Tag Archives: when men were men

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: ALCS Game Two

BALTIMORE 11, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, October 4.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his second) and a walk.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a home run.

Pitching star:  Stan Williams pitched three perfect innings and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Mark Belanger was 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs.  Boog Powell was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs.  Dave McNally was 2-for-5 with a double.  Frank Robinson was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, two walks, and two runs.  Dave Johnson was 1-for-5 with a three-run homer.  McNally also pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on six hits and five walks and striking out five.

The game:  Belanger and Paul Blair opened the game by drawing walks.  With one out Powell hit an RBI double, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead.  It went to 3-0 in the third when Belanger singled and Robinson hit a two-run homer.  In the fourth Andy Etchebarren reached second on a single-plus-error and scored on McNally's single, making it 4-0 Baltimore.

The Twins got back into the game in the bottom of the fourth.  Leo Cardenas walked and Killebrew hit a two-run homer followed by a solo homer by Oliva, cutting the margin to 4-3.  But there it stayed until the ninth.  The Twins missed a chance in the fifth.  Williams drew a one-out walk and went to second on a Cesar Tovar single.  Cardenas followed with another single, but Williams was thrown out at the plate.  They had another chance in the sixth when George Mitterwald hit a two-out double, but an infield out ended the inning.

The Orioles broke it open in the ninth, scoring seven runs.  McNally led off with a double and Belanger singled him to third.  A one-out walk to Robinson loaded the bases.  Powell then hit a two-run double, Merv Rettenmund followed with an RBI single, an error brought home a fourth run, and Johnson capped the inning with a three-run homer.  It was 11-3, and that would be the final score.

WP:  McNally (1-0).

LP:  Tom Hall (0-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese out of the lineup.  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Bob Allison pinch-hit for Williams in the seventh.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Brant Alyea in the eighth inning and stayed in the game in center field, with Tovar moving to left.  Frank Quilici pinch-hit for Luis Tiant in the ninth.

Hall pitched 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks and striking out four.

Hall had pitched very well down the stretch, but the fact that he was the number two starter showed how injuries hurt the Twins starting rotation.  Dave Boswell was unavailable and Tiant might as well have been, being used in mop-up relief.  Bert Blyleven would not have been a bad choice, but he was even younger than Hall (age 20 versus age 22) and Hall had really pitched better.  Jim Kaat would've been another choice, but perhaps Bill Rigney wanted to start Hall at home, where he might be less nervous, then to make him deal with a road crowd.  I haven't looked ahead, and don't remember, who started game three.  We'll see tomorrow.

I guess I didn't need to worry about Williams being overused in game one, as he threw three more perfect innings in game two.  The ninth-inning runs came mostly off of Ron Perranoski, who was in his second inning of work after pitching a perfect inning the day before.

The Twins had now played five ALCS games against Baltimore and lost all five.  They were now facing an elimination game in Baltimore.

Record:  The Twins trailed the best-of-five series, 0-2.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: ALCS Game One

BALTIMORE 10, MINNESOTA 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, October 3.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Stan Williams pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Ron Perranoski struck out two in a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Brooks Robinson was 3-for-3 with a double.  Boog Powell was 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.  Elrod Hendricks was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Mike Cuellar was 1-for-2 with a grand slam.  Don Buford was 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks.  Dick Hall pitched 4.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out three.

The game:  The Twins got on the board first.  Tovar led off the first with a single, was bunted to second, and scored on a Killebrew single.  The Orioles took the lead in the second, however.  One-out singles by Hendricks and Robinson put two on, and Dave Johnson was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Mark Belanger hit a potential double play grounder, but a throwing error by Danny Thompson allowed two runs to score and put Baltimore up 2-1.  The Twins tied it in the second when Mitterwald singled, went to third on Thompson's double, and scored on a squeeze bunt by Jim Perry.

But the roof fell in in the fourth inning.  Frank Robinson and Hendricks led off with singles, and a sacrifice fly by Brooks Robinson put the Orioles ahead again.  Singles by Johnson and Belanger loaded the bases, and Mike Cuellar--Mike Cuellar--hit a grand slam to make it 7-2 Baltimore.  Buford followed with another homer, and with two out Powell homered, making the score 9-2.

The Twins tried to battle back.  In the bottom of the fourth Mitterwald singled, went to second on an infield grounder, and scored on a Tovar single.  Killebrew led off the fifth with a home run, followed by an Oliva doubled.  Brant Alyea walked, a ground out moved them to second and third, and Mitterwald delivered a two-run single to cut the lead to 9-6.

