1965 World Series Game 2

Thursday October 7, 1965
Metropolitan Stadium

Rain had soaked the Twin cities almost since the end of Game 1, making it necessary for helicopters to hover over the field in an attempt to dry it just before Game 2. The buzz was about the return of Koufax to the mound for the favored Dodgers, but the news after Game 2 was about a different left-handed pitcher entirely.

A Minnesota record crowd of 48,700 braved the chilled October afternoon in Bloomington to see their Twins take a 2-0 lead in the series. Koufax controlled the early portion of the game, not allowing a Twins hit until the fourth inning. Jim Kaat, however, did him one better by not allowing a Dodger hit before the fifth inning.

The game was scoreless until the sixth, when the Twins finally got to Koufax. With Versalles at second as a result of an error and a Nossek sacrifice bunt, the Twins rattled three consecutive hits off of Koufax. Tony Oliva’s double knocked in the first run of the game, followed by Harmon Killebrew’s single that plated Oliva. Killebrew was stranded, but as it turned out the two runs scored in the sixth were enough for Kaat, who went nine innings and allowed just a single run on seven hits.

The Twins added insurance runs, most notably two on a two-RBI single by the man of the day in the eighth inning. Jim Kaat had just nine RBI during the regular season, but knocked in two in his Game 2 victory.

The game might have gone differently had Bob Allison not made great diving catch along the left field line in the fifth inning. The Dodgers had a man on and nobody out when Jim Lefebvre lined a Kaat pitch for what looked to be a sure extra base hit down the line. Allison somehow got to the line and made the catch with one final lunge that sent him diving into the wet turf. Had the ball gotten by him, the complexion of the game might have changed entirely.

Box

1965 World Series Game 1

Wednesday October 6, 1965
Metropolitan Stadium

The New York Times noted that the pitching match up for Game 1 was the first in World Series history between two commercial musicians. With Sandy Koufax in his St. Paul hotel room observing Yom Kippur, Don Drysdale, one of the members of the Dodgers’ night club troupe, got the start in Game 1 for the Dodgers. The Twins sent 21-game winner Mudcat Grant to the hill, the leader of the Jim Grant Five.

The teams exchanged solo home runs in the second inning. Las Angeles struck first when Ron Fairly took Grant deep to lead off the top half of the second. With two outs in the bottom of the frame, Mincher hit his first World Series home run to tie the game.

With the score still 1-1, the Twins got to Drysdale in a big way in the third inning, essentially putting the first World Series game every played in Minnesota out of reach early. Frank Quilici led off the inning with a double down the left field line. When the Dodgers couldn’t handle Grant’s sacrifice bunt properly, the Twins had two runners on with nobody out. MVP Zoilo Versalles took advantage of the situation by taking Drysdale’s third pitch deep into the left field bleachers for a three-run home run. Later that inning, with two outs and two on, Earl Battey singled home the fourth and fifth Twins runs of the inning. Quilici put a bow on the performance by knocking in the final run with a single of his own.

The Twins’ seventh run represented the end of the game for Don Drysdale, who was only charged with three earned runs. Mudcat Grant went the distance, allowing the Dodgers two runs on 10 hits. His double in the sixth inning also helped the Twins to tack on their eighth run of the game. Maury Wills’ bunt single that scored Jim Lefebvre from third seemed like an after thought in the ninth inning. The next batter was the last of the game, however, as Grant got Jim Gilliam to fly out to left to give the Twins a 1-0 lead in the series.

The only solace for the Dodgers was the fact that Koufax would return for Game 2.

Box

The Franchise 1965

1965 Minnesota Twins

Manager: Sam Mele 5th Season (5th with Minnesota 410-338-3)
102 W 60 L 774 RS 600 RA 1st AL 7.0 GA (Chicago 95-67)
4.78 RPG (AL = 3.94) 3.14 ERA (AL = 3.16)
.722 DER (3rd AL)

All Stars (6) Earl Battey, Mudcat Grant, Jimmie Hall, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Zoilo Versalles

Franchise (1901-1965) 4647-5238-107; 11-15 WS
Washington (1901-1960) 4214-4864-104; 8-11 WS
Minnesota (1961-1965) 433-374-3; 3-4 WS

The Twins deviated a great deal from the formula of the previous few seasons in 1965, and found what seems to be unlikely success for a variety of reasons. While they had an MVP on the field, it would be entirely appropriate to say that their most valuable team members might be one of a trio of men who didn’t play in a single game.

Billy Martin was named coach by Calvin Griffith in an attempt to add some fire and aggressiveness to the team. The 1965 Twins were characterized as much by base running as they were by the power that had been so prominent in the early 1960’s. The team stole 92 bases in 125 attempts, up from 46 in only 68 attempts the year before and 34 of 46 in 1963. The Twins only hit 150 home runs in 1965, down from the 220’s in the previous two seasons, but still managed to score more runs than they had in those two seasons. Martin’s presence was no small factor in the change in style.

The pitching coach, Johnny Sain, also deserves a lot of credit for the success of 1965. Prior to the season, he installed a four-man pitching rotation in an effort to maximize the use of the talent of Kaat, Grant, and Pascual. For the first several weeks of the season. The Twins started one of those three men in 13 of the first 14 regular season games. Both Kaat and Grant were able to put together very good seasons, and Pascual was on his way before a back injury shortened his season. Sain was also credited with helping the bullpen pitchers to be ready for more innings and he convinced Mele that the relievers could be trusted in situations that normally would have been left to the starters.

The most valuable person to the Twins, however, was probably trainer George Lentz, whose ‘65 season was probably the busiest of his career. Lentz saw at one time or another during the season every Twins regular, each of whom missed at least one game due to injury at some point in the season. Among those who missed significant time in 1965 due to injury were Camilo Pascual and Harmon Killebrew, while players like Earl Battey, Jim Kaat, Mudcat Grant, and Bob Allison played through injuries with quite a bit of success. That the team didn’t fall apart due to injuries alone was remarkable, that they won 102 games and the first AL Pennant for the franchise since 1933 can almost be called a miracle.

