The Finals - 1991 Twins vs 1965 Twins; Game 6

1965 Twins 3, 1991 Twins 2

For the second time in the series, a game was won with the final at bat. This time it was the 1965 Twins taking the win on a Ted Uhlaender single the scored Harmon Killebrew in the bottom of the ninth. The hit came off of Terry Leach, who relieved Scott Erickson to start the ninth in a tie game. The 1965 Twins took an early lead when two singles led to a run in the bottom of the first. The only other run off of Erickson came on a Jimmie Hall solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Camilo Pascual did not allow the 1991 Twins to score until the fifth, when Shane Mack singled, stole second, and eventually scored on a ground out. The 1965 Twins took the 2-1 lead into the ninth, when the ‘91 team got to Pascual again to tie the game. Kirby Puckett’s RBI single tied the game, forcing the 1965 team to score in the bottom of the frame to extend the series. Series tied 3-3.

Boxscore and play-by-play below the fold

1987 World Series DVD: Game 1

I finally got my copy of the DVD set for Father’s Day (do I have the greatest son in the world or not?). This is my attempt at a review. The game itself was not particularly good, but I would guess that the game itself is not important to those who would buy this particular DVD set (myself included).

For what it’s worth, this was the game where the Twins scored seven runs in the fourth inning, including Dan Gladden’s grand slam, to eventually win 10-1. Here is my recap of the game from earlier in the year if you are interested. Some thoughts from the first World Series game to be played indoors:

-Al Micheals, Tim McCarver, and Jim Palmer had the call for ABC. I don’t particularly care for Micheals today, but in 1987 he wasn’t so bad. McCarver managed, so far in the series, to be less annoying than he is at present, and Palmer added a lot of insight that you just don’t get on national broadcasts today. Overall, the announcers were good. They weren’t Bob Costas/Tony Kubek good, but they didn’t really take away from the game, and they did their best to keep conversation interesting when the game was not.

-I remembered Tony Pena’s glasses but I didn’t remember the story behind them. Apparently, Pena’s numbers in 1987 were bad because he couldn’t see across the clubhouse, according to Palmer. He got the glasses just in time for the post season and, according to the announcers, it made all the difference in the world. He batted .381/.458/.476 in the NLCS and .409/.480/.455 in the World Series in a year when his line was .214/.281/.307 for the regular season. 1987 in an extremely poor year compared to Pena’s career numbers, which seem to back the story up. I have never hit a major league fastball, but I would imagine that hitting .214 is pretty good when you can’t see the pitcher.

-In the third inning, with Greg Gagne at bat and Dan Gladden on first, Joe Magrane threw to first nine consecutive times before he pitched the ball to Gagne. The best part is that Gladden actually stole second later in the inning.

-It took just four Magrane pitches for the Twins to load the bases in the fourth; it took six pitches for them to score their first two runs of the game.

-As the game went on, it became clear that Dave Phillips’ strike zone was growing with the Twins’ lead. I suppose that wouldn’t happen today thanks to Quest-tech.

-It was interesting that Tom Kelly kept Viola in as long as he did. With a nine run lead, and the desire to send his ace back out with short rest, he let him throw eight innings and 102 pitches. It’s not as if the bullpen needed rest, this was the Twins’ first game in five days. It all worked out pretty well, but still was a curious move. The announcers were even suggesting an inning for Berenguer and an inning for Reardon would be in order, but they didn’t say anything when Kelly stayed with Viola, then brought in Atherton for the ninth.

-I love watching the game without commercials. The official time of the game was 3:36, but thanks to the magic of DVD I saw every pitch in just over two hours.

I haven’t started watching game two yet, but I will post my thoughts when I get around to it. So far it has been fun if for no other reason to see a time capsule of what baseball was like in 1987.

