Tag Archives: Bill Zepp

Happy Birthday–July 22

July 22, 2023 Jeff A

Pebbly Jack Glasscock (1857)
George Gibson (1880)
Jesse "Pop" Haines (1893)
Doc Cramer (1905)
Terris McDuffie (1908)
Jungle Jim Rivera (1922)
Sparky Lyle (1944)
Bill Zepp (1946)
Cliff Johnson (1947)
George Lauzerique (1947)
Tim Johnson (1949)
Scott Sanderson (1956)
Dave Stieb (1957)
Mike Sweeney (1973)
Scot Shields (1975)
Ryan Vogelsong (1977)

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to brianS’ brother.

The pastor who took over for me in the North Sioux City church is a nephew of Jesse Haines.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 22 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–July 22

July 22, 2022 Jeff A

Pebbly Jack Glasscock (1857)
George Gibson (1880)
Jesse "Pop" Haines (1893)
Doc Cramer (1905)
Jungle Jim Rivera (1922)
Sparky Lyle (1944)
Bill Zepp (1946)
Cliff Johnson (1947)
George Lauzerique (1947)
Tim Johnson (1949)
Scott Sanderson (1956)
Dave Stieb (1957)
Mike Sweeney (1973)
Scot Shields (1975)
Ryan Vogelsong (1977)

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to brianS’ brother.

The pastor who took over for me in the North Sioux City church is a nephew of Jesse Haines.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 22 →

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-three

February 28, 2022 Jeff A

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

January 16, 2022 Jeff A

MINNESOTA 4, DETROIT 3 IN DETROIT

Date: Sunday, August 2.

Batting stars: Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a home run (his eighteenth), two runs, and two RBIs. Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a double. Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5. Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his thirty-third) and a walk.

Pitching stars: Bill Zepp pitched 8.1 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits and four walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars: Bill Freehan was 2-for-4. Daryl Patterson struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.

The game: Oliva homered in the first inning to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. The Tigers tied it in the second when Norm Cash walked, went to second on Bill Freehan's single, and scored on a double by Don Wert. The Twins went back in front in the fourth when Oliva singled and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer. They added a run in the fifth on singles by Zepp, Tovar, and Oliva, making the score 4-1.

It stayed 4-1 until the ninth. Cash led off the inning with a single and Wert drew a one-out walk, bringing the tying run to the plate. Ron Perranoski came in and retired Elliot Maddox on a line out, but Ike Brown singled to load the bases and an error brought home two runs. It was 4-3 with men on first and third and two out. Stan Williams then came in to retire Mickey Stanley on a line out to end the game.

WP: Zepp (6-1).

LP: Joe Niekro (10-9).

S: Williams (8).

Notes: Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew. Charlie Manuel was in left field in place of Brant Alyea. Jim Holt pinch-ran for Manuel in the sixth and stayed in the game in left field.

Oliva was batting .327. Killebrew was batting .306. Tovar was batting .304. Zepp had an ERA of 2.96. Perranoski had an ERA of 1.90. Williams had an ERA of 1.56.

Niekro gave up four runs in 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and no walks and striking out one.

Manuel was with the Twins for all but a month of the 1970 season, but started only six games. This was the second of those six, and as you can see above, he played barely over half the game. In his month in AAA, when he actually got to play, he batted .329 with an OPS of 1.027. I understand that he probably wasn't a very good defender, but this was a team that was playing Brant Alyea, Holt, and Rick Renick in left field. There should've been more than six starts for Manuel.

This was the longest start of Zepp's career to date. He would make only one longer, a shutout of the White Sox on September 11.

The Twins finished their road trip 3-3. They would now come home for ten games against Milwaukee, California, and Oakland.

Record: The Twins were 64-36, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of California and Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Forty-three

November 17, 2021 Jeff A

MINNESOTA 10, NEW YORK 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date: Saturday, May 30.

Batting stars: Rich Reese was 4-for-5 with a home run (his third), a triple, three runs, and three RBIs. Paul Ratliff was 2-for-4. Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a double. Rod Carew was 2-for-5 with a double. Cesar Tovar was 1-for-5 with a home run, his sixth.

Pitching star: Ron Perranoski pitched three innings, giving up one run on two hits and no walks and striking out none.