Roster/Stats
Bold = Player new to WAS/MIN in 1965

C Earl Battey .297/.375/.409 6 HR 2.6 BFW 22 WS 30 FRAR 6.1 WARP3
In 1964, Battey had reported to spring training weighing about 260 lbs. By the time that season started, he had managed to get down to 245. During the off season, Battey decided that he would not be able to lose weight simply by running in a sweat suit in the spring. Instead, he checked himself into a hospital where he had his goiter problem addressed with medication and a limited diet. Battey reported to spring training 1965 weighing in at just 223 lbs. By the time the season started he was locked in at 218. The weight loss helped Battey to get one more good season out of his ailing right knee. Once again Battey suffered a number of injuries during the season, including another set back to his right knee and a famous World Series collision with the railing, but still managed to start 116 games as catcher. TSN calculated that Battey had been “disabled” 16 times during the regular season. Though Battey seemed super human in how he fought through all of the injuries, it all eventually caught up with him.

1B Don Mincher .251/.344/.509 22 HR 0.4 BFW 17 WS 0 FRAR 2.9 WARP3
Mincher had begun to show signs of frustration in the spring of 1965, and started to make noise about wanting to be traded. With Killebrew and Allison both able to play first base, it didn’t seem as there would be any room for Mincher to play as a regular. Still, Mincher maintained a positive attitude and was willing to work in both the outfield and at third base if it would help the team. As it turned out, his number was called at his most comfortable position when Killebrew lost most of the second half of the season due to injury. Mincher responded to the regular playing time with the best season of his career so far. The biggest compliment he might have received, however, came from Killebrew before the injury. Harmon suggested to Mele that perhaps he should play another position to get Mincher in the lineup more. Sure enough, Killebrew started to show up at third base when the team faced right handed pitchers, and when he returned for the last few weeks of the season he was installed there regularly so Mincher could remain at first base for the World Series.

1B/3B Harmon Killebrew .269/.384/.501 25 HR 1.3 BFW 6 FRAR 5.1 WARP3
Killebrew was hoping to win his fourth consecutive home run crown in 1965, but an injury that occured on August 2nd guaranteed that he wouldn’t do that. In the game against Baltimore, Killebrew’s elbow was struck by Russ Snider when the first baseman tried to reach for an errant throw and tag Snider all in one motion. It turned out the Killebrew had dislocated the shoulder, and though it wasn’t fractured there was a slight bone chip, meaning that he would miss most of August. It is possible that Killebrew would have won his fourth straight home run championship, AL leader Tony Conigliaro had only seven more than Harmon, but manager Sam Mele noticed that something was “off” about his slugger earlier in the season. Killebrew’s numbers were down slightly, but he still managed to finish 15th in AL MVP voting and remained one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball.

2B Jerry Kindall .196/.274/.289 6 HR -1.4 BFW 6 WS 27 FRAR 1.9 WARP3
2B Frank Quilici .208/.280/.255 0 HR -0.4 BFW 2 WS 16 FRAR 1.1 WARP3
St. Paul native Jerry Kindall won the job out of spring training primarily due to Sam Mele’s concern that the Twins needed a good glove to fill the second base role. Kindall did the job in the field, but had a miserable season at the plate. Kindall was deactivated before the World Series, with Frank Quilici taking over his duties for the bulk of September. Kindall was released by the Twins before the 1966 season.

SS Zoilo Versalles .273/.319/.462 19 HR 3.3 BFW 32 WS 56 FRAR 10.4 WARP3
The franchise’s fourth MVP award, first in Minnesota, was earned by a great season from a somewhat unexpected player. Prior to the season, had one suggested that the MVP would come from Minnesota, there were probably seven or eight names that would have been mentioned before Versalles, assuming that the diminutive short stop would even be on the list to start with. In fact, there were threats from the organization that Versalles was to be traded before the season started.

Versalles had a reputation for taking it easy in spring training, and in Sam Mele’s opinion, did so to an extreme on one particular play that he didn’t make in an exhibition game. Versalles was immediately benched in a move that sent a message to the entire team. When Versalles made his displeasure with the benching known to coach Billy Martin and Mele in the dugout, he was fined with the full blessing of Calvin Griffith who said “this club needs a shaking up.”

Whether the spring incident was a motivator or not, Zoilo had the season of a lifetime. It had been popular, for a time, to claim that Versalles did not deserve the award. I won’t jump into the debate other than to say that there are some very strong arguments that suggest he was probably the best choice. What remains undisputed was that Zorro had his personal best major league season, and that his play throughout the year was one of the major reasons that the Twins won 102 games.

3B Rich Rollins .249/.309/.333 5 HR -1.4 BFW 10 WS 18 FRAR 2.1 WARP3
1965 was Rollins’ worst season as a Twin, and by season’s end he had lost his regular job. Rollins only had two at-bats in the World Series, and was fighting with five other players for the second base job in the spring of 1966.

LF Bob Allison .233/.342/.445 23 HR 1.5 BFW 22 WS 23 FRAR 5.8 WARP3
LF Sandy Valdespino .261/.319/.322 1 HR -0.7 BFW 6 WS 9 FRAR 1.1 WARP3
Valdespino was the classic example of Mele’s change of philosophy in 1965. Typically, Allison would have played the bulk of the games as the left fielder, only taking occasional rests or sitting out when injured. Mele made a point early in the season to get Valdespino into games, electing to rest Allison against hard-throwing right-handed pitchers or during part of double headers. By the time the season was in its latter half, Allison and Valdespino were considered a true platoon. It was true that Allison was slumping, so the decision might have been made a little easier for Mele, but it was still a bit out of character. Allison’s season hit its low point on September 2 when he struck out five times in a game against the Tigers. The high point, of course, was his catch in Game 2 against the Dodgers.

CF Jimmie Hall .285/.347/.464 20 HR 0.8 BFW 26 WS 9 FRAR 4.8 WARP3
Hall got sick early in the season and dug himself quite a hole in terms of personal success. On May 7, he was batting just .221/.303/.456. From that day on Hall batted .295/.352/.465, despite a sore knew that bothered him most of July and August, to bring his performance on par with that of a year ago. While his numbers were similar to 1964, he received much more national acclaim due to his team’s success, actually finishing 13th in MVP voting, the only season in which Hall got any votes.

