Tag Archives: odd manager decision

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty-two

MINNESOTA 8, CHICAGO 1 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Sunday, September 20.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base (his thirtieth), and two runs.  Jim Holt was 3-for-5 with a double.  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5.  Paul Ratliff was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a walk, and two RBIs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game, giving up one run on three hits and one walk and striking out four.

Opposition star:  Ed Herrmann was 2-for-3.

The game:  Ratliff homered in the second to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  Bill Melton led off the second with a double and scored on Herrmann's single to tie it 1-1.

It was all Twins after that.  In the third Tovar singled, stole second, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on a ground out to put the Twins up 2-1.  In the fourth Harmon Killebrew singled, went to third on a Holt double, and scored on a ground out to make it 3-1.  In the fifth Tovar doubled, Leo Cardenas reached on a sacrifice/fielders' choice, putting men on first and third, Oliva singled in a run, and yet another run scored on a ground out to make it 5-1.

The Twins put it away in the seventh.  With two out Killebrew walked, followed by consecutive singles by Reese, Holt, and Ratliff, bringing in three runs and making the score 8-1.

The White Sox had only one hit after the second inning, and that runner was erased by a double play.

WP:  Blyleven (10-8).

LP:  Gerry Janeski (10-16).

S:  None.

Notes:  Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to left.  Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Frank Quilici went to third base in the seventh inning in place of Killebrew.

Oliva was batting .320.  Tovar was batting .302.

Since Carew went out, Bill Rigney's standard defensive move was to put Quilici at second base and move Thompson to third.  In this game, for some reason, he left Thompson at second and put Quilici at third.  Maybe he just wanted to get Quilici a little practice at third base in case a situation came up where he was needed there in the playoffs.  Is it a big deal?  No.  It just seems kind of odd.

This was Gerry Janeski's only full season as a rotation starter.  He went 10-17, 4.77, 1.51 WHIP.  He was only twenty-four, though, and one would think leaving him in the rotation all year meant the White Sox thought he was a promising young player.  Instead, they traded him after the season for Rick Reichardt.  He pitched poorly for them in a half-season, was sent to AAA, and stayed there through 1974, making only four more appearances in the majors.  His career numbers are 11-23, 4.73, 1.55 WHIP.

Oakland lost to California 4-2, so the Twins lowered their magic number by two.  It gave them the chance to clinch the division the next day, when they played at Oakland.

Record:  The Twins were 92-60, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-nine

MINNESOTA 4, CALIFORNIA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, September 17.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and two runs.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and one walk and striking out two.  Stan Williams pitched 1.2 innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Tony Gonzalez was 2-for-4.  Lloyd Allen pitched two perfect innings, striking out one.

The game:  Tovar led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on a Cardenas single to put the Twins up 1-0.  In the third Tovar drew a one-out walk.  Cardenas followed with an RBI triple and Tony Oliva followed that with a run-scoring double, giving the Twins a 3-0 lead.  In the fourth George Mitterwald hit a one-out double and scored on a Danny Thompson single to make it 4-0.

The Angels did not advance a man past first base in the first five innings.  In the sixth Mickey Rivers drew a one-out walk and got to second on Gonzalez' single, but that was as far as he'd go.  In the seventh, California did get on the board, but missed a chance for more.  Alex Johnson was hit by a pitch and Jim Spencer doubled, putting men on second and third with none out.  Jay Johnstone hit an RBI ground out, but a strikeout and a foul out followed, so the Twins still had a 4-1 lead.

In the eighth, Bill Voss led off with a single and Gonzalez singled with one out.  Jim Fregosi followed with an RBI double and Johnson hit a sacrifice fly, making it 4-3 with the tying run on second.  Spencer flied out to end the inning.  In the ninth Mel Queen delivered a two-out pinch-hit single, but Voss flied out to end the game.

WP:  Perry (23-11).

LP:  Tom Murphy (14-13).

S:  Williams (14).

Notes:  Jim Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to third base and Harmon Killebrew given a rare day off.  Charlie Manuel was given a rare start in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Thompson was at second in place of Rod Carew.  Herman Hill went to left in place of Manuel in the seventh.  Jim Nettles went to left in place of Hill in the ninth.

Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .317.  Tovar raised his average to .301, the first time he'd been over .300 since August 4.  Williams had an ERA of 2.03.

I don't know why Nettles replaced Hill in the ninth, unless Bill Rigney just wanted to get him in the game.  It does not appear that Hill was injured--he would be used in a game just two days later.  It could have been a minor injury, of course, and that he was removed as a precaution.  Not that it makes a lot of difference--it's just kind of a curious thing.

