MINNESOTA 5, SEATTLE 4 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Sunday, July 13.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a double.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a double.  Charlie Manuel was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with two walks.

Pitching stars:  Al Worthington struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Ron Perranoski struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up three walks.

Opposition stars:  Fred Talbot pitched 7.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits and four walks and striking out five.  Ron Clark was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Wayne Comer was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.

The game:  There was no score until the fifth.  The Twins had a major threat in the fourth, as Ted Uhlaender reached on an error, Oliva doubled, and Killebrew was intentionally walked, loading the bases with one out for Rich Reese.  Reese hit into a double play, however, leaving the game scoreless.

It looked like it would cost them, as the Pilots rallied in the fifth.  Comer walked, Merritt Ranew singled, and Clark doubled, putting Seattle up 1-0.  With one out, Talbot delivered a two-run single, making the score 3-0.  The Twins weren't doing much against Talbot, and in the eighth the Pilots added to their lead without benefit of a hit.  Steve Hovley reached second on an error and was bunted to third.  Tommy Davis was intentionally walked.  With two out Davis stole second, leading to an intentional walk to Comer.  With the bases loaded Jerry McNertney was accidentally walked, giving Seattle a 4-0 lead.

The Twins got on the board in the eighth.  Oliva got a one-out single, leading to Talbot being removed in favor of Bob Locker.  Killebrew singled, and with two out Manuel came through with a two-run double.  Still, the Pilots led 4-2 going to the bottom of the ninth.

Cardenas led off the bottom of the ninth with a double.  Rod Carew got a pinch-hit single to make the score 4-3.  He was bunted to second.  Cesar Tovar then reached on an error, putting men at first and third.  Oliva singled to bring home the tying run.  With men on first and second and the score 4-4, Killebrew was intentionally walked to load the bases.  It looked like the strategy might work, as Reese popped up to short.  Manuel then singled to right, however, giving the Twins a 5-4 victory.

WP:  Perranoski (5-4).  LP:  Diego Segui (6-4).  S:  None.

Notes:  Tovar started the game at second base.  Manuel was in left, with Uhlaender in center.

Carew's pinch-hit raised his average to .356.  Oliva went up to .339.  Reese was 0-for-5, dropping his average to .324.

After seeing Killebrew go 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs in the first game of the series, Joe Schultz apparently decided he wasn't going to let him beat them any more.  Killebrew drew six walks in the remaining three games of the series.  It would be hard to argue that the last one, in the ninth inning, was good strategy.  They even lost a platoon advantage, as it made the right-handed Segui face lefties Reese and Manuel.  Granted, Segui didn't have a big platoon split, but you still gave up what he had.  Plus, of course, moving the deciding run to third meant that a fly ball, an error, a Dazzle Special, or even a weakly hit ground ball could end the game.  They kept Killebrew from beating them but they still lost the game, and I don't see how you argue that walking Killebrew made it less likely that they'd lose the game.

Twins starter Bob Miller pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk, striking out none.

1969 was the only season Wayne Comer was a regular.  An outfielder, he played mostly center for the Pilots, although he also saw substantial time in right.  He wasn't bad, batting .245 but with an OBP of .354 and fifteen home runs.  His OPS was .735.  I suspect, however, that baseball people saw the .245 a lot more than the .354.  In 1970 the team, now in MIlwaukee, went with such luminaries as Danny Walton and Bob Burda in the outfield and sent Comer first to the bench, then to Washington in May.  He was a reserve outfielder for the Senators, batting .233 but again posting a solid OBP of .346.  He would then spend the next four years in AAA, getting just twenty-seven more big league at-bats with Detroit in 1972.  In 816 big-league plate appearances he had an OBP of .331.  One suspects that today some team would figure out a way to use that, but back then no one did.

Record:  The Twins were 53-35, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of Oakland.  They had won five in a row, ten out of eleven, and and fourteen out of sixteen.