RF Tony Oliva .321/.378/.491 16 HR 2.8 BFW 33 WS 26 FRAR 8.7 WARP3
Those who like to argue that Veralles didn’t deserve the MVP award often present Tony Oliva as the alternative, a point that is also hard to argue. Oliva won his second consecutive batting title though he actually slumped his way through the first couple of months of the season. As May came to a close, Oliva was batting just .256/.293/.483, like most of his teammates dealing with nagging injuries throughout. Starting in June, however, Oliva went on a tear to reclaim his batting title, including a 14-game hitting streak in early July in which he batted .424/.469/.712, and two five-hit games (7/21 and 7/28). Overall, his rookie season was probably better, particularly in the power categories, but Oliva proved that it was no fluke in 1965.

SP Jim Kaat 18-11 2.83 ERA 1.25 WHIP 2.1 PW 17 WS 3.8 WARP3
Kaat’s spring holdout netted him a $9,000 raise, something that didn’t come easy from Calvin Griffith. If Kaat set out to prove he was worth the money, he did a good job of doing just that in 1965. With the new rotation he got a lot of chances early to prove himself, pitching three games in the span of time that he would have normally pitched just one. Kaat liked the new rotation, saying that it kept pitchers sharp and that “we get paid for the number of games we win. The more I pitch, the more I have a chance to win.” On June 9, Kaat was cruising along in a game against the Cleveland with a 1-0 lead heading into the ninth inning. With one out and a 2-and-1 count on Rocky Colavito, Cleveland manager Birdie Tebbets decided to make an issue of a small hole in the sleeve of Kaat’s sweatshirt. Umpire Bill Haller, who admitted he hadn’t noticed anything prior to Tebbets’ complaint, ordered Kaat to trim his sleeves. Following the delay and the arguments, Kaat promptly walked Colavito then allowed the game-winning home run to Max Alvis three pitches later. Kaat dismissed the notion that the incident had anything to do with the loss, stating that “Alvis would have hit that pitch if I had been wearing ten sweatshirts.” Kaat missed some time due to a strained arm late in June, but still managed to appear in 45 games (42 starts), both career highs at the time.

SP Mudcat Grant 21-7 3.30 ERA 1.16 WHIP 1.4 PW 17 WS 4.4 WARP3
Though Grant’s ERA was about a half a run greater than Kaat’s, he still managed to be the team’s top winner, partially due to the fact that the Twins offense scored almost a full run more per nine innings that Grant was on the mound. In the spring, Johnny Sain taught Grant to throw a fast curve, something that was not a part of Grant’s repertoire before. After a few struggles with the pitch in spring, Grant mastered the pitch and cited it as a major reason for his success in 1965. The biggest change for Grant, however, happened almost immediately when he arrived in Minnesota the year before. During his time with Cleveland, Grants BB/9 rate hovered consistently around the 4.0 mark. WIth the Twins, Grant was able to drop that number significantly:

1958 - 5.0
1959 - 4.4
1960 - 4.2
1961 - 3.7
1962 - 4.9
1963 - 3.7
1964 (CLE) - 3.8
1964 (MIN) - 1.8
1965 - 1.6

Grant was not immune from the injury bug that seemed to strike every player on the 1965 Twins. He won three games in one late July week with both knees wrapped due to tendonitis. Grant even volunteered to pitch out of the bullpen in late June when the Twins were particularly short on relievers. Grant was one of the Twins’ best players in the World Series, and even helped himself by knocking a three-run home run in Game 6.

SP Camilo Pascual 9-3 3.35 ERA 1.21 WHIP 0.7 PW 9 WS 2.2 WARP3
Pascual marked a personal milestone in 1965. On May 21 he earned the win against the Kansas City A’s to go 5-0 on the season. He led the league in wins at the time, but more significantly to some moved his career record to 133-132, the first time the Cuban had ever been above .500. Pascual seemed well on his way to adding to that record when he tore a muscle in his back against Cleveland on June 24. He made several attempts to pitch in July, but ended up needing surgery on a knot in his back. Pascual returned to the team in early September and looked to be back to his old self. Still, Pascual only managed to pitch five innings in the World Series, and was in line for another pay cut from Griffith after the season.

SP/RP Jim Perry 12-7 2.63 ERA 1.13 WHIP 1.9 PW 13 WS 4.0 WARP3
Perry didn’t figure to be a huge factor for the Twins, particularly as a starter, but was plugged into the rotation when necessary due to injury. Perry filled any role he was asked to extremely well, including a two-hit shutout of the Boston Red Sox on August 8, but he still started the 1966 season in the bullpen.

SP Jim Merritt 5-4 3.17 ERA 1.15 WHIP 0.6 PW 5 WS 1.8 WARP3
Like Perry, Merritt was not a huge part of the Twins’ plans going into the season, but managed to find playing time due to several injuries to starting pitchers. The 21-year-old had a lot of success as a fill-in starter in August, earning himself a chance to pitch out of the bullpen for the rest of the regular season and in the World Series.

RP/SP Dave Boswell 6-5 3.40 ERA 1.16 WHIP 0.7 PW 7 WS 2.5 WARP3
20-year-old Dave Boswell saw more action than was previously thought as well, though he also spent some time on the injured list during the 1965 season due to a month-long battle with mono.

RP Al Worthington 10-7 2.13 ERA 1.22 WHIP 2.6 PW 12 WS 5.0 WARP3
With all of the injuries to starting pitchers in 1965, the bullpen had to carry a bit of an extra load. They all seemed equal to the task, including 36-year-old Al Worthington who proved that his 1964 career-best season was no fluke. Worthington appeared in a career high 62 games for the Twins. 10 years prior, Worthington played a key role in the Minneapolis Millers’ run to the American Association pennant. In 1965, he pitched four scoreless innings in his first and only career World Series.

RP Johnny Klippstein 9-3 2.24 ERA 1.18 WHIP 1.7 PW 8 WS 3.4 WARP3
RP Bill Pleis 4-4 2.98 ERA 1.48 WHIP 0.4 PW 4 WS 1.4 WARP3
Klippstein and Pleis both pitched significant innings and had a lot of success in 1965.

