Tag Archives: 1970 rewind

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eight

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 6, OAKLAND 3 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Sunday, April 19.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-3 with a stolen base (his third) and two walks.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a double, and four RBIs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski struck out two in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Rick Monday was 2-for-4 with a double.  Dick Green was 2-for-4.  Reggie Jackson was 1-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Mudcat Grant pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

The game:  The Twins started the scoring in the third inning, when Perry singled, Tovar walked, and Rod Carew hit an RBI single.  A sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Twins.  In the fourth, Reese led off with a single and Alyea hit a two-run homer to increase the Twins' lead to 4-0.

The Athletics got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Monday doubled, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on a ground out.  In the sixth, however, Harmon Killebrew singled, Reese doubled, and Alyea delivered a two-run double to make it 6-1.

Oakland loaded the bases in the sixth but did not score.  In the seventh, Green singled and Jackson followed with a two-run homer to cut the lead to 6-3.  But the Athletics had just one single after that, and the Twins went on to victory.

WP:  Perry (3-0).

LP:  Chuck Dobson (0-3).

S:  Perranoski (2).

Notes:  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the sixth and stayed in the game in left field.  Frank Quilici replaced Killebrew at third base in the seventh.

Alyea raised his average to .458.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .400.  Holt was 0-for-1 and was batting .375.  Carew was 1-for-5 and was batting .371.  Tovar was batting .324.

Reese got his average into triple digits at .160.

Perry had an ERA of 1.44.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.25.

I mentioned yesterday the rarity of the four-inning save.  I has to be rarer still to get a four-inning save and then get a two-inning save the very next day.  I don't have time to research that, but it would be cool if someone did.

It's also probably rare for a team to use two pitchers, and have each pitcher have the same first four letters of their last name.

Dobson pitched five innings, allowing six runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out five.  His ERA for the young season was 9.22.  He would get straightened out--he would go 16-15, 3.74, and lead the league is starts (40) and shutouts (5).  Those were the only times he ever led the league in anything, but he was a fine pitcher until an elbow injury derailed his career after the 1971 season.

Oakland used three ex-Twins:  Don Mincher, Grant, and Jim Roland.

Record:  The Twins were 6-2, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Seven

MINNESOTA 11, OAKLAND 5 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Saturday, April 18.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 5-for-5 with two runs.  Tony Oliva was 4-for-5 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-6 with two doubles and two runs.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4.  Rick Renick was 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a double.

Pitching star:  Ron Perranoski pitched four innings of relief, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Roberto Pena was 3-for-4.  Ex-Twin Don Mincher was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his second and third) and five RBIs.

The game:  The Twins got another first inning run, as Tovar doubled, went to third on a Carew single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  But this time the Athletics came back with three in the bottom of the first.  Felipe Alou led off with a double, Bob Johnson drew a one-out walk, and Mincher hit a two-out three-run homer to make it 3-1 Oakland.

The Athletics started the second with two singles, but did not score.  In the fourth, the Twins came roaring back.  Oliva doubled, Alyea singled, and Leo Cardenas walked, loading the bases.  With one out, Renick hit a grand slam to put the Twins ahead 5-3.  It did not kill the rally.  The Twins got three singles and a walk and did not score, thanks to Tovar getting thrown out on the bases, but Oliva then delivered a two-run single and Alyea had an RBI single, making it 8-3 Minnesota.

Oakland tried to get back into it in the fifth.  Rick Monday singled and Bob Johnson doubled, but Monday was thrown out trying to score.  It hurt them, as Mincher hit a two-out two-run homer to cut the lead to 8-5.

The Twins put it away in the sixth.  Tovar led off with a double and Carew singled him to third, with Carew taking second on a throw home.  Harmon Killebrew then hit a sacrifice fly double play, with Tovar scoring but Carew thrown out going to third, making the score 9-5.  Oliva then singled and scored on an error to make it 10-5.  The Athletics put their first two men on in the sixth but did not score.  The Twins added one more run in the eighth on singles by Carew, Oliva, and Jim Holt.

WP:  Luis Tiant (1-0).

LP:  Al Downing (1-1).

S:  Perranoski (1).

