Tag Archives: Minnesota Twins

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-one

MINNESOTA 4, WASHINGTON 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, August 21.

Batting stars:  Jim Holt was 2-for-2.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with two triples and two runs.  Tom Tischinski was 1-for-3 with a home run.

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

Opposition star:  Ed Stroud was 3-for-4 with a walk.

The game:  The Senators opened the game with two singles but did not score.  In the second, however, Ed Brinkman singled and Paul Casanova tripled to give Washington a 1-0 lead.  They had a man on third with none out, but did not score him.  They added a run in third, though, when Mike Epstein tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly.  The got one more run in the fourth when Tim Cullen doubled and scored on Stroud's single.

The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Tovar tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly.  They tied it in the sixth when Holt singled, Tovar hit an RBI triple, and Danny Thompson had a run-scoring single.  Tischinski homered in the seventh to give the Twins the lead at 4-3.

And that was it.  The Senators got only one hit after the fourth inning, a leadoff single by Stroud in the seventh.  He was bunted to second, but remained there.  Well, he's probably not there any more, but you know what I mean.

WP:  Williams (8-0).

LP:  Casey Cox (7-9).

S:  None.

Notes:   Thompson was again at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Holt pinch-hit for Blyleven in the sixth and stayed in the game in center field, with Tovar moving to left and Brant Alyea coming out of the game.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Harmon Killebrew in the eighth and stayed in the game at second base, with Thompson moving to third.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .320.  Williams had an ERA of 2.06.

Tischinski was batting .182.

There were four triples in the game, which I'm sure is nowhere near the record but still seems noteworthy, given the number of games in which you don't even see one.  Tovar led the league in triples in 1970 with 13, nearly twice his next-highest season total (7 in 1967).  He also led the league in doubles with 36,

This was Tischinski's only major league home run.  At least it was a game-winner.  He hit only eleven home runs in the minors, with six of them coming in 1963 with Class A Rocky Mount.

Record:  The Twins were 73-48, in first place in the American League West, six games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty

NEW YORK 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, August 20.

Batting stars:  Rich Reese was 3-for-4 with a triple.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4.  Leo Cardenas was 1-for-3 with a home run (his ninth) and two RBIs.  George Mitterwald was 1-for-4 with a home run, his twelfth.

Pitching star:  Ron Perranoski struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Jim Lyttle was 2-for-4 with a double.  Mel Stottlemyre pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out three.

The game:  Reese tripled leading off the second and scored on a sacrifice fly, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The Yankees tied it in the fourth when Frank Baker walked and Bobby Murcer delivered an RBI double.  The Twins took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth when Cardenas homered.

It stayed 2-1 Twins until the seventh.  John Ellis led off the seventh with a double and Lyttle followed with a double, but Ellis could only reach third.  A ground out scored a run to tie it.  A fielder's choice with no one retired somehow put men on second and third.  Stottlemyre then hit a triple, scoring both runs and putting the Yankees up 4-2.

Mitterwald homered in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 4-3.  The Twins got a pair of two-out singles in the eighth, but Jim Holt struck out and the Twins went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Stottlemyre (12-10).

LP:  Bill Zepp (6-3).

S:  Lindy McDaniel (17).

Notes:  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Holt was in center, with Cesar Tovar in left and Brant Alyea on the bench.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Tom Hall in the seventh and stayed in the game in left field.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Tovar in the seventh.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the eighth and stayed in the game at second base, with Thompson moving to third.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .321.  Hall retired both men he faced and had an ERA of 2.87.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.41.

Stottlemyre hit six triples in his career.  This was his second of the season, which was a career high for him.  While he wasn't an awful batter for a pitcher, he wasn't particularly good, either:  .160/.213/.223 in 749 at-bats.

Reese hit seventeen triples in his career.  He hit five in 1970, which was also his career high.

It was Stottlemyre's bad luck to come to the Yankees just as their dynasty was ending, and to suffer a torn rotator cuff shortly before their next dynasty began.  Had he played for the Yankees when they were good, and had he not gotten injured, he would almost certainly have had a much higher win total, made some post-season appearances, and possibly (who knows?) have made the Hall of Fame.  As it was, he went 164-139, with a career 2.97 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  He was an all-star five times, led the league in complete games twice, and in innings pitched once.  However, because the team was bad, he twice led the league in losses, once with an ERA of 3.80 and once with an ERA of 3.22.  I guess the point, if there is one, is that circumstances that you can 't control can play a significant role in the success of ballplayers, and of human beings generally.