Walter Johnson 1913: Game 6

May 3, 1913

Joe Engel started the game against the Red Sox and didn’t allow a single hit in 6 1/3 innings. His problem, however, was the walk, of which he allowed 10 over the course of his afternoon’s work. When Walter Johnson came on in relief in the bottom of the seventh inning, the game was tied at 1-1. Boston scored its run in the second inning when Engel walked the bases loaded, then mixed things up by beaning the fourth man to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. The Nats tied the game with the help of a Boston error in the top of the seventh inning.

Johnson wasn’t as sharp as his team had come to expect in 1913. He allowed four hits over the course of his 2 2/3 innings of work. The New York Times said that “sharp fielding alone” saved him from being scored upon. A Ray Morgan single scored Clyde Milan in the eighth inning, and the Nats went on to win the game 2-1. Johnson walked one and struck out four in his relief appearance.

Through 5/3
6 G 4 GS 5-0 39 2/3 IP 1 R 0 ER 26 H 5 BB 33 K 0.00 ERA 0.78 WHIP

Whose records are they?

Recent correspondences with fellow baseball history blogger and Washington DC resident Mark Hornbaker* have gotten me thinking again about a comment left here last fall. It’s one of those things that I wanted to address in more depth, but got placed on the back burner due to several other projects I was working on at the time.

* by the way- welcome to readers from History’s Perspective and NationalsPride.com, and I highly recommend Mark’s work to those who are interested in baseball history.

Here is the comment, still found on the “About” page:

Edward J. Cunningham Says:
October 1, 2007

I admire your admiration for the Minnesota Twins, but I have a nitpick—a huge one.

The Dodgers, Athletics, and to a lesser extent the Giants consider their previous incarnations as part of their history. At McAfee Colisseum you see the world championships of the Philadelphia A’s celebrated as well the Oakland champions of the 70’s and 80’s. The Dodgers never let you forget their Brooklyn past, and although the Giants emphasize their history in S.F., you will see old New York Giants like John McGraw honored along with SFers like Willie Mays.

Not the case in Mnnesota. You will not see ANY Washington player honored who did not play in Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew, yes, but no mention of Johnson, Harris, Goslin, Cronin, or Vernon.
You’ll see the pennant and world championship teams of 1965, 1987, and 1991 mentioned, but no reference to 1924, 1925, and 1933. That’s the way it should be. I don’t blame the Twins for not mentioning Walter Johnson during the Hometown Hero contest, but it galls me that MLB prohibited us from using him.

The point is that the history of the Washington Nationals/Senators does not belong with the Minnesota Twins any more than the history of the Montréal Expos belongs to my team. They belong to the city where those events actually happened.

…and my response…

Scot Says:
October 2, 2007

I’m not sure that I buy that history “belongs” to anyone.

The fact is that the roots of the Twins’ franchise go back to Washington. You are right, the pennants of 1924, 1925, and 1933 don’t hang in the Metrodome, and I personally think that is a joke. To honor those teams and players as part of your franchise past makes sense, and is not a slight to Washington, nor does it take your memories of the team away from you.

Prior to Mr. Cunningham’s comment, I always assumed that there was no question that the Twins should be recognizing what I saw as their own franchise history. After all, why wouldn’t they? Admittedly, my opinion was formed for purely selfish reasons. I am fascinated by baseball history, particularly the dead ball era, and love the idea that my favorite team has roots all they way back to the beginning of the 20th century (not to mention the greatest pitcher of all time to call their own). His comment gave me pause, and while I still stand by my response, it has certainly opened up a new perspective for me.

The issue is not a new one, and truly is emotional for some people. In my research I came upon a point/counter-point article refereed by The Sporting News in the September 14, 1963 issue. In it, the publicists for the Twins and new Senators faced off in an argument over to whom the records actually belong.

The catalyst for the conversation was a barely publicized ruling by AL President Joe Cronin (who certainly had Washington roots) at the time of the 1961 expansion that the Minnesota Twins would officially be recognized as the “new” franchise while the city of Washington and the expansion Senators would maintain the old Washington records. Herb Heft wrote on behalf of the Twins:

The solution to the question of the rights of the old Senators’ records has been suggested in the past by the new Senators and their pen-pals on a take it or leave it basis.

We haven’t taken their dictation in the past and we ain’t a-goin’ to start now.

The Twins have never presumed to tell the new Senators which records they should use as their yardstick on present performances.

We have felt all along that the new Senators have every right to claim, if they want, that the records of Sam Rice, Joe Cronin, Walter Johnson, Mickey Vernon et al., were set by Washington major league players. But for them to claim categorically that the Twins relinquished claim to these club records because the Calvin Griffith club allegedly was a creation of the 1960 American League expansion to ten teams-while the Quesada club was a continuation of the Griffith team-is preposterous.

More than that, it is a contention of remarkable convenience.

…and in this corner Burton Hawkins representing the Washington Senators…

The conclusion that the Washington Senators’ records are the sole possession of the Washington Senators was reached, probably without too much brain damage, by The Official Baseball Guide, One For the Book and the American League Red Book, among numerous other publications. That wise judgment by qualified experts is being contested by a voice from the wilderness.

It is significant that the questionable tactics of the Minnesota Twins employing records of the Washington Senators arose not in Washington, but in Minnesota, where Sports Columnist Dick Cullum was having his doubts of the propriety of the Twins appropriating items which aren’t theirs.

Hawkins goes on to address what I think was, and still might be, the real issue:

The Griffiths elected to divorce themselves from Washington baseball three years ago. It might be well to point out that major league baseball existed in Washington long before the arrival of the Griffiths and will exist long after their exit. The Washington Senators have been engaged in continuous business in the same city since 1901 under several ownerships but always as an American League franchise.

Now that the agony of divorce has been consummated, there’s a wee effort on the part of at least one to dream vainly of perpetuating the marriage. There’s a clinging to a memory rather than a confrontation with reality.

Hawkins then moved on from a divorce analogy to a birth analogy:

The Twins were spawned simultaneously in Minnesota and orphaned immediately from association with Washington when they deserted home and changed teams.

The pain of a lost team is evident in Hawkins’ response, and I don’t think he used the divorce and orphan analogies by accident.

The closest I have experienced to a franchise moving is when the North Stars moved south. I was just starting to follow hockey at the time, so the roots weren’t terribly deep for me. Still, to this day I have trouble watching the Dallas Stars play, almost as if this southern city that has no business following hockey has stolen something from me.