But that was as good as it would get.  The Orioles added a run in the sixth when Hall singled, went to second on a walk to Buford, and scored on Powell's single, making it 10-6.  The Twins got only one hit in the last four innings.

WP:  Hall (1-0).

LP:  Perry (0-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Bob Allison pinch-hit for Bill Zepp in the fourth inning.  Frank Quilici went to second in the sixth inning as part of a double switch.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for Williams in the eighth.  Carew pinch-hit for Quilici in the eighth.  Holt stayed in the game in center field, with Tovar moving to second base.

Neither starting pitcher fared well.  Perry pitched 3.1 innings, giving up eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and a walk and striking out one.  Mike Cuellar pitched 4.1 innings, allowing six runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out two.

These losses to the Orioles were almost as frustrating as the losses to the Yankees would be thirty-some years later.  You lose because Mike Cuellar, of all people, hits a grand slam.  Cuellar hit seven home runs for his career and had a lifetime line of .115/.128/.171.  And he hits a grand slam.  Incredible.  It's really to the Twins credit that they continued to fight and battled back as well as they did.  I mean, I know that's what they're supposed to do and what they get paid to do, but still, giving up that grand slam, and then seeing two more home runs that same inning, had to be really disheartening.

It was a different time, and that plays into it, but I still think you can question using one of the two best relievers, Williams, for three innings in that situation.  Yes, you never want to give up on a playoff game, and back then, they still might bring Williams back in the next game.  But still, burning one of your two best relievers in a game that, let's face it, the odds are against you coming back to win doesn't make much sense.

But, tomorrow's another day, and the Twins would try to get the series back to even.

Record:  The Twins trailed the best-of-five series, 0-1.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty-three

OAKLAND 6, MINNESOTA 0 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Monday, September 21.

Batting star:  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-2 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched an eight-inning complete game, giving up six runs (two earned) on nine hits and five walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Vida Blue pitched a no-hitter, striking out nine and giving up a walk.  Don Mincher was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch.  Bert Campaneris was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer (his twenty-first), a triple, and two runs.

The game:  Once you've said "Vida Blue pitched a no-hitter", there's not a lot more to say.  The Athletics got on the board in the second when Campaneris tripled and scored on a double play grounder.  The Twins lone baserunner, Killebrew, reached on a two-out walk in the fourth inning.

It was still 1-0 through seven, but Oakland broke it open in the eighth.  Mincher led off with a single and Sal Bando followed with a single-plus-error, scoring Mincher and leaving Bando on third.  With one out, Gene Tenace was intentionally walked.  Dick Green had an RBI single, a bunt moved the runners up, and Campaneris hit a three-run homer, giving the Athletics a 6-0 lead.

WP:  Blue (2-0).

LP:  Perry (23-12).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt went to center field in the eighth, with Cesar Tovar moving to left and Brant Alyea coming out.  Bob Allison pinch-hit for Perry in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .319.  Tovar was 0-for-4 and was batting .300.

I wondered about Perry throwing a complete game, but it was still 1-0 going to the eighth.  I still don't think it was very smart to have him pitch that much this late in the season, with the playoffs just around the corner, but it was a different time then, and the closeness of the game makes it less egregious.

Blue had come up as a September call-up.  This was his fourth start, and his second complete game shutout.  He had appeared in twelve games in 1969, four of them starts.  He made a total of six starts in 1970, and went 2-0, 2.09, 0.83 WHIP.  He struck out 35 in 38.2 innings and had a FIP of 1.89.  He was only twenty, but I think it's safe to say he was ready for the majors.  This would be the only complete game no-hitter he would have.  He was part of a combined no-hitter in 1975, throwing five innings.

Allison had a batting average of .211.  Perry, whom he pitch-hit for, had an average of .250.  That is not in any way intended to indicate that I think it was wrong to send Allison up there.  I just thought it was interesting.

The loss kept the Twins from clinching the division.

Record:  The Twins were 92-61, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number remained two.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Six

MINNESOTA 2, OAKLAND 1 IN MINNESOTA (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Friday, August 7.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Jim Holt was 2-for-5 with a home run, his third.  Rich Reese was 1-for-1 with a home run (his eighth) and three walks.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched an eleven-inning complete game, giving up one run on five hits and three walks and striking out seven.