Notes:  Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Reese replaced Killebrew in the eighth inning.  Holt replaced Alyea in left field in the sixth inning.

Oliva was batting .438.  Alyea was batting .429.  Holt was 1-for-1 and was also batting .429.  Carew was batting .400.  Renick was batting .333.  Killebrew was batting .300.  I know it's only the seventh game of the season, but it still seems unusual to have three regulars batting .400.

Tiant allowed five runs in five innings.  He gave up eight hits and one walk and struck out four.  His ERA was 6.75.

A three-inning save is not very common, so I have to think the four-inning save is even more unusual.

Downing was not even as good as Tiant, lasting just 3.1 innings and also allowing five runs on six hits and a walk.  He struck out five.

Rollie Fingers came into the game in the fourth inning.  He was only twenty-three in 1970, and even though he had led the team in saves in 1969 Oakland apparently had still not decided what to do with him.  He would start 19 games and relieve in 26 in 1970.  He was much better as a reliever:  2-1, 2.17, 1.11 WHIP, versus 4-8, 4.50, 1.33 WHIP as a starter.  He would start only ten more games after this season, eight of them in 1971.

In addition to Mincher, ex-Twin Mudcat Grant came into the game, also in the fourth inning.  He faced two men, giving up one hit.

Record:  The Twins were 5-2, in first place in the American League West based on winning percentage, but a half game behind California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Six

OAKLAND 5, MINNESOTA 2 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Friday, April 17.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, his second.

Pitching stars:  Bill Zepp struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.  Stan Williams pitched two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Roberto Pena was 3-for-4.  Felipe Alou was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Bob Johnson was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Dave Duncan was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Catfish Hunter struck out nine in a complete game, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks.

The game:  The Twins again jumped out to an early lead.  Tovar led off with a single and Oliva hit a one-out two-run homer to put the Twins up 2-0.

But that was as good as it got for the Twins.  The Athletics threatened in the bottom of the first when Bert Campaneris singled and stole second, but he was thrown out trying to score on a Rick Monday single.  Oakland got two hits in the second but did not score.  The Twins had two on in the fourth but did not score.

In the bottom of the fourth, Johnson led off with a homer, Pena hit a one-out single, and Duncan followed with a two-run homer to put the Athletics up 3-2.  In the fifth, Alou and Johnson singled and a wild pitch put men on second and third with one out.  A sacrifice fly scored one and Pena singled home another, making it 5-2.

The Twins had men on first and third with one out in the seventh, but a short fly ball and a strikeout ended the threat.  They did not threaten again.

WP:  Hunter (2-1).

LP;  Jim Kaat (1-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the seventh and stayed in the game at catcher.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for the pitcher in the seventh.

Brant Alyea was 0-for-4 and was batting .412.  Oliva raised his average to .370.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-3 and was batting .333.

Zepp and Williams each had an ERA of zero, as did Tom Hall, who struck out the only man he faced.

Kaat started but pitched just 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk.  He struck out four.

Rich Reese was 0-for-3 and was batting .095.

Steve Barber allowed two runs in 1.1 innings and had an ERA of 5.40.

Zepp, as we'll see, was actually an important pitcher for the Twins in 1970.  He appeared in 42 games, starting 20 of them, and went 9-4, 3.22.  It was the only good year he had in the majors.  After the season, he would be traded to Detroit for Mike Adams and a player to be named later (Arthur Clifford, who never made the majors).  He would appear in 16 games for the Tigers in 1971, and never pitch again after that.  It appears that he needed Tommy John surgery, but since the procedure was still new he decided not to risk and retired instead.

Record:  The Twins were 4-2, tied for first place with California based on winning percentage, but a half game behind the 6-3 Angels.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Five

CALIFORNIA 3, MINNESOTA 2 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Thursday, April 16.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk.  Brant Alyea was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Tom Hall struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.  Stan Williams pitched two shutout innings, walking one and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Aurelio Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a triple.  Joe Azcue was 2-for-4.  Rudy May pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and five walks and striking out six.  Ken Tatum struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  Each team had two on in the first.  Rodriguez hit a two-out triple in the second.  The Twins had two on in the third and again in the fourth.  But there was no scoring until the bottom of the fourth.  Jay Johnstone led off with a double, Roger Repoz walked, and Azcue got an infield single to load the bases.  An error brought home one run, a double brought home another, and Sandy Alomar's RBI single made it 3-0.