In 2001 it appeared as though the Twins were as good as gone due to Bud Selig’s contraction scheme. Though they ultimately stayed put, the small taste of my favorite baseball team leaving was enough for me to know that I don’t want to go down that road again. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose two teams within an 11-year span. That is why I am somewhat sympathetic to a DC baseball fan who wants the Twins to continue ignoring their ties to the 1901-1960 Washington American League franchise.

Still, the ties are undeniable. Minnesota and the first Washington AL team share Harmon Killebrew, Camilo Pascual, Jim Kaat, Earl Battey, and a host of others including, for better or worse, Calvin Griffith himself.

I don’t see it as a slight to Washington baseball fans if the Twins were to hang a 1924 World Series banner, or to place Johnson and Rice along side Killebrew and Puckett among the retired numbers. It doesn’t follow to me that honoring the franchise’s past would diminish the memories and rich history of baseball for baseball fans with roots in Washington. To the contrary, I think that honoring those players and records in Minnesota would help to tell the story of Washington baseball to a generation of Minnesota baseball fans whose baseball time lines don’t tend to reach back beyond 1961.

What say you?

The Franchise 1964

1964 Minnesota Twins

Manager: Sam Mele 4th Season (4th with Minnesota 308-278-3)
79 W 83 L 1 T 737 RS 678 RA 6th(T) AL 20 GB (New York 99-63-2)
4.52 RPG (AL = 4.06) 3.58 ERA (AL = 3.63)
.711 DER (6th AL)

All Stars (5) Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Camilo Pascual

Franchise (1901-1964) 4545-5178-107; 8-11 WS
Washington (1901-1960) 4214-4864-104; 8-11 WS
Minnesota (1961-1963) 331-314-3

The 1964 season solidified the Twins as the best and most feared offense in the American League, replacing the Yankees who held that title for at least a decade. The Twins almost matched their home run output of 1963, falling just four short with 221, still good enough to lead the league by more than 30 home runs. The league lead in SLG (.427) and second place finish in OBP (.319 to Boston’s .321) meant that the Twins had the highest run output in the league for the second straight year.

The Twins’ power was best illustrated in a game on May 2 when, in the top of the 11th inning, Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, and Harmon Killebrew hit consecutive home runs to give the Twins a victory.

Offense notwithstanding, 1964 was a huge disappointment for the Twins and their fans. The group that showed so much promise a season earlier underperformed their Pythagorean projection (87-75) by eight wins. The team finished sixth in the league mostly as a function of average pitching a whole lot of bad luck.

Whatever the reason for the struggle, Griffith had his own suggestions for manager Mele, and was very public about addressing them right after the season ended. His main concern was that Mele did not rest the players enough, something that Griffith suggested was a primary reason for all of the injuries the Twins had fought through in recent seasons. Another concern for Griffith was the team’s fielding, which produced 145 errors, second-most in the American League. Unearned runs accounted for the losing margin or more on 24 occasions, something that Griffith was determined to fix for the 1965 season.

While Griffith ultimately kept Mele on as manager, he uncharacteristically reached deep into his pockets to fill out the coaching staff for 1965. Among the names brought on were pitching coach Johnny Sain and Billy Martin, the latter of which was brought on in hopes of lighting a fire under the team. In the winter of 1964-1965, Griffith was confident that he had put together all of the ingredients for a “banner” season.

Roster/Stats
Bold = Player new to WAS/MIN in 1964

C Earl Battey .272/.348/.407 12 HR 1.2 BFW 12 WS 15 FRAR 3.8 WARP3
The story of Battey’s season once again revolved around injuries, and the catcher’s ability to battle through them. After having knee surgery in the off season, Battey tweaked the knee again early in the season. After s short rest of a few days, he was back in the lineup. The doctor assured the media that Battey could not hurt his knee more by playing, saying “he can’t hurt the cartilage in the knee anymore, we took all that out in the off season.” On July 17 Battey, who wasn’t a fast runner on two good knees, was thrown out on a grounder to right field. Battey felt pain for the bulk of the season, but was still able to maintain his position as one of the top catchers in baseball.

1B/OF Bob Allison .287/.404/.553 32 HR 4.5 BFW 25 WS 12 FRAR 8.4 WARP3
1B Don Mincher .237/.300/.547 23 HR 0.6 BFW 8 WS 3 FRAR 2.4 WARP3
To make room for Tony Oliva, Bob Allison was moved to first base for the 1964 season. He spent a good part of the early portion of the season adjusting to his new position, but you wouldn’t know it from his hitting stats. Allison had his best major league season at the plate, and was named the starting All Star first baseman after playing just 75 games at that position. Allison’s time as the regular first baseman was short lived. After the season, Calvin Griffith announced that he would be moving back to left field for 1965. Mincher continued to hit for power as a backup to Allison and pinch hitter.

2B Bernie Allen .214/.309/.329 6 HR -0.7 BFW 4 WS 19 FRAR 1.9 WARP3
2B Jerry Kindall .148/.199/.188 1 HR -1.5 BFW 1 WS 10 FRAR -0.4 WARP3
Allen’s slide from his rookie season continued. His hitting was so poor that the Twins acquired Kindall as part of a mid-season trade in hopes that he would secure the job. Kindall didn’t work out either, and the Twins were left with very little production out of their second basemen.

SS Zoilo Versalles .259/.311/.431 20 HR -0.5 BFW 18 WS 25 FRAR 5.2 WARP3
Versalles continued to carry the label as an “erratic” player mainly due to errors and his tendency to produce peaks and valleys in terms of batting average, but overall he remained one of the best short stops in the league. He had a bit of a down year in most fielding metrics, but had his best season to date at the plate.

3B Rich Rollins .270/.334/.406 12 HR -0.6 BFW 14 WS 12 FRAR 3.5 WARP3
Rollins’ production fell off a bit from the previous two seasons, but he was still considered among the best “clutch” hitters on the team. The numbers do bear that out. In 62 PA’s with runners in scoring position and two outs, Rollins batted .317/.369/.500

LF Harmon Killebrew .270/.377/.548 49 HR 2.4 BFW 24 WS -8 FRAR 6.1 WARP3
Calvin Griffith said of his 28-year-old slugger that 1964 was the year in which Harmon Killebrew would reach his full potential. Killebrew’s season didn’t look a whole lot different than the five previous, but he did set a personal high for home runs with 49. Killebrew got off to what had seemingly become his regular slow start, but just like clockwork he started slugging the ball out of ballparks left and right by mid-May. While Killebrew went through the season as healthy as he had been in years, the wear and tear on his knee started showing in his performance in left field. Following the season, Killer was re-installed as the team’s first baseman.

