Tag Archives: the name’s the same

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 Forty-five

CHICAGO 8, MINNESOTA 7 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, September 13.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a double.  Frank Quilici was 2-for-2 with a double.  Paul Ratliff was 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5 with two runs.

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

Opposition stars:  Ed Herrmann was 3-for-4 with a double.  Luis Aparicio was 3-for-5.  Bill Melton was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Ken Berry was 2-for-4.  Rich Morales was 1-for-2 with a home run.  Jerry Crider pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

The game:  Cesar Tovar and Oliva singled and Harmon Killebrew walked, loading the bases with one out in the first inning, but the Twins could only score one run on an error.  An error helped them in the second as well:  Quilici doubled and scored with Jim Perry reached on a two-base error.  Cardenas had an RBI single to make it 3-0 Twins.  The Twins were helped by yet another error in the third:  Reese reached on an error and scored on a Ratliff triple.  A sacrifice fly put the Twins ahead 5-0.

The Twins were firmly in control, until all of a sudden they weren't.  In the fifth Gail Hopkins singled, Herrmann doubled, and Berry, Bobby Knoop, and Lee Maye each followed with an RBI single.  A ground out brought home a fourth run, but at least there was one out in the inning.  Aparicio singled and Carlos May walked, loading the bases, and Melton delivered a two-run single to give the White Sox the lead.  A sacrifice fly made it a seven-run inning and gave Chicago a 7-5 lead.  Morales homered in the sixth to make it 8-5.

The Twins put together a two-out rally in the ninth.  Reese singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Ratliff single.  Rick Renick walked and Bob Allison doubled, making the score 8-7 and putting the winning run in scoring position.  But Tovar grounded to second to end the game.

WP:  Crider (4-7).

LP:  Stan Williams (9-1).

S:  Wilbur Wood (21).

Notes:  Ratliff was again behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Quilici was again at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh, with Danny Thompson going to second base.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for Jim Kaat in the seventh.  Renick pinch-hit for Thompson in the ninth.  Allison pinch-hit for Perranoski in the ninth, with Herman Hill pinch-running for Allison.

Oliva was batting .320.  Brant Alyea was 0-for-5 and fell back below .300 at .299.  Williams gave up two runs (one earned) in a third of an inning and had an ERA of 2.13.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.06.

Perry pitched well for four innings, but as seen above, he fell apart in the fifth.  His line was four innings, five runs, six hits, no walks, and two strikeouts.  White Sox starter Billy Wynne struggled as well:  two innings, five runs (three earned), six hits, one walk. no strikeouts.

The cable guy where I live is named Ed Herrmann.  I don't think it's the same one.  Similarly, the Ken Berry here is probably not the guy who was on "F Troop".

Oakland lost both games of a doubleheader to Kansas City, both in extra innings and both by a score of 8-7, so the Twins edged closer to clinching the division.  The Twins next had a four-game series with California, which turned out to be not nearly as important a series as it appeared it might be a few weeks earlier.

Record:  The Twins were 87-58, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was down to nine.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Ninety-two

BALTIMORE 6, MINNESOTA 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, July 25.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a home run (his fifteenth) and two runs.  Frank Quilici was 2-for-3.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Ron Perranoski pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Dave Johnson was 3-for-5 with a double.  Brooks Robinson was 3-for-5.  Boog Powell was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Don Buford was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his twelfth), a walk, and two runs.  Dick Hall pitched four innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out one.

The game:  The Twins got off to a poor start.  In the top of the first Buford was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an error.  The error put Paul Blair on third base, and he scored on Powell's double to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead out of the gate.

The Twins did not get a baserunner until two out in the third, when starting pitcher Bill Zepp singled.  Baltimore loaded the bases in the fourth but did not score.  In the bottom of the fourth, the Twins scored four runs to take the lead.  Rich Reese and Oliva singled and Killebrew followed with an RBI double.  With one out, George Mitterwald was intentionally walked to load the bases.  Leo Cardenas followed with a two-run single and Quilici had an RBi single, giving the Twins a 4-2 lead.

It lasted until the sixth.  Frank Robinson singled, Brooks Robinson reached on an error, and Elrod Hendricks singled to load the bases with none out.  Johnson singled in a run to make it 4-3, and with one out Terry Crowley delivered a pinch-hit single to tie it 4-4.  Baltimore took the lead in the eighth when Dick Hall singled and Buford hit a two-run homer.

