Tag Archives: Minnesota Twins

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty-seven

CLEVELAND 2, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, June 7.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Don Mincher was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Mudcat Grant pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.  Jerry Fosnow pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Luis Tiant struck out nine in a complete game, allowing one run on two hits and two walks.  Rocky Colavito was 1-for-3 with a home run (his eleventh) and a walk.  Leon Wagner was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.

The game:  It was scoreless until the fourth, when Grant gave up back-to-back two-out homers to Wagner and Colavito.  That was the only trouble Grant got into, but it was enough.  The Twins got one in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Oliva and Mincher, but did not get another hit the rest of the game.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4.  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-3.  Jimmie Hall was 0-for-3.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 31-16 and dropped their lead over Chicago to 2.5 games.

Notes:  Harmon Killebrew was rested, but was used as a pinch-hitter and walked.  Earl Battey remained out of the lineup, but was also used as a pinch-hitter and caught the last inning of the game.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty-six

MINNESOTA 11, WASHINGTON 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, June 6.

Batting stars:  Jerry Zimmerman was 3-for-4 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in three.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring three times.  Jimmie Hall was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.

Pitching star:  Bill Pleis struck out seven in five shutout innings of relief, giving up three hits and two walks.

Opposition stars:  Ed Brinkman was 2-for-2 with two walks.  Frank Howard was 1-for-3 with a home run (his eleventh) and a hit-by-pitch.  Steve Ridzik struck out two in two shutout innings, allowing one hit.

The game:  Tony Oliva homered in the first and Zimmerman singled in a run in the second to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  Each team scored once in the third, but Howard's home run in the fourth cut the lead to 3-2.  Zimmerman struck again in the bottom of the fourth, hitting a two-run homer to give the Twins a 5-2 advantage.  Starter Dave Boswell had given up four hits and a walk through four innings, but when he opened the fifth with a walk and a hit batsman he was replaced by Pleis.  The move paid off, as Pleis struck out the next three batters and the Senators did not threaten again until the ninth, by which time the game was well in hand.  A three-run seventh was highlighted by Hall's two-run double and the Twins added three more in the eighth keyed by a two-run single by Oliva.

Of note:  Jerry Kindall was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Oliva was 2-for-5 with a home run (his tenth) and two RBIs.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-5 with a run.  Boswell pitched four innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks with no strikeouts.

Record:  The win was the Twins' fourth straight and made their record 31-15.  They were in first place by 3.5 games over Chicago.

Notes:  Hall's 3-for-4 day raised his average to .335.  Boswell went 1-for-2 and was hitting .313.  Earl Battey was again out of the lineup.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty-five

MINNESOTA 9, WASHINGTON 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, June 4.

Batting stars:  Jimmie Hall was 3-for-5 with a home run (his tenth) and a double, scoring three times.  Bob Allison was 2-for-3 with a home run (his ninth), a walk, and a stolen base (his fifth), scoring twice.  Jerry Kindall was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching star:  Jerry Fosnow retired all eight batters he faced, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Woodie Held was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his eighth.  Ken McMullen was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.  Don Lock was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, driving in one.

The game:  Tony Oliva singled in a run in the first and Allison homered leading off the second to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  Each team scored once in the fourth, with the Twins' run coming on Hall's inside the park home run.  The Twins then scored five time in the sixth to put the game out of reach.  Jim Kaat had a two-run double, Zoilo Versalles had a two-run single, and Kindall contributed an RBI single.  The Senators tried to get back in the game in the seventh, scoring four times.  Three of the runs came on Held's three-run homer.  With the score now 8-5, Kaat was replaced by Fosnow, who slammed the door on Washington's hopes, retiring their last eight batters.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Oliva was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-4 with a walk.  Kaat pitched 6.2 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk with one strikeout.

Record:  The win made the Twins 30-15.  They remained in first place, 1.5 games ahead of Chicago.

Notes:  Hall raised his average to .325.  Earl Battey remained out, with Jerry Zimmerman again catching.  Washington starter Howie Koplitz was making one of his nineteen major league starts, eleven of which came in 1965.  As a starter, he was 2-5, 5.31; as a reliever, he was 2-2, 2.36.  He made twenty-two relief appearances, but never more than five in a season.  One wonders what might have happened had someone put him in the bullpen and left him there.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–November 19

Billy Sunday (1862)
Everett Scott (1892)
Roy Campanella (1921)
Joe Morgan (1930)
Manny Jimenez (1938)
Larry Haney (1942)
Bobby Tolan (1945)
Bob Boone (1947)
Dickie Noles (1956)
Mike Winters (1958)
Gary DiSarcina (1967)
Mario Valdez (1974)
Clay Condrey (1975)
Ryan Howard (1979)
Jeff Gray (1981)
Jonathan Sanchez (1982)
Michael Tonkin (1989)

The Joe Morgan listed above is not Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. The Joe Morgan born today is the Joe Morgan who once managed the Red Sox.

Larry Haney is the cousin of ex-Twin Mike Cubbage.

Mike Winters has been a major league umpire since 1990.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–November 19 →

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty-four

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 4, BOSTON 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, June 3.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his eighth.  Rich Rollins was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Camilo Pascual was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Pitching star:  Camilo Pascual pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Bill Monbouquette pitched six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  Ex-Twin Lenny Green was 2-for-5 with a run.  Felix Mantilla was 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

The game:  Allison hit a two-run homer and Pascual had an RBI single in the second inning to give the Twins a 3-0 lead.  Lee Thomas tripled and scored in the fourth and Mantilla singled in a run in the eighth, cutting the lead to 3-2.  In the bottom of the eighth, a pair of errors and Allison's RBI single gave the Twins an insurance run.  They needed it, as a walk, a single, and an error cut the margin to 4-3 with two out in the ninth.  A ground out ended the game.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4.  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 with a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-4.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with a run, raising his average to .316.