Opposition stars:  Reggie Jackson was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.  Bert Campaneris was 1-for-5 with a home run, his sixteenth.  Catfish Hunter pitched seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks and striking out one.  Mudcat Grant pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  Campaneris led off the game with a home run, giving the Athletics a 1-0 lead.  Reese led off the second inning with a home run, tying the score 1-1.

And there was no more scoring until the eleventh.  The Twins got a one-out double from Oliva in the fourth, a leadoff double from George Mitterwald in the fifth, and started the sixth with a single and a walk.  Jackson hit a two-out double in the seventh.  The Athletics got a man to second in the eighth and in the ninth.  The Twins loaded the bases with none out in the tenth when Cesar Tovar walked, Danny Thompson reached on a sacrifice bunt/error, and Oliva was intentionally walked, but Harmon Killebrew hit into a 5-2-3 double play and Rick Renick grounded out.

Came the eleventh.  Oakland went down in order.  Holt led off the bottom of the inning with a home run and the Twins were victorious.

WP:  Perry (17-9).

LP:  Marcel Lachemann (2-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Holt was again in center, with Tovar in left and Brant Alyea on the bench.  Thompson was at shortstop, with Frank Quilici at second and Leo Cardenas on the bench.  Killebrew pinch-hit for Reese in the tenth and stayed in the game at first base.

Oliva was .329.  Perry was 1-for-4 and was batting .303.

I don't know when the last time is that someone pitched eleven innings in a game, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't happened in the last few years.

The Twins had played twenty-five innings in the last two games and used four pitchers.  There were a total of six runs scored in those innings, four by the Twins and two by the opposition.  Each game was decided by a walkoff home run.

It's not every game you have Catfish start and he gets replaced by Mudcat.

Record:  The Twins were 68-38, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Eighty-five

MINNESOTA 6, BALTIMORE 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Saturday, July 18.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth) and three runs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his twenty-ninth.  Frank Quilici was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski pitched 2.1 innings, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Frank Robinson was 4-for-5.  Don Buford was 3-for-5 with a home run (his eleventh), a double, and two runs.  Paul Blair was 2-for-5.

The game:  Oliva led off the second with a single and went to third on a Brant Alyea double.  He was then picked off third base, but a throwing error allowed him to score and give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The Orioles got the run back in the bottom of the second when Brooks Robinson singled, went to second on Dave Johnson's walk, and scored on a Mark Belanger single.  Baltimore took a 2-1 lead in the third on Buford's leadoff home run.

It stayed 2-1 until the sixth.  Reese led of the inning with a single and Killebrew hit a two-run homer to put the Twins up 3-2.  Oliva followed with a single.  The next two batters went out, but Quilici hit a two-run homer to give the Twins a 5-2 lead.

The Orioles scored in the seventh when Buford doubled and scored on Frank Robinson's single.  Oliva got the run back for the Twins in the eighth when he led off the inning with a home run, making it 6-3.

Baltimore did not quit.  Buford led off with a bunt single, but was erased on a double play.  Still, Boog Powell and Frank Robinson singled, bringing Brooks Robinson up to bat as the tying run.  He flied out to right field, however, and the game went to the Twins.

WP:  Perry (14-7).

LP:  Dave McNally (12-7).

S:  Perranoski (22).

Notes:  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was at catcher in place of George Mitterwald.  Brant Alyea was back in the lineup, his first start since July 4.  Jim Holt replaced Alyea in left in the sixth inning.  Danny Thompson replaced Killebrew at third in the seventh.

Tischinski was 1-for-4 and was batting .333.  Killebrew was batting .325.  Oliva was batting .324.  Cesar Tovar was 0-for-5 and was batting .309.  Perry was 1-for-3 and was batting .309.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.50.

Quilici was batting .191.  This game featured the fourth of his five career home runs.  His season high was two.

Killebrew had hit a home run in five consecutive games.

Perranoski had pitched three innings in the previous game and pitched 2.1 innings in this game.  When men were men.

Record:  The Twins were 56-29, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of California.  They still had the best record in the American League, but were still well behind the Big Red Machine (64-27).

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Sixty-eight

1 Comment

CHICAGO 11, MINNESOTA 10 IN CHICAGO (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Sunday, June 28.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer (his eleventh) and three runs.  George Mitterwald was 3-for-5 with a home run (his sixth) and four RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 with a hit-by-pitch and two stolen bases (his sixteenth and seventeenth).