Opposition stars: Danny Cater was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs. Thurman Munson was 2-for-5 with a double. Gary Waslewski pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game: The Twins took the lead early. With one out in the first, Carew doubled and scored on an Oliva single. Oliva was out trying to go to second on the throw home, but Harmon Killebrew walked and Reese hit a two-run homer, putting the Twins up 3-0. The Yankees loaded the bases in the second but did not score. With two out in the third, Killebrew singled and scored on a Reese triple. Jim Holt followed with a single to make it 5-0 Twins.

But of course, against the Yankees, it couldn't be that easy. In the fourth, Cater doubled, went to third on Munson's single, and scored on a ground out to make it 5-1. In the fifth, Bobby Murcer singled, went to third on Roy White's double, and scored on a ground out to cut the lead to 5-2. In the seventh, Gene Michael singled, Jim Lyttle walked, and two-out walks to Jerry Kenney and Murcer made it 5-3. In the seventh Cater singled, Munson doubled, Ron Woods delivered a two-run single to tie it 5-5. With two out, John Ellis singled and Woods scored from first to give New York the lead at 6-5.

But the Twins came back in the bottom of the seventh. Tovar led off with a home run to tie the score. With one out Oliva doubled, Killebrew was intentionally walked, and Rich Reese reached on an error, loading the bases. Then came consecutive singles by Rick Renick, Leo Cardenas, and Ratliff, scoring four runs and giving the Twins a 10-6 advantage. New York did not get a baserunner after that.

WP: Perranoski (4-2).

LP: Steve Hamilton (3-3).

S: None.

Notes: Holt was in left in place of Brant Alyea. Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.

Renick pinch-hit for Holt in the seventh and stayed in the game in left field. Frank Quilici replaced Killebrew at third base in the ninth.

Carew was batting .394. Oliva was batting .333. Renick was 1-for-2 and was batting .333. Killebrew was 1-for-2 and was batting .324. Ratliff was batting .300. Perranoski had an ERA of 1.89.

Dick Woodson allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning and had an ERA of 10.80.

Bill Zepp started and pitched 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out two. He would go back to the bullpen after this start, rejoining the rotation on July 6.

Stan Bahnsen started for the Yankees. He pitched three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk and struck out none.

Bill Rigney replaced Killebrew with Quilici a lot, which of course is a perfectly understandable move. It's interesting, though, that I don't think he has yet replaced him until Killebrew was unlikely to get another at-bat, no matter how big the Twins' lead was. In this game, for example, the Twins took a 10-6 lead in the seventh. But with Killebrew likely to bat in the eighth, Rigney left him at third, and did not make the defensive move until the ninth.

Reese was 7-for-12 in the last three games he started. He raised his average from .225 to .258.

Record: The Twins were 30-13, in first place in the American League West, 2.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Thirty-nine

November 13, 2021 Jeff A

MINNESOTA 6, MILWAUKEE 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date: Monday, May 25.

Batting stars: Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk. Rich Reese was 1-for-3 with three RBIs.

Pitching stars: None.

Opposition stars: Russ Snyder was 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Mike Hegan was 2-for-3 with two doubles. Tommy Harper was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base (his twentieth), a walk, and two runs. Skip Lockwood pitched a complete game, giving up six runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk and striking out six.

The game: Cesar Tovar and Rod Carew led off the first with singles, putting men on first and third, and Tony Oliva hit an RBI ground out to put the Twins up 1-0. The Brewers tied it in the third when Harper drew a two-out walk, stole second, and scored on Russ Snyder's single. The Twins went back in front in the fourth. Oliva reached on an error and scored on a Harmon Killebrew triple. Reese followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 Twins.

Milwaukee came back. Ted Kubiak led off the fifth with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. In the sixth Snyder singled and scored from first on Mike Hegan's double to tie it 3-3. The Brewers took the lead in the seventh when Gus Gil singled, was bunted to second, and scored on Harper's single.

It was the Twins' turn in the seventh. George Mitterwald reached on an error and was bunted to second. Tovar reached on another error, sending Mitterwald to third. With two out, Oliva reached on yet another error, scoring Mitterwald to tie it 4-4. Killebrew walked to load the bases and Reese delivered a two-run single to give the Twins a 6-4 lead.

Milwaukee drew a pair of one-out walks in the eighth but did not score. The first two Brewers went out in the ninth, but Harper doubled and scored on Snyder's single, cutting the lead to 6-5. An error on Frank Quilici (in the game as a defensive replacement) put men on first and second, but future Twin Danny Walton flied out to end the game.

WP: Tom Hall (2-1).

LP: Lockwood (0-1).

S: Ron Perranoski (12).