CF Jimmie Hall .282/.338/.480 25 HR 1.9 BFW 19 WS 24 FRAR 6.2 WARP3
The question heading into the season was could Jimmie Hall avoid the sophomore slump? Hall proved that he could in spite of a rocky start. On July 1, Hall was batting .254/.307/.484, not bad but certainly not up to the expectations set in 1963. After two-week benching, Hall returned to bat .307/.364/.477 through the rest of the season. Though his second-year numbers weren’t quite as sparkling as those he put up as a rookie, he was still had a very good season.

RF Tony Oliva .323/.359/.557 32 HR 3.3 BFW 27 WS 12 FRAR 8.3 WARP3
Oliva had signed as an amateur free agent with the Twins as a 22-year-old in 1961. Oliva was signed out of his home in Cuba by scout Joe Cambria. His impact in professional baseball was immediate, starting his career by batting .410 in the Appalachian league, the best batting average in professional baseball that season. It wasn’t particularly surprising to the organization that Oliva hit for average in his first full season. What was entirely unexpected was that he hit 32 home runs, a number that would remain his career high. Oliva won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1964 and finished fourth in AL MVP voting. In his first full season, he led the league in hitting, runs scored (109), doubles (43), and total bases (374). There was some controversy in the middle of the season when several pitches found their way near Oliva’s head, though opposing managers insisted it was because of his tendency to stride into the ball rather than opposing pitchers intentionally throwing at the rookie who was flirting with .400 at the time. Sam Mele began keeping a list of the pitchers that knocked Oliva down, very publicly threatening retaliation towards them and any other who might throw at the rookie phenom. At Griffith’s order, Oliva began wearing an ear flap on his batting helmet similar to the one that Earl Battey had been wearing after he was beaned a few years earlier.

SP Camilo Pascual 15-12 3.30 ERA 1.28 WHIP 0.9 PW 14 WS 4.7 WARP3
Like many Twins, Pascual got off to a slow start and it seemed as though his famous curveball had lost some of its zip through the first month of the season. It was back on May 15, however, when Pascual shut out the Red Sox at Fenway in what he claimed was his best performance at the hitter’s park. It was the first of six consecutive victories, and from that day forward Pascual was up to his old ways. After the season, the contract that Griffith sent to Pascual called for a pay cut of at least $9,500 due to Pascual’s step back in the win-loss department. Pascual claimed, correctly, that he had pitched very well and was the victim of timely errors in the field and a general case of bad luck. TSN cited seven instances in which errors directly cost Pascual a win while also noting that on three occasions he left the game in the later innings with a lead only to have the game lost by the bullpen. Griffith, as stingy as ever, cited an uptick in walks allowed (98 in 1964 to 81 in 1963) as more evidence that Pascual deserved a pay cut. Though Pascual finally signed for his 1964 salary after holding out for the first couple of weeks of spring training in 1965, it is not difficult to imagine that the ordeal with Griffith had begun to wear on the star pitcher.

SP Jim Kaat 17-11 3.22 ERA 1.20 WHIP 1.8 PW 15 WS 6.4 WARP3
After a sub-par 1963, Kaat perfected the slider and regained the form that had made him such a tough lefty two years prior. Along with the new pitch, Kaat found a way to motivate the bullpen to hold his leads in 1964. He offered Al Worthington a steak dinner for each time he saved a Kaat win. It turned out to be a good investment for Kaat, whose improvement earned him a salary raise for 1964. As was the usual, Griffith didn’t part with his money without a fight, and Kaat ended up holding out side by side with teammate Camilo Pascual in order to get his raise.

SP Dick Stigman 6-15 4.03 ERA 1.21 WHIP -1.2 PW 5 WS 1.9 WARP3
While other players worked through slow starts, Dick Stigman did not have such luck. At the end of May, Stigman sat at 0-3 with a 6.53 ERA. From June 1 on, Stigman improved, but was never able to completely turn it around. The organization thought so highly of Stigman, however, that his 1964 performance earned him only a “token” pay cut and a job in the starting rotation out of spring training in 1965.

SP Mudcat Grant 11-9 2.82 ERA 1.19 WHIP 1.0 PW 10 WS 3.2 WARP3
Jim “Mudcat” Grant came to the Twins in a mid-June trade that sent Lee Stange and seldom used George Banks to Cleveland. Though Grant was struggling in the early months with the Indians, he had righted the ship by the time he joined Minnesota, and became the fourth starter that the team needed. Grant, who was known as much for his entertaining personality as his performance on the field, was immediately a fan and media favorite in Minnesota. The Twins organization was just happy that they didn’t have to face Grant on the opposing mound anymore. In Grant’s career against the Twins/Senators, he had 22-6 record with a 2.79 ERA.

SP/RP Gerry Arrigo 7-4 3.84 ERA 1.35 WHIP -0.1 PW 5 WS 2.4 WARP3
23-year-old Gerry Arrigo had been a part of the Twins organization since the first year draft following the 1960 season. He was taken from the White Sox by Calvin Griffith in one of the first official roster moves following the announcement that the Senators would be moving west. 1964 was the only season in which Arrigo got regular playing time for the Twins. He pitched well as a spot starter and reliever, actually turning in one of the team’s best pitched games of the year on June 26. At season’s end, Arrigo was dealt to Cincinnati in exchange for Cesar Tovar.

RP Al Worthington 5-6 1.37 ERA 1.04 WHIP 2.9 PW 11 WS 4.9 WARP3
For the second straight season the Twins had one of the best relievers in baseball. This time the honor went to Al Worthington, a 35-year-old veteran of eight seasons. Worthington appeared to be washed up when the Twins purchased him from Cincinnati in June, but he proved to be anything but turning in great numbers in just over half a season’s work with the Twins. Worthington was familiar with Minnesota, having spent a good deal of his minor league career with the Minneapolis Millers in the middle 1950’s. Worthington’s transformation was immediate. He did not allow his first earned run in a Twins uniform until August 12, a streak of 37.1 innings pitched in which opposing batters only hit .157/.210/.187 off of the new closer.