Pitching stars:  Ron Perranoski pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Tom Hall pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Ken Berry was 2-for-4 with a home run (his sixth) and two RBIs.  Syd O'Brien was 2-for-4 with a double.  Bill Melton was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fourteenth), two runs, and two RBIs.  Danny Murphy was 1-for-1 with a home run.  He also pitched four innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and three walks.  Luis Aparicio was 1-for-3 with a home run (his third), two walks, and two runs.

The game:  The Twins scored four in the top of the first inning.  Tovar led off with a single, went to second on a ground out, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  Oliva then singled, Brant Alyea walked, and Mitterwald hit a three-run homer, putting the Twins up 4-0.

The lead lasted until the bottom of the first.  O'Brien led off with a double and Aparicio walked.  Starter Dave Boswell then came out of the game due to injury.  Dick Woodson came in.  Carlos May walked, loading the bases.  An error brought home two runs, Ed Herrmann singled home a run, Rich McKinney hit a two-run double, and after McKinney was picked off Berry hit a home run, giving the White Sox a 6-4 lead after one inning.  It went to 8-4 in the second, as singles by Melton, Bob Spence, Berry, and Barry Moore plated two runs.

The Twins got back into it in the third.  Harmon Killebrew walked, Oliva singled, and Alyea was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with none out.  A pair of RBI ground outs and a run-scoring double by Frank Quilici cut the Chicago lead to 8-7 through three innings.

The Twins put two on in the fifth but did not score.  In the bottom of the fifth, solo homers by Murphy and Aparicio made it 10-7 White Sox.  Melton homered in the sixth to make it 11-7.

In the seventh, walks to Jim Holt and Paul Ratliff and a two-out RBI single by Rick Renick cut the lead to 11-8.  In the eighth Killebrew singled and Oliva followed with a two-run homer to make it 11-10.  But that was as good as it got.  The Twins had men on first and second with two out, but a ground out ended the inning.  In the ninth Tovar singled and stole second with one out, but a pair of strikeouts ended the game.

WP:  Murphy (1-0).

LP:  Woodson (0-1).

S:  Wilbur Wood (11).

Notes:  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Quilici pinch-hit for Thompson in the third and stayed in the game at second base.  Bob Allison pinch-hit for pitcher Steve Barber in the third.  Holt pinch-hit for Alyea in the seventh and stayed in the game in left field.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh.  Herman Hill pinch-hit for pitcher Jim Kaat in the seventh, but when Wood then came in to pitch Renick pinch-hit for Hill.  Renick stayed in the game in left field, with Holt moving to center and Tovar to second.  Tom Tischinski pinch-hit for pitcher Ron Perranoski in the eighth.

Oliva was batting .327.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .305.  Bill Zepp gave up two runs in 2.2 innings and had an ERA of 2.80.  Perransoki had an ERA of 1.75.  Hall had an ERA of 2.18.

Thompson was 0-for-1 and was batting .188.  Quilici was 1-for-2 and was batting .180.  Boswell gave up two runs in zero innings and had an ERA of 6.55.

Boswell had doubtless been pitching with an injury all season, but it apparently finally became too much for him in this game.  He would make his next start, however, making five starts in July before finally giving up.

Hall, as you may remember, had pitched 6.2 innings in the first game of the doubleheader, then came in to pitch an inning in the second game.  I wonder when the last time is someone started the first game of a doubleheader and then relieved in the second game.  I especially wonder when the last time is someone started and pitched that many innings in the first game and then relieved in the second game.  In the b-r.com game log, under days rest, it says "-1".

The Twins used seven reserve position players in this game.  I don't know if it was a better game when teams had that many players on the bench, but I think it was more fun.  They also used seven pitchers.

Tom Tischinski was one of those seven.  He got his first at-bat of the season in this game, going 0-for-1.  He would stay with the Twins the rest of the season as the third catcher.

Wood got a hit in this game, going 1-for-1.  He had two hits in all of 1970, going 2-for-18.

The Twins closed out their road trip of three of the worst teams in the league with a record of 5-6.  They would now go home to play two of those same teams, Kansas City and Chicago.

Record:  The Twins were 43-25, in first place in the American League West, three games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Forty-seven

MINNESOTA 2, WASHINGTON 1 IN WASHINGTON

Date:  Friday, June 5.

