Tag Archives: three-inning saves

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Nineteen

BALTIMORE 9, MINNESOTA 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Friday, May 1.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-3 with a home run (his third), a double, a walk, and three runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Pitching star:   Steve Barber pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Dave Johnson was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Terry Crowley was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs.  Brooks Robinson was 2-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch and two runs.  Dick Hall pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out two.

The game:  The Twins scored first, as Tovar opened the game with a single, went to third on Killebrew's double, and scored on Oliva's single.  The Orioles loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on three walks but did not score.  Tovar homered in the third to make it 2-0.

It was pretty much all Baltimore from there.  In the bottom of the third Crowley singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Robinson's single to cut the lead to 2-1.  In the fourth Clay Dalrymple walked, Dave McNally doubled, and Crowley hit a three-run homer to put the Orioles up 4-2.  Two singles and a sacrifice fly made it 5-2 in the fifth.

The Twins got one back in the sixth when Tovar and Killebrew walked and Oliva delivered an RBI single.  Baltimore then put it out of reach in the seventh.  An error an a hit batsman put men on first and second, Johnson doubled home a run, an intentional walk loaded the bases, and Dave May hit a three-run triple to make it 9-3.

WP:  McNally (4-1).

LP:  Dave Boswell (0-3).

S:  Hall (1).

Notes:  Frank Quilici remained at second base in the absence of Rod Carew.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the sixth, with Tom Tischinski going behind the plate.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for the pitcher in the seventh.  Bob Allison replaced Brant Alyea in the eighth as part of a double switch.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Tischinski in the ninth.  Minnie Mendoza pinch-hit for Quilici in the ninth.

Alyea was 0-for-4 and was batting .386.  Killebrew was batting .333.  Ratliff was 0-for-1 and was also batting .333.  Oliva was batting .325.  Tovar was batting .321.  Bill Zepp allowed a run in two innings and had an ERA of 2.70.  Stan Williams allowed four runs, but they were all unearned, leaving his ERA at zero.

Mitterwald was 0-for-2 and was batting .167.  Rich Reese was 0-for-3 and was batting .193.  Dave Boswell allowed four runs in four innings and had an ERA of 6.75.

McNally pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks and striking out seven.

Boswell hurt his arm in game two of the 1969 ALCS.  I couldn't quickly find what the injury was, and I don't have time now to look more, but he was obviously not healed from it, and it appears never really would be.  He stayed in the rotation through the end of July, but had only two games with a game score over fifty.

We've already seen a few three-inning (or more) saves.  Back then, a lot of managers believed in leaving a pitcher in the game as long as he was pitching well.  The theory was that you only take him out if he's in trouble, rather than taking him out before he gets into trouble.

Record:  The Twins were 12-7, in first place in the American League West based on winning percentage, but tied in games with California.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Eighty-eight

MINNESOTA 11, MILWAUKEE 7 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Monday, July 15.

Batting stars:  Mike Pagliarulo was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. Chuck Knoblauch was 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, and two runs.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-6 with two RBIs.  Shane Mack was 1-for-5 with a home run (his ninth), two runs, and three RBIs.  Greg Gagne was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer (his sixth) and a walk.

Pitching star:   Steve Bedrosian pitched three shutout innings, giving up four hits and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Paul Molitor was 2-for-5.  B. J. Surhoff was 2-for-5.  Greg Vaughn was 1-for-4 with a home run (his seventeenth), a walk, and two runs.  Franklin Stubbs was 1-for-4 with a grand slam (his sixth homer).

The game:  In the first Knoblauch walked, went to second on an error, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground out, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead.  Pagliarulo led off the second with a single and Mack followed with a two-run homer to make it 3-0.  Vaughn homered leading off the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 3-1, but the Twins built the lead still farther in the third.  Kent Hrbek, Chili Davis, and Pagliarulo all walked to start the inning.  A fielder's choice scored one run and Gagne delivered a three-run homer to make the score 7-1 Twins.  Back-to-back two-out doubles by Hrbek and Davis increased the lead to 8-1 in the top of the fourth.

