff was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk.

Pitching star:  Luis Tiant pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Ex-Twin Ted Uhlaender was 3-for-3 with a home run (his second) and two RBIs.  Roy Foster was 1-for-4 with a home run, his third.  Ex-Twin Dean Chance struck out nine in 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits and six walks.

The game:  Uhlaender homered leading off the bottom of the first to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.  The Twins stole three bases in the first three innings, but none of it led to a run, so it was still 1-0 after five.  Tiant led off the sixth with a double and Oliva hit a two-out two-run homer to give the Twins the lead 2-1.

Rich Reese led off the Twins seventh with a walk.  He was still there with two out, but Chance then walked Ratliff, Tiant, and Cesar Tovar to force in a run and make it 3-1.  The Twins scored no more in the inning, however, as Mike Paul came in and got Rod Carew to ground out.

It cost the Twins, as Cleveland tied it in the eighth.  Foster led off with a home run, cutting the lead to 3-2.  Jack Heidemann then tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, tying it 3-3.  In the ninth, however, Leo Cardenas walked and Ratliff hit a two-run homer, putting the Twins on top 5-3.  Tony Horton got a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth and went to second on a passed ball, but could advance no farther.

WP:  Ron Perranoski (1-1).

LP:  Dennis Higgins (0-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Jim Holt was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Frank Quilici replaced Harmon Killebrew at third base in the ninth.

Tiant was 1-for-2 and was batting .438.  Oliva took over the team batting lead at .346.  Rod Carew was 0-for-5 and was batting .333.  Killebrew was 0-for-4 and was batting .322.  Tovar was 1-for-3 and was batting .311.  Tiant had an ERA of 2.81.  Perranoski gave up one run in two innings and had an ERA of 1.99.

Holt was 0-for-4 and was batting .160.

The two teams combined to go 1-for-14 with men in scoring position, with the lone hit being Oliva's two-run homer.

Ex-Twin Graig Nettles was not off to a good start with his new club, batting just .132 at this point.

Jack Heidemann was the starting shortstop for Cleveland, the one year he was a regular.  He was found wanting, batting just .211/.265/.292.  He started more games than anyone else for the Indians in 1971 as well, but it was only 81.  By 1972 Frank Duffy was the starter and Heidemann was back in the minors, playing just ten games in the bigs.  He continued to get chances in the majors through 1977, but could never hit well enough to stick.

Record:  The Twins were 18-8, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.  As early as it was in the season, it still had to be a little frustrating for the Angels to win four in a row and five of six and not be able to gain on the Twins.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-five

MINNESOTA 7, CLEVELAND 6 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Friday, May 8.

Batting stars:  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a double.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with a stolen base (his eighth) and two runs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his ninth) and two walks.  George Mitterwald was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.

Pitching star:  Stan Williams pitched 3.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Vada Pinson was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Larry Brown was 2-for-4.  Roy Foster was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his second.

The game:  In the first Brown singled and Pinson tripled, putting the Indians up 1-0.  In the third, Jim Kaat and Tovar singled and Carew hit a two-run single-plus-error, putting the Twins up 2-1.  The Twins then got two walks, loading the bases with two out, but did not score again in the inning.

In the bottom of the third Cleveland started the inning with three singles, loading the bases, but could only score on a sacrifice fly, tying the score 2-2.  The Twins took the lead back in the fifth when Carew singled and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer.  The Twins put men on second and third with one out in the sixth, but failed to add to their lead.

It cost them, as the Indians went back in front in the sixth.  Pinson doubled and Tony Horton hit an RBI single, making it 4-3.  Ray Fosse singled, and with one out Foster hit a three-run homer, giving Cleveland a 6-4 advantage.

But in the eighth, Bob Allison led off with a single and Mitterwald hit a two-run homer, tying it 6-6.  With one out Tovar singled, stole second, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a Tony Oliva single to put the Twins ahead to stay.  Cleveland did not get a baserunner after the Foster homer.

WP:  Williams (3-0).

LP:  Barry Moore (3-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Allison was at first base in place of Rich Reese.  Reese replaced him at first in the eighth inning.  Jim Holt replaced Brant Alyea in right field in the ninth inning.

Carew was batting .365.  Oliva was 1-for-5 and was batting .346.  Killebrew was batting .327.  Alyea was 1-for-4 and was batting .324.  Tovar was batting .311.  Williams had an ERA of 1.10.  Kaat gave up five runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.86.

Allison was 1-for-3 and was batting .154.  Mitterwald was batting .197.

The first five men in the Twins' batting order were all over .300.  Two of the next three were below .200.