The Finals - 1991 Twins vs 1965 Twins; Game 5

1991 Twins 5, 1965 Twins 2

The 1965 Twins struck first when Jimmie Hall tripled home Zoilo Versalles in the first. As it turned out, the first inning run was the only run Kevin Tapani allowed in seven innings pitched. Kent Hrbek tied the game with a lead off home run off of Mudcat Grant in the fourth inning, the Twins added another run when Mike Pagliarulo knocked in Chili Davis with a ground out. The one run lead was enough to carry the 1991 Twins into the seventh inning when, thanks to a couple of errors by Johnny Klippenstein, the 1991 team was able to add three runs to their lead. Hall’s solo home run off of Steve Bedrosian in the ninth was too little too late for the 1965 Twins, who are more than happy to head west to Bloomington for Game 6. 1991 Twins lead the series 3-2.

Box and play-by-play below the fold.

The Finals - 1991 Twins vs 1965 Twins; Game 4

1991 Twins 9, 1965 Twins 7

Once again the Metrodome hosted a game with a lot of runs scored, and the 1991 Twins used a six-run fourth inning off of Jim Kaat to hold on and even the series. The score was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth. The numbers for that inning:

11 men batted
6 runs
5 hits (three singles - Harper, Knoblauch, Puckett; two triples - Puckett, Gladden)
1 sacrifice fly (Gagne)
2 walks (Hrbek, Leius)
1 hit by pitch (Mack)

The 1965 team made it interesting with a three-run eighth inning, but ultimately failed in their attempt to comeback. The series is tied 2-2.

Box and play-by-play below the fold.

The Finals - 1991 Twins vs 1965 Twins; Game 3

1991 Twins 7, 1965 Twins 5

The 1991 Twins came into Game 3 needing to get a win at home to stay in the series, and things didn’t look good early. The 1965 Twins took an early lead by scoring two runs in each of the first two innings off of Jack Morris. Jimmie Hall’s two RBI triple in the first started the scoring, while Rollins and Oliva each had an RBI in the second. The 1991 team scored in the bottom of the second when Chili Davis’ lead off double turned into a run with no further hits. Morris and Camillo Pascual settled down after that, and the score remained 4-1 until the seventh inning. In the top of the frame, Carl Willis walked Bob Allison with the bases loaded, extending the 1965 lead to 5-1. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, and both Shane Mack and Mike Pagliarulo on base, Randy Bush hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run to bring the 1991 team within one. The 1991 Twins tied the game in the eighth when Chuck Knoblauch drew a lead off walk and ultimately scored on a Kent Hrbek single. After Willis stranded two runners in scoring position in the top of the ninth, the most unlikely hero won the game for the 1991 Twins. Paul Sorrento sent the only pitch he saw from Johnny Klippenstein out for a two-run, game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth to keep his team in the series. 1965 Twins lead the series 2-1.

Box and play-by-play below the fold.

Denny Hocking’s Best Day

June 27, 1999

The Twins struggled to score runs in 1999, and had a particularly difficult time in the first two games of a late-June three-game series at Tiger Stadium. The lineup managed to put together just one run on 12 hits over the first two games. Fortunately for the Twins, the Tigers only scored twice in game one, so the teams had split two games in which only three total runs were scored.

Enter an unlikely Twins hero. Denny Hocking had been with the Twins for seven seasons, though it wasn’t until 1997 that he saw more than 50 games in a season. He entered the game on June 27 batting .258/.311/.344 on the year, almost right in line with his career averages.

Denny Hocking led the Twins in an offensive explosion against the Tigers. Hocking himself went 5-for-6 with two runs scored in the game. Three of his five hits were doubles, giving him eight total bases for the game.

Hocking wasn’t the only source of offense in the game. Doug Mientkiewicz, a .226/.344/.328 hitter coming into the game, went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Brent Gates hit a two-run home run, and he, Jacque Jones, and Todd Walker had two hits each. Cristian Guzman, hitting ninth, had three RBI, giving him 12 for the season.

It all added up to a 12-7 Twins victory. In all, the Tigers went through seven pitchers to retire the suddenly hot Twins.