The Twins got one back in the bottom of the eighth when Oliva led off with a home run.  Killebrew followed with a single, but did not get past first base (and oddly, was not pinch-run for).  Jim Holt singled in the ninth but was erased on a double play to end the game.

WP:  Dick Hall (8-3).

LP:  Tom Hall (5-4).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rick Renick was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Holt went to left in the ninth as part of a double switch, with Renick coming out of the game.  Alyea pinch-hit for Quilici in the ninth.

Oliva was batting .323.  Killebrew was batting .317.  Cesar Tovar was 0-for-5 and was batting .311.  Dick Woodson did not give up a run in a third of an inning and had an ERA of 2.25.  Tom Hall gave up two runs in 2.2 innings and had an ERA of 2.48.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.41.

Bill Zepp started for the Twins and pitched five innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks and striking out two.  Jim Hardin started for the Orioles and pitched 3.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk and striking out three.

The pitcher's spot came up for the Orioles with one out in the top of the eighth in a tie game.  The pitcher, Dick Hall, had already pitched two innings.  He was allowed to hit, and he got a single, eventually scoring the go-ahead run.

It's probably not that uncommon that the winning and losing pitcher had the same last name.  I wonder if it's ever happened before that the name was "Hall".  Not that Hall is that uncommon, but it's not Smith, either.

Record:  The Twins were 60-32, in first place in the American League West, six games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eight

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 6, OAKLAND 3 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Sunday, April 19.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-3 with a stolen base (his third) and two walks.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a double, and four RBIs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski struck out two in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Rick Monday was 2-for-4 with a double.  Dick Green was 2-for-4.  Reggie Jackson was 1-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Mudcat Grant pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

The game:  The Twins started the scoring in the third inning, when Perry singled, Tovar walked, and Rod Carew hit an RBI single.  A sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Twins.  In the fourth, Reese led off with a single and Alyea hit a two-run homer to increase the Twins' lead to 4-0.

The Athletics got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Monday doubled, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on a ground out.  In the sixth, however, Harmon Killebrew singled, Reese doubled, and Alyea delivered a two-run double to make it 6-1.

Oakland loaded the bases in the sixth but did not score.  In the seventh, Green singled and Jackson followed with a two-run homer to cut the lead to 6-3.  But the Athletics had just one single after that, and the Twins went on to victory.

WP:  Perry (3-0).

LP:  Chuck Dobson (0-3).

S:  Perranoski (2).

Notes:  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the sixth and stayed in the game in left field.  Frank Quilici replaced Killebrew at third base in the seventh.

Alyea raised his average to .458.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .400.  Holt was 0-for-1 and was batting .375.  Carew was 1-for-5 and was batting .371.  Tovar was batting .324.

Reese got his average into triple digits at .160.

Perry had an ERA of 1.44.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.25.

I mentioned yesterday the rarity of the four-inning save.  I has to be rarer still to get a four-inning save and then get a two-inning save the very next day.  I don't have time to research that, but it would be cool if someone did.

It's also probably rare for a team to use two pitchers, and have each pitcher have the same first four letters of their last name.

Dobson pitched five innings, allowing six runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out five.  His ERA for the young season was 9.22.  He would get straightened out--he would go 16-15, 3.74, and lead the league is starts (40) and shutouts (5).  Those were the only times he ever led the league in anything, but he was a fine pitcher until an elbow injury derailed his career after the 1971 season.

Oakland used three ex-Twins:  Don Mincher, Grant, and Jim Roland.

Record:  The Twins were 6-2, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Sixty-four

MINNESOTA 15, COLORADO 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, June 12.

Batting stars:  Lew Ford was 4-for-5 with a double and two runs.  A. J. Pierzynski was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his seventh and eighth), three runs, and seven RBIs.  Matthew LeCroy was 3-for-5 with a home run (his sixth), two runs, and three RBIs.  Corey Koskie was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-5 with a triple.  Dustan Mohr was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Pitching stars:  Kenny Rogers pitched eight innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and a walk and striking out three.  Tony Fiore pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Juan Uribe was 3-for-5.  Todd Helton was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.  Larry Walker was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his sixth.

The game:  This one was over early, as the Twins scored seven runs in the first inning.  Ford led off with a single and scored on Guzman's triple.  Koskie walked and LeCroy had an RBI single.  Doug Mientkiewicz walked to load the bases and Mohr had an RBi single.  Pierzynski then hit a grand slam, making it 7-0 Twins.

