I have been working on a very long term project whereas I do a brief recap of Twins games on my “In This Day in Twins History Pages.” So my plan is to give you a brief recap of the Twins first season as it plays out on a weekly basis. For more info on a particular game you can also click on the date and go to the appropriate “In This Day in Twins History Page” as there you will often get to see some player pictures and supporting documentation. We will see how long I can keep up with it, no promises. So let’s see what we have for week four.
Prior to play on May 4 the Twins are 10-8 and and tied for third place with the Indians, two games behind the Yankees and Tigers who are tied for first place with identical 11-5 records.
May 4 – Twins starter Jim Kaat was wild in the first inning allowing 3 hits and two walks to the first place New York Yankees and they jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and held on for a 5-2 victory and a series sweep. Kaat lasted just 1.1 innings and the loss dropped his record to 1-2. Billy Gardner had two of the Twins six hits and Lenny Green and Harmon Killebrew each had an RBI. Twins pinch-hitters were 0-for 3 on the day bringing their season mark to 0 for 28. Yankee starter Whitey Ford pitched 6 innings to up his record to 4-1 and upped his career record against the Senators/Twins to 25-6. Box Score
May 5 – The Twins break their three game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox when Jack Kralick pitches a quick 2 hour and 10 minute complete game allowing six hits and striking out six BoSox in front of just 3,937 Twins fans at Met Stadium on a 56 degree day with 24 mph winds. Earl Battey had two hits and a RBI and Harmon Killebrew had one hit and two RBI. Box Score
May 6 – The Twins versus Red Sox game at Met Stadium was rained out and rescheduled for June 27.
May 7 – The Twins out-hit the Red Sox 11-10 but lost 11-9 where it counted, in the run column at Met Stadium. Neither starter lasted more than four innings. Red Sox reliever Mike Fornieles pitched 4.2 innings of relief allowing 4 hits and 4 walks and gave up 5 runs but still notched his first win of the season. Red Sox lead-off hitter Chuck Shilling had 2 hits, a double and a grand slam home run and drove in six runs. Harmon Killebrew had a big day going 2 for 5 with 2 home runs, 3 runs and 3 RBI while Zoilo Versalles chipped in two hits and two stolen bases but it was not enough. Elmer Valo had a pinch-hit single breaking the teams 0 for 28 pinch-hitting drought. Box Score.
May 8 – Scheduled day off
May 9 – Jim Gentile becomes the 4th player to hit grand slams in consecutive innings on consecutive pitches. (Tony Lazzeri in 1936, Jim Tabor in 1939, Rudy York in 1946 are the others) when he belts one off Pedro Ramos in the first and adds another off Paul Giel in the 2nd. His 8 RBI in consecutive innings set a ML record. Gentile also tacks on a sacrifice fly to give him 9 RBI in the 13-5 drubbing of the Twins at Met stadium. This is the first time in Twins history that they have given up 2 grand slam home runs in the same game. Chuck Estrada went 7 innings for the win for Baltimore and as you may have guessed, Pedro Ramos took the defeat. The Twins hit four home runs, two by Bob Allison and one each by Harmon Killebrew and Hal Naragon. Box Score
May 10 – There are only 5,410 people in the stands at the Met when the Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-6. It makes the game a bit easier when you can put up a nine spot in the second inning. The Twins scored the 9 runs on 5 hits including home runs by Billy Gardner, Zoilo Versalles and Harmon Killebrew, 5 walks, and an error. The Twins sent O’s starter Dick Hall to the showers in the second inning while Twins pitcher Jack Kralick lasted 8 innings in spite of give up six earned runs. Box Score
In off the field action the Los Angeles Dodgers traded first baseman/outfielder Joe Altobelli and pitcher Ed Palmquist to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Ernie Oravetz and cash.
The Twins finish the week with a 2-3 record and are now 12-11 on the season and are in a three-way tie for third place 5.5 games behind the league leading Detroit Tigers who are 18-6. The second place Yankees are three games back at 14-8. The Twins have allowed a league leading 127 runs, the closest team to them is the ninth place White Sox and they have allowed just 112.
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