The loss snapped the Twins' three-game winning streak.  Their homestand would continue with three against Washington and three against Boston.

Record:  The Twins were 72-48, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Nineteen

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 3, NEW YORK 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, August 19.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a double.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched a complete game shutout, giving up four hits and a walk and striking out five.

Opposition star:  Fritz Peterson pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out two.

The game:  There was no score in the first three innings.  The Yankees got men on first and third with two out in the fourth but did not score.  It cost them.  In the bottom of the fourth Killebrew hit a one-out single.  The next batter went out, but two-out singles by Brant Alyea, Reese, and Leo Cardenas resulted in two runs.  It stayed 2-0 until the eighth, when Danny Thompson singled with two out and scored on Killebrew's double.

The Yankees had some threats early.  Horace Clarke walked leading off the game and reached second with two out.  Jake Gibbs hit a two-out triple.  Singles by Bobby Murcer and Jim Lyttle put men on first and third with two out in the fourth.  But they got only one hit after that, a two-out single by Clarke in the eighth.

WP:  Perry (18-10).

LP:  Peterson (13-8).

S:  None.

Notes:  Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Jim Holt replaced Alyea and went to center field, with Cesar Tovar moving to left.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth and went to second base, with Thompson moving to third.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .321.  Perry had an ERA of 2.94.

Tischinski was 0-for-3 and was batting .171.

This was one of four shutouts Perry had in 1970.  He had thirty-two for his career.  It was one of thirteen complete games he had in 1970, the most he had in a season.  He had 109 for his career.

The Twins had followed up their nine game losing streak with a three game winning streak.

Record:  The Twins were 72-47, in first place in the American League West, 5.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Eighteen

MINNESOTA 8, NEW YORK 7 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, August 18.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  Danny Thompson was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base (his twenty-third), and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Pete Hamm retired all four men he faced.  Stan Williams struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Tom Hall struck out three in three perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  John Ellis was 3-for-4 with a home run (his sixth), a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Horace Clarke was 2-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases, his fourteenth and fifteenth.  Danny Cater was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his sixth.  Ron Klimkowski pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.

The game:  In the first Tovar singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an Oliva single to put the Twins up 1-0.  The Yankees took the lead in the second:  with one out Ellis singled, Ron Woods doubled, and Jake Gibbs hit a two-run single.  The Twins got the lead back in the bottom of the second when, with two out, Tom Tischinski singled, Jim Kaat walked, and Tovar and Thompson hit RBI singles.  New York got the lead back in the third when Gene Michael reached on an error and Cater and Ellis homered.  You could say it was a see-saw game, with the Yankees leading 5-3 after three.

The Twins got the lead back in the fourth:  Tischinski walked with one out, Tovar walked with two out, Thompson had an RBI single, Harmon Killebrew walked to load the bases, and Oliva delivered a two-run single.  But New York took the lead right back in the fifth.  Roy White singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out triple by Bobby Murcer.  Ellis followed with a double, and it was 7-6 Yankees.

Then, suddenly, the scoring stopped.  The Twins managed just two singles in innings five through eight.  In the ninth, Thompson led off with a bunt single.  Killebrew hit into a force out, but Oliva doubled to put men on second and third and Jim Holt delivered a pinch-hit two-run single to win it for the Twins.

WP:  Hall (6-4).

LP:  Lindy McDaniel (8-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew on first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.

Frank Quilici pinch-hit for Hamm in the fourth.  Reese pinch-hit for Williams in the sixth and stayed in the game at first base, with Killebrew moving to third, Renick to left, and Brant Alyea to the bench.  Manuel pinch-hit for Tischinski in the eighth, with Paul Ratliff going in at catcher.  Bob Allison pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth.  Holt pinch-hit for Hall in the ninth.

Oliva was batting .323.  Williams had an ERA of 2.13.  Hall had an ERA of 2.89.

Tischinski was 1-for-2 and was batting .184.  Hamm had an ERA of 5.23.

Neither starting pitcher did well.  Mike Kekich of the Yankees pitched 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and four walks.  He struck out five.  Kaat pitched just 2.2 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk and struck out two.

There were seven lead-changes in the game.

It was the Twins' second consecutive win after nine straight losses.