MINNESOTA 11, SEATTLE 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, July 12.

Batting stars:  Rich Reese was 3-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk, scoring twice and driving in four.  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a double and three runs.  Jim Perry was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched a complete game, giving up one run on five hits and two walks and striking out three.

Opposition star:  Tommy Davis was 2-for-4.

The game:  Seattle scored in the first inning, as Steve Hovley singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Davis' single.  It was all Minnesota from there.  Reese homered in the second inning, tying it at 1-1.  The Twins took the lead in the third.  Perry led off with a single, and was still on first with two out.  Then, however, Oliva singled, Harmon Killebrew walked, and Reese delivered a two-run single to give the Twins a 3-1 lead.

The Twins took control in the fifth.  Graig Nettles singled and Oliva doubled.  A wild pitch brought home Nettles.  Walks to Killebrew and Reese loaded the bases.  Johnny Roseboro hit a sacrifice fly, and a walk to Leo Cardenas re-loaded the bases.  Perry delivered a two-run single and Ted Uhlaender followed with an RBI single.  The score was 8-1 and the game was decided.

The Twins weren't done, though.  RBI doubles by Frank Quilici and Cardenas made it 10-1 through six.  In the eighth, Charlie Manuel had a single-plus-error and scored on Reese's single to make it 11-1.  The Pilots had only three hits after the first inning, all singles.

WP:  Perry (8-4).  LP:  Marty Pattin (7-8).  S:  None.

Notes:  Uhlaender was back in center as Nettles, making his first start since July 1, was in left.  Cesar Tovar was at second base in place of Rod Carew, who perhaps had National Guard duties.

Oliva raised his average to .336.  Reese raised his average to .330.

Marty Pattin would not win another game all season, finishing 7-12, 5.62 in 34 games, 27 of them starts.  He went on to have some pretty good years, though, posting ERAs under 3.40 for three consecutive season (1970-1972) and making the all-star team in 1971.  He was with Boston from 1972-1973, but after a down year in 1973 he was traded to Kansas City.  He had several fairly successful years there, mostly as a reliever.  In seven seasons with the Royals, he went 43-39, 3.48, 1.23 WHIP in 825.2 innings (244 games, 63 starts).  He was still effective in his last year, 1980, when he was thirty-seven.  He went 4-0, 3.64, 1.35 WHIP that season.  It is unclear whether he simply retired or could not find a contract to his liking, but there's no real reason to think he couldn't have pitched a couple more seasons.  He was the head baseball coach at the University of Kansas from 1982-1986.  Marty Pattin passed away on October 3, 2018.

Record:  The Twins were 51-36, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.  The Twins had won three in a row, eight out of nine, and twelve out of fourteen.

MINNESOTA 9, SEATTLE 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, July 11.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh) and a double, scoring three times and driving in four.  Rich Reese was 3-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his third), a walk, and a hit-by-pitch.

Pitching star:  Tom Hall, making his first appearance in a month and his first start in a month plus a week, pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Tommy Davis was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring twice.  John O'Donoghue pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.

The game:  With two out and none on in the first, Tony Oliva walked and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer, putting the Twins up 2-0.  The Pilots put men on first and third with none out in the second, but could only score one on a double play.  In the second, Cesar Tovar was hit by a pitch and Uhlaender hit a two-out two-run homer to give the Twins a 4-1 lead.

Seattle loaded the bases with none out in the fourth.  A wild pitch brough home one run but left men on first and third, as Don Mincher did not advance from first for some reason.  It cost the Pilots, as Jerry McNertney hit into a double play.  It scored a run, but it took Seattle out of a possible big inning and left the Twins ahead 4-3.

The Twins took control of the game in the fifth.  It again happened with two out and none on.   Rod Carew singled, Oliva tripled, Killebrew doubled, and Reese had an RBI single.  It all resulted in three runs, giving the Twins a 7-3 lead.  The Twins added two more in the eighth, as Killebrew homered, Reese tripled, and Johnny Roseboro singled.  The Pilots did not get a hit after the fourth inning.

