Tag Archives: 1970 rewind

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-nine

MINNESOTA 2, DETROIT 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, July 20.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4.  Frank Quilici was 1-for-2 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits and no walks and striking out three.  Ron Perranoski retired all four men he faced, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Don Wert was 2-for-3 with a double.  Mickey Lolich pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out two.

The game:  The Twins put two on with none out in the first, but a double play took them out of the inning.  Neither team threatened again until the fifth, when Quilici walked, singles by Perry and Tovar loaded the bases, and Harmon Killebrew delivered a two-out two-run single, putting the Twins up 2-0.

The Tigers did not get a hit, or even a baserunner, until the sixth, when Wert led off with a single.  They did not get another hit until the eighth.  At that time Bill Freehan was hit by a pitch with one out, Wert doubled, and Elliot Maddox hit a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2-1.  The tying run was on third with two out, but Perranoski came in to retire Jim Price on a ground out to end the inning.  Detroit went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Perry (15-7).

LP:  Lolich (9-11).

S:  Perranoski (24).

Notes:  Rick Renick was again in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt replaced Renick in left in the seventh.  Danny Thompson replaced Killebrew at third base in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .320.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .319.  Tovar was batting .318.  Perry was 1-for-2 and was batting .316.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.43.

Quilici was 1-for-2 and was batting .197.

Lolich was having an off year, although he wasn't that bad.  He was 9-11 at this point, but with an ERA of .356.  He would finish the season 14-19, with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  He still pitched 272.2 innings and had 13 complete games, he clearly didn't have a lot of short starts.  He would come back in 1971 to win 25 games and lead the league in complete games, innings pitched, and strikeouts.  He would finish second in Cy Young voting to Vida Blue.

Record:  The Twins were 58-31, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-eight

DETROIT 5, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, July 21.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his seventh) and a double.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his twenty-first.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson struck out three in two perfect innings.  Dave Boswell pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Dick McAuliffe was 4-for-5 with a stolen base, his fifth.  Willie Horton was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his seventeenth) and a walk.  Norm Cash was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Denny McLain pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk and striking out three.

The game:  The Twins had two on in the first and the Tigers had two on in the second, but there was no score until the third.  McLain and McAuliffe led off with singles, and an error scored the game's first run.  Detroit would take control of the game in the fifth.  Singles by Cesar Guiterrez, McAuliffe, and Mickey Stanley plated one run.  A wild pitch put men on second and third, a sacrifice fly scored a run, and Horton hit a two-run homer, giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead.

The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as Rich Reese singled and Mitterwald hit a two-run homer.  But that was it for the scoring, as 5-2 is where it stayed.  Mitterwald hit a two-out double in the seventh, and the Twins opened the eighth with singles, but the score remained 5-2.

WP:  McLain (1-2).

LP:  Bill Zepp (5-1).

S:  Tom Timmerman (16).

Notes:  Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .321.  Killebrew was 0-for-4 and was batting .320.  Tovar was batting .316.  Woodson had an ERA of 2.30.

Boswell had an ERA of 6.00.  This was his second relief appearance of the season.

Jim Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to second base in place of Rod Carew.  Rick Renick was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Danny Thompson and Paul Ratliff were used as pinch-hitters for pitchers.

Zepp pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out three.  This was his second consecutive poor start, after having made two very good starts.

McLain had been suspended for the first three months of the season, so this was only his sixth start.  After winning the Cy Young award in 1968 and 1969, he would never have a good season again.  His ERA after this game was 4.78.  Despite getting a hit in this game, he was not a good batter:  his career numbers are .133/.166/.153.

The Twins had started their homestand 1-2.

Record:  The Twins were 57-31, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-seven

2 Comments

MINNESOTA 4, CLEVELAND 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, July 20.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat struck out seven in seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks.  Ron Perranoski pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Ray Fosse was 2-for-3.  Graig Nettles was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Tony Horton was 2-for-4.

The game:  Each team scored one in the first.  For the Indians Nettles doubled and scored on Fosse's single.  In the bottom of the first Tovar and Killebrew doubled.  The Twins threatened in the third, putting men on first and third with two out, but it stayed 1-1 until the fourth.