Hocking had a four-hit game on April 17, 1999, his previous career high. On May 18, 2000 he will match the feat.

The Finals - 1991 Twins vs 1965 Twins; Game 2

1965 Twins 3, 1991 Twins 1

Mudcat Grant and Scott Erickson locked into a pitching duel for the bulk of the game. Both allowed the opposition just one run through the first seven innings. Erickson allowed a Rich Reese RBI single in the bottom of the third, while the 1991 Twins got their only run off of Grant on a Greg Gagne solo home run in the top of the seventh. Grant held the 1991 Twins scoreless in the eighth, but the 1965 team got to Erickson in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Tony Oliva doubled. Hall and Killebrew walked (the former was intentional) to load the bases for Bob Allison. Allison lined an Erickson pitch to right center to score both Oliva and Hall. Grant retired the 1991 Twins in order in the ninth to clinch the 3-1 victory. 1965 Twins lead the series 2-0.

Box and play-by-play below the fold.

The Finals - 1991 Twins vs 1965 Twins; Game 1

1965 Twins 4, 1991 Twins 3

Zoilo Versalles’ home run in the bottom of the eighth broke a 3-3 tie and capped a 1965 Twins comeback that started when they were down 3-1 in the middle of the sixth inning. Jim Kaat went the distance to earn the win in Game 1 of the series. Versalles also manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth when he singled off of Kevin Tapani, stole second, was balked to third, and scored on a Rich Rollins ground out. Bob Allison tied the game in the seventh with a solo home run. The 1991 Twins lost despite out-hitting their 1965 counterparts 11-8. Jim Kaat pitched well enough, and forced the 1991 Twins to strand nine runners in the game. The 1965 Twins lead the series 1-0.

Boxscore and play-by-play below the fold.

Griffith sells the Twins

Friday June 22, 1984

Prior to the Twins 8-6 loss at the hands of the White Sox, a tearful Calvin Griffith signed a letter of intent to sell his share of the Minnesota Twins to banker Carl Pohlad.

The transition would mark the first time since 1920 that a Griffith was not the majority owner of the franchise. Clark Griffith took over ownership of the Washington Nationals that year when he wrapped up his on-the-field career with the Nats. In 1922 Clark Griffith adopted his 11-year-old nephew, Calvin, after the boy’s father died. From that point on, Calvin was a part of the franchise, starting as a bat boy, and eventually taking over ownership of the team when his adopted father died in 1955.

One of Calvin’s first moves as majority owner was to move the team from Washington to the Twin Cities. Calvin Griffith had owned the team from the first day they played a game with “Twins” on their uniforms. He had a reputation for being quite a miser, and by the late seventies was considered a baseball dinosaur. While most baseball owners during that time had made their fortunes outside of the game, Calvin Griffith was one of the last pure baseball men left in the ranks of ownership.

There were signs that the “new” business of baseball was starting to pass Calvin by in the early eighties. He was frustrated that the Twins would invest and develop talent in the farm system just to lose the emerging players to teams with a less conservative approach to spending.

Additionally, Calvin had made some racially charged remarks in 1978 at a speech at the Waseca Lions Club, where he reportedly said “I’ll tell you why we came to Minnesota. It was when we found out you only had 15,000 blacks here. Black people don’t go to ballgames, but they’ll fill up a rassling ring and put up such a chant it’ll scare you to death. We came here because you’ve got good, hardworking white people here.” The backlash was predictable and included the loss of future Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew, who refused to play on a Calvin Griffith owned team after that.

All of those factors combined to make Griffith’s decision a relatively easy one, though it was still emotional. He felt regret shortly after the sale when Pohlad fired the remaining Griffiths from their posts in the Twins’ organization, but he remained a fixture at games for the next several years. Most notably, Griffith was present to throw out ceremonial pitches at both the 1987 and 1991 World Series.