WP:  Hall (4-4).  LP:  Gene Brabender (7-6).  S:  None.

Notes:  Tovar was again in center with Uhlaender in left.  Frank Quilici replaced Killebrew at third base in the ninth.

Carew was 1-for-5 and was batting .353.  Oliva was 1-for-3 with a walk and was batting .351.  Reese raised his average to .321.

I understand that we're looking back fifty years later, and a lot has changed in the way we see things in those years.  Still, it seems inexcusable that Hall would pitch a complete game in this situation.  Coming back from an injury.  His first appearance in a month.  His first start since June 4.  A blowout game.  Again, I know Men Were Men back then, but didn't it occur to anyone that having Hall throw a complete game, especially when there was no reason for him to, might not be the smartest idea?  Apparently not, or if it did Billy Martin overruled them.  There's a difference between being "tough" and being stupid.

This game featured the major league debut of twenty-two-year-old Seattle reliever Dick Baney.  He was greeted by the Killebrew home run, the Reese triple, and the Roseboro single, not exactly the way you want to make your major league debut.  He did settle down and retire the side with no further runs, although he left the bases loaded.  He made three more appearances, two of them against the Twins, then went back down to AAA, getting a September call-up.  He did quite well in that September call-up, including winning his only start against the Twins.  He had not pitched particularly well in AAA, and he would continue to not pitch well there through 1972.  It was starting to look like 1969 would be his only big league experience, but in 1973, when he was twenty-six and in the Cincinnati organization, he went 8-4, 3.39 in AAA and got a September call-up.  He pitched well out of the Reds bullpen, but in 1974 found himself back in Indianapolis at the start of the season.  He got back to the majors in early June and stayed the rest of the season, although he did not do much to justify that.  He pitched in Indianapolis again in 1975, popped up in something called the Inter-American Baseball League in 1979, then was done.  He posed nude for Playgirl in 1977, which probably got him more publicity than anything he'd done on a ball field.  In his major league career, he was 4-1, 4.28, 3 saves, 1.42 WHIP in 90.1 innings (42 games, 3 starts).  His AAA numbers are 42-34, 4.27, 1.42 WHIP, so it's hard to argue he deserved more of a chance.  He appears to have had a successful career as a real estate investor and a property manager and was living in Tustin, California at last report.

Record:  The Twins were 50-35, in first place, in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.

MINNESOTA 6, KANSAS CITY 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, July 10.

Batting stars:  Rich Reese was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-fifth) and two RBIs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double, driving in two.

Pitching stars:  Dave Boswell struck out six in 5.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Lou Piniella was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his ninth.  Mike Fiore was 1-for-3 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk, scoring twice.  Chuck Harrison was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer, his third.  Don O'Riley pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  Pat Kelly led off the game with a double and stole third, but Boswell struck out Joe Foy, Fiore, and Piniella to keep the Royals off the board.  The Twins got on that board in the bottom of the first.  Ted Uhlaender walked and scored on a Carew triple.  Killebrew later hit a one-out single to put the Twins ahead 2-0.

The Twins scored single runs in each of the next four innings.  In the second, Cesar Tovar got an infield single, was bunted to second, and scored on Carew's double.  In the third, Killebrew hit a home run.  In the fourth, Tovar reached on a two-base error, was bunted to third, and scored on a pickoff error.  In the fifth, Tony Oliva singled, went to third on a Rich Reese single, and scored on Johnny Roseboro's squeeze bunt.  After that, the score was 6-0 Twins through five innings.