Batting stars:  Frank Quilici was 2-for-3.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven struck out seven in seven innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk.  Ron Perranoski pitched two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Lee Maye was 2-for-3 with a home run, his fourth.  Casey Cox pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out three.  Darold Knowles pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  Cesar Tovar led off the game with a walk, stole second, and scored on an Oliva single to put the Twins up 1-0.  Maye led off the bottom of the first with a home run, tying it 1-1.

The Twins put men on second and third with two out in the fourth, but it stayed 1-1 until the fifth.  Quilici led off with a single, was bunted to second, and scored on a Tovar single to put the Twins up 2-1.

And that was it.  The Senators only twice got a man to second and never got a man to third, as the Twins held the 2-1 victory.

WP:  Blyleven (1-0).

LP:  Cox (3-4).

S:  Perranoski (13).

Notes:  Jim Holt was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Carew would not return until June 9, so he apparently was dealing with some minor injury or illness.

Oliva was batting .325.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .317.  Blyleven had an ERA of 1.29.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.80.

Quilici was batting .191.

As you have probably figured out by now, this was Blyleven's major league debut.  He had been 4-2, 2.50 at AAA Evansville.  The story he told so often was true--the first man he faced, Lee Maye, hit a home run off him.  And in fact, he did strike out Frank Howard in the sixth.

We're in early June, and neither Tovar, Killebrew, nor Oliva has been given a game off yet.  I know this is the old days when men were men, but I suspect Bill Rigney was somewhat of an old-school manager even for his time.

The Senators played two ex-Twins:  second baseman Bernie Allen, who was 1-for-3, and John Roseboro, who pinch-hit and was 0-for-1.

Casey Cox was a pretty fair pitcher for several years:  39-42, 3.70, 1.32.  I suspect his won-lost record is affected by the fact that he spent his entire career with bad teams:  the Senators/Rangers and the early-seventies Yankees.  He appeared in 308 games, starting 59 of them.  Slightly more than half of his starts--30--came in 1970.

Record:  The Twins were 32-15, in first place in the American League West, two games ahead of California.

 

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twenty-two

MINNESOTA 8, DETROIT 5 IN DETROIT

Date:  Tuesday, May 5.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a triple, two runs, and six RBIs.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a home run (his sixth), a walk, and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Luis Tiant pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on two hits and nine (!) walks and striking out four.  Ron Perranoski pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Twins pitchers issued thirteen walks.

Opposition stars:  Ken Szotkiewicz was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.  Dick McAuliffe was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his fourth) and three walks.  Al Kaline was 1-for-5 with a home run (his fourth).

The game:  The Twins took the early lead, as Cesar Tovar led off with a walk and Oliva hit a two-run homer.  The Tigers loaded the bases on three walks in the first and did it again in the second, but did not score either time.  In the third, Cardenas hit a one-out double and Oliva hit a two-out single to put the Twins ahead 3-0.

Detroit got on the board in the fourth.  Szotkiewicz got the first Tiger hit of the game, a single, and McAuliffe hit a two-run homer, cutting the lead to 3-2.  The Twins got the run back with interest in the fifth.  With one out, singles by Tovar and Cardenas and a walk to Killebrew loaded the bases.  Oliva followed with a bases-clearing triple, making the score 6-2.  Rich Reese delivered a two-out-single to make it 7-2.

Detroit threatened in the seventh with two walks, but did not score.  Killebrew homered in the bottom of the seventh, moving the lead to 8-2.  In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers loaded the bases again, this time getting two walks and a single.  Szotkiewicz hit a two-run single to cut the margin to 8-4, but Elliott Maddox struck out to end the inning.  Kaline homered in the eighth to close out the scoring.  Detroit got two on in the eighth after the Kaline homer, and got two more on in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate with two out, but Don Wert flied out to end the game.

WP:  Tiant (5-0).

LP:  Mickey Lolich (4-3).

S:  Perranoski (7).

Notes:  Bob Allison was at first base in place of Reese.  Frank Quilici remained at second in the continuing absence of Rod Carew.  Reese pinch-hit for Allison in the fifth and stayed in the game at first base.  Jim Holt replaced Brant Alyea in left in the seventh.  Minnie Mendoza replaced Killebrew at third base in the ninth.

Oliva took over the team batting lead at .352.  Alyea was 0-for-4 and was batting .328.  Killebrew was batting .320.  Tovar was 1-for-4 and was batting .315.  Tiant had an ERA of 2.86.  Stan Williams gave up his first earned run of the season in 1.1 innings and had an ERA of 0.71.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.50.