RP Jim Perry 6-3 3.44 ERA 1.29 WHIP 0.3 PW 5 WS 2.2 WARP3
After starting for the majority of his first season with the Twins, Jim Perry was moved to the bullpen full time in 1964. While Perry performed well enough in long relief to be dubbed by TSN as the Twins’ most surprising pitcher of the first half, he wasn’t able to crack the starting rotation.

RP Bill Pleis 4-1 3.91 ERA 1.46 WHIP 0.0 PW 3 WS 1.4 WARP3
Pleis continued to be a reliable left-handed option out of the bullpen.

RP Johnny Klippstein 0-4 1.97 ERA 1.40 WHIP 0.8 PW 4 WS 2.2 WARP3
Klippstein, like Worthington, was a veteran reliever that the Twins purchased in mid-season. Klippstein had some good seasons sprinkled into his 15-year-career up to 1964, but few thought that he would have much left at the age of 36. Also like Worthington, Klippstein proved that he had some good innings left in him. In totality, his performance in 1964 was the best of his career, though he would better that the following year.

1964 World Series
The Yankees fell in the World Series for the second straight season, this time in seven games at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Series represented a rare changing of the guard in the American League. It turned out to be the last time the Yankees would be a part of the Fall Classic for more than decade. Bob Gibson won both Games 5 & 7 of the series.

First Place

If you don’t count the winter months, when every team is in both first and last place, my son’s favorite baseball team has only been in first place for a handful of days in his young lifetime. Prior to this weekend, it had only happened briefly at the beginning of the 2007 season, when he was only three months old and not really able to fully enjoy it. Now that he is 15 months old, the Twins have found themselves in an unlikely position on top of the AL Central. Sure, they are only 30 games into the season and but two games better than .500, but the father in me is going to make sure that my son knows how rare an occasion this might be.

In contrast, my wife married into a baseball family in in August of 2001, the year that most remember as the starting point of the current success the local franchise has experienced. She watched the “Get to know ‘em” Twins mature and win four of five AL Central titles. For her, division wins for her favorite baseball team are par for the course, they happen more often than not.* All that does is make my job all the more important, to try and communicate the value of first place to a 15-month-old.

*You can’t really call my wife a fair weather fan, however, because she probably wouldn’t have had any interest in baseball at all had she not decided to spend her life with me. Now she has a collection of bobble heads in her basement and ticket stubs representing her visits to multiple ballparks around the country.

I don’t expect it to last this time (how do you explain small sample size to someone so young?), but the small hope that it might is enough to create some excitement where it had been lacking a month ago. Though their plate discipline is still worst in the league (63 walks and .310 OBP through Sunday, both last in the AL), the Twins offense has seemed to come alive over the past week, scoring 29 runs in five games since being shut out at Texas on the last Sunday in April. Will it continue? Probably not. Will the rest of the division continue to play sub-.500 baseball? Probably not. But they might, and the fact that I can even speculate in that direction makes the first month plus of the 2008 season a success.

1975: The Battle for 1,000,000

May 4, 1975

In the second inning of the Twins game against the Kansas City Royals, Rod Carew stood on third base with a very good chance to make history.

Major League Baseball had been hyping its one millionth run scored for quite some time. The first run had been scored on April 22, 1876 by Wes Fisler of the Philadelphia Nationals. Some 99 years, 12 days later, Claudell Washington scored run number 999,999 and every game in progress was interrupted with the announcement that the next run would be the millionth. Fans and players alike eagerly anticipated the moment, and just minutes after the announcement Rod Carew had the first good chance to score the anticipated run.

With nobody out Carew doubled scoring Dan Ford from first base (presumably run number 999,998). Sergio Ferrer singled, sending Carew to third base, just 90 feet from home with nobody out.

The next batter, Steve Brye, hit a fly ball to right field. Carew tagged up, and attempted to score. Right fielder Al Cowens had other ideas, and gunned Carew out at home on a 9-2 scoring play. It was reported that not only was Carew thrown out, but he hurt his leg in the process. The injury was not serious, however, and Carew stayed in the game.

The staff at a computer center in Manhattan looked on as the events of the next few minutes unfolded. At approximately 3:32 EDT, Cincinnati short stop Dave Concepcion hit a home run, and began sprinting around the bases to try and score the historic run. At about the same time in San Francisco, Milt May of the Houston Astros hit a three-run homer, the lead run represented by Bob Watson who was on second base.

It was determined by the computer center that Watson touched home at 3:32 and 30 seconds, just as Concepcion was racing around third base. In honor of the occasion, Watson was presented with a watch.

Also this week:

A Perfect Game

Walter Johnson 1913: Game 5

April 30, 1913

The Big Train extended his scoreless innings streak to 36 with a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Athletics, and has not allowed a single earned run yet this season. Johnson was locked into a pitcher’s duel with Eddie Plank until the ninth inning, when Washington was finally able to push a run across for their ace. With runners at first and second, the Nats attempted a double steal. Unfortunately for the Athletics, nobody bothered to cover second base when catcher Lapp attempted to throw out the trailing runner. Clyde Milan scored from second base on the play, and Chick Gandil moved to third only to score when the next batter, Eddie Ainsmith, singled him home.

In nine innings, Johnson struck out 10 and allowed just a single walk. He allowed just four hits.

Through 4/30:
5 G 4 GS 4-0 37.0 IP 1 R 0 ER 22 H 4 BB 29 K 0.00 ERA 0.70 WHIP

The All-Washington Team: First Base

Ed: Regular readers would probably guess, but this is a team selected from the first AL version of the Washington Nationals/Senators.

Joe Judge 1915-1932

1916:
1B Joe Judge .220/.333/.298 0 HR -0.1 BFW 8 WS 6 FRAR 2.2 WARP3
The 22-year old Judge did not have an ovely impressive debut season as the Nats every day first baseman. It is quite possible that Griffith and Washington fans were regretting the sale of Chick Gandil. Judge would turn it around quickly, however, and hold down first base in Washington for nearly two decades.