Apart from the first-inning threat, Kansas City really didn't do much in the first five innings.  The best they could do was get a couple of guys on base with two out in the fourth.  In the sixth, however, Fiore homered.  Piniella reached on an error, Bob Oliver got an infield single, and Boswell was surprisingly removed from the game.  Dick Woodson came in and got the Twins out of the sixth, but could not get the job done in the seventh.  Ex-Twin Jackie Hernandez led off the inning with a single and Harrison hit a pinch-hit two-run homer.  The next two batters were retired but Fiore walked, leading to Woodson coming out in favor of Ron Perranoski.  He immediately gave up a two-run homer to Piniella, and suddenly the Twins lead was just 6-5.

Perranoski shut the door after that, though.  He struck out Oliver to end the seventh and did not allow a hit the rest of the way.  The only baserunner the Royals got was on a Paul Schaal walk in the eighth.  The Twins held on for the 6-5 win.

WP:  Boswell (11-8).  LP:  Dick Drago (4-8).  S:  Perranoski (17).

Notes:  Uhlaender was again in left, with Tovar in center.

Carew raised his average to .356.  Oliva was batting .331.  Reese raised his average to .312.  Perranoski's ERA went to 2.14.

The removal of Boswell in the sixth inning seems really out of character with the way Billy Martin had been handling his pitching staff this season.  It's possible, of course, that Boswell wasn't feeling well or something and that led to him coming out early.  But after Kelly's leadoff double he had given up just two more hits, both singles, through five innings.  Granted that he gave up the home run to Fiore, but then came an error and an infield hit, so it's not like Kansas City was cuffing him around.  It seems like an odd thing for Martin to have done.

Bringing in Woodson also seems like an odd decision.  He had just pitched an inning and a third the day before and had not done all that well, giving up the losing run.  And Woodson was apparently battling an injury--this would be the last game he would pitch until August 2.  Now, second-guessing a manager fifty years after the fact is a tricky thing.  There could have been all kinds of factors going into Martin's decision that we know nothing about.  But from what we do know, this seems like a strange thing for him to have done.  And while it didn't cost the Twins the game, you can't really say it worked, either.

Speaking of odd, first baseman Mike Fiore had kind of an odd career.  1969 was his rookie season, and as a twenty-four-year old he hit .274/.420/.428.  He never got a chance to be a regular again.  The Royals had a new manager in 1970, Charlie Metro, and according to Fiore Metro took an immediate dislike to him.  Bob Oliver became the regular first baseman and Fiore was traded to the Red Sox in late May.  The Red Sox had George Scott at first base, and also used Carl Yastrzemski there, and Fiore wasn't about to beat out either of them.  He was traded to St. Louis in March of 1972, but they had Matty Alou and Donn Clendenon at first base.  He spent 1973-1978 in AAA, most of those years for Baltimore.  He had an OPS of over. 800 three times, one of them over .900, but never got so much as a September call-up.  The Orioles had people like Boog Powell, Lee May, and then Eddie Murray at first base, and again there was no room for Fiore.   For the teams with veterans, it's understandable why Fiore didn't get a chance.  it's hard to understand, though, why the Royals wouldn't try to make something of a twenty-four-year-old with an OPS of .848.  We'll never know what would've happened if they had, but given that they didn't have a first baseman do that well again until John Mayberry came along in 1972, it seems like it would have been worth their while to find out.

Record:  The Twins were 49-35, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.

KANSAS CITY 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, July 9.

Batting stars:  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-fourth) and a walk, driving in two.

Pitching star:  Al Worthington pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Roger Nelson pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on nine hits and five walks and striking out two.  Joe Foy was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his fifth) and a walk, scoring tiwce.  Mike Fiore was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Bob Oliver was 2-for-4.

The game:  It looked good for the Twins early.  With one out in the first, Rod Carew and Oliva got back-to-back singles and an RBI ground out put them up 1-0.  In the second, Jim Perry hit a two-out double that scored Johnny Roseboro to make it 2-0.  Killebrew hit a two-out home run in the third to make it 3-0.

It would not hold up, though.  With two out and none on in the fifth, Pat Kelly walked and Foy hit a two-run homer to make the score 3-2.  It did not kill the rally, as Fiore doubled and Lou Piniella hit an RBI single to tie it 3-3.