It looked like the Twins would cruise, but the Brewers came back in the bottom of the fourth.  Walks to Darryl Hamilton and Greg Vaughn and Gary Sheffield getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases, and Stubbs unloaded them with a home run, cutting the lead to 8-5.

No worry.  Knoblauch doubled with one out in the sixth and Puckett got an RBI single.  A ground out moved him to second and Pagliarulo's RBI double made the score 10-5.  Milwaukee got one back in the bottom of the sixth when Sheffield doubled and Willie Randolph singled, cutting the lead to 10-6.  They scored one more on a double play in the seventh to make it 10-7, but that was as close as they would come.  The Twins tacked on one more in the ninth when Jarvis Brown singled, went to second on a balk, and scored on a Puckett single.

WP:  Mark Guthrie (6-5).  LP:  Jim Hunter (0-3).  S:  Bedrosian (4).

Notes:  Mack was still in left field in place of Dan Gladden, with Randy Bush in right.  Junior Ortiz was once again behind the plate in place of Brian Harper.  Bush was the leadoff batter.  Brown pinch-hit for him in the sixth.

Puckett's average was .319.  Scott Erickson started and pitched just four innings, allowing five runs on four hits and four walks and striking out one--his ERA was 2.13.

Brown was 1-for-3 and was batting .182.

Bush was batting just .221, but he did have an OBP of .323, which was better than four of the Twins other starters in this game.  That makes his use in the leadoff spot a little more understandable.  He went 1-for-3.

This was Erickson's first start since June 29.  The rest does not seem to have cured him.

Bedrosian would go on to get two more saves, making six for the season.  Three of them were of the three-inning variety, and another was 2.2 innings.

Milwaukee starter Jim "not Catfish" Hunter pitched three innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on five hits and four walks and striking out two.  This was his only season in the majors.  He would go 0-5, 7.26, 2.00 WHIP.  He was in eight games (six starts) and pitched 31 innings.  There was not a lot in his minor league record to indicate he could pitch in the majors.  He did okay in AAA in 1991 before being called up, but nothing special, and he was twenty-seven by then.  He continued to pitch in the minors through 1995.  Wikipedia tells me that he became a high school teacher in Suwanee, Georgia after his baseball career ended.

Texas lost to Detroit 8-7, so the Twins' lead increased by a game.

Record:  The Twins were 51-37, in first place in the American League West, three games ahead of Texas.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Sixty-five

MINNESOTA 9, BALTIMORE 2 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Tuesday, June 18.

Batting stars:  Shane Mack was 2-for-3 with a home run (his sixth), two walks, and two runs.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4.  Chuck Knoblauch was 2-for-5.  Junior Ortiz was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Scott Erickson pitched six shutout innings, giving up one hit and five walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Bob Melvin was 2-for-4.  Paul Kilgus pitched 2.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on no hits and two walks and striking out one.

The game:  The Twins took the lead early, scoring two in the first inning.  With two out, Puckett singled and scored on Hrbek's double.  A wild pitch sent Hrbek to third and a balk scored him to make it 2-0.  In the third, Mack singled and scored on a Mike Pagliarulo double.  Ortiz followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0. With one out a walk and a single loaded the bases.  A force out scored one run and Hrbek singled in another to increase the lead to 6-0.

There were no more hits by either side until the sixth, when Ortiz singled.  He was caught stealing (!), but with two out Gladden singled, stole second, and scored on Knoblauch's single.  It went to 8-0 in the eighth when the Twins scored on an error, a walk, and a sacrifice fly.

The Orioles got on the board in the bottom of the eighth.  A pair of walks and a fly ball put men on first and third with one out.  A ground out scored one and Leo Gomez singled in another to make it 8-2.  A Mack home run in the ninth closed out the scoring.

WP:  Erickson (11-2).  LP:  Roy Smith (3-1).  S:  Carl Willis (1).

