Category: Remembering the 1961 Season

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 thirteen.

The Twins, now 33-47 were 5-3 this past week and moved up one spot in the standings to eighth place just a half game ahead of the Angels and one game up on the last place Kansas City Athletics. The 51-29 Tigers are still hanging on to first place with a half game lead on the New York Yankees. Over in the National League the Cincinnati Reds have a three game cushion over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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 twelve.

The Twins once again had a 3 win and 4 loss week and remain in ninth place with a 28-44 record, a full 18 games out of first place and they haven’t gotten to the All-Star break yet. The 46-26 Detroit Tigers have a 1.5 game lead on the Bronx Bombers.

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 ten.

The ninth place Twins are 22-36 on the season and 15.5 games behind the league leaders. The Tigers and Indians are tied for first place with 38-21 marks and the Yankees are just a game back nipping at their heels.

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 8.

The Twins started the month of June at 19-24 and in seventh place in the American League, nine games behind the league leading Detroit Tigers.

June 1 – No scheduled Twins game today. In the Twins first ever trade, the Twins trade third baseman Reno Bertoia and pitcher Paul Giel to Kansas City for outfielder Bill Tuttle. That very same day they acquire second baseman Billy Martin from the Milwaukee Braves in exchange for shortstop Billy Consolo.

June 2 – A 58 minute rain delay as the game started just postponed the inevitable as Tigers starter Jim Bunning shuts out the Twins 2-0 at Tiger Stadium allowing just four hits and two of those belonged to Zoilo Versalles. Jack Kralick allowed just six hits in seven innings but two of them were home runs by Rocky Colavito and Al Kaline. Bunning was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Veteran’s Committee. Box Score

In off the field news Twins owner Cal Griffith opened his wallet for the second day in a row when the team spent $50,000 to sign their second bonus selection in as many days when they inked Joe Nossek a slugging outfielder from Ohio University. Nossek made his Twins debut on April 18, 1964.

June 3 – Twins pitchers Pedro Ramos (3-6) and Ray Moore hold the Detroit Tigers to just five hits but the slumping Twins still find a way to lose their seventh game in a row when they come up on the short end of a 2-1 game at Tiger Stadium. Granted, five walks and two errors did not help the situation. The Twins who trailed 2-0 after eight innings rallied for one run in the top of the ninth but Billy Martin’s ground out with runners at first and second snuffed that rally. Zoilo Versalles had two of the Twins seven hits, all of which were singles. Tiger lefty Don Mossi upped his record to 6-0. The eighth place Twins play a DH against the first place Tigers tomorrow.  Box Score

June 4 – The Twins take on the league leading Tigers as 32,761 baseball fans pack Tiger Stadium and most go home happy, a number of them with Tiger home run balls in their pockets as the home town Bengals pound the visiting Twins 10 to 4 and hit five home runs in the process. Tigers starter Frank “Yankee Killer” Lary won his eighth game against just 3 losses logging his eighth complete game in 12 starts this season. Camilo Pascual went the first seven innings and allowed two of the five home runs and was nailed with his sixth loss against just four wins. Ed Palmquist relieved Pascual and probably wished he hadn’t. Palmquist retired the first batter he faced in the eighth inning but then gave up a single, a SB, then back-to-back home runs followed by a single, another home run and a double making the score 10-1 before Cookie Lavagetto had to take him out and burn another pitcher to get the final two outs of the inning. Jose Valdivielso and Julio Becquer each hit their first home runs of the season for Minnesota but it was not nearly enough to prevent the Twins eighth straight loss. Box Score game one

