Tag Archives: 1970 rewind

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-nine

MINNESOTA 4, CALIFORNIA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, September 17.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and two runs.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and one walk and striking out two.  Stan Williams pitched 1.2 innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Tony Gonzalez was 2-for-4.  Lloyd Allen pitched two perfect innings, striking out one.

The game:  Tovar led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on a Cardenas single to put the Twins up 1-0.  In the third Tovar drew a one-out walk.  Cardenas followed with an RBI triple and Tony Oliva followed that with a run-scoring double, giving the Twins a 3-0 lead.  In the fourth George Mitterwald hit a one-out double and scored on a Danny Thompson single to make it 4-0.

The Angels did not advance a man past first base in the first five innings.  In the sixth Mickey Rivers drew a one-out walk and got to second on Gonzalez' single, but that was as far as he'd go.  In the seventh, California did get on the board, but missed a chance for more.  Alex Johnson was hit by a pitch and Jim Spencer doubled, putting men on second and third with none out.  Jay Johnstone hit an RBI ground out, but a strikeout and a foul out followed, so the Twins still had a 4-1 lead.

In the eighth, Bill Voss led off with a single and Gonzalez singled with one out.  Jim Fregosi followed with an RBI double and Johnson hit a sacrifice fly, making it 4-3 with the tying run on second.  Spencer flied out to end the inning.  In the ninth Mel Queen delivered a two-out pinch-hit single, but Voss flied out to end the game.

WP:  Perry (23-11).

LP:  Tom Murphy (14-13).

S:  Williams (14).

Notes:  Jim Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to third base and Harmon Killebrew given a rare day off.  Charlie Manuel was given a rare start in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Thompson was at second in place of Rod Carew.  Herman Hill went to left in place of Manuel in the seventh.  Jim Nettles went to left in place of Hill in the ninth.

Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .317.  Tovar raised his average to .301, the first time he'd been over .300 since August 4.  Williams had an ERA of 2.03.

I don't know why Nettles replaced Hill in the ninth, unless Bill Rigney just wanted to get him in the game.  It does not appear that Hill was injured--he would be used in a game just two days later.  It could have been a minor injury, of course, and that he was removed as a precaution.  Not that it makes a lot of difference--it's just kind of a curious thing.

I have no idea why Angels manager Lefty Phillips used a pitcher, Mel Queen to pinch-hit in the ninth.  Queen was not a particularly good batter--his lifetime numbers are .179/.233/.226.  That's not bad for a pitcher, but it's bad for a batter.  The Angels had already used a number of bench players--Roger Repoz, Randy Brown, Mickey Rivers, and Bill Voss--but teams had bigger benches back then, and besides it was September, with expanded rosters.  In fact, Jarvis Tatum came in to pinch-run for Queen, so we know that he was available.  There had to be some others, too.  Using Queen as a pinch-hitter makes no sense to me at all.  But having said all that, it worked.  Queen got a pinch-hit single.  Does that mean that Phillips made a smart move, or does it mean that he got lucky?  Who knows?  But the payoff is always in results, and the result was good, whether I think it was dumb thing to do or not.

Oakland did not play, so the Twins gained a half game in the standings.

Record:  The Twins were 89-60, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was six.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-eight

CALIFORNIA 5, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, September 16.

Batting star:  George Mitterwald was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven struck out ten in 6.2 innings, giving up five runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks.  Jim Kaat pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Tony Gonzalez was 2-for-4.  Alex Johnson was 1-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth), a walk, a stolen base (his thirteenth), and two runs.  Clyde Wright pitched a complete game, giving up one run on three hits and five walks and striking out three.

The game:  Neither team got a man past first until the fourth inning, when Johnson hit a home run to put the Angels up 1-0.  California had men on second and third with one out in the fifth but did not score.

In the sixth, however, the Angels broke through for three more runs.  Gonzalez led off with a single.  With one out, Johnson reached on an error and Ken McMullen delivered an RBI single.  A double steal put men on second and third and Jay Johnstone was intentionally walked.  A popup made it two out, but Bill Voss reached on an error, bringing home two runs and making the score 4-0.