Notes:  With Erickson pitching, Ortiz was catching.  The Twins made some late-game changes with the big lead.  Pedro Munoz pinch-ran for Puckett in the sixth and went to right field, with Mack moving to center.  Scott Leius pinch-hit for Pagliarulo in the seventh and went to third base.  Gene Larkin pinch-hit for Hrbek in the eighth and went to first base.

Puckett was batting .329.  Erickson's ERA went down to 1.51.  Willis got a three-inning save, giving up two runs.  His ERA was 3.14.

Baltimore's starter was ex-Twin Roy Smith.  He pitched 5.2 innings, allowing seven runs on eleven hits and three walks and striking out one.

This was one of two saves for Willis in 1991, with the other coming August 4.  He had thirteen saves in his career, with a high of five in 1993.  The Twins had five pitchers with saves in 1991--Rick Aguilera (42), Steve Bedrosian (6).  Mark Guthrie (2), Willis (2), and Gary Wayne (1).

Despite the end of their winning streak yesterday, the Twins had won sixteen of seventeen and nineteen of twenty-one.  Could they start a new streak?

Record:  The Twins were 39-26, in first place in the American League West, 1.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Thirty-four

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MILWAUKEE 6, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, May 16.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourth.  Mike Pagliarulo was 2-for-4 with a double.  Pedro Munoz was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Carl Willis pitched 3.1 innings of relief, giving up one run on five hits.  Terry Leach pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Rick Aguilera pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Greg Vaughn was 3-for-5 with a triple.  Dale Sveum was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Willie Randolph was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Robin Yount was 2-for-5 with a home run (his eighth), two runs, and two RBIs.  Bill Wegman pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out two.  Darren Holmes pitched four innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks and striking out one.

The game:  Most of the runs came early.  Paul Molitor led off the game by being hit by a pitch.  He stole second and scored on a single by Vaughn, who was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a double.  Yount then followed with a home run to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

The Twins got the runs back in the bottom of the first.  Gagne led off the inning with a home run.  Shane Mack was hit by a pitch, went to second on a Kirby Puckett single, and scored on a pair of fly outs to tie the score 2-2.

Milwaukee then took control.  Dante Bichette led off the second with a home run.  In the third, Vaughn hit a two-out triple, Yount singled him home, and Franklin Stubbs hit an RBI double to give the Brewers a 5-2 advantage.

The Twins didn't do a lot after that.  Pagliarulo hit a one-out double in the fourth but didn't advance.  A couple of singles didn't amount to anything.  Milwaukee added a run in the seventh when Sveum doubled and Randolph singled, making it 6-2.  Munoz hit a home run leading off the ninth, but the Twins never threatened to get back into the game.

WP:  Wegman (1-1).  LP:  Allan Anderson (1-3).  S:  Holmes (1).

Notes:  With the day game, Dan Gladden was out of the lineup.  Shane Mack was in left and Munoz in right.  Gene Larkin was at first base replacing Kent Hrbek.  Al Newman was at second, replacing Chuck Knoblauch.

Brian Harper was 1-for-3 and was batting .391.  Gagne raised his average to .301.  Chili Davis was 0-for-4 and was batting .301.  Leach lowered his ERA to 2.77.  Aguilera's ERA was at 1.84.

Anderson lasted just three innings, giving up five runs on six hits and a walk and striking out two.  In his last two starts, he had given up nine runs on twelve hits in seven innings.  His ERA went from 3.55 to 4.80.

Willis had appeared in four games since his call-up on April 23.  Three of those appearances were of three innings or longer.

Holmes had three saves in 1991.  All of them were of the three-or-more-innings variety.  He would go on to get 59 saves in his career.  He was the closer for Colorado in their first year of existence in 1993 and was again their closer for about a month in 1995.

Bill Wegman was in the Brewers' rotation from 1986-1988, then missed a lot of time in the next two seasons due to injuries.  He came back in 1991 to have the best year of his career, going 15-7, 2.84, 1.12 WHIP.  He had a fine year in 1992 as well, going 13-14 but with an ERA of 3.20 and a WHIP of 1.17.  He pitched 261.1 innings, though, and it was apparently too much for him.  He stayed with Milwaukee for three more seasons, and in fact spent his entire career with them, but he never had a good year again.  For his career he was 81-90, 4.16, 1.29 WHIP.  For two seasons, though, he was an excellent starting pitcher.