I have no idea why Angels manager Lefty Phillips used a pitcher, Mel Queen to pinch-hit in the ninth.  Queen was not a particularly good batter--his lifetime numbers are .179/.233/.226.  That's not bad for a pitcher, but it's bad for a batter.  The Angels had already used a number of bench players--Roger Repoz, Randy Brown, Mickey Rivers, and Bill Voss--but teams had bigger benches back then, and besides it was September, with expanded rosters.  In fact, Jarvis Tatum came in to pinch-run for Queen, so we know that he was available.  There had to be some others, too.  Using Queen as a pinch-hitter makes no sense to me at all.  But having said all that, it worked.  Queen got a pinch-hit single.  Does that mean that Phillips made a smart move, or does it mean that he got lucky?  Who knows?  But the payoff is always in results, and the result was good, whether I think it was dumb thing to do or not.

Oakland did not play, so the Twins gained a half game in the standings.

Record:  The Twins were 89-60, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was six.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-seven

CALIFORNIA 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Tuesday, September 15.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a home run (his tenth), a triple, and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Tom Hall struck out twelve in eight innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Tony Gonzalez was 1-for-1 with a double and two RBIs.  Dave LaRoche struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  Reese started the scoring in the second with a home run that gave the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The two teams combined for a total of two baserunners in innings three through five, neither of which got past first base.  In the sixth Tovar walked, was bunted to second, went to third on a fly ball, and scored when Harmon Killebrew reached on an error.  Reese followed with an RBI triple to make the score 3-0 Twins.

Hall had been in total control for eight innings.  In the ninth, however, Jarvis Tatum led off with a single and Sandy Alomar walked.  Ron Perranoski then came in and gave up an RBI single to Doug Griffin.  The next two batters hit into force outs, scoring a run to make the score 3-2 and leaving the tying run on first base.  But then came a single by Billy Cowan and an RBI single by Ken McMullen, tying the score.  Stan Williams then came in and gave up a two-run double to pinch-hitter Gonzalez, putting the Angels up 5-3.  The Twins went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.

WP:  LaRoche (4-1).

LP:  Perranoski (7-8).

S:  Ken Tatum (17).

Notes:  Jim Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to left.  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Frank Quilici went to second base in the ninth, with Thompson moving to third and Killebrew coming out of the game.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .319.  Hall had an ERA of 2.51.  Perranoski allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning and had an ERA of 2.27.  Williams gave up no runs in a third of an inning and had an ERA of 2.06.

I know times were different back then, but using both Perranoski and Williams in this game was just dumb.  Each had pitched three innings in the first game of the doubleheader.  Not only were they likely to be ineffective in the second game (and they were), there was also the risk of injury.  In addition, it's not like this was a must-win game for the Twins.  They had a big lead in the division (as seen below) and were essentially marking time until the playoffs.  Using the two best relievers on the team in this game simply made no sense whatsoever.

Eddie Fisher (probably not the '50s singer) started an pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks and striking out none.

In the history of major league baseball, there have been six players with the last name "Tatum".  Two of them played for the Angels in 1970, and both appeared in this game.

Oakland split a doubleheader with Milwaukee, so the Twins lead remained the same on the day while their magic number went down.

Record:  The Twins were 88-59, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was seven.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-two

MINNESOTA 7, MILWAUKEE 1 IN MILWAUKEE (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER--11 INNINGS)

Date:  Tuesday, September 1.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fortieth), three walks, and four RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 with a walk and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Tom Hall struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up four hits and three walks.  Jim Kaat pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Ted Kubiak was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jerry McNertney was 2-for-5.  Al Downing pitched seven innings, giving up one run on five hits and six walks and striking out two.  Ken Sanders pitched two perfect innings and struck out one.

The game:  Tovar led off the game with a single, was bunted to second, and scored on a Killebrew single, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead.

And it stayed 1-0 until the bottom of the ninth.  There were threats, of course.  The Twins had men on first and second with two out in the third.  The Brewers had men on first and second with two out in the fourth.  The Twins had men on first and second with one out in the fifth and men on second and third with two out in the sixth.  Milwaukee had men on first and second with two in the sixth and loaded the bases with two out in the seventh.

But it was still 1-0 until the bottom of the ninth.  The first two Brewers went out, but consecutive singles by Tito Francona, Bob Burda, and Kubiak tied the score 1-1 and we went to extra innings.

Neither team got a man on in the tenth, but in the eleventh.  The Twins put it away.  Jim Holt walked and Rich Reese singled.  Leo Cardenas reached on an error to bring in a run.  A bunt moved the runners up and Kaat was intentionally walked.  Tovar delivered a two-run single.  A force out put men on first and third and Killebrew hit a three-run homer to make it 7-1 Twins.  Milwaukee got a leadoff double in the bottom of the eleventh, but could do no more.

