Tag Archives: clutchiness

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty-eight

KANSAS CITY 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Sunday, September 27.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 2-for-3 with a double.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a triple.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Luis Tiant pitched four innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Bobby Floyd was 4-for-4 with two doubles.  Lou Piniella was 3-for-4.  Amos Otis was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Jim Rooker pitched 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks and striking out seven.

The game:  The Royals took the lead in the first inning.  Otis led off with a single and Piniella hit a one-out single.  A pickoff error moved the runners to second and third and a wild pitch brought home a run.  Ed Kirkpatrick's RBI single made it 2-0 Kansas City.

Then came some missed opportunities.  The Royals had men on first and third with none out in the second.  The Twins had men on first and second with two out in the third.  The Twins had men on second and third with one out in the fourth.  The Twins had a man on third with one out in the sixth.  But it was still 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when doubles by Bob Oliver and Floyd plated a Kansas City run and made it 3-0.  The Twins had a man on second with one out in the seventh and did not score.  In the bottom of the seventh Otis doubled and scored on Piniella's single to make it 4-0.

The Twins finally broke through in the eighth.  Harmon Killebrew hit a one-out single.  With two out Alyea singled and Bob Allison delivered a two-run double.  Rich Reese then hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-3.

That's all there was, though.  The last four Twins batters went out and the score stayed 4-3 Royals.

WP:  Rooker (10-15).

LP:  Tiant (7-3).

S:  Ted Abernathy (14).

Notes:  Danny Thompson was at shortstop in place of Leo Cardenas.  Frank Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Allison was in right field, with Tony Oliva moving to center and Cesar Tovar out of the lineup.  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Reese out of the lineup.

Steve Brye pinch-hit for Tiant in the fifth.  Tovar pinch-hit for Jim Kaat in the seventh.  Jim Nettles pinch-ran for Alyea in the eighth and stayed in the game in left field.  Reese pinch-hit for Renick in the eighth, with Herman Hill pinch-running for Reese.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Mitterwald in the eighth and stayed in the game at catcher.  Cardenas went to shortstop in the eighth, with Thompson moving to third.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for Bill Zepp in the ninth.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the ninth.

Tiant was 0-for-1 and was batting .406.  Oliva was batting .322.

Manuel was 0-for-1 and was batting .190.  Brye was 0-for-1 and was batting .182.

It's sad to me that, with only slightly expanded rosters now, you can't have box scores that look like this.

This was Tiant's first appearance since September 7.

This would be the last start of Allison's career.

I have no memory of Bobby Floyd, but he played in parts of seven seasons.  He never played a lot--his highest at-bat total was 134, and it was the only time he got above 100.  He was a utility infielder, and was presumably considered a good glove man.  I would guess that this was probably his only four-hit game.  His career numbers are .219/.264/.266.    He did have a long career as a minor league manager and coach, and was on the Mets major league coaching staff in 2001 and 2004.

This closed out the three-game series in Kansas City.  The Twins would now come home to end their season with four more against the Royals.

Record:  The Twins were 96-63, in first place in the American League West, nine games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-nine

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 3, NEW YORK 1 IN NEW YORK

Date:  Saturday, August 29.

Batting star:  Paul Ratliff was 2-for-4 with a home run (his third) and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Bill Zepp pitched six shutout innings, giving up nine hits and a walk and striking out one.  Tom Hall struck out three in 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Frank Baker was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch.  Jim Lyttle was 2-for-4.  Thurman Munson was 2-for-5.  Roy White was 2-for-5.  Mel Stottlemyre pitched a complete game, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks and striking out seven.

The game:  Cesar Tovar started the game with a single and went to third when Tony Oliva reached on an error with one out.  A sacrifice fly brought home a run and singles by Jim Holt and Ratliff brought home another, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees got three hits in the bottom of the first, but a double play kept them from taking advantage of them.  They loaded the bases in the second on a single, a hit batsman, and a walk, but a line drive double play took them out of that inning.  Each team had two on with one out in the fourth and did not score.  New York got a pair of singles with two out in the sixth and did not score.  So, it remained 2-0 going to the ninth.