The Twins missed chances in the fifth and sixth.  In the fifth, Oliva had a two-out single and Killebrew walked, but Rich Reese grounded out to end the inning.  In the sixth, Cardenas singled and went to second and third on two wild pitches, but was caught trying to steal home.  The missed chances cost the Twins, as the Royals tooke the lead in the seventh.  Foy walked with one out, Fiore doubled, and Piniella hit into a fielder's choice that brought home the go-ahead run.  The Twins did not get a hit after the sixth inning, nor did they get a man past first base.

WP:  Nelson (6-7).  LP:  Dick Woodson (6-4).  S:  None.

Notes:  Carew was 1-for-4, dropping his average to .354.  He was batting .382 on June 28, but had gone 10-for-47 since.  Oliva raised his average to .332.  Reese went 0-for-4 and was batting .306.

Twins starter Perry pitched five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out three.

Cesar Tovar was once again in center field with Uhlaender in left.

In addition to leading the league in home runs and RBIs in 1969, Killebrew also led the league in walks and on-base percentage.  It was the third time he led the league in walks.  I wonder if any of the writers ever criticized him for taking too many pitches and not being aggressive enough at the plate.

This was Roger Nelson's only full season as a rotation starter.  He did pretty well, going 7-13, 3.31, 1.22 WHIP.  He had gotten a September call-up with the White Sox in 1967 and had done well in about half a season with Baltimore in 1968 before being taken by the Royals with the first pick in the expansion draft after the sesaon.  He missed much of the next two seasons with injuries, but came back strong in 1972.  He started that season in the bullpen, possibly because of the injury concerns, but was in the Royals rotation by the end of June and stayed there the rest of the season.  He went 11-6, 2.08 in 173.1 innings, with ten complete games and six shutouts.  He led the league in WHIP with 0.87 and in K/W ration at 3.87.  He was traded to Cincinnati after the season and injuries struck again.  He did all right for the Reds when he could pitch, but in two seasons he could work only 140 innings (28 games, 20 starts), going 7-6, 3.42, 1.25 WHIP.  He had a poor year in AAA for Oakland in 1975 and then tried to come back as a reliever, but could make only three more big league appearances, for Kansas City in 1976.  He stayed in the minors through 1979, then was done.  His career numbers are 29-32, 3.06, 1.11 WHIP in 636.1 innings.  He appeared in 135 games, 77 of them starts.  If he'd been able to stay healthy, he might have had a heck of a career.  It seems like you never hear of kids being named "Roger" any more.

Record:  The Twins were 48-35, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.

MINNESOTA 4, KANSAS CITY 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, July 8.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-3 with a home run (his thirteenth) and a walk.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base (his fourteenth), scoring twice.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a double.  Johnny Roseboro was 2-for-4.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Bob Miller pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and two walks and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Wally Bunker pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out six.  Eliseo Rodriguez was 3-for-4.  Pat Kelly was 2-for-5.

The game:  Both teams had missed opportunities, as they combined to strand seventeen runners.  The Royals had men on first and second with one out in the first inning, but Bob Oliver hit into a double play.  The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the first when Oliva hit a two-out solo home run.  Kansas City evened the score in the second when Rodriguez singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on two wild pitches.  The Twins had men on first and second with one out in the bottom of the second, but did not score.

Kansas City went into the lead again in the fourth.  Oliver walked and went to third on Lou Piniella's single with one out.  Then, Rodriguez hit what b-r.com describes as a "Single to P (Pop Fly)", which scored Oliver and put the Royals up 2-1.  The Twins put men on first and third with none out in the bottom of the fourth, but the rally fizzled when Rich Reese was thrown out trying to score on a grounder to third.