Cardenas was 7-for-16 and 14-for-37, raising his average from .191 to .263.

Cleveland's starter, Moore, pitched 7.2 innings, allowing seven runs on eleven hits and six walks and striking out seven.

This was Foster's rookie year.  He batted .268/.357/.468 with twenty-three home runs and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Thurman Munson.  Foster actually had the better offensive year--Munson batted .302, but had just six homers and had an OPS of .801 to Foster's .824.  That was as good as it would get for Foster, though.  In 1971 he batted just .245/.314/.439 with eighteen homers.  In 1972 he lost his starting job to Alex Johnson and Buddy Bell, and he never got back to the majors after that.

Record:  The Twins were 17-8, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-four

MINNESOTA 9, DETROIT 6 IN DETROIT

Date:  Thursday, May 7.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, his eighth.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his fifth), a walk, a stolen base, and three runs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a stolen base (his second), and two runs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Willie Horton was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.  Dick McAuliffe was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Bill Freehan was 1-for-4 with a home run, his third.

The game:  Cesar Tovar led off the game with a single and Oliva hit a two-run homer to give the Twins the early lead.  In the second, singles by Jim Holt and Paul Ratliff were followed by an RBI ground out to make it 3-0.  In the fourth Oliva reached on a fielder's choice, went to second on a Killebrew single, and scored on Reese's single to make it 4-0.  In the seventh, walks to Carew and Oliva were followed by Killebrew's three-run homer to increase the lead to 7-0.

Meanwhile, Twins starter Jim Perry had allowed just one hit over six innings.  Why then, you ask, is he not listed as a "pitching star"?  Well, in the seventh, McAuliffe led of with a walk and Dalton Jones singled.  With one out, Norm Cash got the Tigers on the board with an RBI double.  Horton then followed with a two-run triple, cutting the lead to 7-3.  Ron Perranoski then came into the game, but Horton scored on an error, dropping the lead to 7-4.

The Twins bounced back with a two-out rally in the eighth.  Tovar walked and scored on a Carew double.  Oliva singled, moving Carew to third, and the two of them then pulled off a double steal of second and home to make the score 9-4.

Detroit did not quit.  In the bottom of the eighth McAuliffe singled and Al Kaline reached on an error, putting men on first and second with two out.  Mickey Stanley delivered an RBI single to make it 9-5.  Horton singled to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate, but Jim Northrup grounded out to end the threat.  Freehan hit a home run in the ninth to round out the scoring, but the Tigers did not get the tying run to bat again.

WP:  Perry (5-1).

LP:  Joe Niekro (3-2).

S:  Perranoski (8).

Notes:  Holt was in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Mitterwald pinch-hit for Ratliff in the fifth and went behind the plate.  Frank Quilici replaced Killebrew at third base in the seventh.

Carew was batting .362.  Oliva was batting .354.  Killebrew was batting .337.  Tovar was 1-for-3 and was batting .303.  Perry allowed four runs (three earned) in 6.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.50.  Perranoski allowed two runs (one earned) in 2.2 innings and had an ERA of 1.74.

Holt was 1-for-5 and was batting .190.  Mitterwald was 0-for-3 and was batting .194.

Future Twin Niekro lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and no walks and striking out four.  He was not the knuckleballing Joe Niekro at this stage of his career, but was more a conventional pitcher.

Perranoski had now pitched nine innings in the last seven games, appearing in five of them.

Carew was back, having missed two weeks and thirteen games.  His batting picked up right where it left off.

I don't know if McAuliffe quite qualifies as a "Twins killer", but in 1970 he batted .295/.415/.455 against them.  That's pretty good, especially when for the season he batted .234/.358/.345.  The only team against who he did better in 1970 was Milwaukee--.297/.422/.486.  For his career he batted ,267/.348/.453 against the Twins with 23 home runs.  I remember McAuliffe as primarily a singles hitter, but my memory is faulty.  He hit double figure home runs in ten consecutive seasons and hit over twenty three times, with a high of twenty-four in 1964.  He finished with 197 home runs.

The Twins had now taken two of three from Baltimore and two of three from Detroit on their eastern trip.  They next travel to Cleveland for the last leg of their journey.

Record:  The Twins were 16-8, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-three

DETROIT 5, MINNESOTA 2 IN DETROIT

Date:  Wednesday, May 6.

Batting stars:  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-2 with two walks.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his seventh.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Al Kaline was 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs.  Jim Northrup was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Ken Szotkiewicz was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Les Cain pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits and six walks and striking out two.