June 4 – Game two didn’t go much better for Minnesota as the Tigers greeted Twins starter Jim Kaat with a three run blast from Rocky Colavito in the first inning and another three run blast from Bubba Morton in the second inning. Kaat fought back and lasted six innings but he took the loss and his record now stood at 1-5. Twins reliever Ted Sadowski who got the final two outs in the first game came in again in game two but the Tigers got to him too as he gave up the Tigers third home run of the game and  3 runs on 4 hits over the final two innings. Manager Lavagetto even tried coaching first base himself starting in the third inning but it did not help much. Tigers reliever Paul Foytack (3-3) relieved starter Bob Bruce and got credit for the win with 6.1 innings of stellar relief allowing just two runs on four hits. Harmon Killebrew broke an 0-15 slump with two hits and Billy Martin had two hits. The two losses dropped the Twins record to 19-28, thirteen games behind the high flying Tigers. Just when you think things can’t get any worse, the Twins get to fly to New York to play two games again tomorrow after having burnt through their best starters against the Tigers. Box score game two 

June 5 – The Twins are in New York to take on the Bronx Bombers and will play their second DH in two days. The first game today is a make-up game for the April 13 game that was rained out. The Twins jumped out to a quick lead in the first inning when Zoilo versalles singled and went to third on a throwing error and scored on a Bill Tuttle’s ground out to second. Lenny Green followed that with a home run off Yankee starter Jim Coates and the Twins had a quick 2-0 lead. Don Lee started for Minnesota and held the Yanks to just two hits through the first six innings. Things went to pot for Lee with one out in the seventh inning when the Twins committed their third error of the game behind him allowing Bill Skowron to reach first. Elston Howard then singled putting runners at first and second and Minnesota native Johnny Blanchard stepped up to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Blanchard was in an 0 for 11 slump as a pinch-hitter and Lee had him down 0-2 before trying to throw another fastball past Blanchard who quickly deposited the ball 360 deep in the right field stands. Lee quickly dispatched the next Yankee hitters but the Twins and Lee found themselves down 3-2. In the eighth inning the Yankees kept the peddle to the metal and scored three insurance runs with two runs coming off a Mickey Mantle home run  off Twins reliever Ray Moore. The Twins tried to mount a rally in the ninth inning of Coates with singles by Jim Lemon and Julio Becquer but the Yankees brought in reliever Luis Arroyo who got Billy Martin to hit a ground ball that forced Becquer at second laving the Twins with runners at the corners. That brought up Billy Gardner who was not having a great game with two errors in the field and a 0 for 3 day with the bat and he added to his bad day by hitting into a game-ending double play and the Twins losing streak reached double figures (10). Lee went 7 strong innings allowing just four hits and one walk but all he got for his efforts was his second loss of the year. Lenny Green who got himself ejected in the fifth for arguing a third strike call had two hits including his home run, and Bill Tuttle also chipped in two hits, one of which was a double. Box score game one

June 5 – In game two the Twins faced 24 year old rookie right-hander Rollie Sheldon who was pitching in his eighth big league game and making just his fourth start in the majors. What was “crazy” about Sheldon was that he spent the previous season, his first in pro ball with class D Auburn in the New York-Pennsylvania League where he made 17 starts, completing 15 of them going 15-1. In 150 innings he struck out 127 and posted a 2.88 ERA.  The Twins drew first blood in this game when Twins starter Chuck Stobbs doubled in Billy Martin who had singled earlier and after 3 innings the Twins had a 1-0 lead. Things started unraveling for Stobbs in the fifth when he gave up 3 runs on 4 singles. The Yanks knocked Stobbs out of the game in the following inning and after six innings the Twins found themselves down 4-1. The Yankees added on two more insurance runs and when the final score was posted, it said Yankees 6 and Twins 1. Sheldon had pitched his first big league complete game allowing just 6 hits and upped his record to 2-2. Twins hitting woes continued as Billy Martin had two of the Twins 6 hits. Things were looking bleak for Minnesota who have now lost 16 out of their last 17 and 11 in a row and Whitey Ford couldn’t wait to take the mound for the Yankees the following day. Box Score