GOTW: 6.20.1985 - Billy Gardner’s final game as Twins’ manager

Thursday June 20, 1985
Royals Stadium
Kansas City, MO

Just a few months removed from a season in which the Twins were in contention until the last weekend, the wheels seemed to be coming off. Manager Billy Gardner’s job seemed to be hanging by a thread as the Twins limped to a 26-35 record on June 20, 1985. They sat in sixth place of a seven-team division, 8.5 games behind the first-place White Sox. June 20th marked the last game of a nine-game road trip. After winning the first two games, the Twins had won just once in the last six games, including three consecutive losses to Kansas City heading into the fourth of a four-game series.

For the Royals’ part, they couldn’t have been happier to see the struggling Twins come to town. At the start of the series, Kansas City sat with a 30-30 record. Though only three games out of first at that time, they were coming off a West Coast swing in which they won just four out of ten games. Taking the first three from the Twins seemed to have put the defending AL West Champions back on track.

The lineups posted for the fourth game of the series:

   Minnesota Twins               Kansas City Royals                   
1. K Puckett            CF    1. W Wilson             CF
2. R Washington         3B    2. L Smith              LF
3. M Hatcher            LF    3. G Brett              3B
4. T Brunansky          RF    4. J Orta               DH
5. K Hrbek              1B    5. F White              2B
6. R Smalley            DH    6. D Motley             RF
7. T Teufel             2B    7. S Balboni            1B
8. G Gagne              SS    8. J Sundberg           C
9. T Laudner            C     9. B Biancalana         SS 

   J Butcher            P        C Leibrandt          P

Both teams scored in the first inning. The Twins struck first when a Tom Brunansky single plated Ron Washington from second. The Royals came back in their half of the inning when a lead off triple by Willie Wilson became a run on a sacrifice fly.

The Twins scored two in the third, and the Royals answered with one in their half of the inning to make the score 3-2. The Twins got a solo home run from Tim Laudner as part of a two-run fourth that pushed their lead to 5-2. That is when John Butcher really ran into some difficulty.

After the first Kansas City batter in the fourth popped out, Steve Balboni doubled off of Butcher. With two outs, Buddy Biancalana singled to push Balboni to third. Wilson followed with an RBI single, and Lonnie Smith singled to load the bases for George Brett to clear them with a rare three-run single. The four-run inning ended John Butcher’s night and put the Royals ahead 6-5.

The respective bullpens were able to settle things down a bit, though the Royals did add a couple of runs to the lead in the sixth. Down 8-5 in the seventh, the Twins went to work, possibly with the motivation of saving their manager’s job. Mike LaCoss, who had been solid in relief for the past couple of innings, walked the first three men he faced in the seventh. With the bases loaded Tim Teufel singled off of Joe Beckwith to score Tom Brunansky and to cut into the Royals’ lead. Beckwith retired the next two batter with strikeout, and looked like he might get the home team out of the seventh with the lead in tact.

It was not to be, however, as Kirby Puckett cleared the bases with a triple.

The Twins added two in the ninth, including another Puckett RBI, to eventually win the game 11-8. After Butcher’s rough start, the Twins’ bullpen settled down to hold the Royals, including a combined effort by Frank Eufemia and Len Whitehouse to hold the Royals scoreless for the final three innings.

Box

Stars of the Game
1. Kirby Puckett MIN 4-for-6, 4 RBI
2. George Brett KC 3-for-5, 5 RBI
3. Tom Brunansky MIN 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI

The next morning it was announced that the Twins had fired Billy Gardner. A few hours later, Orioles pitching coach Ray Miller was announced as the new skipper for the team. Under Miller’s guidance, the Twins went 50-50 the rest of the way to finish 77-85, fourth in the AL West.

A week later, the Royals took two out of three in a series at the Metrodome. Though they seemed to have a relatively easy time with the Twins, Kansas City simply treaded water at about .500 until the All-Star break. From July 18th on, the Royals went 47-29 to win their second straight division title and ultimately went on to win the World Series.