The game:  The Tigers took the lead in the first inning.  Dick McAuliffe led off the inning with a single.  With one out, Kaline walked and Norm Cash delivered an RBI single.  With two out, Northrup and Bill Freehan each singled in a run, making it 3-0 Detroit.

The Twins put two men on with one out in the second, the third, and the fifth but each time a double play took them out of the inning.  They also hit into a double play in the fourth and the sixth, making five consecutive innings in which they hit into a double play.  I don't know the record for the most consecutive innings hitting into a double play, but five can't be too far off of it.

It stayed 3-0 until the sixth, when Szotkiewicz homered to make it 4-0.  In the seventh Kaline walked and scored on Willie Horton's double to make it 5-0.

The Twins finally got on the board in the eighth.  Cardenas walked and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer.  But the Twins did not get a man on base after that.

WP:  Cain (1-1).

LP:  Dave Boswell (0-4).

S:  None.

Notes:  Bob Allison was again at first base in place of Rich Reese.  Frank Quilici remained at second in the absence of Rod Carew.

Rick Renick pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh and Minnie Mendoza pinch-hit for Boswell in the seventh.  Mendoza remained in the game at second base as part of a double switch.  Carew pinch-hit for Steve Barber in the ninth.

Carew was 0-for-1 and was batting .349.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .347.  Brant Alyea was 1-for-3 and was batting .329.  Killebrew was batting .316.  Cesar Tovar was 0-for-4 and was batting .302.

Mendoza was 0-for-1 and was batting .091.  Allison was 0-for-4 and was batting .100.  Quilici was 0-for-1 and was batting .179.  Boswell gave up four runs in six innings and had an ERA of 6.48.

This was one of three career home runs for Szotkiewicz.  It gave him three RBIs for the series.  As you may recall, he had nine for his career, which means he had one-third of his career RBIs in two games against the Twins.

Les Cain was a rotation starter from 1970-1971.  This was the better year--12-7, 3.84.  In both seasons he had a WHIP of 1.47, mainly because he walked 5.4 batters per nine innings.  He walked six in this game.  He also got five double plays in this game, which makes me think he might have induced a lot of ground balls.  That would be explain why he was able to stay in the rotation for two years despite the walks.

Record:  The Twins were 15-8, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-two

MINNESOTA 8, DETROIT 5 IN DETROIT

Date:  Tuesday, May 5.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a triple, two runs, and six RBIs.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a home run (his sixth), a walk, and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Luis Tiant pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on two hits and nine (!) walks and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Twins pitchers issued thirteen walks.

Opposition stars:  Ken Szotkiewicz was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.  Dick McAuliffe was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his fourth) and three walks.  Al Kaline was 1-for-5 with a home run (his fourth).

The game:  The Twins took the early lead, as Cesar Tovar led off with a walk and Oliva hit a two-run homer.  The Tigers loaded the bases on three walks in the first and did it again in the second, but did not score either time.  In the third, Cardenas hit a one-out double and Oliva hit a two-out single to put the Twins ahead 3-0.

Detroit got on the board in the fourth.  Szotkiewicz got the first Tiger hit of the game, a single, and McAuliffe hit a two-run homer, cutting the lead to 3-2.  The Twins got the run back with interest in the fifth.  With one out, singles by Tovar and Cardenas and a walk to Killebrew loaded the bases.  Oliva followed with a bases-clearing triple, making the score 6-2.  Rich Reese delivered a two-out-single to make it 7-2.

Detroit threatened in the seventh with two walks, but did not score.  Killebrew homered in the bottom of the seventh, moving the lead to 8-2.  In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers loaded the bases again, this time getting two walks and a single.  Szotkiewicz hit a two-run single to cut the margin to 8-4, but Elliott Maddox struck out to end the inning.  Kaline homered in the eighth to close out the scoring.  Detroit got two on in the eighth after the Kaline homer, and got two more on in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate with two out, but Don Wert flied out to end the game.

WP:  Tiant (5-0).

LP:  Mickey Lolich (4-3).

S:  Perranoski (7).

Notes:  Bob Allison was at first base in place of Reese.  Frank Quilici remained at second in the continuing absence of Rod Carew.  Reese pinch-hit for Allison in the fifth and stayed in the game at first base.  Jim Holt replaced Brant Alyea in left in the seventh.  Minnie Mendoza replaced Killebrew at third base in the ninth.

Oliva took over the team batting lead at .352.  Alyea was 0-for-4 and was batting .328.  Killebrew was batting .320.  Tovar was 1-for-4 and was batting .315.  Tiant had an ERA of 2.86.  Stan Williams gave up his first earned run of the season in 1.1 innings and had an ERA of 0.71.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.50.