Allison was 0-for-1 and was batting .167.  Quilici was 0-for-4 and was batting .184.  Reese was 1-for-2 and was batting .191.  Mitterwald was 1-for-4 and was batting .193.

Lolich pitched 4.1 innings, giving up seven runs on six hits and three walks and striking out four.  In his two games against the Twins, he had given up twelve earned runs in ten innings.  In his six other starts, he had given up nine earned runs in fifty-two innings.

Twins pitchers walked thirteen Tigers, but amazingly, only two of them scored.  Detroit was 2-for-11 with men in scoring position and stranded fifteen runners.  They had twenty baserunners in nine innings, and managed to score only five of them.

This was the only year of Ken Szotkiewicz' career, and 22.2 percent of his career RBIs (two of nine) came in the seventh inning of this game.  An infielder, he batted .107/.216/.226 in 84 at-bats.  The Twins had actually drafted him in the first round of the secondary phase of the June draft in 1967, but he did not sign.  He had not played above AA, and only had 116 at-bats there, before making the Tigers at the start of the 1970 season.  Surprisingly, he stayed all year as a backup shortstop.  The regular was Cesar Gutierrez, who only batted .243/.275/.299.  Szotkiewicz had not hit much in his limited time in the minors, and would not hit much after he was sent back down in 1971.  The only good offensive season he had came in 1974, when he was a twenty-seven year old in AA.  Presumably he was considered a good defender.

The usage of Perranoski continues to be interesting.  You remember that, in April he had appeared in five of six games, pitching 9.2 innings.  He then got five days off.  Now, he has appeared in four of five games, pitching 6.1 innings.

Record:  The Twins were 15-7, in first place in the American League West, 1.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Fourteen

MINNESOTA 6, DETROIT 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, April 26.

Batting stars:  Luis Tiant was 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his sixth.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Tiant pitched a complete game shutout, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out six.

Opposition star:  Dick McAuliffe was 2-for-4.

The game:  The Twins put men on second and third with two out in the third but did not score.  They broke through in the fourth, however.  Oliva singled, Brant Alyea walked, Reese had an infield single to load the bases, and George Mitterwald had another infield single to make it 1-0 Twins.

The Twins put two on in the fifth, but did not score.  They broke the game open in the sixth with a two-out rally.  The first two men were retired, but Frank Quilici singled, Tiant hit an RBI double, Tovar had an infield single, Tiant and Tovar pulled off a double steal, Leo Cardenas tripled them both home, and Killebrew had an RBI single, making the score 5-0 Twins.

The Twins added one more in the eighth.  Tiant singled, a wild pitch moved him to second, Tovar bunted him to third, and Killebrew singled him home.

The Tigers never had a man beyond first base and only once had the leadoff man on base.

WP:  Tiant (3-0).

LP:  Mickey Lolich (4-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Quilici was again at second in the absence of Rod Carew.  Cardenas remained in Carew's number two spot in the batting order.

Jim Holt replaced Brant Alyea in left field in the eighth inning.  Minnie Mendoza pinch-ran for Killebrew in the eighth and remained in the game at third base.

Tiant was batting .556.  Brant Alyea was 0-for-3 and was batting .390.  Tovar was batting .367.  Oliva was batting .344.  Killebrew was batting .341.  Quilici was batting .308.

Mitterwald was 1-for-4 and was batting .175.  Cardenas was 1-for-5 and was batting .192.

Tiant wasn't a terrible batter over his career, but he wasn't exceptional, either:  a career line of .164/.185/.224.  In 1970, however, he was exceptional:  .406/.424/.531 in 32 at-bats.  Small sample size, obviously, and maybe that's the full explanation.  But it's still pretty amazing.  The stolen base he got in this game was the only one he had in his career, and it was a steal of third on the front end of a double steal.  I don't know how many players have a steal of third as the only stolen base of their career, but I suspect it's a pretty short list.

This was Tiant's only shutout in 1970, and one of two complete games.