In the fourth Rick Renick doubled, George Mitterwald walked, and Leo Cardenas was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with none out.  A sacrifice fly was all the Twins could get out of it, but it gave them a 2-1 lead.  It went to 3-1 in the fifth when Tovar doubled, was bunted to third, and scored on an error.  The Twins went on to load the bases with one out, but a double play ended the inning.  They got one more run in the sixth on singles by Frank Quilici, Kaat, and Rich Reese.

Meanwhile, Cleveland did not get a man past first base in innings two through six.  They opened the seventh with consecutive singles but left the runners on first and third.  In the eighth, however, Nettles walked and Fosse and Horton singled, cutting the lead to 4-2 and putting men on first and second with one out.  Buddy Bradford struck out, but Eddie Leon walked to load the bases.  Ex-Twin Rich Rollins grounded out, however, and the score stayed 4-2.  Nettles got a two-out single in the ninth, but the Indians could do no more.

WP:  Kaat (8-7).

LP:  Rick Austin (1-4).

S:  Perranoski (23).

Notes:  Renick was in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for Mitterwald in the fifth, with Tom Tischinski them going behind the plate.  Danny Thompson went to third base in place of Killebrew in the ninth.

Killebrew was batting .324.  Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .321.  Tovar was batting .314.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.46.

Quilici was 1-for-3 and was batting .189.

Perranoski batted in the ninth and singled.  It was his only hit of the season, as he went 1-for-24.  It was also the last hit of his major league career.  He would bat only six more times in the next three seasons.  For his career, he batted .096/.147/.114, with one double, one triple, three RBIs, and six runs.

The two relief appearances coming out of the all-star break did not appear to affect Kaat in this game.

In addition to Nettles and Rollins, Cleveland used ex-Twins Fred Lasher and Dean Chance.  Each pitched a scoreless inning.

The starter for the Indians was Rick Austin.  This was his sixth major league start.  He pitched a shutout in his second start, but other than that had not had a game score over 43.  He would not have one in this game, either, although he came close--he allowed three runs on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings for a game score of 51.  He would make only two more major league starts, then go to the bullpen.  He pitched for Cleveland from 1970-1971 and for Milwaukee from 1975-1976.  For his career he was 4-8, 4.63, 1.61 WHIP, six saves in 89 games (136 innings).

Record:  The Twins were 57-30, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-six

CLEVELAND 3, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, July 19.

Batting stars:  None.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out two.  Steve Barber pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Sam McDowell struck out fourteen in a complete game, giving up one run on three hits and no walks.  Roy Foster was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Vada Pinson was 2-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch.  Graig Nettles was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, his fourteenth.

The game:  The Twins got on the board in the first inning, as Cesar Tovar doubled and scored on a two-out single by Tony Oliva.  That was the first Twins run of the game, but it was also the last, and it was not enough.

The Indians took the lead in the third when Jack Heidemann walked and Nettles hit a two-out two-run homer.  In the fourth Ray Fosse led off with a single, went to third on Eddie Leon's single, and scored on a balk to make it 3-1 Cleveland.

The Twins never threatened after the first inning.  In fact, they had only one more hit after the first inning, and that came with two out in the ninth when Rich Reese singled.  It brought the tying run to the plate in Harmon Killebrew, but he struck out to end the game.

WP:  McDowell (14-4).

LP:  Blyleven (3-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rick Renick was in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Frank Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski caught in place of George Mitterwald.  Alyea and Bob Allison were used as pinch-hitters for pitchers.

Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .325.  Killebrew was 0-for-4 and was batting ,.321.  Tovar was 1-for-4 and was batting .309.  Blyleven had an ERA of 2.67.  Stan Williams retired both men he faced and had an ERA of 1.63.

Quilici was 0-for-3 and was batting .183.

In Blyleven's three losses, the Twins scored a grand total of three runs.