The Twins looked like they might get back into the game in the bottom of the sixth.  Cesar Tovar led off with a single and Leo Cardenas and Harmon Killebrew walked, loading the bases with none out.  But Tony Oliva popped up, Rick Renick hit into a run-scoring force out, and Bob Allison grounded out, leaving the Twins trailing 4-1.

California added a run in the seventh on singles by Gonzalez, Jim Fregosi, and Chico Ruiz.  The Twins had only one hit after the sixth.

WP:  Wright (20-11).

LP:  Blyleven (9-8).

S:  None.

Notes:  Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Allison was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Frank Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Steve Brye went to left field in place of Allison as part of a double switch in the seventh.  Rick Dempsey pinch-hit for Quilici in the eighth, with Danny Thompson going to second base.  Cotton Nash pinch-hit for Kaat in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .317.  Brye was 0-for-1 and was batting .167.  Nash was 0-for-1 and was batting zero.  Dempsey was 0-for-1 and was batting zero.

This was Dempsey's first appearance in 1970.  He had appeared in five games in 1969.

Bill Rigney apparently had very little confidence in any of his relievers other than Perranoski and Williams.  He had used both of them in both games of the doubleheader yesterday, and now went to Kaat in this game.

Oakland defeated Milwaukee 4-1, so the Twins magic number remained the same.

Record:  The Twins were 88-60, in first place in the American League West, seven games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was seven.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-seven

CALIFORNIA 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Tuesday, September 15.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a home run (his tenth), a triple, and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Tom Hall struck out twelve in eight innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Tony Gonzalez was 1-for-1 with a double and two RBIs.  Dave LaRoche struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  Reese started the scoring in the second with a home run that gave the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The two teams combined for a total of two baserunners in innings three through five, neither of which got past first base.  In the sixth Tovar walked, was bunted to second, went to third on a fly ball, and scored when Harmon Killebrew reached on an error.  Reese followed with an RBI triple to make the score 3-0 Twins.

Hall had been in total control for eight innings.  In the ninth, however, Jarvis Tatum led off with a single and Sandy Alomar walked.  Ron Perranoski then came in and gave up an RBI single to Doug Griffin.  The next two batters hit into force outs, scoring a run to make the score 3-2 and leaving the tying run on first base.  But then came a single by Billy Cowan and an RBI single by Ken McMullen, tying the score.  Stan Williams then came in and gave up a two-run double to pinch-hitter Gonzalez, putting the Angels up 5-3.  The Twins went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.

WP:  LaRoche (4-1).

LP:  Perranoski (7-8).

S:  Ken Tatum (17).

Notes:  Jim Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to left.  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Frank Quilici went to second base in the ninth, with Thompson moving to third and Killebrew coming out of the game.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .319.  Hall had an ERA of 2.51.  Perranoski allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning and had an ERA of 2.27.  Williams gave up no runs in a third of an inning and had an ERA of 2.06.

I know times were different back then, but using both Perranoski and Williams in this game was just dumb.  Each had pitched three innings in the first game of the doubleheader.  Not only were they likely to be ineffective in the second game (and they were), there was also the risk of injury.  In addition, it's not like this was a must-win game for the Twins.  They had a big lead in the division (as seen below) and were essentially marking time until the playoffs.  Using the two best relievers on the team in this game simply made no sense whatsoever.

Eddie Fisher (probably not the '50s singer) started an pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks and striking out none.

In the history of major league baseball, there have been six players with the last name "Tatum".  Two of them played for the Angels in 1970, and both appeared in this game.

Oakland split a doubleheader with Milwaukee, so the Twins lead remained the same on the day while their magic number went down.

Record:  The Twins were 88-59, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was seven.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-six

MINNESOTA 7, CALIFORNIA 5 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Tuesday, September 15.