Klimkowski had an excellent year for the Yankees, going 6-7, 2.65, 1.15 WHIP in 98.1 innings (45 games).  He was traded to Oakland at the start of the 1971 season and was quite as good, but was still an effective pitcher.  The Athletics released him after the season, though.  He signed back with the Yankees for 1972 but had a poor season, spent 1973 in the minors, and then was done.

Record:  The Twins were 71-47, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Seventeen

MINNESOTA 9, BOSTON 6 IN BOSTON

Date:  Sunday, August 16.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirty-seventh), a walk, and two runs.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his ninth) and a walk.  George Mitterwald was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his eleventh) and a walk.  Brant Alyea was 1-for-4 with a home run, his eleventh.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  John Kennedy was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Tony Conigliaro was 2-for-5 with a home run (his twenty-second), a double, and two runs.  Jerry Moses was 1-for-1 with a home run, his sixth.  Reggie Smith was 1-for-5 with a home run, his seventeenth.  Ed Phillips pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out two.

The game:  In the first Tovar and Killebrew walked, a wild pitch moved them up, and they scored on a two-run double by Oliva to gie the Twins a 2-0 lead.  The Red Sox got one back in the bottom of the first on doubles by Andrews and Carl Yastrzemski and tied it in the second when George Thomas doubled and scored on Kennedy's single.

Boston took the lead in the third on doubles by Conigliaro and Kennedy.  The Twins took the lead back in the fourth when Alyea homered, Bob Allison walked, and Mitterwald homered, giving the Twins a 5-3 advantage.  Smith homered in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-4.

Killebrew homered in the top of the seventh and Conigliaro homered in the bottom of the seventh, moving the score to 6-5.  Rich Reese led off the eighth with a walk and was bunted to second.  With two out, pinch-hitter Charlie Manuel was intentionally walked and Tovar hit a three-run homer, giving the Twins a 9-5 lead.  Moses homered in the eighth to make it 9-6, but that's where it stayed.

WP:  Bert Blyleven (7-5).

LP:  Gary Peters (11-10).

S:  Stan Willams (10).

Notes:  Danny Thompson remained at second in place of Rod Carew.  Allison was at first base in place of Reese.  Reese replaced Allison at first base in the sixth inning.  Jim Holt replaced Alyea in the seventh and went to center field, with Tovar moving to left.  Manuel pinch-hit for Blyleven in the eighth.  Frank Quilici replaced Killebrew in the ninth and went to second base, with Thompson moving to third.

Luis Tiant was 0-for-1 and was batting .414.  Oliva was batting .321.  Williams allowed one run in two innings and had an ERA of 2.17.

Tiant started but pitched just 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out one.  It appears that was as much due to injury as performance.  He would pitch in relief a week later, make two more starts, then miss three weeks before making one final start.

It was two short starts in a row, but Bill Rigney saved the bullpen by using yesterday's starter, Blyleven, for 5.2 innings of relief.  I could have included him as a "pitching star" simply for that reason.  He gave up three runs on five hits and two walks and struck out four.  It was his second and last relief appearance of the season.  He would pitch in relief only five more times in his career, and never more than twice in a season.

I assume you know the story of Tony Conigliaro.  He actually had an excellent season in 1970, batting .266 with 36 homers and an OPS of .822.  It was the last good season he would have, though.

I wish I understood how Rigney decided when to use Tovar in center and Holt in left and when to reverse it.  I assume he had reasons, that he wasn't just doing it based on some sort of gut instinct or something, but I have no idea what the reasons may have been.

I don't recall having heard of Ed Phillips.  This was his only year in the majors.  He appeared in twenty-two games, going 0-2, 5.32, 1.65 WHIP.  He started the season well, posting an ERA of 1.50 through his first eight appearances.  It appears that he was injured at that point, and when he came back he was not the same pitcher.  He never did get it back, and was out of baseball after the 1971 season.

The win snapped the Twins' nine-game losing streak.

Record:  The Twins were 70-47, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Sixteen

BOSTON 11, MINNESOTA 7 IN BOSTON (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his nineteenth), a walk, and two runs.  Brant Alyea was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his tenth.

Pitching star:  Dick Woodson struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Carl Yastrzemski was 3-for-4 with a home run (his thirty-third), a walk, and three runs.  George Thomas was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second), a double, a walk, three runs, and three RBIs.  Billy Conigliaro was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Reggie Smith was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer (his sixteenth), a double, and two runs.  John Kennedy was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Gary Wagner pitched three shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  Mike Andrews led off with a walk and Smith and Yastrzemski followed with back to back homers, giving the Red Sox a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  In the third, two-out walks to Danny Thompson and Harmon Killebrew were followed by a three-run homer by Oliva, tying it 3-3.

