Happy Halloween to all you ghosts and goblins out there. We hope you have a great day and don’t over indulge in all that candy. By the way, we switch back to standard time tonight so don’t forget to turn your clocks back an hour tonight.
Month: October 2015
Remembering 1965 – Part 34 – Game 7 recap and Sam Mele
A couple of days ago the Sporting News named Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor as their AL Manager of the Year in a vote from a panel of 27 MLB managers. The Sporting News award is not the “official” vote for AL Manager of the Year but it carries some weight in my eyes because the votes are cast by your peers. Astros skipper A.J. Hinch was the runner-up.
Fifty years ago when the Twins won the pennant and advanced to the 1965 World Series, Twins manager Sam Mele won the same award that Molitor won. I am sure that Molitor earned a few dollars more than Mele did in 1965 as his (Mele’s) pay checks totaled about $30,000. Shortly after the 1965 season ended Mele signed a two-year deal for $48,000 a season. Here is a write-up that the Sporting News did on Mele and his award.
Sporting News Oct 23, 1965 P31 (Game 7 recap)
The “Old Fart” Twins
With all the discussion since the season ended about what to do with free agent outfielder Torii Hunter I thought it might be interesting to see who some of the “old farts” were that put on a Minnesota Twins uniforms over the years.
Hunter is on the list below because he turned 40 on July 18, 2015 and this kind of search only takes into account your age as of June 30th and Torii turned 40 on July 18, 2015. I heard that the Twins are interested in bring Hunter back but not as a full-time player and Torii has not made up his made as yet what he wants to do. Having said that, Hunter’s 2015 season looks pretty good stat wise on the list below.
Only two players on this list were actually signed by Minnesota to begin their professional careers, and they are Hunter and Jesse Orosco. The others were traded for, purchased, acquired on waivers or signed as free agents. Oddly enough Orosco was a second round selection in the 1978 draft and was traded by the Twins to the Mets as the PTBNL in the Jerry Koosman deal before he made his major league debut and did not pitch for Minnesota until his 24th and final season. Hunter as you all know was the Twins number one draft pick (20th overall) in 1993 and left as a free agent after the 2007 season only to return again in 2015 after stints with the Angels and Tigers.
| Rk | Name | Year | Age | G | PA | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | Pos | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Orosco | 2003 | 46 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | /*1 | ||
| 2 | Steve Carlton | 1988 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | /*1 | ||
| 3 | Joe Niekro | 1988 | 43 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | /*1 | ||
| 4 | Joe Niekro | 1987 | 42 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | *1 | ||
| 5 | Terry Mulholland | 2005 | 42 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | *1 | ||
| 6 | Dave Winfield | 1994 | 42 | 77 | 328 | 35 | 74 | 10 | 43 | 2 | .252 | .746 | *D/9 |
| 7 | Steve Carlton | 1987 | 42 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | /*1 | ||
| 8 | Dave Winfield | 1993 | 41 | 143 | 594 | 72 | 148 | 21 | 76 | 2 | .271 | .767 | *D9/H3 |
| 9 | Pat Borders | 2004 | 41 | 19 | 44 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 2 | .286 | .683 | *2/H |
| 10 | Terry Mulholland | 2004 | 41 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | *1 |
| 11 | Paul Molitor | 1998 | 41 | 126 | 559 | 75 | 141 | 4 | 69 | 9 | .281 | .718 | *D/3H |
| 12 | Paul Molitor | 1997 | 40 | 135 | 597 | 63 | 164 | 10 | 89 | 11 | .305 | .786 | *D3/H |
| 13 | Elmer Valo | 1961 | 40 | 33 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .156 | .469 | *H/7 |
| 14 | Jim Thome | 2011 | 40 | 71 | 242 | 21 | 50 | 12 | 40 | 0 | .243 | .827 | *DH |
| 15 | Al Worthington | 1969 | 40 | 46 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | *1 |
| 16 | Ruben Sierra | 2006 | 40 | 14 | 33 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .179 | .487 | /*H*D |
| 17 | Jim Dwyer | 1990 | 40 | 37 | 75 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .190 | .558 | *H*D/79 |
| 18 | Torii Hunter | 2015 | 39 | 139 | 567 | 67 | 125 | 22 | 81 | 2 | .240 | .702 | *9D/H |
Remembering 1965 – Part 33 – Koufax just too tough – Twins lose 2-0
Game 7 matched Sandy Koufax and Jim Kaat, who traded scoreboard zeroes until the top of the fourth, when Dodger left fielder Lou Johnson lined a homer off the left-field foul pole. Ron Fairly followed with a double, and he scored on Wes Parker‘s single just a moment later. Kaat was lifted by manager Sam Mele and he brought in his closer Al Worthington, who quickly put a stop to the Dodgers scoring spree, but the Dodgers had two big runs on the board and Koufax on the mound. Would a manager bring in his closer in the fourth inning today, I think not. Worthington was followed by Johnny Klippstein, Jim Merritt, and Jim Perry and they each held the Dodgers off the scoreboard. Jim Gilliam made a great play in the fifth to squelch a Twin rally, and Koufax cruised from there, retiring 13 of the next 14 hitters to finish with a World Series-clinching, three-hit shutout.
