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 five.
Prior to play on May 11 the Twins are 12-11 on the season and in a three-way tie with the Orioles and the Indians 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.
May 11 – The Twins are guilty of five errors (Versalles=2, Killebrew=2 and Green=1) allowing for 3 unearned runs and deservedly come up on the short-end of an 8-7 loss. Starter Camilo Pascual (2-3) went 4.2 innings allowing 6 runs, 4 earned for the loss. Don Mincher was 3 for 3 with 3 runs scored with a double and a home run. The Twins had 14 hits but five errors will kill you everytime. Box Score
May 12 – Twins pitcher Pedro Ramos and Los Angeles Angels hurler Eli Grba homer off each other at Met Stadium in a Twins 5-4 win. It is the first home run ever hit by a Twins pitcher and it is also the first home run hit by a Twins switch-hitter. Ramos pitches 8 innings allowing 4 runs on three home runs but it is good enough for the win because he helped his own cause with a home run and a single in three at bats while scoring once and knocking in three. Box Score
May 13 – The Twins blow a 3-0 lead and a 6-3 lead allowing the Angels to knot the score at 6-6 in the top of the seventh inning before finally taking a 7-6 lead on Harmon Killebrew’s eight home run of the season in the bottom of the inning and then score six more in the eighth inning to beat the expansion Angels 13-6 at Met Stadium. Recent acquisition Ed Palmquist made his first appearance in a Twins uniform pitching the final 2.2 innings for the Twins and gave up the tying run in the seventh but still got the win. It turns out that this would be his only win as a Minnesota Twin and his final win in the big leagues. In addition to Killebrew’s home run, Dan Dobbek also hit one and Bob Allison had two home runs giving Allison 5 RBI on the day. Box Score
May 14 – The Twins beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 in an error-filled game (seven errors – three for Twins and four for Angels) for the third win in a row giving them a series sweep and ended their 13 game homestand with a 6-7 record and upped their season mark to 15-12 and moved them up to third place. The Angels jumped on Twins starter Jack Kralick for two runs in the first but Kralick held on to go seven innings before leaving with a ND. Ray Moore (3-1) went the final two inning to get the win. Jim Lemon was 2-3 with the games only home run, his first at the Met. The Twins are off to the windy city to play the White Sox. Box Score
May 15 – Twins starter Camilo Pascual (3-3) made it look easy as he handcuffed the Chicago White Sox (11-15) at Comiskey Park 5-0, striking out 7 and allowing just 4 hits and no walks in a complete game effort. The Twins only had 8 hits themselves but 8 walks by Chicago pitching helped the cause as they won their fourth game in a row. Harmon Killebrew was 2 for 3 with a double and a triple and 1 RBI. Bob Allison and Zoilo Versalles also had two hits each. Box Score
May 16 – The Twins modest four game winning streak was ended by the ageless 41-year-old Early Wynn as he pitched and batted the White Sox to a 5-4 win over the Twins at Comiskey Park. Wynn not only pitched a complete game for win number 288 but he also singled in the winning run in the eighth inning off Twins starter Pedro Ramos. Ramos (3-3) took the loss but he pitched a complete game and was 3 for 3 at the plate with a home run, a RBI and 3 runs scored. Ramos had 3 of the Twins 6 hits lifting his average to .363 with 8 RBI on the season. The 16-13 Twins are headed home again after a short two day road trip and will take on the KC Athletics after a day off. Box Score
May 17 – Scheduled day off.
The Twins finish the week with a 4-2 record and are now 16-13 on the season good for third place. The league leading Detroit Tigers who are 23-9 and have a five game lead on the second place New York Yankees. Over in the senior circuit the San Francisco Giants lead the pack at 20-9 and have a three game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.