The Twins got a man to second in the fifth and in the sixth but did not score.  The Angels opened the sixth with two singles but did not score.  In the eighth Killebrew singled and scored on Oliva's triple.  Alyea walked, putting the tying run on base, but Leo Cardenas hit into a double play.  A run scored, making it 3-2, but there was no one on and a strikeout ended the inning.  Charlie Manuel hit a one-out single in the ninth but never moved past first base.

W:  May (1-0).

L:  Dave Boswell (0-1).

S:  Tatum (2).

Notes:  Rick Renick and Manuel were used as pinch-hitters for pitchers.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the eighth and stayed in the game in left field.  Jim Kaat was used as a pinch-runner for Manuel in the ninth.

Alyea was batting .538.  Killebrew was batting .400.  Oliva was batting .348.  Mitterwald was 0-for-4 and was batting .300.

Rich Reese was 0-for-3 and was batting .111.

Hall and Williams each had an ERA of zero.

Boswell pitched 3.2 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks and striking out two.  His ERA was 2.45.

There were plenty of missed opportunities on both sides.  Each team stranded nine men.  The Twins were 0-for-10 with men in scoring position.  California was 2-for-10 in those situations.

It was the first time all season the Twins played on back-to-back days, and also their first loss.

Ken Tatum was the Angels' closer (to the extent closers were a thing at that time) in 1969 and 1970.  He did very well in that role, but was traded over the off-season to Boston in a trade for Tony Conigliaro.  He was never a closer again, although he did pick up thirteen more saves to give him a career total of 52.  The story goes that he was never the same pitcher after breaking Paul Blair's nose with a pitch, but that happened on May 31 of 1970 and he was still a pretty good pitcher the rest of that season.  He was involved in trades for some pretty big names for that era.  In addition to Tony Conigliaro, he was also involved in a trade that included Reggie Smith, Bernie Carbo, and Rick Wise.  After baseball, he became a school administrator in the Birmingham area and later retired there.

Aurelio Rodriguez has all the vowels in his first name.  It would be really cool if there was a player named Aurelio Figueroa.

Record:  The Twins were 4-1.  By percentage points, there were in first place in the American League West, but they were a half-game behind the 6-2 Angels.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Four

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 8, CALIFORNIA 2 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Wednesday, April 15.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 1-for-2 with a grand slam (his third homer) and a walk.  Leo Cardenas was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-5 with a home run.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out five.

Opposition stars:  Jay Johnstone was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Alex Johnson was 2-for-4 with a stolen base.

The game:  The Angels put two on with two out in the first, but nothing came of it.  They broke through in the fourth, though.  Johnson singled and stole second.  Johnstone had an infield single and Roger Repoz grounded out, bringing Johnson home for a 1-0 Angels lead.

That changed in the sixth.  The Twins had managed only one hit through the first five innings, but Tovar led off the sixth with a home run to tie it 1-1.  Rod Carew reached on a two-base error and scored on Tony Oliva's single to put the Twins up 2-1.  Harmon Killebrew walked, Rich Reese was hit by a pitch, and Alyea hit a grand slam to make it 6-1 Twins.  The grand slam did not kill the rally, although it did knock starter Andy Messersmith from the game.  Mel Queen came in and gave up a single to George Mitterwald and a two-run homer to Cardenas to increase the lead to 8-1.

That was pretty much it.  Jim Fregosi hit a one-out double in the sixth but was stranded at second.  Johnstone led off with a homer in the seventh to make it 8-2.  But that was the last baserunner California got, and it ended 8-2.

W:  Perry (2-0).

L:  Messersmith (2-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Jim Holt replaced Alyea in left field in the sixth.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the seventh and stayed in the game at third base.

Alyea was batting .600.  Carew was 1-for-5 and was batting .375.  Mitterwald was 1-for-4 and was batting .375.  Oliva was 1-for-5 and was batting .350.  Quilici was 0-for-1 and was batting .333.  Holt was 0-for-1 and was batting .333.  Killebrew was 1-for-3 and was batting .308.