1917:
1B Joe Judge .285/.369/.415 2 HR 1.7 BFW 19 WS 8 FRAR 4.9 WARP3
Judge improved on his rookie season to become one of the better hitters in the lineup in 1917. At 23, he was already starting to develop a reputation as a sure-handed first baseman.

1918:
1B Joe Judge .261/.332/.341 1 HR 0.0 BFW 13 WS 10 FRAR 3.6 WARP3
Judge’s production fell off from the previous season, but the 24-year had many good seasons ahead of him.

1919:
1B Joe Judge .288/.386/.409 2 HR 1.4 BFW 17 WS 2 FRAR 5.3 WARP3
His number came up from a disappointing 1918 campaign, particularly his OBP which rose 54 points. Judge’s OBP will stay in the high .300’s until his career winds down in the early 1930’s. Though he has a great defensive reputation, Judge’s FRAR remains low.

1920:
1B Joe Judge .333/.416/.462 5 HR 1.5 BFW 22 WS 6 FRAR 6.0 WARP3
Judge was probably the team’s best hitter in 1920. He had his personal best season at the plate since 1917, and 1920 could arguably be considered his career-best season at the plate. Twice during the month of May, Judge had five hits in a game. The first came on May 6th in a 6-5 win over the Yankees, the second on May 26 in a 13-9 victory over Cleveland.

1921:
1B Joe Judge .301/.372/.412 7 HR -0.5 BFW 19 WS 5 FRAR 3.7 WARP3
Judge fell a bit offensively from his 1920 statistics, but still was among the most reliable first baseman in the league.

1922:
1B Joe Judge .294/.355/.450 10 HR 0.1 BFW 18 WS 3 FRAR 3.8 WARP3
Judge continued to be a steady hitter for the Nats at first base, and actually garnered some MVP votes in 1922. He finished 8th in the final tally. He also became the first player in franchise history to hit double-digit home runs in a single season. He matched that number in 1930, but never exceeded 10 home runs in a year.

1923:

1B Joe Judge .314/.406/.417 2 HR 1.7 BFW 17 WS 2 FRAR 3.9 WARP3
Judge is a great example of how fielding stats can be difficult to interpret. By 1923, he was already considered one of the finest fielding first basemen in baseball. His reputation as a good fielder was confirmed by very high fielding percentages, particularly from 1921 on. His FRAR numbers, however, tell a different story.

Joe Judge FRAR vs Fielding PCT
1916 6 .986
1917 8 .988
1918 9 .985
1919 2 .988
1920 6 .992
1921 5 .996
1922 3 .996
1923 2 .993

The FRAR numbers indicate that Judge probably didn’t have a lot of range at first. Still, the reputation was that he had good hands, and the fielding percentage seems to confirm that. Interestingly, Judge turns a corner in 1924 and his FRAR jumps significantly from his previous career levels.

1924:

1B Joe Judge .324/.393/.450 3 HR 0.5 BFW 19 WS 27 FRAR 6.9 WARP3
Here is Joe Judge’s defensive chart that I posted in the Franchise 1923, with the next few years of his career added:

Joe Judge FRAR vs Fielding PCT
1916 6 .986
1917 8 .988
1918 9 .985
1919 2 .988
1920 6 .992
1921 5 .996
1922 3 .996
1923 2 .993
1924 27 .994
1925 15 .993
1926 21 .994

Joe Judge had a reputation as a very good defender for the years leading up to 1924, but this is the first year, according to the numbers, that he lived up to the billing. As a team, the Nats went from seventh in AL defensive efficiency in 1923 to first in 1924 with the same starting players, and Judge’s improvement likely played a big part in that.

1925:
1B Joe Judge .314/.406/.487 8 HR 1.1 BFW 15 WS 15 FRAR 4.7 WARP3
Another solid season for Judge, something that Clark Griffith and Nats’ fans had come to expect from the 31-year-old first baseman.

1926:
1B Joe Judge .291/.367/.442 7 HR 0.8 BFW 16 WS 21 FRAR 5.7 WARP3
Judge’s numbers in 1926 were actually slightly down from the previous few years, but he got some MVP consideration, largely based on his glove work at first base.

1927:
1B Joe Judge .308/.366/.418 2 HR -1.1 BFW 16 WS 8 FRAR 3.6 WARP3
Judge’s production fell off a bit from his career numbers, but he will rebound and have a couple of decent years ahead of him. His 1927 season is probably remembered best for the line drive he hit Walter Johnson with that broke the star pitcher’s foot in spring training.

1928:
1B Joe Judge .306/.396/.417 3 HR 0.8 BFW 17 WS 4 FRAR 4.6 WARP3
Though Judge was 34 years old in 1928, he still had a few good seasons ahead of him. Towards the end of his career, he was less of a defensive player, but still provided very consistent offense.

1929:
1B Joe Judge .315/.397/.442 6 HR 0.9 BFW 20 WS 3 FRAR 4.4 WARP3
Judge’s offensive numbers remained solid in the year in which he turned 35 years old. He even had a power resurgence of sorts; in 1929 he had more home runs and a higher slugging percentage than he had since 1926.

1930:
1B Joe Judge .326/.410/.509 10 HR 1.6 BFW 18 WS 12 FRAR 5.2 WARP3
1930 marked the end of an era. It was the last season that Joe Judge was a regular first baseman in Washington. He would remain on the roster for two more years, but total just over 400 plate appearances in that time. Judge hoped to be named the new manager of the Senators for the 1933 season, but was passed over by Clark Griffith in favor of Joe Cronin. Judge retired following the 1934 season after two years playing part time for the Dodgers and the Red Sox.

It was likely strange for Washington fans to see somebody else at first base. Judge had been the starter there since 1916. Here are his numbers in Washington:

.299/.379/.423 71 HR 115 OPS+ 9.4 BFW 270 WS 144 FRAR 71.9 WARP3

On top of his offensive numbers, Judge was considered one of the better fielders of his time, and led AL first basemen in fielding five times.

Judge spent the bulk of his retirement years coaching baseball at Georgetown University. He took some time off from that to coach the Senators in 1945 and 1946. He was reportedly offered the job as manager for the 1947 season, but he turned it down because he didn’t want to be traveling that much. Judge passed away in 1968 when he suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow at his Washington DC home.