The Rockies scored single runs in the second and third.  in the second Greg Vaughn doubled and scored on a Bobby Estalella single.  In the third Helton doubled and scored on a couple of productive outs.  But that was as close as Colorado would come.

The Twins got one in the sixth when Pierzynski singled, went to second on a balk, and scored on Ford's single.  They really put it away in the seventh, getting another seven-run inning.  Koskie led off with a single and LeCroy hit a two-run homer.  With one out Mientkiewicz and Mohr singled and Pierzynski hit a three-run homer.  Luis Rivas and Ford singled and Koskie hit a two-out two-run double, making the score 15-2.

Walker homered in the eighth to round out the scoring at 15-3.

WP:  Rogers (5-2).  LP:  Darren Oliver (3-5).  S:  None.

Notes:  Mohr was in left in place of Jacque Jones.  Ford was in center in place of Torii Hunter.  Bobby Kielty was in right.

Denny Hocking pinch-hit for Mientkiewicz in the eighth inning and stayed in the game at first base.

Ford raised his average to .429.  Hocking was 0-for-1 to drop to .176.

Rogers threw 103 pitches over his eight inning.  Tony Fiore came in to pitch the ninth.  I strongly suspect that, when he entered the game, John Gordon solemnly stated, "This is not a save situation."

Two Rockies in the game had the same name as other, more famous players, even though they had solid careers in their own right.  Bobby Estalella was a reserve catcher for parts of nine seasons, but is not as fondly remembered as the outfielder immortalized by Dave Frishberg in the song "Van Lingle Mungo".  Javier Lopez, who gave up seven runs in this game, was in the first year of what turned out to be a fourteen-year career, but when we say Javier Lopez, most of us think of the Atlanta catcher.

After scoring zero runs two games ago, the Twins scored first seven and then fifteen.  That's baseball.

Record:  The Twins were 37-27, in first place in the American League Central, five games ahead of Kansas City.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1962, Game Fifty-seven

MINNESOTA 8, CHICAGO 4 IN MINNESOTA (FIRST GAME OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Sunday, June 10.

Batting stars:  Rich Rollins was 3-for-3 with a home run (his ninth), a walk, and three runs.  Don Mincher was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his sixth) and a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his twelfth.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched a complete game, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks and striking out six.

Opposition stars:  Eddie Fisher pitched five innings of relief, giving up one run on one hit and no walks and striking out four.  Jim Landis was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer (his eleventh), a double, and two runs.  Nellie Fox was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.

The game:  With two out in the first, Landis doubled and Al Smith singled him home to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead.  It was the only lead they would have, and it wouldn't last long.  In the bottom of the first Rollins singled and Mincher hit a two-run homer to give the Twins a 2-1 lead.  In the second, consecutive singles by Earl Battey, Bernie Allen, and Zoilo Versalles loaded the bases, a fourth consecutive single, by Kaat, plated two runs, and a double play scored a third to make the score 5-1 Twins.

Rollins hit a solo homer in the fifth to make it 6-1, and it looked like the Twins had total control of the game behind Kaat.  In the eighth, however, Cam Carreon singled, Joe Cunningham walked, and with two out Landis hit a three-run homer to cut the margin to 6-4.  But in the bottom of the eighth Rollins walked and Killebrew hit a two-run homer to make it 8-4.  Chicago put two runners on in the ninth but did not get the tying run to the plate.

WP:  Kaat (5-4).  LP: Joel Horlen (5-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  Mincher was at first base in place of Vic Power, who was apparently out with an injury.  Other than that, the Twins used their standard 1962 lineup.  Bill Tuttle came in for defense in the ninth.  He replaced Killebrew, who had been in left, but Tuttle went to center, with Lenny Green moving to left.

Rollins was batting .353.  He would finish at .298, which would lead the team.  Battey was batting .326.  He would finish at .280.  The Twins batted .260, which was third in the league.  New York led with .267.

Every one of the Twins' eight regulars finished with double digit home runs.  Not surprisingly, Killebrew led the team with 48.  Bob Allison hit 29, Versalles 17, Power and Rollins 16 each, Green 14, Allen 12, and Battey 11.  The Twins hit 185 home runs, again third in the league.  Detroit led with 209.