June 6 – The Twins find themselves in ninth place in the with a 19-30 record to begin the day. Twins manager Cookie Lavagetto is given a weeks “furlough” by owner Calvin Griffith prior to the game today. Coach Sam Mele temporarily replaces Lavagetto but it doesn’t help much as the Twins lose 7-2 to New York at Yankee Stadium I making it 12 losses in a row and 17 losses in their last 18 games. Interim manager Sam Mele was ejected in the second inning and coach Ed Lopat took over, making him the Twins third manager of the day. Yankee starter Whitey Ford was tough, allowing just one hit through the first seven innings before being pulled after allowing two hits in the eighth inning. Two of the Twins three hits were by pinch-hitters Billy Gardner and Jim Lemon. Yankee Roger Maris hit the games only home run and Tony Kubek was 3 for 5. Box Score

June 7 – A Yankee five-run third inning does in the Twins in Gotham as Roger Maris and Yogi Berra both go long off Twins starter Pedro Ramos. The Maris home run was number 17 and leads the league. The Yankees had two more hits in the fourth inning but Ramos got out of that situation with no runs allowed and neither he or reliever Ed Palmquist allowed another Yankee hit for the remainder of the game. The Twins can only muster two hits off Yankee hurler Ralph Terry as he goes the distance for the win and the Twins drop into the AL cellar with the 5-1 loss, their 13th loss in a row. The Twins actually had a 1-0 lead when they bunched their two hits in the first inning and then were held hitless by Terry for the rest of the game. The Twins are off to Baltimore to continue their long six city 18 game road-trip. Box Score

There are bad weeks and then there are real bad weeks, the Twins had one of those real bad ones as they went winless with a 0-9 record in just 6 days and they are in the midst of an 18 game road trip. On the plus side, June 7 is the only day this year that the Twins will find themselves in the AL cellar. The Twins are now 19-32, a whopping 14-5 games behind the Cleveland Indians who have taken over first place by a 1/2 game over the Detroit Tigers. After 51 games the Twins have given up a MLB leading 274 runs, an average of 5.37 a game.

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 7.

Prior to play on May 25 the Twins are 18-19 and on a five game losing skid. They now find themselves in fifth place, 8.5 games behind the first place Detroit Tigers.

May 25 – Twins starter Pedro Ramos gives up five straight hits including two home runs and a total of five runs without retiring a single batter but manages to retire the next three batters and ends up going 9 innings but ends up with a ND. Ramos gave up 5 hits in the first inning but held the Tigers to just two hits over the next 8 frames. Meanwhile; the Twins offense keeps pecking away and finally ties the game at 5-5 with a Reno Bertoia single that scores Dan Dobbek who had a pinch-hit double in the home half of the ninth. The Tigers went ahead 6-5 in the 10th inning on a Bill Bruton home run off reliever Ted Sadowski but the Twins fought back in the bottom of the 10th and scored a run to tie the game when Bob Allison singled, Earl Battey sacrificed him to second and Hal Naragon delivered a pinch-hit single. Paul Giel keeps the Tigers off the board in the 11th inning and the Twins bats got to work once again. Lenny Green who extended his hitting streak to 22 games doubles for his fourth hit of the game, Bertoia’s sac bunt moves Green to third base bringing up the Killer, but he gets a free pass putting runners at the corners and the slumping Jim Lemon steps up and slams the first pitch he sees to left field for a game winning walk-off single. The 7-6 walk-off win in front of 10,987 Ladies Day fans brings the Twins back to the .500 mark and finally ends the five-game losing streak. The win by Paul Giel was his first and only win he would get for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins wrapped up a long homestand that saw them play 22 out of their last 24 games at Met Stadium while posting 10-14 mark. Now they have to hit he road for 18 games in six cities and if you follow along here, you will see it won’t be pretty. First stop, Washington D.C., the city that used to be their home from 1901-1960.  Box Score

May 26 – The Minnesota Twins play in Washington for the first time and lose 4-3 to the expansion Washington Senators in their old stomping grounds, Griffith Stadium. Both starters, Jim Kaat for the Twins and Joe McLain for the Senators pitched complete games but McLain allowed one less hit and got the win. Kaat also had two of the Twins seven hits and both were doubles. Lenny Green extended his consecutive games hitting streak to 23. The Twins continued their sloppy play in the field with three more errors and the loss drops them below the .500 mark again, they won’t see it again this season.  Box Score