Batting stars:  Leo Cardenas was 1-for-4 with a grand slam, his eleventh homer.  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs.  George Mitterwald was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Stan Williams struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and one walk.  Ron Perranoski pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Jim Fregosi was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his twenty-first), a walk, and two runs.  Ken McMullen was 2-for-4.  Jay Johnstone was 2-for-4.  Greg Garrett struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  Sandy Alomar led off the game with a walk and Fregosi hit a two-run homer, giving the Angels a quick 2-0 lead.  The Twins came back with one in the bottom of the first when Tovar singled and scored from first on a Tony Oliva double.  In the second, Mitterwald drew a one-out walk.  With two down Bill Zepp and Tovar walked and Cardenas hit a grand slam to give the Twins a 5-2 lead.

California came back.  In the third Tony Gonzalez was hit by a pitch, and with two out Johnstone and McMullen singled, bringing Gonzalez home and making the score 5-3.  In the fourth Doug Griffin singled, Roger Repoz reached on an error, Alomar singled to load the bases, and Gonzalez delivered a two-run single to tie it 5-5.  A double steal put men on second and third with still no one out, but Fregosi and Alex Johnson struck out and Johnstone lined to third to end the inning.

It stayed tied until the sixth.  With one out Brant Alyea walked, Mitterwald singled, and Charlie Manuel was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.  Jim Holt then delivered a pinch-hit two-run single to put the Twins ahead 7-5.

The Angels managed just two singles after that, and each time the next batter grounded into a double play, giving the Twins a 7-5 win.

WP:  Williams (10-1).

LP:  Mel Queen (3-5).

S:  Perranoski (30).

Notes:  Frank Quilici was again at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Herman Hill pinch-ran for Alyea in the sixth, with Holt going in to play center and Tovar moving to left.  Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the sixth, with Danny Thompson pinch-running and then going to second base.

Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .319.  Williams had an ERA of 2.07.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.02.

Neither starting pitcher did well.  Zepp, who had pitched a complete game shutout last time out, lasted just three innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk and striking out two.  California starter Tom Bradley (probably not the one who became mayor of Los Angeles) also lasted three innings and also gave up five runs, allowing three hits and four walks and striking out one.

The Mel Queen who pitched in this game was the son of the Mel Queen who pitched in the 1940s and early '50s.  He is the brother-in-law of Jim Lonborg.  He also managed the Toronto Blue Jays briefly in 1997, something I had completely forgotten about.

It's interesting that, in the first game of a doubleheader, Bill Rigney used his two best relievers for three innings each.  He apparently really wanted to win this game and put the Angels in the rearview mirror.  It put them in a more difficult spot for game two, obviously, but they did win game one, and with a solid divisional lead, Rigney clearly considered that to be most important.

Record:  The Twins were 87-59, in first place in the American League West, nine games ahead of Oakland, which lost the first game of a doubleheader with Milwaukee 1-0.  The Twins' magic number was seven.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-five

CHICAGO 8, MINNESOTA 7 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, September 13.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a double.  Frank Quilici was 2-for-2 with a double.  Paul Ratliff was 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5 with two runs.

Pitching star:  Ron Perranoski pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Ed Herrmann was 3-for-4 with a double.  Luis Aparicio was 3-for-5.  Bill Melton was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Ken Berry was 2-for-4.  Rich Morales was 1-for-2 with a home run.  Jerry Crider pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

The game:  Cesar Tovar and Oliva singled and Harmon Killebrew walked, loading the bases with one out in the first inning, but the Twins could only score one run on an error.  An error helped them in the second as well:  Quilici doubled and scored with Jim Perry reached on a two-base error.  Cardenas had an RBI single to make it 3-0 Twins.  The Twins were helped by yet another error in the third:  Reese reached on an error and scored on a Ratliff triple.  A sacrifice fly put the Twins ahead 5-0.

The Twins were firmly in control, until all of a sudden they weren't.  In the fifth Gail Hopkins singled, Herrmann doubled, and Berry, Bobby Knoop, and Lee Maye each followed with an RBI single.  A ground out brought home a fourth run, but at least there was one out in the inning.  Aparicio singled and Carlos May walked, loading the bases, and Melton delivered a two-run single to give the White Sox the lead.  A sacrifice fly made it a seven-run inning and gave Chicago a 7-5 lead.  Morales homered in the sixth to make it 8-5.