Either Kaat or Camilo Pascual would've been the ace of the staff:  both had fine years.  Kaat was 18-14, 3.14, 1.18 WHIP; Pascual was 20-11, 3.32, 1.15 WHIP.  The third starter, Jack Kralick, was 12-11, 3.85, 1.24.  The fourth starter role was split between Dick Stigman and Joe Bonikowski, with Don Lee given a handful of starts as well.  Bonikowski, a twenty-one year old rookie, seems to have gotten most of the starts early in the season, but he went 3-6, 4.82, 1.45 as a starter.  He did much better out of the bullpen, going 2-1, 1.57, 1.05.  It was his only major league season--he pitched poorly in the minors over the next few years.  Stigman got most of the starts late and did better, going 9-3, 3.82, 1.32.  The Twins only finished five games behind they Yankees--perhaps, had they moved Stigman into the rotation sooner, they'd have made up those five games.

The Twins had a 3.89 ERA, sixth in the league.  Baltimore led at 3.69.  The Twins were second in WHIP at 1.29.  New York led at 1.28.

The Twins scored their early runs off Horlen, who lasted just two innings and allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out one.  Horlen would become a fine pitcher, but he was not yet one in 1962.  It was his first full season in the majors, and he went 7-6, 4.89.  He would be substantially better in 1963, and he went five seasons, 1964-1968, in which he posted ERAs under three while pitching over 200 innings.  In four of those seasons his ERA was less than 2.50.  Even in a pitcher's era, that's impressive.  Somehow he only made one all-star team and only once got Cy Young consideration.  That was in 1967, when he went 19-7, 2.06, 0.95 WHIP.  He led the league in ERA, WHIP and shutouts (6), but still lost the award to Jim  Lonborg (22-9, 3.16, 1.14 WHIP).  Lonborg had a fine season, but had Horlen won a twentieth game it might have made a difference.

We mentioned Eddie Fisher above.  There was also, of course, a popular singer of roughly that era named Eddie Fisher, although his career had started to wane by this time.  I wonder if a person could come up with a team of ballplayers who had the same name as singers.  Michael Jackson comes immediately to mind, but I don't know if there are very many others.

The Twins would sweep the doubleheader.  They were in a stretch where they would win five of six, seven of nine, and nine of twelve.

As you may be able to tell, the 1960s era is my favorite era of Twins baseball.  I guess it's because they were the team I followed when I was a kid--I think most of us tend to think of the way sports were when we were young as a golden era.  1962 was a little early--I was only three then--but by 1965 I had started to pay attention and by 1969 I was completely hooked.

Record:  The Twins were 34-24, in second place in the American League, percentage points behind New York.  They would finish 91-71, in second place, five games behind New York.

The White Sox were 29-29, in sixth place in the American League, five games behind New York.  They would finish 85-77, in fifth place, 11 games behind New York.

Random Record:  The Twins are 45-44 in Random Rewind games.

2014 Twins Game Recaps

Game Recap #76: Trombones 2, Big Paraders 6

Well, let's see.  The bullpen pitched really well.  Joe Mauer had two hits.  Oswaldo Arcia hit a home run and kept his average (barely) above the Mendoza line.

That seems to be about it for the positives.  Danny Santana got hurt, and at this writing I know nothing about how serious that is.  If it is serious, one assumes we'll get a lot of Escobar at short and Fuld and/or Hicks in center.  That's better than the days when we were using people like Rene Tosoni and Luke Hughes, but losing Santana is still going to hurt if it happens.  Not that I think he'd hit .324 with an .806 OPS all season--he'd never done anything close to that in the minors--but he does look like a major league ballplayer, and he's succeeded while spending part of his time learning a new position.  Perhaps he'll be back soon.  We can hope.

Yohan Pino did not have a good game.  It appeared that he simply threw too many pitches that were about belt high, and like many pitchers, he can't get away with doing that.  I doubt he could get away with doing it at AAA, either, so he may have simply had a bad game, which happens to everyone sometimes.  As they don't seem ready to bring up Trevor May yet, and as they don't have a lot of other options, one assumes Pino will get at least a couple more chances.  It's too bad they sent Pinto down--perhaps at some point will get a Pino/Pinto battery, reminding us of the days when Allan Anderson pitched to Andy Allanson.  It's just too bad we won't have Gordo around to announce it.

The Twins play an afternoon game today, so this is the last of the games that start about when I go to bed.  Why these West Coast teams can't start their games at a civilized time is more than I can understand.  Come to think of it, that's probably why we lost these last two games--the Twins players had to stay up way past their bedtimes and were tired.  At any rate, the Twins are going to send Ricky Nolasco out there, still looking for that elusive actually good outing rather than the almost good ones he's been giving us.  He's due!  Today we start a season-ending eighty-six game winning streak!  We'll just have to settle for 122-40!