Ratliff homered with two out in the top of the ninth to make it 3-0.  But the Yankees did not just go away quietly.  With one out Ron Woods tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.  Munson then singled to bring the tying run to bat with two out.  White hit a ball to deep right, but it was just a fly out and the game was over.

WP:  Zepp (7-3).

LP:  Stottlemyre (12-11).

S:  Hall (4).

Notes:  Holt was in center, with Tovar in left and Brant Alyea on the bench.  Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Frank Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Bob Allison pinch-hit for Zepp in the seventh.  Danny Thompson went to third base in the ninth, replacing Harmon Killebrew.

Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .317.  Zepp had an ERA of 2.79.  Stan Williams did not give up a run in two-thirds of an inning and had an ERA of 2.04.  Hall had an ERA of 2.92.

Allison was 0-for-1 and was batting .197.

The was the first time Ratliff had started since August 10 and the first time he had played an entire game since July 10.

The Twins had only two at-bats with men in scoring position, going 1-for-2.  The Yankees had eight at-bats with men in scoring position, but went 0-for-8.  They stranded eleven.

Record:  The Twins were 76-53, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Ninety-nine

MINNESOTA 12, DETROIT 4 IN DETROIT (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Saturday, August 1.

Batting stars:  Danny Thompson was 4-for-6 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-5 with five RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out two.  Dick Woodson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and two walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Don Wert was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fifth) and a walk.  Al Kaline was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth) and a walk.  Ike Brown was 2-for-4 with a home run, his third.  Mickey Lolich pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and four walks and striking out five.

The game:  The Twins got a pair of one-out singles in the first but did not score.  Brown homered in the bottom of the first to put the Tigers on the board, but they also could not take advantage of a pair of one-out singles.  The Twins tied it in the second.  Rich Reese led off with a walk and one-out singles by Tom Tischinski and Kaat loaded the bases.  All the Twins could get, though, was a sacrifice fly, as they again stranded two men.

Detroit put two on in the third and again could not score.  In the fourth, Kaat drew a two-out walk, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Tovar single to put the Twins up 2-1.  The Twins added a run in the fifth when Brant Alyea hit a two-out double and scored on a Reese single.  The Twins again missed a chance for more, as they loaded the bases with two out, but the score stayed 3-1.

The Tigers tied it in the seventh.  Wert led off the inning with a home run.  With one out Jim Price walked, Cesar Gutierrez singled him to third, and a ground out brought home the tying run.  The Twins went back in front in the eighth when Tischinski reached on an error, went to third on a Charlie Manuel single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  Once again, however, the Twins loaded the bases with two out and could not make it pay.  It cost them, as Kaline homered in the bottom of the eighth to tie it 4-4.

The Twins finally broke through in the tenth.  With one out, Tovar singled and scored on a Thompson double.  Harmon Killebrew was intentionally walked, but Tony Oliva delivered an RBI double and Rick Renick hit a two-run double, making the score 8-4.  Reese was intentionally walked, a ground out put men on second and third, and Paul Ratliff was intentionally walked, loading the bases.  Bob Allison walked to force in a run, Tovar singled in two, and Thompson finished the scoring with an RBI single.  An eight-run tenth gave the Twins a 12-4 lead.  Detroit tried to rally in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases, but Norm Cash flied out to end the game.

WP:  Ron Perranoski (7-2).

LP:  Fred Scherman (3-3).

S:  Dick Woodson (1).

Notes:  Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tischinski was again behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Jim Holt replaced Alyea in left field in the seventh.  Manuel pinch-hit for pitcher Stan Williams in the eighth.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Tischinski in the eighth, with Ratliff going behind the plate.  Renick pinch-hit for Holt in the ninth and went to left field.  Allison pinch-hit for Perranoski in the tenth.