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

Carew was 1-for-4 and was batting .387. Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .329. Killebrew was batting .328. Bill Zepp pitched 6.2 innings and gave up four runs, making his ERA 2.78. Hall did not give up a run in two-thirds of an inning and had an ERA of 2.59. Stan Williams gave up a run in 1.1 innings and had an ERA of 1.65. Perranoski got the last out and had an ERA of 1.64.

This was Zepp's second start of the season. He would make one more, then go back to the bullpen until July, when he would go into the rotation.

Milwaukee made four errors in the game, and as you can see above, the errors cost them. Lockwood was allowed to pitch a complete game despite giving up six runs, presumably on the theory that it's not his fault that his fielders couldn't field. Still, a complete game while giving up six runs is unusual, even if four were unearned.

This was Killebrew's only triple in 1970. For his career, he hit twenty-four triples. He only once hit more than two in a season, and that's in 1961, when he hit seven.

Gus Gil somehow managed to play in parts of four seasons and appear in 221 games despite batting .186/.272/.226, for an OPS of .499. Presumably he was considered a good fielder, but his batting line pretty much defines "futility infielder".

The Twins had played four one-run games in a row, winning two and losing two.

Record: The Twins were 27-12, in first place in the American League West, one game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-nine

November 3, 2021 Jeff A

MINNESOTA 5, BALTIMORE 4 IN MINNESOTA (10 INNINGS)

Date: Wednesday, May 13.

Batting stars: Rod Carew was 4-for-5 with two runs. Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk. Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.

Pitching stars: Bill Zepp pitched three perfect innings. Ron Perranoski pitched three shutout innings, giving up three hits and walking four.

Opposition stars: Dou Buford was 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Boog Powell was 2-for-4 with a walk. Paul Blair was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Brooks Robinson was 2-for-5 with two doubles. Frank Robinson was 2-for-5.

The game: Each team scored two in the first. For the Orioles, Mark Belanger walked, Frank Robinson singled, and Paul Blair hit a two-out two-run double. For the Twins, Carew singled and Killebrew hit a two-out two-run homer.

Baltimore had a man on second in the third and again in the fourth but did not score. They broke through in the fifth, though. Buford and Belanger opened the inning with singles. Frank Robinson followed with a single-plus-error, bringing home one run, and Powell had an RBI single to make it 4-2 Orioles. The Twins came back in the sixth. Singles by Carew and Killebrew and a walk to Rich Reese loaded the bases with one out. A force out scored one run and Leo Cardenas had an RBI single to tie it. The Twins missed a chance to take the lead when Jim Holt was thrown out trying to go from first to third on the hit.

Baltimore opened the eighth with two singles, but a line drive double play ended the threat. They had a pair of two-out walks in the ninth and did not score. In the tenth Powell walked, Brooks Robinson hit a one-out double, and Dave Johnson was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Andy Etchebarren hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Twins had not gotten a man past first base since the sixth. In the tenth, however, Cesar Tovar walked, Tony Oliva hit a one-out double, and Killebrew was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Up to then, the Twins' tenth went exactly like the Orioles tenth. The difference was that instead of hitting into a double play, Reese hit a double, bringing in the deciding run.

WP: Perranoski (2-1).

LP: Ed Watt (1-1).

S: None.

Notes: Holt was in left field in place of Brant Alyea. Paul Ratliff caught in place of George Mitterwald.

Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Zepp in the seventh, with Dave Boswell pinch-running for Manuel.

Carew was batting .368. Killebrew was batting .333. Oliva was batting .331. Zepp had an ERA of 2.08. Perranoski had an ERA of 1.75.

Holt was 0-for-4 and was batting .138.

Jim Kaat started and pitched four innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk and striking out two. Baltimore starter Jim Palmer pitched 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks and striking out four.

Each team turned three double plays. For each team, one of them was a line drive double play.

Carew was 6-for-10. Spoiler alert: he would go on a tear for the next week or so. We'll keep track of it.

Reese was 7-for-18, raising his average from .182 to .226.

I mentioned this once before, but Zepp was a key pitcher for the 1970 Twins. He's pretty much forgotten now, because the Twins traded him after the season and because this was the only good year he had, but this was one of several games in which he was instrumental in the victory.

This was Perranoski's thirteenth appearance. He pitched more than one inning in ten of them; exactly two innings in six of them; and more than two innings in three of them.

Record: The Twins were 19-10, in second place in the American League West, one game behind California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Six

October 11, 2021 Jeff A

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.