Perry had an ERA of 1.00.

Reese was 0-for-3 and was batting .133.

Alyea must have been endearing himself to Twins fans with that kind of start.  6-for-10 with three home runs and eleven RBIs.  Hard to do much better than that.

I wonder, though, if Alyea was a butcher in the field.  In all three of those games he was replaced for defense with Holt.  It's a long time ago, of course, and to be honest I don't understand defense stats very well.  But I certainly don't recall Holt being regarded as some sort of defensive wizard.  I don't doubt that he might have been better than Alyea--I'm just thinking that might have been a low bar, sort of like when Pedro Munoz replaced Gene Larkin for outfield defense under Tom Kelly.

The Twins did not keep to their one-day-on, one-day-off schedule.  Instead, they had three days off before their fourth game.  I assume it was some combination of bad weather and planned off days.

It's very early, obviously, but this was a matchup between the first and second place teams in the division.

Wally Wolf pitched a scoreless ninth for the Angels.  It was one of 7.2 major league innings that he pitched.  2.1 of them were in 1969 and 5.1 in 1970.  He would appear in three more major league games one in April and two in May.  He had basically topped out in AA--his career AAA numbers are 1-12, 6.66, 1.81 WHIP in 104 innings.  He had a strong AA season in 1969, which got him a September call-up and a chance to open 1970 in the majors, but that was as good as it would get for him.  1970 was his last professional season.  But, hey, he got 7.2 major league innings, which is 7.2 more than I'll ever get.

Record:  The Twins were 4-0, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Three

2 Comments

MINNESOTA 8, OAKLAND 2 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Saturday, April 11.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits and one walk and striking out seven.

Opposition stars:  Sal Bando was 1-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.  Reggie Jackson was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Jim Roland pitched 2.2 innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk and striking out two.  Roberto Rodriguez pitched two perfect innings and struck out one.

The game:  The Twins again scored early and often.  Tovar led off with a single and stole second.  He was still there with two out, but then a circus broke out.  Harmon Killebrew reached on an error, scoring Tovar.  Rich Reese reached on an error, putting men on first and second.  Then came a passed ball-plus-error, scoring Killebrew to put the Twins up 2-0.

In the second Leo Cardenas drew a one-out walk, Tovar hit a two-out single, Carew was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Tony Oliva delivered a two-run single to make it 4-0.  In the third, Jim Holt singled and George Mitterwald walked.  Leo Cardenas bunted to move the runners to second and third for Kaat.  An unusual strategy, bunting in front of the pitcher, but it worked as Kaat hit a two-run single to make it 6-0.  Carew hit a two-run single to increase the lead to 7-0.  The Twins added one more in the fifth when Cardenas singled, Kaat reached on a bunt-plus-error to put men on second and third, and a ground out brought the run home.

Meanwhile, the Athletics did not advance a man past first base through five innings.  Singles by Bob Johnson and Bert Campaneris opened the sixth, but Rick Monday hit into a double play and Felipe Alou struck out to end the inning.  Oakland finally got on the board when Bando homered with one out in the seventh.  They got another run in the ninth when Jackson hit a two-out homer.  But that was all they got, and it ended 8-2.

W:  Kaat (1-0).

L:  Blue Moon Odom (1-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Holt was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Frank Quilici replaced Killebrew at third base in the seventh.

Carew was batting .455.  Mitterwald was 0-for-3 and was batting .417.  Holt was 1-for-4 and was batting .400.  Oliva was 1-for-5 and was batting .400.  Quilici was 0-for-1 and was batting .400.  Kaat was 1-for-3 and was batting .333.  Killebrew was 0-for-3 and was batting .300.  I love having fun with early-season batting averages.

Rich Reese was 0-for-3 and was batting .167.

Kaat had an ERA of 2.00.

I think I forgot to put the dates on the first couple of games, but the Twins had been playing every other day.  Their first two games were on April 7 and 9.  I don't know if that was planned off days, rainouts, or one of each.

I don't remember, and I don't want to look ahead far enough to check, but I suspect we'll find that Alyea and Holt were platooned, at least to an extent.

Roland, of course, is a former Twin.