Oliva was 1-for-6 and was batting .323.  Killebrew was 1-for-5 and was batting .306.  Tovar was batting .303.  Williams retired both men he faced and had an ERA of 1.57.  Perranoski gave up a run in two innings and had an ERA of 1.91.

Allison was 0-for-1 and was batting .170.

The Twins stranded fifteen men, but were still 7-for-15 with men in scoring position.  The Tigers stranded eight and were 0-for-6 with men in scoring position.

The Twins received three intentional walks in the tenth inning.  I don't know what the record for intentional walks in an extra inning, or in any inning, is, but it seems like it can't be much more than three.  They received a total of ten walks in the game.

Record:  The Twins were 63-36, in first place in the American League West, seven games ahead of Oakland, who had moved into second place 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: Game Fifty-four

MINNESOTA 10, BOSTON 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, June 14.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a walk.  George Mitterwald was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jim Holt was 2-for-5 with a home run, a triple, two runs, and three RBIs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven struck out seven in five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks.  Stan Williams pitched four shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  George Thomas was 3-for-5 with a double.  Billy Conigliaro was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Jose Santiago struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  The Red Sox scored in the first inning as Thomas singled and scored from first on a Carl Yastrzemski double.  The Twins tied it in the bottom of the first when Cesar Tovar singled, stole second, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch.

It stayed 1-1 until the fourth.  Boston took the lead when, with one out, Rico Petrocelli and George Scott singled and Conigliaro delivered an RBI double.  Tom Satriano was intentionally walked, loading the bases with still only one out, but Sonny Siebert and Mike Andrews struck out to end the inning.  It cost the Red Sox, as the Twins responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Cardenas led off the inning with a single and scored on a Holt triple.  Mitterwald followed with an RBI single and was bunted to second.  With two out Carew singled home a run and went to second on the throw home, which enabled him to score on an Oliva single and put the Twins up 5-2.

The Twins added a run in the fifth, although they missed a chance for more.  Reese and Cardenas led off the inning with singles.  With one out, Mitterwald walked and then pinch-hitter Rick Renick walked, forcing in a run to make the score 6-2.  The bases were still loaded, but a pair of force outs thwarted the Twins.

Boston loaded the bases with two out in the sixth with two walks and an error, but Thomas flied out to end the inning.  That was the last time the Red Sox threatened to get back into the game.  The Twins added four runs in the ninth.  Carew, Oliva, and Killebrew all singled, bringing home one run.  A ground out brought home another, and Holt hit a two-run homer to round out the scoring.

WP:  Blyleven (2-1).

LP:  Siebert (5-4).

S:  Williams (3).

Notes:  Holt was again in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Renick pinch-hit for Blyleven in the sixth.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth and stayed in the game at third base.

Carew was batting .373.  Oliva was batting .333.  Killebrew was batting .324.  Blyleven had an ERA of 2.37.  Williams had an ERA of 1.90.

Pitchers batting does lead to some interesting managerial decisions sometimes.  Leading 2-1 in the fourth, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with one out and Siebert up to bat.  Boston manager Eddie Kasko allowed him to bat, he struck out, so did Mike Andrews, and the inning was over.  The Twins scored four in the bottom of the fourth and the Red Sox never led again.  On the other hand, leading 5-2 in the fifth, the Twins had the bases loaded with one out and Blyleven up to bat.  Renick pinch-hit and walked, forcing in a run.  I'm really not in a position to say either decision was right or wrong, I just find them interesting.  I suspect if the Twins pitcher had been one with a reputation of being a good hitter, say Jim Kaat or Jim Perry, Bill Rigney might have allowed him to bat.

And if you're wondering, Siebert did fall into the "good hitter for a pitcher" category, with a lifetime average of .173.  His best year at-bat would be 1971, when he batted .266 with six home runs in 79 at-bats.  Blyleven had a career average of .131 with no home runs and only seven doubles in 451 at-bats.

The four ninth-inning runs were given up by ex-Twin Lee Stange.  Future Twin Ken Brett pitched one inning, giving up two walks but no runs.