Oddly, the Twins started a new series on a Sunday, having played in Baltimore the day before.  I assume this was a consequence of the all-star break, although the more common thing was to play a four-game series Thursday through Sunday after the break.  This would be the start of a nine-game homestand:  two with Cleveland, three with Detroit, and four with Baltimore.

Record:  The Twins were 56-30, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-five

MINNESOTA 6, BALTIMORE 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Saturday, July 18.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth) and three runs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his twenty-ninth.  Frank Quilici was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski pitched 2.1 innings, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Frank Robinson was 4-for-5.  Don Buford was 3-for-5 with a home run (his eleventh), a double, and two runs.  Paul Blair was 2-for-5.

The game:  Oliva led off the second with a single and went to third on a Brant Alyea double.  He was then picked off third base, but a throwing error allowed him to score and give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The Orioles got the run back in the bottom of the second when Brooks Robinson singled, went to second on Dave Johnson's walk, and scored on a Mark Belanger single.  Baltimore took a 2-1 lead in the third on Buford's leadoff home run.

It stayed 2-1 until the sixth.  Reese led of the inning with a single and Killebrew hit a two-run homer to put the Twins up 3-2.  Oliva followed with a single.  The next two batters went out, but Quilici hit a two-run homer to give the Twins a 5-2 lead.

The Orioles scored in the seventh when Buford doubled and scored on Frank Robinson's single.  Oliva got the run back for the Twins in the eighth when he led off the inning with a home run, making it 6-3.

Baltimore did not quit.  Buford led off with a bunt single, but was erased on a double play.  Still, Boog Powell and Frank Robinson singled, bringing Brooks Robinson up to bat as the tying run.  He flied out to right field, however, and the game went to the Twins.

WP:  Perry (14-7).

LP:  Dave McNally (12-7).

S:  Perranoski (22).

Notes:  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was at catcher in place of George Mitterwald.  Brant Alyea was back in the lineup, his first start since July 4.  Jim Holt replaced Alyea in left in the sixth inning.  Danny Thompson replaced Killebrew at third in the seventh.

Tischinski was 1-for-4 and was batting .333.  Killebrew was batting .325.  Oliva was batting .324.  Cesar Tovar was 0-for-5 and was batting .309.  Perry was 1-for-3 and was batting .309.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.50.

Quilici was batting .191.  This game featured the fourth of his five career home runs.  His season high was two.

Killebrew had hit a home run in five consecutive games.

Perranoski had pitched three innings in the previous game and pitched 2.1 innings in this game.  When men were men.

Record:  The Twins were 56-29, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of California.  They still had the best record in the American League, but were still well behind the Big Red Machine (64-27).

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-four

MINNESOTA 6, BALTIMORE 5 IN BALTIMORE (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Friday, July 17.

Batting stars:  Tom Tischinski was 2-for-2 with three walks and two runs.  Jim Holt was 2-for-3.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, his seventh.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with a home run (his twenty-eighth) and two runs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.  Ron Perranoski pitched three shutout innings, walking one and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Mark Belanger was 3-for-5.  Elrod Hendricks was 2-for-4 with a home run, his sixth.  Paul Blair was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Dave Johnson was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his seventh), two walks, two runs, and two RBIs.  Mike Cuellar pitched 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks and striking out three.

The game:  The Orioles opened the first with a Don Buford single and a Blair double, putting men on second and third with none out, but only scored once on a ground out.  Each team threatened in the second but did not score.  The Twins loaded the bases in the fourth, the second time they had done so, but again did not score.  Baltimore loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth on a walk to Johnson and singles by Hendricks and Belanger, but again only scored once on a ground out, leaving them up 2-0.  It went to 3-0 in the sixth when Hendricks homered.

The Twins came back in the seventh.  Tischinski and Tovar singled and Reese hit a two-out three-run homer to tie it 3-3.  The Orioles grabbed the lead right back in the bottom of the seventh when Frank Robinson was hit by a pitch and Johnson hit a two-run homer, making it 5-3.

Killebrew homered in the eighth to cut the lead to 5-4.  In the ninth, Tischinski walked, went to second on a passed ball, and scored on a Tovar single, tying the score 5-5.

