July 3, 1973: DH Tony Oliva’s three home runs are not enough as Royals beat Twins

After the American League adopted the designated hitter rule for the 1973 season, there was much speculation in the press about its impact. Oscar Kahan, writing for The Sporting News in January 1973, was among the first to point out one particular benefit of the new rule. He wrote, “Now there will be room on the roster for players who can hit and can’t field or can’t run well enough to play a regular position.”1

Kahan pointed to Orlando Cepeda as an example, but he could have picked Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins.

Oliva had not always exemplified Kahan’s DH profile. Until a knee injury late in 1971, Oliva had displayed his talent on the basepaths and in the outfield as well as at the plate. Never a great base thief, Oliva still averaged over 10 stolen bases per season from 1964 to 1971, and he used his speed to collect 46 triples. On defense Oliva led AL right fielders in putouts six times, in double plays three times, and in assists twice, winning a Gold Glove in 1966.

Of course, Oliva’s calling card had always been his left-handed bat. After September call-up appearances in 1962 and 1963, the Cuban joined the Twins to stay in 1964 at age 25. That season Oliva led the AL in batting (.323), hits (217), runs (109), doubles (43), and total bases (374), making him an easy choice for AL Rookie of the Year. In 1965 Oliva repeated as batting champ, again topped the AL in hits, and helped Minnesota to its first World Series. Oliva added a third batting title in 1971 and from 1966 to 1971 paced the AL in hits and doubles three more times, and slugging percentage once.

But by spring 1973 everything had changed; Oliva’s future in baseball was clouded by four right-knee surgeries. Knee problems had limited him to 10 games in 1972, and in spring training Oliva ran with a limp.2 Twins manager Frank Quilici told reporters on March 16, “If the season were to start today, Oliva could not play the outfield.”3

As it turned out, the DH rule rescued Oliva. Quilici named him the Opening Day DH, and on April 6 in Oakland, Oliva became the first DH to hit a home run.

Oliva started at DH in 138 games in 1973, pinch-hit eight times (remaining in the game as DH four times), and he never played defense. As Oliva’s SABR biographer Peter C. Bjarkman remarked, “Few players ever benefitted more substantially or more immediately from a rule change.”4

Oliva’s biggest day as a DH came on July 3, 1973, when he clubbed three home runs against the Kansas City Royals, only to be upstaged by Paul Schaal’s ninth-inning home run that beat the Twins, 7-6.

Minnesota entered the game riding a five-game winning streak and holding first place in the AL West Division by 4 percentage points over the Oakland A’s. On July 2 in Kansas City, the Twins had won the first game of this home-and-home four-game set, and they would host the Royals in Metropolitan Stadium for the final two games on July 4-5.

After Kansas City right-hander Mark Littell recorded two outs to begin the game, Oliva pulled a pitch over the right-field fence for his fourth home run of the season – and first since June 12 –putting Minnesota on top, 1-0.

Fred Patek, the Royals’ leadoff hitter, lifted a Bert Blyleven offering into the left-field seats to even things at 1-1, ending a string of 16 consecutive scoreless innings for Blyleven, and seemingly unsettling the tall right-handed hurler. Cookie Rojas singled to left, as did Amos Otis, giving the Royals runners at the corners.

Gail Hopkins – subbing for injured John Mayberry, the AL’s home run (19) and runs batted in (74) leader – bounced a double off third baseman Steve Braun’s glove, scoring Rojas with Kansas City’s second run, and sending Otis to third. Ed Kirkpatrick flied to left field deep enough for the speedy Otis to tag and sprint home. The first inning ended with the Royals ahead 3-1.

Kansas City extended its lead to 4-1 in the third. Otis singled, stole second, and was safe at third when the Twins allowed Hopkins’ swinging bunt to roll fair for a single. Kirkpatrick flied to center, collecting another sacrifice fly when Otis tagged up, and raced across home plate.

Minnesota used the long ball in the fourth to begin a comeback. With Bobby Darwin on first following a single, Larry Hisle crushed his eighth home run of the season over the left-field fence to draw the Twins to within one run, 4-3.

Oliva tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth, golfing one of Littell’s pitches that was nearly in the dirt, into the stands near the 385-foot sign in the right-field power alley. Afterward, Oliva told sportswriters he hit the home run “almost only with one hand.”5

Darwin kept the rally going with a double to the right-field corner and took third on Braun’s fly to deep right. That ended Littell’s day; Ken Wright replaced him on the hill. Wright could not keep the Twins at bay: He walked Hisle and yielded a single by Joe Lis that scored Darwin from second and put Minnesota ahead, 5-4.