Kansas City had three singles in the seventh, but a double play killed their rally.  The Twins tied it in the bottom of the seventh when Tovar singled, stole second, and scored on Uhlaender's single.  They finally took their first lead in the eighth when Cardenas hit a one-out double and scored on Tovar's two-run homer.

The Royals didn't go away quietly.  With two out and none on, consecutive singles by Hawk Taylor, Ed Kirkpatrick, and Pat Kelly made the score 4-3 with men on first and third.  Paul Schaal then grounded to short to end the game.

WP:  Al Worthington (2-0).  LP:  Moe Drabowsky (6-6).  S:  Ron Perranoski (16).

Notes:  It was again Tovar in center and Uhlaender in left.

Rod Carew was 1-for-4 with a double and was batting .356.  Oliva raised his average to .330.  Reese was 1-for-4 and was batting .313.

Miller's ERA was now 2.87.  Perranoski's ERA was 2.08.

Miller, who had only once pitched as many as three innings before being put into the rotation on June 30, pitched 7.1, 9, and 7 innings in his three starts.

The Twins stranded nine runners, the Royals eight.  The Twins were 2-for-10 with men in scoring position, the Royals 2-for-7.

The Twins were 4-0 against Kansas City in Minnesota.  They were 1-5 against them in Kansas City.

Record:  The Twins were 48-34, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.  They had won five in a row and nine of their last ten.

MINNESOTA 6, KANSAS CITY 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, July 7.

Batting star:  Rich Reese was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.

Pitching stars:  Al Worthington pitched a perfect inning.  Dick Woodson struck out four in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Jim Rooker was 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs.  Chuck Harrison was 2-for-3.  Lou Piniella was 2-for-4 with a triple.

The game:  With two out in the first, Piniella singled and Bob Oliver tripled, putting the Royals up 1-0.  The Twins took the lead in the second.  Tony Oliva led off with a single and stole second, but he was still on second with two out.  Frank Quilici and George Mitterwald each walked, loading the bases, and Jim Kaat made the Royals pay with a three-run double that gave the Twins a 3-1 lead.

Kansas City pitcher Rooker homered leading off the third to cut the lead to 3-2.  In the fifth, Chuck Harrison singled with one out and Rooker struck again, hitting a two-run homer to put the Royals ahead 4-3.  Twins fans (and players, and manager) had to be wondering what was going on.  Kansas City had just five hits, and two of them were home runs by their pitcher.  The Royals added a run in the sixth when Paul Schaal singled and Piniella tripled him home to make the score 5-3.

Kansas City opened the seventh with singles by Joe Foy and Harrison, putting men on first and third, but Worthington relieved Kaat and took care of business.  Foy was cut down trying to score on an infield grounder and Rooker hit into a double play, keeping the score 5-3.

The missed opportunity cost the Royals.  Reese led off the eighth with a home run to cut the margin to 5-4.  Harmon Killebrew walked and Oliva reached on an error, putting men on first and second.  A bunt moved them to second and third, and pinch-hitter Charlie Manuel came through with a two-run single to give the Twins a 6-5 lead.  Woodson struck out the side in the ninth to preserve the win.

WP:  Woodson (6-3).  LP:  Rooker (0-6).  S:  None.

Notes:  Cesar Tovar was again in center field.  Bob Allison was in left, with Ted Uhlaender on the bench.  Uhlaender pinch-ran for Killebrew in the eighth and stayed in the game to play left.  Frank Quilici, who had started the game at second base, moved to third to replace Killebrew, and Rod Carew, who had been on the bench, came into the game to play second.

Tovar led off for the Twins.  Reese batted second, one of nine times on the season he batted in the number two spot.  Leo Cardenas batted fifth, one of ten times on the season he batted in the number five spot.  Mitterwald was catching in place of Johnny Roseboro.

Oliva was 1-for-4 to make his average .327.  Reese was now batting .314.

Kaat pitched six innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits and no walks and striking out five.  His ERA was 2.91.  Rooker pitched seven innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits and five walks and striking out three.