The Twins put together a two-out rally in the ninth.  Reese singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Ratliff single.  Rick Renick walked and Bob Allison doubled, making the score 8-7 and putting the winning run in scoring position.  But Tovar grounded to second to end the game.

WP:  Crider (4-7).

LP:  Stan Williams (9-1).

S:  Wilbur Wood (21).

Notes:  Ratliff was again behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Quilici was again at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh, with Danny Thompson going to second base.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for Jim Kaat in the seventh.  Renick pinch-hit for Thompson in the ninth.  Allison pinch-hit for Perranoski in the ninth, with Herman Hill pinch-running for Allison.

Oliva was batting .320.  Brant Alyea was 0-for-5 and fell back below .300 at .299.  Williams gave up two runs (one earned) in a third of an inning and had an ERA of 2.13.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.06.

Perry pitched well for four innings, but as seen above, he fell apart in the fifth.  His line was four innings, five runs, six hits, no walks, and two strikeouts.  White Sox starter Billy Wynne struggled as well:  two innings, five runs (three earned), six hits, one walk. no strikeouts.

The cable guy where I live is named Ed Herrmann.  I don't think it's the same one.  Similarly, the Ken Berry here is probably not the guy who was on "F Troop".

Oakland lost both games of a doubleheader to Kansas City, both in extra innings and both by a score of 8-7, so the Twins edged closer to clinching the division.  The Twins next had a four-game series with California, which turned out to be not nearly as important a series as it appeared it might be a few weeks earlier.

Record:  The Twins were 87-58, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was down to nine.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-four

CHICAGO 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, September 12.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-4.  Paul Ratliff was 2-for-4 with a double.  Brant Alyea was 1-for-5 with a home run, his sixteenth.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks and striking out four.  Hal Haydel pitched a scoreless inning despite walking three.

Opposition stars:  Bart Johnson was 2-for-4.  Gail Hopkins was 1-for-3 with a home run, his sixth.  Syd O'Brien was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his eighth) and a walk. Johnson also struck out ten in eight innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on ten hits and three walks.

The game:  The Twins had two on with one out in the first, but nothing came of it.  Hopkins homered in the second to put the White Sox on the board.  In the third Johnson singled and O'Brien followed with a home run, making the score 3-0 Chicago.

The Twins drew a pair of walks in the bottom of the third, but a double play took them out of the inning.  The White Sox loaded the bases in the fourth but did not score.  Alyea led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to cut the lead to 3-1.

Two runs was as close as the Twins would come.  They got a pair of two-out singles in the seventh, but did not score.  In the eighth Bill Melton walked, Ken Berry reached on an error, and Bobby Knoop hit a two-out two-run double to make it 5-1 Chicago.

The Twins did not give up.  Ratliff and Jim Holt led off the ninth with singles, and a passed ball moved them to second and third.  The next two batters went out, but Danny Thompson reached on an error to bring in a run and a wild pitch brought home another.  Harmon Killebrew walked, bringing the winning run to the plate, but Alyea struck out to end the game.

WP:  Johnson  (3-5).

LP:  Blyleven (9-7).

S:  Wilbur Wood (20).

Notes:  Jim Nettles was in right field in place of Tony Oliva.  Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Frank Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Holt pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh inning and went to center field, with Tovar moving to right and Nettles coming out.  Danny Thompson came in to play second base.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Blyleven in the seventh.  Herman Hill pinch-hit for Haydel in the ninth, but then Rick Renick pinch-hit for Hill.  Bob Allison pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth.

Alyea was batting .306.  Stan Williams gave up two unearned runs in one inning and had an ERA of 2.05.  Haydel had an ERA of 3.00.

The loss snapped the Twins' four-game winning streak.

As we said before, the Twins had pretty much settled the division race.  However, this loss and an Oakland win kept the magic number where it was.

Record:  The Twins were 87-57, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number remained at eleven.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-three

MINNESOTA 6, CHICAGO 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, September 11.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fourteenth), a walk, and two runs.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.  Frank Quilici was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his second) and a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a home run, his forty-first.