A grateful Blyleven – in his fourth season with Minnesota at age 22 – returned to the mound in the bottom of the sixth with a lead. In his previous nine starts, Blyleven had gone 6-2, and all six wins were shutouts, including a blanking of the Royals on May 24. But today Blyleven was scuffling, and even five Twins runs were not enough; Schaal slammed his fourth home run of the season to tie the game, 5-5.

In the top of the eighth, the Twins put runners at first and second with no outs, forcing Royals manager Jack McKeon to call Gene Garber from the bullpen. Garber stopped Minnesota’s rally with a strikeout, and two grounders back to the mound.

In the bottom of the eighth, Hopkins stroked his third hit, a single to left. Kurt Bevacqua, running for Hopkins, took second on Kirkpatrick’s bunt. Lou Piniella flied out to left-center and Bevacqua raced to third. Steve Hovley slashed a ball down the right-field line to score Bevacqua, putting Kansas City up, 6-5. Hovley made the turn for second; Darwin’s throw to shortstop Jerry Terrell covering the bag was on the money, cutting down Hovley for the third out.

Garber returned for the ninth.  Rod Carew  grounded out to first and Terrell struck out on a disputed called strike, giving Garber a string of five consecutive outs. He needed one more to end the game.  

Oliva came to the plate and connected with Garber’s first pitch – a pitch that “didn’t move,” according to Garber6 – launching it over the fence in right-center. It was Oliva’s third home run of the game, doubling his season total, and making him the first DH with a three-homer game.

With the score tied, 6-6, Quillici turned pitching duties over to Ken Sanders. The right-handed Sanders had been named AL Fireman of the Year by The Sporting News in 1971 when he led the league in saves (31) and games pitched (83) for the Milwaukee Brewers while posting a 1.91 ERA. Sanders was not having that sort of success in Minnesota; in 22 relief appearances, he had a 2-2 record, 8 saves, and a 5.15 ERA.

Schaal was the first batter to face Sanders, who fell behind in the count, 3-and-1. Sanders grooved a pitch that Schaal slammed into the seats just inside the left-field foul pole – his second blast of the night, and a game-winner. The Royals, losers of seven of their previous nine, celebrated a 7-6 win.

Sanders “knew it was gone,”7 and walked off the mound even before the ball landed. According to Schaal, “I’m sure he was just trying to throw a strike. I’m sure he didn’t want to start off the inning by walking me.”8       

Oliva, the first player to belt three home runs in a game at the brand-new Royals Stadium  – it had opened in April – was disappointed by the loss despite his performance, and offered no explanation for his power outburst. “You never know when you are going to hit one,” he told reporters.9

Oliva had been a reluctant DH. Although he acknowledged that the rule kept him in the lineup, Oliva had hoped for a complete recovery for his knee and a spot in the outfield.10 Nevertheless, Oliva shined in the role. As DH he hit .289, with 16 home runs and 91 RBIs, and topped the AL with 142 games in the DH role.

The Twins’ loss, coupled with Oakland’s 3-0 win over the California Angels, dropped the Twins into second place; they never regained first. Minnesota (81-81) finished third in the West Division, 13 games behind first-place Oakland and seven games behind second-place Kansas City.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Joe Wancho and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play. The author also relied on game coverage in the Kansas City Star and Minneapolis Star, and reviewed SABR BioProject biographies for several players involved in the game.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA197307030.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1973/B07030KCA1973.htm     

Notes

1 Oscar Kahan, “DHs May Give Needed Hypo to A.L.,” The Sporting News, January 27, 1973: 38.

2 Bob Fowler, “Kaat Sticks to Guns, Playing Without Pact,” The Sporting News, March 31, 1973: 44.

3 “Twins Roster Taking Shape,” Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, March 17, 1973: 8.

4 Peter C. Bjarkman, “Tony Oliva,” https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/tony-oliva/.

5 Rich Sambol, “Royals Use Light Artillery on Twins,” Kansas City Star, July 4, 1973: 17.

6 Sambol.

7 Dan Stoneking, “3-Homer Oliva Sets DH Mark,” Minneapolis Star, July 4,1973: 52.

8 Sambol.

9 Sambol.

10 Bob Fowler, “Magic Bandage, DH Rule Keep Tony Oliva in Lineup,” The Sporting News, May 26, 1973: 19.