Record:  The Twins were 17-17, tied with Chicago for fifth place in the American League West, 3.5 games behind Oakland.  The Twins were just a half game out of fourth and a game out of third.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Twenty-four

MINNESOTA 7, MILWAUKEE 4 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Saturday, May 4.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 3-for-4 with a home run (his third), two doubles, and two runs.  Chili Davis was 3-for-5 with two doubles.  Randy Bush was 3-for-5.  Shane Mack was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Mark Guthrie pitched six shutout innings, giving up three hits and three walks and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Willie Randolph was 2-for-4.  Greg Vaughn was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his sixth.  Rick Dempsey was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.

The game:  In the second, Davis led off with a double, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground out to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  Gagne homered in the third to make it 2-0.

The Brewers got their first threat in the fourth, when Randolph singled and Franklin Stubbs drew a two-out walk, but Vaughn fouled out to end the inning.  The Twins added another run in the fifth when Gagne doubled with one out and scored on a Dan Gladden single.  Milwaukee got another threat in the sixth on one-out singles by Randolph and Robin Yount, but a pop up and a strikeout put it to bed.

The Twins took control in the seventh.  Gagne led off with a double but was thrown out trying to go to third on Gladden's ground ball to short.  Chuck Knoblauch walked, though, putting men on first and second, and Hrbek came through with a two-run double.  Singles by Davis and Bush scored Hrbek to increase the Twins' lead to 6-0.  They got one more in the ninth when Hrbek singled and scored on Davis' double.

The Brewers did not quit, though.  Steve Bedrosian, in his third inning, gave up a one-out single to Stubbs and Vaughn followed with a two-run homer.  Dante Bichette reached on an error, and with two out Dempsey homered to cut the lead to 7-4.  Greg Brock grounded out, however, and the game was over.

WP:  Guthrie (1-2).  LP:  Chris Bosio (3-3).  S:  Bedrosian (1).

Notes:  Bush was in right field in this game, with Mack in center and Kirby Puckett given the day off.

Gagne raised his average to .333.  Knoblauch was 0-for-3 with two walks and was batting .319.  Davis raised his average to .303.

Mike Pagliarulo was 0-for-4 and was batting .179.  Mack raised his average to .184.  Hrbek raised his average to .190.

With his six shutout innings, Guthrie lowered his ERA to 7.94.  That may not sound like much, but it was 16.88 going into the game.  He had made two starts and two relief appearances going into this game.  He would be in the starting rotation through the end of June, then go to the bullpen for the rest of the season.  He did much better there--for the season he was 5-4, 5.73, 1.78 WHIP as a starter, 2-1, 2.51, 1.37 WHIP as a reliever.  He would make only two more starts the rest of his career, both in 1994.

I'm sure I included it in his biography, but I had completely forgotten that Rick Dempsey was even still in the league in 1991, much less played for the Brewers.  He appeared in 60 games, but had just 147 at-bats.  He would have one last hurrah with Baltimore in 1992 before hanging it up for good at age forty-two.

The Twins were 0-for-2 in stealing bases, with Mack and Bush getting caught stealing.  Plus, there was Gagne getting thrown out trying to go from second to third on a grounder to short.  It didn't cost them the game, but losing three baserunners is not the recommended way to go about things.

Bedrosian got a three-inning save despite giving up four runs in the ninth.  He would have six saves on the season, three of them of the three-inning variety.

Milwaukee starter Chris Bosio pitched 6.1 innings, allowing six runs on ten hits and three walks and striking out four.  It's interesting how much the game has changed, and how much longer starters were allowed to stay in games in 1991 even when they were giving up runs.

Record:  The Twins were 11-13, tied for fifth with Seattle in the American League West, 4.5 games behind Oakland.