Pitching star:  Bill Zepp pitched a complete game shutout, giving up five hits and five walks and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Syd O'Brien was 2-for-4.  Lee Stange pitched two shutout innings, giving up a walk and striking out one.

The game:  With two out in the first Killebrew hit a home run to give the Twins a quick lead.  The next batter, Tony Oliva, was hit by a pitch, and Alyea then delivered an RBI double to make it 2-0 Twins.

It stayed 2-0 through three, with the White Sox not advancing a man past first.  In the fourth Rick Renick singled, Mitterwald walked, and Quilici hit a three-run homer to put the Twins up 5-0.

Chicago had their first threat in the fifth, putting men on second and third with two out, but Bobby Knoop struck out to end the inning.  A single and an error gave them men on first and third with one out in the fifth, but a strikeout and a popup ended that threat.

Mitterwald homered in the eighth to make it 6-0.  The White Sox put two on with two out in the ninth, but Tom McCraw popped up to end the game.

WP:  Zepp (8-4).

LP:  Barry Moore (3-9).

S:  None.

Notes:  Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.

Reese pinch-hit for Renick in the fifth and stayed in the game at first base, with Killebrew moving to third.  Jim Holt went to center field in the fifth, with Cesar Tovar moving to right and Oliva coming out of the game.  Danny Thompson came in to play third base in the eighth, with Killebrew coming out of the game.  Jim Nettles went to right field in the eighth, with Tovar moving to left and Alyea coming out of the game.

Oliva was 0-for-1 and was batting .317.  Alyea was batting .308.

This was the only shutout of Zepp's career.  It was also the only complete game of Zepp's career.

Barry Moore's given name was Robert Barry Moore.  If your last name is Moore and you're going to give your son the middle name of Barry, it seems like you should also give him the first name of Lionel.  Or at least John.

The Twins had won four in a row, nine of ten, and eleven of thirteen.  The were 6-1 just over half-way through their thirteen game homestand.

Record:  The Twins were 87-56, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was eleven.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-two

MINNESOTA 7, OAKLAND 2 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Thursday, September 10.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.  Frank Quilci was 2-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-second) and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out five.  Stan Williams pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Joe Rudi was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Sal Bando was 2-for-4.

The game:  Oliva homered with two out in the first to give the Twins an early 1-0 lead.  In the second Rich Reese and Paul Ratliff were each hit by a pitch (not the same pitch, of course) and Kaat delivered an RBI single to make it 2-0 Twins.  The Athletics got on the board in the third when Blue Moon Odom singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Rudi's single.

Oakland had two on with one out in the fourth but did not score.  The Twins broke it open in the fifth.  Cesar Tovar led off with a walk, was bunted to second, and went to third on a wild pitch.  He was still on third with two out, but walks to Harmon Killebrew and Reese loaded the bases.  Another wild pitch brought home a run, Alyea delivered a two-run single and went to second on the throw to the plate, and Ratliff added an RBi single, giving the Twins a 6-1 lead.

The Athletics got one run in the seventh on singles by Dick Green, Bert Campaneris, and Rudi.  The Twins got the run back in the bottom of the seventh when Tovar tripled and scored on a Cotton Nash ground out.  That made the score 7-2, and that's how it ended.

WP:  Kaat (12-10).

LP:  Odom (8-6).

S:  Williams (13).

Notes:  Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt went to center field in the sixth inning, with Tovar moving to left and Alyea coming out of the game.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Holt in the seventh, with Herman Hill going to center field in the eighth.  Cotton Nash pinch-hit for Ratliff in the seventh, with Mitterwald going behind the plate in the eighth.  Danny Thompson went to third base in the eighth, with Killebrew coming out of the game.

Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .318.  Alyea was batting .305.  Williams had an ERA of 2.05.

Hill was 0-for-1 and was batting .100.  Nash was 0-for-1 and was batting .000.  It was the first appearance in the majors for Nash in 1970.  He had appeared in three games in 1967 and six in 1969.

The Twins swept the series between the first and second place teams.  They had won eight of nine and ten of twelve.  This series essentially wrapped up the division for the Twins.

