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 twenty-four.
The Minnesota Twins begin this week in seventh place with a 67-83 record and they are on a three game winning streak. They have just one game on the road remaining before they head for home to play their final three series at Metropolitan Stadium to close out their first season as Minnesota Twins.
September 21 – The Minnesota Twins and Washington Senators squared off at Griffith Stadium on a Thursday afternoon to play the final game to ever be played at the old ballpark with Jack Kralick throwing for Minnesota and Bennie Daniels going for the expansion Washington Senators. There were no ceremonies to commemorate the event because then Senators President Elwood “Pete” Quesada would not concede that this was the ballparks final game although everyone knew it was. The Senators got on the board first when Gene Green scored from third base when Zoilo Versalles dropped a throw on an attempted steal of second base by Chuck Hinton that should have been the third out of the second inning. The Twins came back by scoring 3 in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh and the final score of the game was Twins 6 and Senators 3. Kralick (13-10), who went 5.1 innings allowing two runs, one earned on seven hits got the win. Don Lee pitched the final 3.1 innings allowing one run and garnering his third save. Harmon Killebrew and Versalles each had two RBI in the game. Bennie Daniels took the loss dropping his record to 10-11. It was Daniels that also took the loss when he pitched for Pittsburgh in the final game played at Ebbets Field back in 1957. With the final road game of the season behind them the 68-83 Twins return home to close out the season against the Senators, Indians and Tigers. The Twins road record for the season was 34-46. Box Score
Here is what the book called Closing ‘Em Down: Final Games at Thirteen Classic Ballparks had to say about the final game.
“The final game at Griffith Stadium took place on the afternoon of September 21, 1961, between the expansion Senators and, ironically, the Minnesota Twins, one year gone from the old park themselves. Neither team was going anywhere, and the worst crowd of the season, only 1,498 fans, “faithful to the end,” as the Post put it, showed up for the finale. “The tug of nostalgia had been overrated,” declared veteran columnist Shirley Povich. 85-year-old Nick Altrock was there, but few others. Altrock had seen the first game ever played in the park, and now he saw the last.”
The book ” Closing ‘Em Down: Final Games at Thirteen Classic Ballparks” was the source for the above quote
September 22 – The Twins game versus the Washington Senators at the Met today was rained out and rescheduled as part of a DH tomorrow.
September 23 – Game one was the make-up game for yesterday’s rain out against the Senators. The Washington Senators went with Claude Osteen who was recently acquired from the Cincinnati Reds and was making his first appearance in a Senators uniform. Osteen made his big league debut at the age of 17 for the Reds back in 1957 but still had not won a regular job with them nor had he won a big league game. The Twins went with veteran starter Pedro Ramos. After six innings it was 2-1 for the Senators but then in the seventh inning with two out Ramos walked the bases full and then gave up a grand salami to Jim King putting the Senators out front 6-2 and he was headed for the showers. The Twins scored twice in the bottom of the inning and once more in the eight making it a 6-4 ballgame chasing Osteen but it was too little and too late and the Twins ended up losing the game 6-4. Osteen got the win, his first major league victory but it would be a win over the Twins down the line in the 1965 World Series that Twins fans would remember even more. Ramos who gave up his 39th home run of the season (to King) took the loss and his record now stands at 11-19. The Twins had just five hits in the game. Box Score game one
September 23 – Game two was a totally different game as Camilo Pascual pitched a two hit shutout as the Twins won the game going away 10-0. The first Senators hit was a slow roller that hit the first base bag and first baseman Harmon Killebrew had no shot at it. The second hit was by Minnesota native Bob Johnson was a double in the ninth inning. The local paper speculated that had Bud Zipfel slow roller not hit the bag and been fielded by Killebrew for the out, Johnson would not even have had a chance to bat in the ninth inning. But whose to say? The Senators also committed five errors in the game, three by shortstop Bob Johnson. Pascual who won his 15th game against the same amount of losses leads the league in strikeouts and is tied for the league lead in shutouts with eight. Killebrew hit the Twins only home run, number 44 on the season. Billy Martin had a big day with three hits including a double, three runs scored and a RBI. Box Score game two
September 24 – The Washington Senators Dick Donovan pitches a one hitter against the Twins at Met Stadium for a 4-1 Senators win. The lone Twins hit is a 7th inning home run by outfielder Joe Altobelli. It was Altobelli’s third and final home run as a Twins player and the final home run of his big league career. Jim Kaat was the loser for the Twins going 6 innings and allowing three runs, now days that would be a quality start. Box Score
September 25 – No game today, scheduled day off
September 26 – It was pretty much all Cleveland today as the Indians took an early lead and kept adding on. Twins starter Jack Kralick went the first six innings for the Twins allowing three runs on six hits. Lee Stange who relieved Kralick wasn’t that lucky as he gave up four runs, three earned on five hits over two innings. With the Indians leading 7-0 the Twins finally got to Cleveland starter Gary Bell in the bottom of the eighth when Earl Battey doubled, Bob Allison singled and Zoilo Versalles hitting in the eight-hole homered deep to left to put the Twins on the board albeit down 7 to 3. Bell got out of that jam and shut the Twins down in the ninth for a complete game win pushing his record to 12-15. The Twins had ten hits and five walks but Bell had just enough to slip out of each predicament he got himself into. He admitted after the game that he “had nothing” until the ninth inning and that his defense saved him. Versalles had the big bat for Minnesota going 3 for 4 with a double, home run, a run scored and 3 RBI. Billy Martin and Allison also chipped in two hits each. With the loss Kralick’s record dropped to 13-11 and the Twins pretty much lost any chance of catching the Indians in the standings. Box Score
September 27 – Twins pitcher Al Schroll has a 10-0 lead and a no-hitter on the line at Met Stadium as he enters the ninth inning against Cleveland. Unfortunately; the first Indians batter, pinch-hitter Don Dillard singles to break up the no-no and then Schroll walks the next two batters to load the bases. Tito Francona then triples to left field and the shutout is gone too. The next batter Willie Kirkland grounds out but Francona scores to make it 10-4. Schroll retires the next two batters to claim the win and finish one of his two complete games in a Twins uniform. Schroll also has two hits and two RBI in the game. Harmon Killebrew is 3 for 5 with a home run (45) and 3 RBI, Billy Martin hits a home run and Bill Tuttle is 3 for 3 with a triple. Twins bats supported Schroll with a season high 16 hits with every starter getting at least one hit. The Twins win their 70th game against 86 losses. Box Score
The Twins finished this week with a 3-3 mark, good for seventh place. The Twins have four games left to play.