Killebrew led off the tenth with a single.  With one out, Perranoski bunted and was safe on a fielder's choice, putting men on first and second.  With two out Tischinski delivered an RBI single to give the Twins their first lead of the game.  It was the only lead they needed, as Baltimore went down in order in the bottom of the tenth.

WP:  Perranoski (6-2).

LP:  Ed Watt (2-6).

S:  None.

Notes:  Charlie Manuel was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Jim Holt was in center, with Tovar moving to second base.  Tischinski was at catcher in place of George Mitterwald.

Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Kaat in the seventh.  Danny Thompson pinch-hit for Manuel in the eighth and stayed in the game at second base, with Tovar moving to center field.  Alyea pinch-hit for Holt in the eighth.  Bob Allison went to left.  Frank Quilici went to second base in the tenth, with Thompson moving to third and Killebrew coming out of the game.

Tischinski was batting .375.  Killebrew was batting .326.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-5 and was batting .319.  Tovar was batting .314.  Bill Zepp gave up three runs in five innings and had an ERA of 2.80.  Stan Williams allowed two runs in an inning and had an ERA of 1.64.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.55.

Manuel was 0-for-2 and was batting .150.  Allison was 0-for-2 and was batting .174.

Kaat was once again used in relief.  Someone in the starting rotation being used in relief on consecutive days is certainly not something you see very often.  He would go back to starting three days later and would not appear in relief again until September.

This was Tischinski's only multi-hit game of the season.  He raised his average from .167 to .375.

Oddly, Bill Rigney did not pinch-run for either Tischinski in the ninth, when he represented the tying run, or for Killebrew in the tenth, when he represented the go-ahead run.  Not pinch-running for Killebrew is understandable--it was a tie game, and you might need Harmon's bat if the game continued.  But not running for Tischinski in the ninth, when you needed to pull out all the stops to tie the game, seems strange.  Quilici was still on the bench, available for use, but he was not used.  Rigney got away with it, but it's hard to think it was the right thing to do.

Record:  The Twins were 55-29, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of California.

 

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-three

BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 1 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Thursday, July 15.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a home run, his twenty-seventh.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4.

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

Opposition stars:  Mike Cuellar pitched a complete game, giving up one run on nine hits and three walks and striking out four.  Boog Powell was 1-for-2 with a home run (his twenty-fourth), a walk, and two RBIs.

The game:  The Twins had men on second and third with one out in the first, but Cesar Tovar was thrown out at the plate on a grounder to third to end the inning.  The Orioles then scored the game's first run in the bottom of the first when Don Buford singled, went to second on Paul Blair's bunt single, took third on a ground out, and scored on a passed ball.

The Twins had two on with none out in the second, but a double play took them out of the inning.  Baltimore took it to 2-0 in the third when Blair singled, went to third on Frank Robinson's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Twins got on the board in the sixth when Killebrew homered, but the Orioles came back with three in the bottom of the sixth.  Powell led off the inning with a home run.  Brooks Robinson walked, Dave Johnson reached on an error, and Andy Etchebarren hit a two-run double, making it 5-1 Baltimore.

The Twins did not get a man past first base after that.

WP:  Cuellar (12-5).

LP:  Tom Hall (5-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Bob Allison was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Alyea and Rick Renick pinch-hit for pitchers.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Alyea.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Renick.

Killebrew was batting .325.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .324.  Tovar was 1-for-5 and was batting .313.  Hall gave up four runs (three earned) in five innings and had an ERA of 2.30.  Dick Woodson gave up an unearned run in a third of an inning and had an ERA of 2.63.  Williams had an ERA of 1.39.

Jim Kaat was again used in relief, giving up no runs in two-thirds of an inning.  It's hard to understand why, with a rested bullpen, it was necessary to use Kaat, but there it is.  In fact, I really don't understand why Hall started the first game off the all-star game ahead of Kaat, although I will admit he had a much better ERA.

The Twins stranded nine and were 0-for-5 with men in scoring position.

Record:  The Twins were 54-29, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: All-star Game

NATIONAL LEAGUE 5, AMERICAN LEAGUE 4 IN CINCINNATI (12 INNINGS)

Date:  Tuesday, July 14.