Kansas City out-hit the Twins nine to five.

Rooker is another guy who falls in to the "good hitter for a pitcher" category, as opposed to actually being a good hitter.  He hit seven home runs in his career, two of them in this game.  He did have a lifetime batting average just barely over the Mendoza line at .201.

First baseman Chuck Harrison was a power hitter in the minors who could never translate that power to the majors.  He broke in with the Astros--it could be that playing in the Astrodome was factor in his low home run totals in the majors  He hit twenty-five homers in 1963 in a season split between A and AA.  Left in AA for all of the 1964 season, he hit forty homers in San Antonio.  He then hit thirty-four homers in AAA Oklahoma City in 1965, which got him a September call-up.  He was the regular first baseman for the Houston Astros for most of 1966 but hit just nine home runs, batting .256/.316/.380.  He was with the Astors again for most of 1967, but lost the starting first base job to a fading Eddie Mathews.  He hit just three home runs in 177 at-bats.  He moved to the Atlanta organization in 1968 and hit twenty-five homers in AAA, but did not get a call-up.  He was sold to Kansas City that off-season and was the right-handed part of a platoon at first base with Mike Fiore.  He was again in a pitcher's park and hit just three home runs, batting .221.  Back in AAA in 1970, this time in Omaha, he hit twenty-one homers.  He was with the big club in Kansas City for the last two-thirds of 1971 and was given another chance at the starting job, but again could not hit the ball over the fence and lost the job to Gail Hopkins.  If you can't beat out Gail Hopkins you're probably not going to be around much longer, and he wasn't.  He played in AAA for Texas in 1972 and then was done.  In 1908 AAA at-bats he hit .272/.357/.496 with 103 home runs.  In 1012 major league at-bats he hit .238/.297/.343 with 17 home runs.  If he'd come up to a team that played in a hitter's park, perhaps things would've been different, but we'll never know.

Record:  The Twins were 47-34, in first place in the American League West, three games ahead of Oakland.  They had won four in a row and eight of their last nine.

MINNESOTA 7, OAKLAND 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, July 6.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer (his twenty-third) and scored twice.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a double.  Johnny Roseboro was 2-for-4.

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

Opposition stars:  Sal Bando was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.  Reggie Jackson was 1-for-3 with a double and two walks, scoring twice.  Dick Green was 1-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk.  Danny Cater was 1-for-5 with a three-run homer, his fifth.

The game:  Oakland scored two in the first inning, as Green walked, Jackson doubled, and Bando delivered a two-out two-run single.  The Twins opened the third with a double and a single, but did not score.  In the fourth, however, the Twins evened the score as Killebrew singled, Rich Reese brought home a run with a single-plus-error, and Roseboro had an RBI single.

The Athletics went right back into the lead in the fifth.  Ted Kubiak singled, Jackson walked, and Cater hit a two-out three-run homer, putting Oakland up 5-2.  It went to 6-2 in the seventh when Green led off the inning with a home run.

The Twins made their move in the bottom of the seventh.  Leo Cardenas was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Tovar's single.  Graig Nettles pinch-hit and walked, putting men on first and second.  A pair of productive ground outs brought home a run and left a man on third.  Oliva then came through with an RBI single and Killebrew hit a two-run homer, giving the Twins their first lead of the game at 7-6.

That was all they would need.  The Athletics put together a two-out threat in the eighth, when Tommie Reynolds singled and Ted Kubiak walked, but Dick Green hit into a force out.  Oakland went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Joe Grzenda (3-1).  LP:  Rollie Fingers (3-5).  S:  Ron Perranoski (15).

Notes:  Tovar was in center field and Ted Uhlaender in left.  Uhlaender had been almost exclusively a center fielder up to this point.  One assumes Billy Martin felt his defense was lacking--I frankly don't understand defensive statistics well enough to know if that feeling was justified.