Lolich pitched 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out six.  It was the Tigers' fifteenth game of the season, and it was Lolich's sixth start.  The other five had been complete games (one of them 9.2 innings) and two of them had been shutouts.  Lolich pitched over 200 innings every year from 1964-1975; over 220 from 1968-1975; over 240 from 1969-1975; over 270 from 1970-1974, and over 300 from 1971-1974, with a high of 376 in 1971.  Interestingly, he only led the league in starts and complete games once, both 1971, when he had 45 starts and 29 complete games.  He continued to be an effective starter through age 35, and had a really good half-season as a reliever for the Padres in 1978, when he was thirty-seven.  Memory and a google search reveal that he was considered overweight, but he's listed at 6' 1", 170.  If he was overweight, it certainly didn't affect his pitching.

The Twins had won four, lost two, won four, lost two, and now won two.  Could they win four?

Record:  The Twins were 10-4, in first place in the American League West by winning percentage, but a half game behind California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Twelve

DETROIT 8, MINNESOTA 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, April 24.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 with a triple and a double.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-1 with a home run (his third), four walks, and three runs.

Pitching stars:  Stan Williams struck out two in 1.2 innings, giving up one hit.  Ron Perranoski struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Al Kaline was 5-for-5 with two doubles.  Bill Freehan was 2-for-3 with a home run (his second), two walks, and three RBIs.  Cesar Gutierrez was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Dick McAuliffe was 1-for-5 with a home run, his third.  John Hiller pitched 5.2 innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits and three walks and striking out three.

The game:  McAuliffe led off the game with a home run.  Gutierrez singled and scored on Kaline's double, making the score 2-0 Tigers before an out was recorded.  The Twins tied it in the bottom of the first.  Tovar doubled, and walks to Jim Holt and Killebrew loaded the bases.  With two out, Alyea delivered a two-run double, making the score 2-2.

Detroit went back ahead in the third.  Singles by Gutierrez, Kaline, and Norm Cash loaded the bases with none out.  Willie Horton struck out, but Jim Northrup's ground ball was booted by second baseman Tovar, resulting in all three runs scoring and Northrup ending up at second base.  Freehan's RBI single made it 6-2 Tigers.

The Twins again came back.  Tony Oliva doubled, Killebrew walked, and with two out Alyea again hit a two-run double, making it 6-4 after three.  In the fourth Tom Hall singled and Tovar tripled, cutting the lead to 6-5.  Killebrew homered leading off the sixth, tying the score 6-6.

But in the seventh, the Tigers went into the lead to stay.  Northrup drew a one-out walk and Freehan hit a two-run homer, making it 8-6.  The Twins put two on with two out in the seventh, but never got a man past first base after that.

WP:  Hiller (1-0).

LP:  Tom Hall (0-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Tovar was at second base, rather than in center field, with Rod Carew out of the lineup.  Holt went to center field.  Minnie Mendoza pinch-hit for Holt in the seventh and stayed in the game at second, with Tovar moving to center.  Bob Allison pinch-hit for Williams in the eighth.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth.

Alyea was batting .429.  Tovar was batting .385.  Killebrew was batting .343.  Oliva was 1-for-5 and was batting .327.  Williams had an ERA of zero.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.31.  Jim Perry started and gave up six runs (four earned) on eight hits and no walks in three innings and had an ERA of 2.57.  Hall gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in 3.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.84.

Reese raised his average to .194.  George Mitterwald was 0-for-4 and was batting .167.

Joe Niekro started for Detroit and pitched 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks.  He struck out none.  No other players with Twins connections played for the Tigers in this game.

Despite the fact that Twins were trailing late, Perranoski appeared for the fifth time in six games.  He had pitched 9.2 innings in those games.  It would be six days before he pitched again.

Alyea was really tearing it up early, batting .429/.474/.857 in the season's first twelve games.  He had three doubles, four home runs, and twenty RBIs.

Detroit manager Mayo Smith apparently decided Killebrew was not going to beat them in this game, as he walked four times.  It's not that there was always a base open--he walked in the first with men on first and second, walked in the third with a man on second, walked in the seventh with the bases empty, and walked in the ninth with the bases empty.  The one time they pitched to him he led off the fifth with a home run.  The walks were not intentional, but it seems clear the Tigers were trying hard not to give Harmon much to hit.

Hall pitched better than his line looks.  He pitched three scoreless innings before giving up a two-run homer to Freehan.  One could argue that he was left in the game too long, but on the other hand, Freehan was a fine batter (200 career home runs), so it's possible that he simply hit a good pitch.

The Twins had won four, lost two, won four, and lost two.  We'll see if they could start another four-game winning streak.

Record:  The Twins were 8-4, tied for first in the American League West based on winning percentage, but a half game back of California.