As you can see above, seven of the Twins' batters had two or more hits.  They had sixteen for the game, so they were spread pretty evenly.  The Red Sox stranded twelve men and were 1-for-15 with men in scoring position.

Record:  The Twins were 36-18, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of California.  They had the best record in the American League, but trailed National League leader Cincinnati, who was 44-17.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Forty-two

NEW YORK 4, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, May 29.

Batting stars:  Rick Renick was 2-for-4 with two home runs, his third and fourth.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched six innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and three walks and striking out one.  Dick Woodson pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Thurman Munson was 2-for-4.  Bobby Murcer was 2-for-5.  Mike Kekich pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks and striking out four.  Lindy McDaniel pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit and one walk and striking out two.

The game:  With two out in the first Murcer singled, Roy White walked, and Danny Cater delivered an RBI single to put the Yankees up 1-0.  The Twins drew a pair of walks in the second but could do nothing with them.  In the third Jerry Kenney tripled and scored on a fielder's choice to make it 2-0 New York.  The Twins loaded the bases in the third but again could not score.  In the fourth, Gene Michael and Mike Kekich singled, putting men on first and third, and Horace Clarke grounded out to put the Yankees ahead 3-0.

The Twins got on the board in the fourth when Renick led off with a home run.  Renick again homered in the sixth to make it 3-2.  The Twins had men on first and third in the seventh, but again failed to make it count.

White led off the eighth with a triple and scored on Ron Woods' single to give New York an insurance run at 4-2.  The last seven Twins batters were retired.

WP:  Kekich (1-1).

LP:  Perry (6-4).

S:  McDaniel (4).

Notes:  Renick was at third, with Harmon Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Reese pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the sixth.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Perry in the sixth and stayed in the game at catcher.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Ron Perranoski in the eighth.

Carew was 1-for-4 and was batting .393.  Oliva was batting .331.  Renick was batting .323.  Killebrew was 0-for-2 and was batting .322.  Woodson had an ERA of zero.  Perranoski gave up one run in two innings and had an ERA of 1.80.  Perry had an ERA of 2.61.

Woodson was making his season debut.  It appears he was coming off an injury.

The Twins stranded nine and were 1-for-7 with men in scoring position.

Record:  The Twins were 29-13, in first place in the American League West, 2.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Forty-one

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 11, MILWAUKEE 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, May 28.

Batting stars:  Luis Tiant was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his fifth) and a walk.  George Mitterwald was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Rick Renick was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars: Luis Tiant pitched 7.1 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and three walks and striking out five.  Stan Williams pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Russ Snyder was 4-for-5 with a home run, his second.  Jerry McNertney was 2-for-4.  Danny Walton was 2-for-5.  Tommy Harper was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.

The game:  The Twins put this one away early.  The Brewers got two men on in the first with walks but did not score.  Alyea led off the second with a single.  With one out, singles by Leo Cardenas, Mitterwald, and Tiant made it 2-0.  Tovar walked to load the bases, Carew got an infield single, and a sacrifice fly made it 4-0.

The Twins added some more in the third.  Singles by Rick Renick and Tiant put two on with two out and Tovar hit a three-run homer to put the Twins up 7-0.  Milwaukee got a pair of singles in the fourth but did not score.  In the bottom of the fourth Killebrew and Alyea singled, putting two on with one out.  Renick hit an RBI single.  With two out Mitterwald doubled home a run and Tiant delivered a two-run single to give the Twins a 11-0 lead.

Snyder hit a solo homer in the fifth and Harper hit one in the seventh to cut the lead to 11-2.  The Brewers had two on with two out in the seventh, two on with one out in the eighth, and loaded the bases in the ninth, but the score did not change.

WP:  Tiant (6-0).

LP:  John Morris (2-1).

S:  Williams (2).

Notes:  Renick was at third base, with Killebrew at first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Reese replaced Killebrew in the eighth.  Frank Quilici replaced Cardenas at shortstop in the fifth, presumably due to illness or injury.  He would be back in the lineup the next day.