WP:  Kaat (11-10).

LP:  Bobby Bolin (5-11).

S:  None.

Notes:  Danny Thompson was again at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt went to center field in the fifth inning, with Tovar moving to left and Brant Alyea coming out of the game.  Frank Quilici went to second base in the eleventh inning, with Thompson moving to third and Killebrew coming out of the game.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-6 and was batting .314.  Hall had an ERA of 2.76.  Ron Perranoski pitched two-thirds of an inning without giving up a run and had an ERA of 2.27.  Stan Williams gave up a run in two innings and had an ERA of 2.09.

Alyea must have been an absolutely awful outfielder, the way Bill Rigney would take him out for defense in the fifth or sixth inning.

I had forgotten that Al Downing pitched for Milwaukee.  He was there for less than four months--traded there with Francona for Steve Hovley in mid-June and traded to the Dodgers before the 1971 season for Andy Kosco.

I know Kaat was considered a good hitter, and I know they were trying to set up a double play, but there's no way in the world I intentionally walk Kaat to pitch to Tovar.  That makes no sense to me at all.  You get Kaat out and then walk Tovar to pitch to Thompson.  Manager Dave Bristol made a big mistake there.

The Twins swept the doubleheader, giving up just one run to the Brewers.

Record:  The Twins were 78-54, in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-two

WASHINGTON 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Saturday, August 22.

Batting stars:  Jim Kaat was 2-for-2 with a double.  Danny Thompson was 2-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his thirty-eighth) and two walks.  Leo Cardenas was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his tenth) and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Tom Hall struck out six in four innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Frank Howard was 2-for-3 with two home runs (his thirty-third and thirty-fourth) and two walks.  Tim Cullen was 2-for-4.  Rick Reichardt was 2-for-5 with a double.  Tom Grieve was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  George Brunet pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Darold Knowles pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out one.  Horacio Pina pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

The game:  With one out in the first, Wayne Comer walked, went to second on a pickoff error, and stole third.  Frank Howard then walked, and a force out scored Comer.  Aurelio Rodriguez doubled to put men on second and third, and Grieve delivered a two-run single to make it 3-0 Senators before the Twins came to bat.

The Twins came back.  With one out in the second Jim Holt doubled and Cardenas followed with a two-run homer to cut the lead to 3-2.  With one out in the third Tony Oliva singled and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer to put the Twins in front 4-3.

The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but Thompson hit into a double play to end the inning.  It cost them, as Howard homered in the fifth to tie the score 4-4.  Washington went on to put two on with one out, but a pair of ground outs ended the inning.  The Twins had two on with one out in the eighth but another double play, this one hit into by Cardenas, ended the inning.  Cesar Tovar hit a two-out double in the ninth, but nothing came of it.

Howard led off the tenth with his second home run to put the Senators up 5-4.  Killebrew walked with one out in the bottom of the tenth, but a pair of forceouts ended the game.

WP:  Pina (4-1).

LP:  Hall (6-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Holt was in center, with Tovar in left.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Holt in the eighth and stayed in the game in left field, with Tovar moving to center.  Bob Allison pinch-ran for Killebrew in the tenth.

Oliva was 1-for-5 and was batting .319.  Hall had an ERA of 2.85.

Kaat pitched well after the first inning, but his line was still six innings, four runs. eight hits, and four walks.  He struck out two.

I understand why you would pinch-run for Killebrew in the tenth, but I don't know why you would use Allison.  Allison had some speed when he was younger--Dazzle would've said "he can run a little bit"--but he was thirty-five by this time, and whatever speed he had was basically gone.  Certainly Frank Quilici would've been a better pinch-runner, plus he could've gone to third base if the Twins had tied the score.  In addition, while Allison wasn't the hitter he had once been, he'd have been a better pinch-hitter than Quilici if the game had continued.  I don't understand this one.

Jim Hannan was the Washington starter.  He lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, with no walks and no strikeouts.

I've probably pointed this out before, but Aurelio Rodriguez has all the vowels in his first name and all but one in his last name.

Record:  The Twins were 73-49, in first place in the American League West, five 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 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 Thirteen

5 Comments

WASHINGTON 1, MINNESOTA 0 IN WASHINGTON

Date:  Thursday, August 13.

Batting stars:  None.  The Twins had only one hit.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched an eight-inning complete game, giving up an unearned run on five hits and two walks and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Dick Bosman pitched a complete game shutout, giving up one hit and one walk and striking out seven.  Wayne Comer was 2-for-4.  Frank Howard was 1-for-1 with two walks.