Carew was 0-for-4 and his average fell to .357.  Since June 28 his average had fallen twenty-five points.  Oliva raised his average to .328.  Rich Reese was 1-for-4 and was batting .316.

Neither starting pitcher did much.  Dave Boswell pitched five innings, giving up five runs on five hits and five walks and striking out--four.  Blue Moon Odom did well for six innings, but his line is six innings, five runs (four earned). six hits, one walk and five strikeouts.

Rollie Fingers gave up two runs on two hits in one inning.  He was a twenty-two-year-old rookie in 1969, and not the star that he would one day become.  He was a good pitcher right from the start, though.  He made sixty appearances in 1969 (eight starts) and went 6-7, 3.71, 1.32 WHIP.  He had twelve saves, which led the team.  Others with a significant number of saves for Oakland were Paul Lindblad (9) and Lew Krausse (7).  They only had thirty-six saves as a team.  Fingers' record as a starter was not good--2-4, 5.04, 1.50 WHIP.  His career record as a starter was better, but still nothing to get excited about--7-17, 4.32, 1.33 WHIP.  His career numbers as a reliever are 107-101, 341 saves, 2.73, 1.13 WHIP.  I think it's safe to say that keeping him in the bullpen was a wise decision.

Record:  The Twins were 46-34, in first place in the American League West, two games ahead of Oakland.  The series sweep gave them three wins in a row and seven in their last eight games.

MINNESOTA 13, OAKLAND 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, July 5.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 4-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Leo Cardenas was 4-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-6 with two home runs (his twenty-first and twenty-second) and a walk, driving in six.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-4 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, scoring three times.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched a complete game, giving up one run on five hits and three walks and striking out five.

Opposition stars:  Future Twin Phil Roof was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Reggie Jackson was 1-for-3 with a home run (his thirty-fourth) and a walk.  George Lauzerique pitched a scoreless inning, walking one.

The game:  Jackson homered with two out in the first inning to give the Athletics a 1-0 lead.  It didn't last long.  in the bottom of the first, Uhlaender was hit by a pitch, Rod Carew tripled, Oliva singled, and Killebrew hit a two-run homer, putting the Twins up 4-1 before anyone was retired.

The Twins didn't let up.  In the second, Uhlaender walked, Oliva singled, and Killebrew hit a three-run homer to make the score 7-1.  In the third, Leo Cardenas singled, Cesar Tovar was hit by a pitch, Perry had a two-run single-plus-error, Uhlaender had an infield single, and Carew had a run-scoring ground out, leaving the Twins ahead 10-1 after three.

The Twins added some more.  Killebrew singled home a run in the fifth.  The Twins loaded the bases with none out in the sixth, but only scored on when Perry hit into a double play.  They again loaded the bases with none out in the seventh and only scored one, this time on a Johnny Roseboro ground out.  Not to complain about a 13-1 victory, but the Twins certainly could have scored more.

WP:  Perry (7-4).  LP:  Chuck Dobson (9-7).  S:  None.

Notes:  Carew was 1-for-5 with a walk, making his average .363.  Oliva raised his average to .326.  Rich Reese was 0-for-5 to make his average .317.

Tovar was in left field in this game.

Dobson, like Catfish Hunter, was a fine pitcher in 1969 except against the Twins.  For the season he was 15-13, 3.86, 1.38 WHIP.  Against the Twins, in four starts, he was 1-2, 10.69, 2.000 WHIP.  He pitched a total of sixteen innings in those four starts.  The Twins had a slash line of .373/.413/.587 against him, for an OPS of .999.  No one else had an OPS of .800 or better against him.  In this game, he lasted just 1.2 innings and allowed seven runs on six hits and a walk.  He struck out one.

As noted above, Jackson hit his thirty-fourth home run in this game.  He would hit just thirteen more the rest of the season.

Record:  The Twins were 45-34, in first place in the American League West, a game ahead of Oakland.  Since dropping the first three games of the Kansas City series, the Twins had won six of seven.