Record:  The Twins were 86-56, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was twelve.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-one

MINNESOTA 6, OAKLAND 1 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Thursday, September 10.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base (his twenty-ninth), and three runs.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base, his third.  Charlie Manuel was 1-for-1 with two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Tom Hall struck out eleven in a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Joe Rudi was 3-for-4 with a double.  Bob Locker pitched three innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and two walks and striking out one.

The game:  Each team put two on with one out in the first and did not score.  In the third Tovar led off with a single, stole second, was bunted to third, and scored on a Tony Oliva double.  Harmon Killebrew walked, a force out put men on first and third, Alyea delivered an RBI single, George Mitterwald walked to load the bases, and Manuel delivered a pinch-hit two-run single to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.

The Athletics got one back in the fourth when Sal Bando doubled and scored on a two-out single by Dick Green.  But there the score stayed until the sixth, when Tovar doubled and scored on an error.  The Twins scored one more in the eighth when Tovar singled and scored on a Leo Cardenas double.  Oakland only once got a man as far as second base after the fourth inning.

WP:  Hall (8-6).

LP:  Catfish Hunter (16-13).

S:  None.

Notes:  Frank Quilici started at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the third inning, with Danny Thompson taking over at second base.  Jim Holt went to center field in the seventh, with Tovar moving to left and Alyea coming out of the game.

Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .318.  Alyea raised his average to .300 for the first time since May 17.  Hall had an ERA of 2.53.

This has been referenced, but I just want to point out the move of Bill Rigney in the third inning.  With the Twins lead 2-0 and the bases loaded, Manuel was sent up to pinch-hit for Quilici.  You  would not expect a pinch-hitter for the eighth-place batter that early in the game.  I suspect Rigney sensed a chance to put the game away early and decided to go for it.  It worked, as Manuel delivered a two-run single to put the Twins up 4-0.

This was Hall's only complete game in eleven starts in 1970.  He'd had five in 1969.  He would have only one more in his career, with Cincinnati in 1972.  But then, he would make only thirty-four more starts after 1970, and never more than eleven in a season.  He spent most of the rest of his career in the bullpen.

The Twins had won seven of eight and nine of eleven.

Hunter lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks and striking out two.

In the matchup between the first and second place teams, and in a series Oakland desperately needed to win to stay in the race, the Twins had taken the first two games.  The Athletics would try to salvage at least one game of the series in game two of the doubleheader.

Record:  The Twins were 85-56, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty

MINNESOTA 3, OAKLAND 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, September 9.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-3 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched eight innings, giving up one run on five hits and four walks and striking out five.  Stan Williams struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Don Mincher was 2-for-3 with a home run, his twenty-sixth.  Chuck Dobson pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out four.

The game:  Mincher homered with two out in the fourth to open the scoring.  It stayed 1-0 through six innings, with the Twins getting just three singles in those first six innings.

The Twins finally got it going in the seventh.  Killebrew led off with a double and scored when Alyea hit a one-out double.  George Mitterwald walked, a force out put men on first and third, and Perry delivered an RBI single to put the Twins ahead 2-1.

The Athletics had men on second and third with one out in the eighth, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning.  The Twins got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Oliva doubled and scored on a Rich Reese single.

Sal Bando doubled with one out in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate.  But Reggie Jackson and Gene Tenace each struck out to end the game.

WP:  Perry (22-10).

LP:  Dobson (15-13).

S:  Williams (12).

Notes:  Frank Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh.  Danny Thompson then pinch-ran for Manuel and stayed in the game at second base.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the seventh and stayed in the game at center field, with Cesar Tovar moving to left.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Holt in the eighth.  Herman Hill then pinch-ran for Renick and stayed in the game in center field.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .318.  Perry had an ERA of 2.93.  Williams had an ERA of 2.11.

Oakland started the series five and a half games behind.  Realistically, they had to sweep the series to have much chance.  Obviously, they failed to do that, and could only hope to win two out of three now.

The Twins had won six out of seven and eight out of ten.

Record:  The Twins were 84-56, in first place in the American League West, 6.5 games ahead of Oakland.