Allison was 0-for-1 and was batting .167.  Quilici was 0-for-4 and was batting .184.  Reese was 1-for-2 and was batting .191.  Mitterwald was 1-for-4 and was batting .193.

Lolich pitched 4.1 innings, giving up seven runs on six hits and three walks and striking out four.  In his two games against the Twins, he had given up twelve earned runs in ten innings.  In his six other starts, he had given up nine earned runs in fifty-two innings.

Twins pitchers walked thirteen Tigers, but amazingly, only two of them scored.  Detroit was 2-for-11 with men in scoring position and stranded fifteen runners.  They had twenty baserunners in nine innings, and managed to score only five of them.

This was the only year of Ken Szotkiewicz' career, and 22.2 percent of his career RBIs (two of nine) came in the seventh inning of this game.  An infielder, he batted .107/.216/.226 in 84 at-bats.  The Twins had actually drafted him in the first round of the secondary phase of the June draft in 1967, but he did not sign.  He had not played above AA, and only had 116 at-bats there, before making the Tigers at the start of the 1970 season.  Surprisingly, he stayed all year as a backup shortstop.  The regular was Cesar Gutierrez, who only batted .243/.275/.299.  Szotkiewicz had not hit much in his limited time in the minors, and would not hit much after he was sent back down in 1971.  The only good offensive season he had came in 1974, when he was a twenty-seven year old in AA.  Presumably he was considered a good defender.

The usage of Perranoski continues to be interesting.  You remember that, in April he had appeared in five of six games, pitching 9.2 innings.  He then got five days off.  Now, he has appeared in four of five games, pitching 6.1 innings.

Record:  The Twins were 15-7, in first place in the American League West, 1.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-one

MINNESOTA 4, BALTIMORE 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Sunday, May 3.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched eight innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks and striking out one.  Ron Perranoski pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Merv Rettenmund was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Paul Blair was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his eighth.  Jim Palmer struck out eleven in a complete game, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk.

The game:  There wasn't even a baserunner until the bottom of the third, when Dave Johnson walked.  The next two men went out, but Rettenmund hit an RBI double and Mark Belanger followed with a run-scoring single, making it 2-0 Orioles.

It stayed 2-0 until the sixth.  Frank Quilici led off the inning with a single and Cesar Tovar doubled with one out, putting men on second and third.  They were still there with two out.  Oliva then hit a ground ball to second.  Johnson booted it, then threw it away, making two errors on the same play and allowing both runners to score, tying it at 2-2.

The Orioles put men on second and third in the seventh, but did not score.  Rettenmund homered leading off the eighth, putting Baltimore up 3-2.  Oliva singled with one out in the ninth, and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer, giving the Twins their first lead of the game at 4-3.  Baltimore went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Kaat (4-1).

LP:  Palmer (3-2).

S:  Perranoski (6).

Notes:  Quilici remained at second base in the continuing absence of Rod Carew.  Paul Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Pitcher Steve Barber pinch-ran for Brant Alyea in the ninth.  Mitterwald then went behind the plate as part of a triple switch, with Jim Holt going to left and Perranoski replacing Ratliff in the batting order.

Alyea was 0-for-3 and was batting .349.  Oliva was batting .333.  Killebrew was batting .324.  Tovar was 1-for-4 and was batting .318.  Kaat had an ERA of 2.40.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.62.

Rich Reese was 0-for-4 and was batting .182.

Alyea was now 0-for-10 in May, with his average going from .415 to .349.

After getting five days off, Perranoski had now appeared in three out of four games, pitching five innings.

Rettenmund was batting leadoff for the Orioles.  I don't think of him as a leadoff-type batter, but he stole 13 bases in 1970.  More important to Earl Weaver, I'm sure, is that he batted .322 with an OBP of .394.  He was basically a utility outfielder in 1970, playing 44 games in center, 36 in right, and 30 in left.

Having taken two out of three from Baltimore, the Twins would now continue their eastern trip with three in Detroit.

Record:  The Twins were 14-7, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 4, BALTIMORE 2 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Saturday, May 2.

Batting star:  George Mitterwald was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks and striking out six.  Ron Perranoski pitched two shutout innings, giving up two walks.

Opposition stars:  Boog Powell was 2-for-3 with a home run (his sixth) and a walk.  Frank Robinson was 2-for-3 with a walk.

The game:  The Orioles loaded the bases with one out in the first when Terry Crowley walked, Frank Robinson singled, and Powell walked.  They only got one run out of it, on a sacrifice fly, but they took a 1-0 lead.  The Twins took that lead away from them in the second when Tony Oliva singled and Mitterwald hit a two-run homer, making it 2-1 Twins.