What more can you say? Some times teams don’t lose the game, the other team wins, I think that was the case here. You have to give credit where credit is due.
If you want to watch game 7 again you can see it on our Twins Audio and Video clips page.
Sandy Koufax and the 1965 World Series on a site called Baseball Analysts.
Remembering 1965 – Part 32 – Twins win 5-1, on to game 7
The Twins come back to tie the Series at 3 games apiece when Mudcat Grant hits and pitches the Twins to a 5-1 win on just two days rest in front of 49,578 delirious fans at the Met. The Mudcat and Bob Allison each hit home runs to power the team to a game 7. Dodger outfielder Ron Fairly hit a home run for the Dodgers only run.
Grant pitched a complete game allowing just six hits and one earned run while striking out five Dodger batters. Claude Osteen known to his teammates as “Gomer,” was the losing pitcher in game 6 after shutting out the Twins in game 3 at Dodger Stadium.
On to game 7 !!!!
Dean Chance passes away at the age of 74
It has been reported that Dean Chance died of a heart attack at the age of 74 yesterday in his hometown of Wooster, Ohio. Chance was born in Wooster on June 1, 1941 and went on to attend Northwestern High School in Wayne, Ohio where he became a sports legend. Chance was considered by many to be the best high school pitcher in Ohio history, throwing 17 no-hitters (eight in one season) and posting a 52-1 record in high school, including 32 consecutive victories. The Baltimore Orioles signed Chance out of high school for $30,000. After two season in the Orioles organization the team exposed him to the 196o expansion draft and he was taken by the Washington Senators in the 48th round but his stay as a Senator was short-lived as they traded him to the Los Angeles Angels that same day for Joe Hicks in one of several forced trades by AL President Joe Cronin.
Dean Chance who would go on to become a two-time All-Star and Cy Young winner made his big league debut against the Minnesota Twins on September 14, 1961 at Met Stadium and lost 5-2 to Jim Kaat. Chance pitched well going 7.1 innings allowing 10 hits and 3 earned runs and two strike outs. Dean Chance blossomed the following year for the Angels and was 14-10 with a 2.96 ERA 206 plus innings.
Dean Chance met Bo Belinsky for the first time in spring training in Clearwater, Florida, in 1959. When the Angels selected Belinsky from the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft on November 27, 1961, and the two subsequently made the Angels in 1962, they became teammates and then roomed together during the 1963 and 1964 seasons. Belinsky and the already married Chance made the rounds in Hollywood, and probably became more famous for their off-the-field exploits than they did on a pitching mound.
After the season 1964 season in which Chance led the American League in wins with 20, ERA with 1.65, 15 complete games, 11 shutouts, and 278.1 innings pitched, Chance was rewarded with the Cy Young Award, at the time given out to only one pitcher in baseball. Chance also finished fifth in MVP voting behind Brooks Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard and Tony Oliva. Chance pitched for the Angels from 1961-1966 before the Angels traded him along with shortstop Jackie Hernandez to the Minnesota Twins for 1B Don Mincher, outfielder Jimmie Hall and RHP Pete Cimino in December 1966.
The Twins just missed winning the pennant in 1967 but Dean Chance could not blamed for that as he went 20-14 and had a 2.73 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in a league leading 283.2 innings with a league leading 18 complete games in 39 starts, again league leading. He had two no-hitters that season: a 5-inning perfect game (that’s no longer an official no-hitter) and then a 2-1 no-hitter over Cleveland on August 25th. In 1968 Chance was 14-14 but had a stellar ERA 2.53 and a 0.98 WHIP in 292 innings. The 1969 Twins under Billy Martin won the AL Western Division with 97 wins but Dean Chance was only 5-4 in 15 starts due to a back injury and he missed all of June and July and this was the beginning of the end of Chance’s baseball career. Chance’s only playoff experience took place in game 3 of the 1969 ALCS in a mop-up role when he pitched 2 innings in a 11-2 Orioles win.
In December of 1969 the Twins traded Chance,RHP Bob Miller, 3B Graig Nettles, and OF Ted Uhlaender to the Cleveland Indians for RHP’s Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. Chance was 9-8 for the Indians in 1970 before being sold to the New York Mets in September where he finished the season. The Mets then traded Chance to the Tigers in March of 1971 where he pitched in 31 games going 4-6 with a 3.51 ERA. The Tigers released Chance in October 1971 and the baseball career of Dean Chance was in the books.