The Twins took the lead in the fourth.  With one out, Leo Cardenas and George Mitterwald walked, Bob Allison had an RBI double, and a ground out scored a second run, putting the Twins up 5-3.  With one out in the fifth, Oliva walked and Alyea homered, making the score 7-3 Twins.

But it was all Boston after that.  In the bottom of the fifth Conigliaro tripled and Thomas homered, cutting the lead to 7-5.  In the seventh Smith led off with a double and Yastrzemski walked.  Rico Petrocelli followed with an RBI single.  A bunt advanced the runners and a fielder's choice with no one retired loaded the bases.  RBI singles by Kennedy and Jerry Moses put the Red Sox in the lead and a walk to Andrews made it 9-7 Boston.  The Red Sox added two runs in the eighth.  Yastrzemski led off with a double.  He was still at second with two out, but then Thomas drove him in with a double and Kennedy followed with an RBI single, bringing the score to 11-7.

The Twins had only two hits after the fifth and did not have more than one man on base.

WP:  Wagner (3-1).

LP:  Ron Perranoski (7-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Thompson was again at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.

Bob Allison pinch-hit for Woodson in the fourth.  Frank Quilici replaced Renick in the seventh and went to second base, with Thompson moving to third.  Reese pinch-hit for Mitterwald in the eighth, with Tom Tischinski going behind the plate.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Perranoski in the eighth.

Oliva was batting .320.  Tom Hall allowed three runs in three innings and had an ERA of 2.99.  Perranoski allowed three runs in one inning and had an ERA of 2.48.

Pete Hamm allowed two runs in one inning and had an ERA of 6.00.

Bert Blyleven started but faced just five batters, retiring only one.  He gave up a walk, two home runs, recorded a strikeout, gave up a double, and was removed from the game.  He was apparently not injured or ill, as he would come back to pitch the next day.  It was apparently just a quick hook.  Maybe that's what you do when you've lost eight straight games.

When you saw the Twins had scored seven runs, you may have thought, well, they finally got their bats going.  Well, not really.  They hit two home runs, but only had five hits.  They drew eight walks and took advantage of some of them, but other than that their offense was no better than it had been.

George Thomas would play briefly for the Twins in 1971, at the end of his career.  This was the last home run he would hit in his career.

This was the ninth consecutive loss for the Twins.  I wonder what the record is for most consecutive losses in a season where you win 98 or more games.  It seems like it can't be a lot more than nine.

This game was the make-up of a rainout on June 3.

Record:  The Twins were 69-47, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–January 31

Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson (1845)
Zane Grey (1872)
George Burns (1893)
Pinky Hargrave (1896)
Pedro Cepeda (1906)
Don Hutson (1913)
Jackie Robinson (1919)
Ernie Banks (1931)
Hank Aguirre (1931)
Nolan Ryan (1947)
Fred Kendall (1949)
Ted Power (1955)
Ed Wade (1956)
Francisco Oliveras (1963)
Yuniesky Betancourt (1982)
Caleb Thielbar (1987)
Tyler Kinley (1991)

Better known as an author of western novels, Zane Grey played outfield for two years in the low minors, batting .323 in 86 games.  He also wrote several books about baseball.

Pedro Cepeda is the father of Orlando Cepeda and is considered by some to have been a better player; he was known as the Babe Ruth of Puerto Rico.

Don Hutson, a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, played in the low minors from 1936-1937, hitting .301 in 194 games.

Ed Wade was the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1998-2005 and the Houston Astros from 2007-2011.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–January 31 →

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifteen

BOSTON 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN BOSTON (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Saturday, August 15.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  None.

Opposition stars:  Reggie Smith was 3-for-3.  Rico Petrocelli was 3-for-4 with a home run (his twentieth) and two RBIs.  Mike Andrews was 2-for-4.  Billy Conigliaro was 2-for-4.  Sonny Siebert pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks and striking out three.

The game:  With one out in the first Rich Reese singled and scored on an Oliva double to put the Twins up 1-0.  They had a chance for more, loading the bases with one out, but did not add to their lead.  In the bottom of the first singles by Andrews and Smith put men on first and third with none out and a double play tied the score.

The Twins went back in front in the second.  Danny Thompson singled, was bunted to second, and scored on a Tovar single.  Tovar took second on the throw home and scored on an Oliva single to give the Twins a 3-1 lead.  The Red Sox got one back in the bottom of the inning when Petrocelli led off with a homer, making the score 3-2.