Twins:  Harmon Killebrew started at third base and went 1-for-2 with a walk.  Tony Oliva was a reserve outfielder and went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.  Jim Perry struck out three in two innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk.

The game:  Neither team got a man to third base for five innings.  In the sixth, Ray Fosse led off with a single, was bunted to second, and scored on a Carl Yastrzemski single to give the Americans a 1-0 lead.  It went to 2-0 in the seventh, as Brooks Robinson hit a one-out single, Oliva walked, Dave Johnson got an infield single, and Fosse hit a sacrifice fly.

The Nationals got on the board in the bottom of the seventh.  Bud Harrelson singled, Cito Gaston walked, and Denis Menke was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with none out.  Willie McCovey hit into a double play, but a run scored to make it 2-1.

The Americans took what looked like a commanding lead in the eighth.  Yastrzemski and Willie Horton singled, and Robinson hit a two-out triple, scoring them both and making the score 4-1.  In the bottom of the ninth, however, Dick Dietz led off with a home run.  Harrelson singled, Joe Morgan hit a one-out single, McCovey had an RBI single, and Roberto Clemente hit a sacrifice fly, tying it 4-4.

It stayed 4-4 until the twelfth.  With two out, Pete Rose and Billy Grabarkewitz singled, putting men on first and second.  Jim Hickman then delivered an RBI single to win the game for the Nationals.

WP:  Claude Osteen,

LP:  Clyde Wright

S:  None.

Notes:  As you probably know, the game ended on the famous (or infamous) play in which Rose ran over Fosse.  It's not really accurate to say the play ended Fosse's career--he was a starter for two more seasons and a part-time catcher for five seasons after that.  It clearly affected his career, of course.  People have debated endlessly whether what Rose did was a hard-nosed play or a cheap shot.  To a large extent, it depends on what you think of Pete Rose.

There were four pitchers who pitched three innings in this game and four more who pitched two innings.  Someone pitching two innings in the all-star game is rare these days.  Three is unheard of.  We could debate whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.  Subjectively, though, I think the game was more fun when the starting pitcher threw three innings.

Rod Carew clearly would have been an all-star had he not been injured.

Two players for the Americans played the entire game:  Luis Aparicio and Yastrzemski.  Dave Johnson played ten innings, coming out as part of a double switch.

As these rewinds are for the Twins, we usually have just American League players.  I thought it might be fun to do the all-star game, to hear some great National League names again, too. I hope you enjoyed it.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-two

CALIFORNIA 6, MINNESOTA 2 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Sunday, July 12.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his twenty-sixth) and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched 1.2 perfect innings and struck out one.  Stan Williams retired all five men he faced and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Alex Johnson was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Jim Fregosi was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs, and two RBIs.  Tom Bradley pitched four shutout innings, giving up five hits and two walks and striking out two.

The game:  It started well.  With two out in the top of the first, Oliva walked and Killebrew hit a home run, putting the Twins up 2-0.  Unfortunately, as you can tell by the final score above, those are the only runs the Twins would get.

It held up for a while.  In the fourth, however, Roger Repoz led off with a triple and scored on Fregosi's single.  Johnson walked and Jim Spencer's RBI single tied the score.  Ken McMullen then hit a two-run double, giving the Angels a 4-2 lead.  They scored two more in the fifth when Sandy Alomar walked, Fregosi hit an RBI triple, and Johnson followed with a run-scoring single, making it 6-2 California.

The Twins got two on with two out in the third, but did not get two men on again until there were two out in the eighth.  They had two men on with none out in the ninth, but two of the next three batters fanned and the third lined to short, and the game was over.

WP:  Dave LaRoche (2-0).

LP:  Jim Perry (13-7).

S:   Andy Messersmith (2).

Notes:  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt was in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Tischinski in the seventh.  Herman Hill and Rick Renick pinch-hit for pitchers.  Tom Hall pinch-ran for Renick.