Baltimore got a pair of two-out singles in the third, and the Twins got a man on third with one out in the sixth, but there was no more scoring until the bottom of the sixth when Powell homered, tying it 2-2.

The Twins took control in the eighth.  Pinch-hitter Minnie Mendoza hit a one-out single and Leo Cardenas hit a two-out single.  Harmon Killebrew then delivered an RBI double to put the Twins up 3-2.  Oliva was intentionally walked to load the bases and Brant Alyea was hit by a pitch to make it 4-2 Twins.  The Orioles did not get a hit after that.

WP:  Perry (4-1).

LP:  Mike Cuellar (3-2).

S:  Perranoski (5).

Notes:  Bob Allison was at first base in place of Rich Reese.  Frank Quilici remained at second base in the absence of Rod Carew.

Mendoza was pinch-hitting for Perry in the eighth.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for Allison in the eighth.  Reese replaced Mendoza and went to first base.  Holt remained in the game and went to left field.

Alyea was 0-for-3 and was batting .367.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .328.  Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .325.  Tovar was 1-for-3 and was batting .321.  Perry had an ERA of 2.25.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.72.

Mendoza was 1-for-1 and was batting .100.  Holt was 0-for-1 and was batting .188.  Mitterwald was batting .189.  Quilici was 0-for-4 and was batting .194.  Reese was 0-for-1 and was batting .194.

Cuellar pitched 7.2 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out three.

This game is an example in favor of the current trend of taking pitchers out before they get into trouble, rather than waiting until they do.  Cuellar pitched seven strong innings, but the Twins finally got to him in the eighth.

Record:  The Twins were 13-7, in first place in the American League West by percentage points, but tied with California in games.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Nineteen

BALTIMORE 9, MINNESOTA 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Friday, May 1.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-3 with a home run (his third), a double, a walk, and three runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Pitching star:   Steve Barber pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Dave Johnson was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Terry Crowley was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs.  Brooks Robinson was 2-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch and two runs.  Dick Hall pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out two.

The game:  The Twins scored first, as Tovar opened the game with a single, went to third on Killebrew's double, and scored on Oliva's single.  The Orioles loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on three walks but did not score.  Tovar homered in the third to make it 2-0.

It was pretty much all Baltimore from there.  In the bottom of the third Crowley singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Robinson's single to cut the lead to 2-1.  In the fourth Clay Dalrymple walked, Dave McNally doubled, and Crowley hit a three-run homer to put the Orioles up 4-2.  Two singles and a sacrifice fly made it 5-2 in the fifth.

The Twins got one back in the sixth when Tovar and Killebrew walked and Oliva delivered an RBI single.  Baltimore then put it out of reach in the seventh.  An error an a hit batsman put men on first and second, Johnson doubled home a run, an intentional walk loaded the bases, and Dave May hit a three-run triple to make it 9-3.

WP:  McNally (4-1).

LP:  Dave Boswell (0-3).

S:  Hall (1).

Notes:  Frank Quilici remained at second base in the absence of Rod Carew.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the sixth, with Tom Tischinski going behind the plate.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for the pitcher in the seventh.  Bob Allison replaced Brant Alyea in the eighth as part of a double switch.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Tischinski in the ninth.  Minnie Mendoza pinch-hit for Quilici in the ninth.

Alyea was 0-for-4 and was batting .386.  Killebrew was batting .333.  Ratliff was 0-for-1 and was also batting .333.  Oliva was batting .325.  Tovar was batting .321.  Bill Zepp allowed a run in two innings and had an ERA of 2.70.  Stan Williams allowed four runs, but they were all unearned, leaving his ERA at zero.

Mitterwald was 0-for-2 and was batting .167.  Rich Reese was 0-for-3 and was batting .193.  Dave Boswell allowed four runs in four innings and had an ERA of 6.75.

McNally pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks and striking out seven.

Boswell hurt his arm in game two of the 1969 ALCS.  I couldn't quickly find what the injury was, and I don't have time now to look more, but he was obviously not healed from it, and it appears never really would be.  He stayed in the rotation through the end of July, but had only two games with a game score over fifty.

We've already seen a few three-inning (or more) saves.  Back then, a lot of managers believed in leaving a pitcher in the game as long as he was pitching well.  The theory was that you only take him out if he's in trouble, rather than taking him out before he gets into trouble.

Record:  The Twins were 12-7, in first place in the American League West based on winning percentage, but tied in games with California.