Chance was known for getting his sign from the catcher and then turning his back to the batter until he threw the ball, that motion Chance said, shortened his career according to him, he felt he was lucky to last in the majors the 11 years that he did. As good a pitcher as Chance was, hitting was not his forte, he was a terrible hitter, batting a mere .066 in 662 at-bats for his career, striking out 420 times for one of the highest strikeout rates in history. Chance still holds the Minnesota Twins record for most consecutive at bats without a hit, in 1967 between April 19 and July 23 Chance was 0 for 52 with 35 strikeouts.
Dean Chance was tough on the New York Yankees and Mickey Mantle in particular although Mantle did hit .242 off Chance with three home runs. “Every time I see his name on a lineup card, I feel like throwing up” – Mickey Mantle. Mantle once uttered this memorable quote during Chance’s remarkable 1964 season. As sportswriter Phil Pepe wrote that year, “It’s Chance, not CBS, who owns the New York Yankees. Lock, stock and barrel.” Chance pitched 50 innings against the Yankees that year, allowing only 14 hits and one run, a homer by Mantle. In five starts he threw four complete games and three shutouts, going 4-0 with a 0.18 ERA.
After his baseball ended at the age of 30 Dean Chance did not move to a rocking chair, he went into the carnival business where he owned numerous games “where you can win an item off the top shelf” and traveled all over the country. He was a boxing promoter for a while and he started and was still president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) when he died. Chance also invested in real estate, played Gin Rummy on a professional level and attended many sports memorabilia shows. It is ironic to me that he attended so many memorabilia shows because I mailed him numerous baseball cards over the years asking for his autograph but I never got a single card back, with or without an autograph. The man was one of baseball’s great characters.
Rest in Peace Dean Chance and thank you for all the great memories.
Dean Chance Obit – Star Tribune
Dean Chance: baseball, carnies, boxing. He was worthy of a book.
Bo and Dean: A Lifetime of Fun and Friendship
Remembering 1965 – Part 31 – Twins have backs to the wall after third loss in a row
The Minnesota Twins lose game 5 of the World Series to Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers, 7-0 and now find themselves down 3 games to 2. The Dodgers steal four bases including three by Willie Davis who sets a single game World Series record. Koufax who won 26 games during the regular season strikes out 10 Twins batters and faces just 29 hitters, aided by four double plays behind him
Twins starter and 18 game winner Jim Kaat lasted just 2.1 innings giving up four runs and took the loss. Twins hitters didn’t fare much better getting just four hits to go with the five hits they had in each of the two previous games at Dodger Stadium. The Twins return to Minnesota needing to win the next two games to hoist the World Champions banner at Met Stadium. Box score.
Remembering 1965 – Part 30 – Dodgers beat Twins 7-2, Series knotted at 2 games apiece
There were 55,920 baseball fans at Dodger Stadium to watch the Dodgers tie the World Series at 2 games each when Don Drysdale turns the tables and beats Mudcat Grant 7-2 in game 4. Drysdale allowed just five hits, two walks and struck out 11 Twins batters enroute to his game four win. The Twins trailed from the first inning on and played bad baseball through-out the game, being charged with two errors and making numerous mental mistakes that the Dodgers took advantage of. Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva both hit home runs in a losing effort. Box score.
Remembering 1965 – Part 29 – Osteen shuts out Twins and Battey injured
Claude Osteen shuts out Camilo Pascual and the Twins 4-0 in game 3 of the World Series in Los Angeles but the Twins still lead the series 2 games to one. The Dodgers out hit the Twins 10 to 5 and Osteen a 25-year-old left hander acquired from the Washington Senators as part of the Frank Howard trade the previous off-season pitched a complete game for the win. Did you know that every winning pitcher in the 1965 World Series for the Twins and the Dodgers pitched a complete game?
This was also the game when catcher Earl Battey was injured. An injury he sustained in the seventh inning when he hit his throat against a dugout railing in Chavez Ravine while chasing a foul pop hit by Willie Davis. He left the game, but returned to start every game in the Series. Box score.
This site is about baseball and the Minnesota Twins but every now and then I run across a story or a picture that I think is worth sharing that has nothing to do with the great game of baseball. Earlier this year The Atlantic did a piece called “50 Years Ago: A Look Back at 1965”. There are 50 wonderful photo’s that you all should see and it will give you a chance to see what life and the world was like in 1965. Those were the good old days?
50 Years Ago: A Look Back at 1965
Remembering 1965 – Part 28 – Twins beat Koufax, up 2-0 in World Series
It has started raining shortly after game one ended and rained until nearly game time. The Twins ground crew used flame-throwers and two helicopter’s to help dry the field and prepare it for game two.
Under dark skies which required the lights to be on for the entire game the Twins win game 2 of the World Series when Jim Kaat beats Sandy Koufax 5-1 in front of 48,700 delirious fans at the Met. In addition to pitching a complete game, Kaat was one for four with the bat knocking in two runs. Bob Allison makes a fantastic catch sliding across the left field line and to this day this is one of the finest fielding plays ever seen in a World Series. Box score