Oliva was batting .327.  Killebrew was batting .322.  Tovar was batting .314.  Perry was 0-for-2 and was batting .308.  Williams had an ERA of 1.44.

Tischinski was 0-for-1 and was batting .167.  Hill was 0-for-1 and was batting .105.  Dave Boswell pitched a third of an inning without giving up a run and had an ERA of 6.19.

Twins starter Perry pitched just three innings, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk and striking out two.  Angels starter Tom Murphy pitched just 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks and striking out none.

This was the last game before the all-star break, which apparently led Bill Rigney to decide he could use a couple of starters in relief.  Why he didn't instead decide he could use more of his relief pitchers in relief, I don't know.  I especially wonder why he thought it was a good idea to use Boswell in relief, when he'd been dealing with an injury all season.  This was the first time he had pitched since July 4 and he would not pitch again until July 21.  He would make only three more appearances before being shut down for the season.

Hill would be sent back to AAA after this game and would not return until September.

I've said this before, but I still think, in these days of short benches, it would be good to train a couple of pitchers to be pinch-runners.

Messersmith had pitched a complete game two days earlier, on July 10, and then was used as the closer in this game.  He was having a good season as a starter, but he would be sent to the bullpen in mid-August anyway, and continue to pitch well.

The Twins split the series with the Angels.  They missed a chance to really put California away, but there's nothing wrong with a split on the road, and the Twins still went into the all-star break with a solid lead.

Record:  The Twins were 54-28, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-one

MINNESOTA 5, CALIFORNIA 2 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Saturday, July 11.

Batting stars:  Leo Cardenas was 3-for-5 with a home run (his eighth), two doubles, and two runs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, his twenty-fifth.

Pitching stars:  Bill Zepp pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out two.  Tom Hall struck out five in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Alex Johnson was 3-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.  Jim Fregosi was 2-for-4.  Future Twin Dave LaRoche struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

The game:  Neither team did much until the bottom of the fourth.  Then, Fregosi and Johnson singled and Jim Spencer hit a sacrifice fly, giving the Angels a 1-0 lead.

The Twins came right back in the top of the fifth.  Cardenas tied it with a leadoff home run.  Tom Tischinski walked and was bunted to second, but he was still there with two out.  An error then produced a run and Killebrew hit a two-run homer, giving the Twins a 4-1 lead.

Johnson homered in the sixth to make it 4-2.  The Twins got the run back in the eighth when Cardenas doubled and scored on a Jim Holt single.

California threatened in the ninth.  Johnson led off with a single and Ken McMullen hit a one-out single, bringing the tying run to the plate.  But Ron Perranoski came in to retire Jarvis Tatum and Tom Egan to end the game.

WP:  Zepp (5-0).

LP:  Clyde Wright (12-6).

S:  Perranoski (21).

Notes:  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Bob Allison was in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Holt came in to play left in the seventh as part of a double switch.  Frank Quilici went in to play second base in the eighth, with Thompson moving to third and Killebrew leaving the game.

Killebrew was batting .322.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 and was also batting .322.  Tovar was batting .313.  Cardenas was batting .300.  Zepp had an ERA of 2.58.  Hall had an ERA of 2.03.  Perranoski retired both men he faced and had an ERA of 1.63.

Allison was 0-for-2 and was batting .195.

This would be the only time all season Cardenas would bat .300.  He fell off substantially in the second half, batting just .188 after the all-star break.

Angels catcher Joe Azcue was hit by a pitch in the third inning.  Egan replaced him starting the fourth.

The was LaRoche's first year in the majors.  He was with California for two years, played for the Twins in 1972, spent two years with the Cubs, went to Cleveland in 1975, was traded back to the Angels in mid-1977, and played for the Yankees from 1981-1983.  He made two all-star teams.  For his career, he was 65-58, 3.53, 1.31 WHIP.  He had 156 saves, with a high of twenty-five in 1978.  A pretty solid career.

Wright pitched 4.2 innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on two hits and five walks and striking out three.  Both hits he gave up were home runs.

With this game, we have reached the half-way point of the season.

Record:  The Twins were 54-27, in first place in the American League West, six games ahead of California.