The Twins had men on second and third with one out in the third but failed to score.  From there, neither team threatened until the sixth.  With one out, Smith singled and an error put men on first and second.  With two out, RBI singles by Petrocelli and Conigliaro gave Boston its first lead at 4-3.  They got an insurance run in the seventh when Tom Satriano singled, went to third on Andrews' single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Twins did not threaten after the third inning, getting only two singles and not advancing a man past first base.

WP:  Siebert (13-6).

LP;  Jim Perry (17-10).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rick Renick was at third base, with Harmon Killebrew given a rare game off.  Thompson remained at second in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Brant Alyea in the eighth and stayed in the game in left field.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Stan Williams in the ninth.

Oliva was batting .318.  Williams gave up a run in 2.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.11.

Perry pitched 5.2 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and no walks and striking out three.

Bill Rigney had, for several games, started Holt in center field and moved Tovar to left.  In recent games, he put Alyea back in left and moved Tovar back to center, presumably trying to get more offense into a slumping lineup.  But here, when he used Holt as a defensive substitute, he put him in left and left Tovar in center.  Interesting.

The Twins had now lost eight in a row.  They had scored fifteen runs in those eight games and had been scored 38-15.  In their last eleven games they had scored twenty-two runs.

Record:  The Twins were 69-46, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fourteen

BOSTON 8, MINNESOTA 1 IN BOSTON

Date:  Friday, August 14.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4 with a home run, his ninth.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 with a stolen base, his twenty-second.

Pitching star:  Bill Zepp pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and five walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Mike Andrews was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and three runs.  Carl Yastrzemski was 2-for-2 with a home run (his thirty-second), three walks, and three RBIs.  Rico Petrocelli was 2-for-3 with a home run (his nineteenth), two walks, and two runs.  Reggie Smith was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two RBIs.  Jerry Moses was 2-for-4.  Ray Culp pitched a complete game, giving up one run on nine hits and three walks and striking out eight.

The game:  The Twins had two on with one out in the first but did not score.  In the bottom of the first Andrews led off with a walk and Smith doubled him home to get the Red Sox on the board.  The Twins had two on with none out in the second but did not score.  In the bottom of the second two-out singles by Moses, Culp, and Andrews made it 2-0 Boston.

Alyea homered leading off the fourth to make it 2-1.  The Twins had two on with two out in the fifth but did not score.  Petrocelli got the run back for the Red Sox with a homer leading off the sixth.

The Twins loaded the bases in the seventh but did not score.  In the bottom of the seventh, Boston took control of the game.  Andrews singled and Yastrzemski hit a two-run homer to make the score 5-1.  Later in the inning, a walk and two errors made it 6-1.  The Red Sox added two more in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Andrews and Smith and an RBI single by Yastrzemski.

WP:  Culp (13-10).

LP:  Zepp (6-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Tovar was back in center, with Alyea in left.

Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Zepp in the seventh.  Jim Kaat then pinch-ran for Manuel.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Tischinski in the eighth and stayed in the game at catcher.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Pete Hamm in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-5 and was batting .316.  Zepp had an ERA of 2.97.  Tom Hall allowed five runs (four earned) in 1.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.78.

This was the Twins' seventh consecutive loss, and their offensive drought continued.  They had scored just twelve runs in the seven losses, being outscored 32-12.  In their last ten games, the Twins had scored just nineteen runs.

Record:  The Twins were 69-45, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Oakland.  This was the smallest the Twins' lead had been since July 21.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–January 29

Ray Hayworth (1904)
Pancho Coimbre (1909)
Bill Rigney (1918)
Hank Edwards (1919)
Frank Gravino (1923)
Bobby Bolin (1939)
Sergio Ferrer (1951)
Steve Sax (1960)
Mike Aldrete (1961)
John Habyan (1964)
Jason Schmidt (1973)
Alex Avila (1987)
Hank Conger (1988)

Pancho Coimbre was a star in the Caribbean Leagues and the Negro leagues in the 1940s.  Roberto Clemente said that Coimbre was a better player than Clemente was.  Coimbre played two full seasons in the Puerto Rican League in which he did not strike out.

Frank Gravino played in the minors from 1940-1942 and 1946-1954.  He has been called the greatest slugger in Northern League history, hitting 108 home runs in two seasons there.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Beau's son.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–January 29 →