Roberto Rodriguez came up with the Athletics in 1967, when they were still in Kansas City.  He went 1-1, 3.57 in 40.1 innings.  He then went to AAA for two seasons and did not pitch very well.  He started 1970 with Oakland and posted a 2.92 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 12.1 innings.  The Athletics were apparently not impressed, as they sent him to San Diego in late May "as part of a conditional deal".  He put up a 6.61 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP in 16.1 innings there, and in late June the Padres sent him back to Oakland "as part of a conditional deal", meaning he was essentially traded for himself.  That same day, though, the Athletics traded him to the Cubs for Don Young.  He wasn't very good there either, posting a 5.82 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 43.1 innings.  He pitched in AAA through 1974 and then went to the Mexican League for 1975, and then was done with organized ball.  He apparently went to the Venezuelan Winter League for several years, though, and pitched very well.  He was inducted into the Venezuelan Hall of Fame in 2011.  He was an instructor at a baseball academy in Nicaragua for several years before passing away from a heart attack in 2012.

Record:  The Twins were 3-0, tied for first based on percentages, but a half game behind California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Two

MINNESOTA 6, CHICAGO 4 IN MINNESOTA

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a home run and a double.  George Mitterwald was 3-for-4.  Frank Quilici was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Luis Tiant pitched 4.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks and striking out four.  Steve Barber pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Bill Melton was 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  Luis Aparicio was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Gene Rounsaville pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

The game:  The Twins again jumped out to a first-inning lead.  Carew hit a one-out double and Killebrew hit a two-run homer to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.  It went to 3-0 in the second, as Brant Alyea reached on an error and scored on Mitterwald's single-plus-error.

The White Sox had two on in the first, second, and third, but did not score.  The Twins had two in the fourth and fifth but did not score.  In the bottom of the fifth, Walt Williams walked, Aparicio doubled, Carlos May hit an RBI ground out, and Melton drove in a run with a double, cutting the lead to 3-2.  The Twins got the runs back in the sixth, though.  Mitterwald singled, Leo Cardenas doubled, and pinch-hitter Charlie Manuel was intentionally walked, loading the bases with none out.  A 1-2-3 double play looked like it might take the Twins out of the inning, but Quilici delivered a two-run single to put the lead back to three runs at 5-2.

The Twins had two on with one out in the seventh, but a double play ended the inning.  In the bottom of the seventh, singles by Aparicio, Carlos May, and Melton cut the lead to 5-3.  Chicago had men on first and second with none out, but could do no more.  In the eighth, however, two walks and a bunt put men on second and third with one out.  Aparicio flied out, May was intentionally walked, and Melton again delivered, getting an infield single.  Duane Josephson scored on the hit, but Bobby Knoop was thrown out trying to score from second, ending the inning and preserving the 5-4 lead.

Oliva homered in the ninth to make it 6-4.  Syd O'Brien drew a two-out walk to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Josephson flied out to end the inning.

W:  Stan Williams (1-0).

L:  Joel Horlen (0-1).

S:  Barber (1).

Notes:  Quilici went to second in the fourth, replacing Rod Carew.  Presumably Carew was ill or injured.  There's nothing in the printed play-by-play that reveals how he would've gotten hurt.

Manuel pinch-hit for Williams in the sixth.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the seventh and stayed in the game in left field.  Minnie Mendoza replaced Killebrew at third base in the ninth.

Alyea was 1-for-4 and was batting .625.  Mitterwald was batting .556.  Oliva and Quilici were each batting .500.  Carew and Killebrew were each batting .429.  Williams and Barber each had an ERA of zero.

Cesar Tovar was 0-for-5 and was batting .100.  Ron Perranoski allowed two runs in two innings and had an ERA of 9.00.

It was an interesting decision in the eighth to intentionally walk Carlos May to pitch to Melton.  They gained a platoon advantage, but they also put the go-ahead run on base.  It didn't work, as Melton singled.  I gather the infield single must have deflected off shortstop Leo Cardenas to second baseman Quilici, as the out went 6-4-2.  Another possibility is that it was a slow roller, Cardenas tried and failed to get a forceout at second base, and Knoop tried to catch the Twins by surprise by trying to score from second.