May 27 – Shortstop Zoilo Versalles becomes the first Twin to get 5 hits in a game when he hits 2 doubles and 3 singles against the Washington Senators on the road but the Twins come up on the short-end of a 14-4 game when the Senators jump on Minnesota pitching for nine runs in the first three innings. Ed Palmquist was the Twins starter and loser. The Senators pounded out 11 extra-base hits in the game. Box Score

May 28 – The Twins and starter Jack Kralick could not hold a 4-1 lead and the Twins got beat 6-4 by the expansion Washington Senators. Much to the delight of the Senators and their fans, the Minnesota Twins got swept at Griffith Stadium in their first visit there since leaving the city after the 1960 season and becoming the Minnesota Twins. Twins fans had little to cheer about other than Harmon Killebrew’s 12th home run of the season and the fact that Lenny Green extended his hitting streak to 24 games with a bunt single. Killebrew also had a double, two walks, scored twice and had 2 RBI. Marty Kutyna upped his record to 3-0 with 3 innings of relief. The Twins third straight loss dropped them to seventh place in the standings and 8.5 games behind the first place Detroit Tigers. The Twins will enjoy a day off before facing the Cleveland Indians in a Memorial Day twinbill.  Box Score

May 29 – Scheduled Day Off. The Twins record is 19-22 and they are now in 7th place.

May 30 (Memorial Day) – In the first game of two, Twins starter Camilo Pascual allowed just three hits and had a 3-0 lead after six innings but things unraveled in the seventh when he gave up three singles and a walk allowing the Indians to narrow the score to 3-2. The Twins, the worst fielding team in the league committed two errors in the eighth inning allowing the Indians to knot the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the ninth Pascual allowed a lead-off single to John Romano and when outfielder Lenny Green allowed the ball to get past him for the teams third error of the game, Romano took second. An intentional walk followed putting runners at first and second bringing up Bubba Phillips who popped up for the first out of the inning. Don Dillard pinch-hit for pitcher Frank Funk and on a 1-1 pitch delivered a single over second base scoring Romano with the winning run and the Indians had a walk-off win over the visiting Twins at Cleveland Stadium. Pascual (4-5) pitched the entire game allowing 8 hits, 3 walks and 4 runs of which 3 were earned. The Twins had just 7 hits with Earl Battey getting two of them. Lenny Green went 0 for 4 and his 24 game hitting streak came to and end. Green hit .362 going 34 for 94 between May 1 and May 28. Box Score game one

May 30 (Memorial Day) – In game two of the DH the Twins quickly found themselves down 3-0 in the first inning when Twins starter Pedro Ramos gave up three hits. Things got worse in fourth when a Billy Gardner error put Willie Kirkland on first to lead off the inning which led to three unearned runs and quick trip to he showers for Ramos after just 3.2 innings. The Twins fought back with a five run sixth inning off Indians starter Mudcat Grant that was capped off by Bob Allison’s ninth home run of the season and the Twins closed the gap to 6-5. The Indians however; scored a run in the bottom of the frame and led 7-5 going into the ninth. The Twins put the tying runs on base in the ninth but Reno Bertoia popped up to the third baseman for the final out of the game and the Twins ended up the day with two losses and a their losing streak reached five games. The Twins had eight hits with Zoilo Versalles and Hal Naragon getting two each. Box Score

May 31 – Twins vs Indians game in Cleveland was rained out and rescheduled for July 13. The 19-24 Twins find themselves in 7th place today, 9 games behind the AL leading Detroit Tigers. The record in May goes in the books as 10-18.

The Minnesota Twins start the week with a nice walk-off win at home ending a long home stand but lose their next five games and their record drops 19-24 and they find themselves dropping in the stadings like a rock and now sitting alone in seventh place a full nine games behind the high-flying Detroit Tigers.

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 6.

Prior to play on May 18 the Twins are 16-13 on the season good for third place but trailing the leaders by 5.5 games. The league leading Detroit Tigers who are 23-9 and have a five game lead on the second place New York Yankees.

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.