The game:  Cesar Tovar led off the game with a bunt single, and that would turn out to be the only Twins hit.  With one out in the bottom of the first, Comer laid down a bunt and reached third on a single-plus-error.  Howard was intentionally walked and Rick Reichardt hit into a force out, scoring Comer.

That was it for the scoring.  The Twins had only one other baserunner.  Kaat walked with one out in the sixth and was erased on a double play.  The unearned run in the first held up and Washington won 1-0.

WP:  Bosman (12-8).

LP:  Kaat (10-9).

S:  None.

Notes:  Jim Holt was again in center, with Tovar in left and Brant Alyea on the bench.  Danny Thompson was again at second in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.

Rick Renick pinch-hit for Tischinski in the ninth.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Kaat in the ninth, but then Alyea pinch-hit for Manuel despite the fact that there was no pitching change.  The only explanations I can think of are that Manuel got hurt during the at-bat or that Bill Rigney thought there was a pitching change when there wasn't.  We note that Manuel was used as a pinch-hitter again the next day, so if he was injured it wasn't very serious.  But those are the only things I can think of for why you would do that.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .318.

Tischinski was 0-for-2 and was batting .182.

Bosman was a pretty good pitcher from 1968-1972.  He spent much of 1968 in the bullpen and went 2-9, but with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  It was the Year of the Pitcher, so maybe you don't think that's too impressive, but in 1969 he led the league in ERA at 2.19, going 14-5 with a WHIP of 1.01.  In this year, 1970, he was 16-12, 3.00 ERA, 1.23 WHIP.  He was not quite as good in the next two seasons, but he still was a combined 3.70 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.  He didn't do much the next two years, but bounced back in 1975 to go 11-6, 3.63, 1.17 WHIP.  For his career, which went from 1966-1976, he was 85-82, 3.67, 1.26 WHIP.  He's certainly not a Hall of Famer, and he never even made an all-star team.  But still, a very respectable career.

The Twins were swept by the last-place Senators.  It was their sixth consecutive loss.  They had scored eleven runs in those six games and been shut out twice.  In their last nine games they had scored only eighteen runs.  They would now go to fourth-place Boston for a four-game series.

Record:  The Twins were 69-44, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Four

CALIFORNIA 7, MINNESOTA 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, August 5.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a double.  Danny Thompson was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched six innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and one walk and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Jim Spencer was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his ninth and tenth) and four RBIs.  Tommie Reynolds was 3-for-4 with three runs.  Jarvis Tatum was 2-for-5 with a stolen base.  Mel Queen pitched three shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out two.

The game:  The Angels had two men on in each of the first two innings but did not score.  In the bottom of the second Rich Reese walked and scored when Jim Holt reached third on a single-plus-error.  A ground out scored Holt.  Mitterwald then doubled and scored on a Kaat single.  Kaat went to second on a ground out and scored on a Thompson single to make it 4-0 Twins.

The Angels got on the board in the fourth when Reynolds singled, went to third on Spencer's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  In the sixth Reynolds singled and Spencer followed with a two-run homer, cutting the lead to 4-3.

The Twins got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Reese singled and scored on a Mitterwald triple.  It wasn't enough.  Ray Oyler led off the eighth with a single and Ken McMullen walked.  A double play gave the Twins hope of getting out of the jam, but Reynolds hit an RBI single and Spencer followed with another two-run homer, putting California up 6-5.  They added a run in the ninth when Sandy Alomar walked, went to third on Tatum's single, and scored on a squeeze bunt.

The Twins tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth.  With one out Rick Renick and Cesar Tovar had consecutive singles, bringing the deciding run up to bat.  But Thompson and Oliva flied out and the game was over.

WP:  Queen (2-3).

LP:  Ron Perranoski (7-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to left and Brant Alyea on the bench.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Kaat in the seventh.  Renick came in to play left in the ninth as part of a double switch, with Tovar moving to center and Holt coming out of the game.

Oliva was batting .329.  Killebrew was 0-for-4 and was batting .301.  Tovar was 1-for-5 and slipped back below .300 at .299.  Tom Hall gave up a run in one inning and had an ERA of 2.80.  Perranoski gave up three runs in 1.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.20.  Stan Williams retired both men he faced and had an ERA of 1.77.

Angels starter Tom Murphy lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk and striking out none.

I find it odd that Bill Rigney would suddenly decide to put Holt in center and Tovar in left after having done it the opposite way all season.  He presumably had a reason, but I have no idea what it might have been.

Record:  The Twins were 66-38, in first place in the American League West, seven games ahead of California and Oakland.