This was the major league debut for "not the" Steve Barber.  It was one of two career saves he had, the other coming in an extra-inning game in June.  I don't know how many pitchers have gotten a save in their major league debut.  While I don't suppose it's all that rare, I do suspect it's a relatively short list.

This was also the major league debut for Minnie Mendoza.  He appeared in sixteen major league games, never starting one (although he came close, as we'll see in a couple of weeks).  I don't know what the non-pitcher record is for most games played without starting one, but sixteen seems like kind of a lot.  Usually they'll give a guy a token start someplace along the line.  On the other hand, he had played for sixteen years in the minors before coming up to the majors with the Twins at age thirty-six.  He spent eight seasons in AA, all for Charlotte.  I'm sure he'd love to have played more, but I suspect he was also very happy just to be in the majors at all.

I had never heard of Gene Rounsaville, and as I look at his record I see why.  This was one of eight games in which he appeared, and he pitched a total of 6.1 innings, so this game represents nearly a third of his major league career.  He was actually unscored upon in six of his eight appearances, but he gave up a total of eight runs (seven earned) in the other two, giving him a career ERA of 9.95.  He was twenty-five years old in 1970, and had a fine season in AAA, but this was his last professional season.  In three AAA seasons, he was 13-13, 3.41, 1.23 WHIP in 235 innings.  Apparently he had an arm injury of some sort that made him decide to retire.  If not for that, Gene Rounsaville might have had a decent major league career.  His nickname was "Butch".

Record:  The Twins were 2-0, tied for first place with California in the American League West.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 12, CHICAGO 0 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Tuesday, April 7.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 4-for-4 with two three-run homers and seven RBIs.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a double and three runs.  George Mitterwald was 2-for-5 with a double.  Rod Carew was 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched a complete game shutout, giving up six hits and four walks and striking out six.

Opposition star:  Bill Melton was 3-for-4 with a double.

The game:  The Twins jumped on White Sox starter Tommy John early, scoring three runs in the first inning.  Cesar Tovar led off the game with a triple and scored on Carew's single.  Carew stole second and went to third when Oliva reached on an error.  A pickoff error scored Carew and moved Oliva to second.  Alyea followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.

The White Sox started the first with two walks, but could not do anything with them.  Each team got a pair of singles in the fourth, but it stayed 3-0 until the fifth.  Two-out singles by Harmon Killebrew and Oliva were followed by Alyea's three-run homer to make it 6-0 Twins.

Chicago put men on first and third with two-out in the sixth but again did not score.  The Twins put it completely out of reach with a six-run seventh.  With one out, Carew singled, Killebrew walked, and Oliva hit an RBI double.  Alyea followed with another three-run homer to make the score 10-0.  Rich Reese then singled, Mitterwald doubled, Leo Cardenas drove in a run with a single, and Perry hit a sacrifice fly, bringing it to 12-0.  The White Sox got a man into scoring position in each of the last three innings, but did not advance any of them past second.

WP:  Perry (1-0).

LP:  John (0-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the seventh and remained in the game at third base.  Jim Holt replaced Alyea in left in the eighth.

Killebrew mostly played third base in 1970, with Reese at first.  Tovar, who had played all over the diamond, settled in mostly in center field.  He did play a substantial number of games in left as well, but rarely played in the infield.

With the release of Johnny Roseboro, Mitterwald became the regular catcher, although Paul Ratliff also played a significant number of games behind the plate.

Alyea was acquired in a trade with Washington, with Joe Grzenda and Charley Walters going to the Senators.  It would be hard to have a better debut with your new team than what he had:  4-for-4, two three-run homers, seven RBIs.  He would go on to have what was easily the best season of his career, although he had just 290 plate appearances.

It has to be discouraging to lose on opening day at home 12-0 with your best pitcher on the mound.  John was an excellent pitcher, and he would go on to have a fine season.  But he apparently didn't have it on this day.

We don't have pitch counts for games in 1970.  It goes without saying that today, no pitcher would be left in to finish a 12-0 game, but I said it anyway.  It was Bill Rigney's first game as manager of the Twins--he had to be thinking this was going to be an easy job.

Record:  The Twins were 1-0, tied for first in the American League West with California and Oakland.