July 21, 1977: Hisle’s bunt helps Twins’ Goltz beat Ryan, Angels

With Dave Goltz pitching for the Twins, and Nolan Ryan going for the Angels, a savvy fan entering Metropolitan Stadium on July 21, 1977, might well expect to witness a pitchers’ duel. And that is exactly what the 21,239 in attendance did see – after the first inning.

Both teams were sending their best to the mound. At age 30, Ryan was nearing legendary status. He could claim four no-hitters and had topped the league in strikeouts for four of the previous five seasons, including a record 383 strikeouts in 1973. In 1977 he was leading the league in wins (13) and strikeouts (234), averaging over 11 strikeouts per nine innings.1 While Goltz was less fearsome, he had registered 14 wins in each of the previous two seasons and already had 10 wins this year. The Minnesota native was enjoying his finest season, which would culminate with 20 wins.

California quickly scored off Goltz. Jerry Remy struck out to begin the game, but Rance Mulliniks reached base when Twins shortstop Roy Smalley booted his grounder.2 Bobby Bonds followed with a home run over the fence in left-center to stake the Angels to a 2-0 lead.3 Goltz responded by striking out Tony Solaita but surrendered a single to Don Baylor before retiring the Angels with another strikeout.

Despite striking out three Angels, Goltz had encountered the sort of first-inning problems that had plagued him recently.4 The opposition had scored in the first inning of eight of his last 12 starts, including six consecutive starts from June 15 to July 5. When Goltz was asked afterward about this recurring problem, he quipped, “Maybe we should start these games at 8:45 instead of 7:30.”5

The Twins’ first inning started with a single by Mike Cubbage.6 After a fly out, Rod Carew drew a walk, putting runners at first and second. Up stepped Lyman Bostock, who tripled off the right-field fence to score Cubbage and Carew and tie the game.7 Afterward, Ryan commented on Bostock’s triple, “I gave him a pitch to hit … and he hit it. You don’t make a mistake against that type of hitter, and I made a mistake.”8

Next, Butch Wynegar sent a grounder to second baseman Remy, who checked Bostock back to third before retiring Wynegar. That brought Larry Hisle to the plate for what proved to be the key play of the game.

Hisle had been battling Ryan since joining the Twins in 1973, with Ryan usually getting the better of it. Ryan had struck out Hisle 23 times in their rivalry,9 victimizing Hisle more times than any other pitcher did.10 For the season, Hisle had mustered just two hits off Ryan in 12 at-bats.11 According to Hisle, “I just don’t hit him that well. So, I went to the plate telling myself that I was going to try a bunt.”12 A bunt? With two outs? From the player leading his team in home runs, and the league in runs batted in?

Later, Hisle explained his thinking: “I figured my chances of bunting for a hit were better than my chances of swinging for one. I knew the third baseman (Dave Chalk) would be playing back, but I also knew that if I tried to bunt on the first pitch and missed, he would move in a few steps on ensuing pitches and take that play away from me.”13 Hisle needed a first-pitch strike from Ryan. If he got one, with the element of surprise on his side, a properly executed bunt might work.

Hisle got the strike he wanted, and bunted it down the third-base line for a single. “It was perfect,” said Angels manager Dave Garcia. “There was nothing Dave Chalk could do about it.”14 Bostock scored on the play to give the Twins a 3-2 lead.15 “Hisle has knocked in a lot of big runs this season with some long hits,” said Twins manager Gene Mauch, “But tonight, he drove in a very big run with one that went 26 feet.”16 It was a big run indeed, ultimately giving the Twins a win.

The third inning presented Minnesota with an opportunity to extend its lead. After retiring the first two Twins batters, Ryan walked Wynegar. Hisle followed with another single – this one a more conventional hit to left field – sending Wynegar to third base. Another walk loaded the bases, but Smalley, batting next, grounded out to end the threat.

No Angels reached base in either the second or third inning and Goltz notched two more strikeouts. The Angels’ fourth inning began with Solaita hitting a grounder to Carew, which he took to first unassisted. Goltz had now retired eight consecutive batters.

Then suddenly, the Angels threatened to retake the lead. Baylor stroked his second single of the night and advanced a base when Twins second baseman Mike Cubbage muffed Chalk’s grounder. With runners now at first and second, Danny Goodwin hit a hard grounder “that seemed headed for center field,”17 but Smalley atoned for his first-inning error and third-inning groundout by gloving the ball and beating Chalk to second base for a force out.18 Goltz struck out Danny Briggs – his sixth strikeout of the game – to end the inning. Garcia cited this inning as the game’s turning point.19

Smalley also figured prominently in the Twins’ final scoring opportunity. He walked to begin the sixth and advanced to second when Ryan issued a walk to Rob Wilfong. Cubbage moved Smalley to third and Wilfong to second with a sacrifice bunt. But the scoring opportunity was squandered when Glenn Adams hit a grounder toward first that Solaita fielded and threw home for the tag on Smalley. Carew flied out to end the inning, and Ryan, finally harnessing his control, did not allow another Twins baserunner.

Meanwhile, Goltz was holding California at bay. The Angels had one baserunner in both the sixth and eighth, and two Angels reached base in the seventh, but no one went beyond second base. In the ninth, Goltz coaxed three “meek groundballs” to complete a 3-2 Minnesota victory.20

Good pitchers can shut down opponents even when they are not at their best. That was evident in this game. Ryan did not have good command and admitted he had no faith in either his fastball or curve.21 He struck out just four – far below his norm – threw a wild pitch, walked eight batters, and balked, yet he pitched a four-hitter, and no one crossed home plate after the first inning. Likewise, Goltz pitched from behind in the count most of the night,22 which usually leads to defeat. Even so, he got steadily better as the game went on, and “slammed the door” on the Angels in the ninth.23 As Mauch emphasized after the game, “Dave Goltz has learned how to win.”24 

Notes

1 234 strikeouts in 190⅔ innings.

2 “Angel Scorecard,” Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1977, Section III: 6.

3 “Angel Scorecard.

4 Bob Fowler, “Hisle’s winning bunt emphasizes his value,” Minneapolis Star, July 22, 1977: 7B.

5 Fowler.

6 “Angel Scorecard.”

7 Don Merry, “One Bad Inning One Too Many for Ryan, Angels,” Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1977, Section III: 1.

8 Merry.

9 Fowler.

10 Over Hisle’s career, Ryan struck him out 29 times in 67 at-bats (and 77 plate appearances).  baseball-reference.com/play-index/batter__vs__pitcher.cgi?batter=hislela01.

11 Fowler.

12 Fowler.

13 Fowler.

14 Merry: 6.

15 Fowler.

16 Fowler.

17 Merry: 6.

18 Merry: 6.

19 Merry: 6.

20 Max Nichols, “Mauch: Goltz Learns to Win,” Minneapolis Star, July 22, 1977: 7B .

21 Merry: 1.

22 Fowler: 9B.

23 Nichols.

24 Nichols.