Tiant was batting .435.  Carew was 1-for-4 and was batting .398.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .327.  Killebrew was batting .326.  Tovar was batting .302.  Williams had an ERA of 1.55.

Quilici was 0-for-2 and was batting .159.

Tiant was not a particularly good batter through most of his career.  In 1965 and 1968 he batted below .100.  In 1964 and 1966 he batted .111.  He'd only had one year in which his average was higher than that--he batted .254 in 1967.  For his career he batted .164/.185/.224.  I don't know if there was a reason he batted so well in 1970 or if it was just a small sample size fluke, but it's pretty amazing.

Also, Tiant had four RBIs in 1970.  Three of them came in this game.

The Brewers stranded eight men and went 0-for-13 with men in scoring position.

This was one of ten major league starts John Morris made.  He appeared in relief 122 times over an eight-year career.  He was 11-7, 3.95, 1 career save, 1.35 WHIP.

There was apparently a rainout on Wednesday, as there seems no other reason for an off-day in the middle of the series.

Record:  The Twins were 29-12, in first place in the American League West, 2.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-six

MINNESOTA 5, CLEVELAND 3 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Saturday, May 9.

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

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

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

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

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

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

WP:  Ron Perranoski (1-1).

LP:  Dennis Higgins (0-2).

S:  None.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Fifteen

CLEVELAND 5, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, April 27.

Batting star:  Brant Alyea was 1-for-2 with two walks.

Pitching star:  Bill Zepp pitched four innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Ex-Twin Ted Uhlaender was 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs.  Vada Pinson was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.  Ray Fosse was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Sam McDowell was 2-for-4 with two runs.  He also pitched a complete game, giving up one run on six hits and five walks and striking out eight.

The game:  The Indians started the scoring in the third.  McDowell and Uhlaender led off the inning with singles, a ground out advanced them, and a sacrifice fly brought home the first run.  Back-to-back RBI doubles by Tony Horton and Roy Foster made it 3-0 Cleveland.

The Twins got on the board in the fourth.  With one out, Tony Oliva tripled and scored on Alyea's single.  Rich Reese followed with another single, but the Twins could do no more and it was 3-1.  The Twins got a pair of two-out walks in the sixth, but could do nothing with those, either.

The Indians added a run in the seventh when Uhlaender tripled and scored on Pinson's two-out single.  The Twins started the eighth with a walk and an error but McDowell struck out the next three batters.  In the ninth, McDowell and Uhlaender hit one-out singles and ex-Twin Graig Nettles walked to load the bases.  A sacrifice fly brought home the game's final run.  The Twins got two on in the ninth, but again did not score.

WP:  McDowell (3-2).

LP:  Dave Boswell (0-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Frank Quilici was again at second base in the absence of Rod Carew.  Leo Cardenas took Carew's number two spot in the lineup.

Minnie Mendoza pinch-hit for Boswell in the third.  Bob Allison pinch-hit for Zepp in the seventh.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Tom Hall in the ninth.

Alyea was batting .395.  Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .338.  Cesar Tovar was 0-for-5 and was also batting .338.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .333.  Zepp had an ERA of 2.25.  Hall gave up no runs in two-thirds of an inning and had an ERA of 2.57.

George Mitterwald was 0-for-4 and was batting .159.  Cardenas was 1-for-5 and was batting .193.  Boswell pitched three innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk and striking out two.  His ERA was 5.40.

The Twins stranded eleven runners and were 1-for-9 with men in scoring position.

We don't have pitch counts in 1970, but with five walks and eight strikeouts McDowell clearly threw a lot of pitches.  This was his fifth start and his third complete game.  He had pitched 39.1 innings to this point, and had walked 20 and struck out 40.

The Twins did not keep their "win four, lose two" streak going, as their winning streak was snapped at two games.

Record:  The Twins were 10-5, in second place in the American League West, one game behind California.

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.