Record:  The win moved the Twins to 29-15 and increased their lead over Chicago to 1.5 games.

Notes:  The Twins won despite the first four batters in their lineup going 0-for-16.  Earl Battey remained out of the lineup, with Jerry Zimmerman talking his place.  I had not remembered Pascual as a very good batter, but he hit .205 for his career and one year hit .302 (1959).  His 2-for-3 in this game raised his average to .242.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–November 18

Deacon McGuire (1863)
Jack Coombs (1882)
Les Mann (1892)
Gene Mauch (1925)
Roy Sievers (1926)
Danny McDevitt (1932)
Cal Koonce (1940)
Jim Shellenback (1943)
Steve Henderson (1952)
Luis Pujols (1955)
Mike Felder (1961)
Jamie Moyer (1962)
Dante Bichette (1963)
Ron Coomer (1966)
Tom Gordon (1967)
Gary Sheffield (1968)
David Ortiz (1975)
Shawn Camp (1975)
Steve Bechler (1979)
C. J. Wilson (1980)

Roy Sievers was a star for the franchise when it was in Washington in the 1950s.

There are seventy-five current and former major league players born on this day. I'm pretty sure that's the most on any day.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–November 18 →

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty-three

MINNESOTA 6, BOSTON 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, June 2.

Batting stars:  Jimmie Hall was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his ninth.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his eighth) and a walk, scoring twice.  Bob Allison was 2-for-4 with a triple.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched 5.2 innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Al Worthington struck out two in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Ex-Twin Lenny Green was 3-for-5 with a run.  Lee Thomas was 1-for-4 with a home run, his tenth.  Bob Tillman was 1-for-4 with a home run, his second.

The game:  A run scored on a wild pitch in the first and Tillman homered in the second to give the Red Sox an early 2-0 lead.  The Twins took care of that in the third.  Jerry Zimmerman led off with a triple, RBI singles by Zoilo Versalles and Jerry Kindall tield the score, and Killebrew hit a two-run homer to put the Twins ahead 4-2.  Hall hit a two-run homer in the fifth to make it 6-2 and put the Twins in firm control of the game.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Kindall was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4.  Mudcat Grant pitched 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk with one strikeout.

Record:  The win made the Twins 28-15, in first place, one game ahead of Chicago.

Notes:  We again see a very quick hook.  Again, I don't know that he didn't have a minor injury or illness, but he would pitch eight innings just five days later.  Of course, it was easier to have a quick hook when you had guys in the bullpen who could and were expected to pitch four or five innings if needed.  Boston's starter, Jim Lonborg, got a quick hook, too, going only 2.2 innings.  Zimmerman's triple was one of only two career triples for him.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty-two

BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Monday, May 31 (Game 2 of doubleheader)

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks, driving in one.  Jerry Kindall was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Rich Rollins was 1-for-4 with a run.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry struck out three in two perfect innings of relief.  Mel Nelson struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Dick Hall retired all seven men he faced, striking out three.  Bob Johnson was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.  Dick Brown was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.

The game:  Oliva's RBI double put the Twins up 1-0 in the first.  The Orioles responded with four in the second, getting two-run homers from Johnson and Brown of Twins' starter Dick Stigman.  The Twins came back to tie it with three in the fifth; they loaded the bases with one out, scored one on an infield grounder, and got two more on a Kindall double.  There matters stood until the bottom of the ninth, when Sam Bowens hit a walkoff homer off Johnny Klippstein to give Baltimore the victory.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Don Mincher was 0-for-3.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-4.  Stigman pitched only two innings; he struck out three, but gave up four runs on three hits and a walk.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 27-15 but kept them in first place, a half game ahead of Chicago.

Notes:  Bob Allison and Earl Battey were held out of this game.  Allison was replaced by Don Mincher, who made his only appearance in the outfield of the season and one of only three in his career.  Battey was replaced by third catcher John Sevcik, making one of only three starts for the season.  Oddly, he had not played above Class A before being called up to the Twins.  He would play eleven games for Minnesota in 1965, the only major league time of his career.  The starting pitcher for Baltimore was Jim Palmer, in his rookie year and making his third big league start.  He lasted 4.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty-one

4 Comments

MINNESOTA 6, BALTIMORE 0 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Monday, May 31 (Game 1 of doubleheader).

Batting stars:  Sandy Valdespino was 3-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base, scoring twice and driving in one.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, his sixth.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched a complete game shutout, giving up three hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

Opposition star:  Don Larsen pitched three innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

The game:  Oliva singled in a run in the first inning to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  Versalles hit a two-run homer in the third to make it 3-0.  Valdespino singled in a run in the fifth, Hall homered in the sixth, and Oliva had an RBI double in the seventh.  The Orioles did not get a man past first base in the entire game.

Of note:  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-4 with a walk, dropping his average to .194.  Hall was 1-for-4 with a home run, his eighth.

Record:  The win was the Twins' fourth in a row and kept them in first place, a half game ahead of Chicago.

Notes:  Valdespino, in his rookie season, had been on the roster all year, but this was the first time he was used as anything other than a pinch-hitter.  He started in left field to give Bob Allison a rest.  Also rested were Harmon Killebrew and Earl Battey, replaced by Don Mincher and Jerry Zimmerman, respectively.  The Baltimore starter was Robin Roberts, in the next-to-last season of his Hall of Fame career.  Larsen, who of course pitched a no-hit game in the World Series, was in his last full season in the major leagues.