July 4, 1959: Twin Cities fireworks: Millers, Saints split holiday twin bill

The minor league American Association was formed in 1902, mainly from teams in the Western League, predecessor of the American League.1 The Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints (often referred to as the “Apostles” in the early twentieth century) were charter members of the league, which eventually attained Triple-A status.

The Millers and Saints had a tradition of playing a split doubleheader on the Decoration Day (now Memorial Day), Independence Day, and Labor Day holidays, with a morning game played in one city and an afternoon game in the other city. The tradition dated to at least 1896, when the Sporting Life and Minneapolis Daily Times reported box scores showing a July Fourth Western League Miller sweep, winning the morning game at home 8-5, and 9-5 in the afternoon game at St. Paul.2 By 1902, The Sporting News and Minneapolis and St. Paul newspapers reported accounts of doubleheaders on all three holidays.3

American Association historian Rex Hamann described the holiday doubleheaders as “especially celebratory and caustic.”4 He noted that for much of their existence, the teams’ home fields, Lexington Park in St. Paul and Nicollet Park in Minneapolis, were just a seven mile streetcar ride apart.5 Undoubtedly, there were some interesting trips between the ballparks with trolley cars filled with fans of both teams.

SABR’s Stew Thornley described the meetings of the rivals as “always intense affairs.” 6 He noted a brawl in a July 4, 1929, morning game in Minneapolis, started by a Saints’ pitcher getting spiked covering first base and a Millers reserve infielder and first-base coach contributing to the fisticuffs, which led to an interesting headline in the Minneapolis Journal: “Sammy Bohne Doesn’t Play But Gets More Hits Than Those That Do.”7 Albert “Ab” Wright of Minneapolis put on an amazing power display with four home runs and a triple in the afternoon game at Minneapolis on July 4, 1940. 8

By 1959, the Millers and Saints were playing in new facilities, built in hopes of attracting a major league franchise. Metropolitan Stadium was built on a cornfield in Bloomington, Minnesota, and served as the home of the Millers starting in 1956. Midway Stadium in St. Paul opened in 1957. 9

The Saints continued their longtime relationship as a Triple-A affiliate of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. The 1959 Millers were the defending Junior World Series champions in their second season as a Boston Red Sox affiliate, managed by a former Saints player, 33-year-old Gene Mauch.10 They entered the holiday doubleheader atop the American Association Eastern Division with a 55-27 record. The Saints were fourth in the same division with a 41-45 record, under veteran minor-league manager Max Macon.

The July 4 morning game was played at St. Paul. Former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Don Bessent started for St. Paul against former Red Sox hurler Willard Nixon of Minneapolis.

In the fourth inning of the morning game in St. Paul, Miller skipper Mauch climbed into the stands to confront a Saints fan he said was getting “personal.” His players attempted to prevent him from reaching the offending fan, who was using a “loud speaking device to help heckle the opposition,” and who received a fiery tirade from Mauch. The umpires claimed to have not seen the incident.11 Millers’ General Manager George Brophy said the Saints should be “censured” by the league for failing to control their fans, while Saints’ General Manager Mel Jones said Mauch had “no business” going into the stands to confront a “customer.” 12

After the Millers tied the game in the fifth on four hits and a St. Paul error, former Miller, Joe Tanner (no relation to the Millers’ Chuck Tanner), hit a two-run home run and Jim Gentile followed with a solo shot for a 5-2 lead the Saints never relinquished, winning 8-4. Gentile had two doubles and two home runs and in the victory, ending an eight-game Miller win streak. Bessent pitched seven strong innings and was the winner, while Nixon took the loss. 13 Neither pitcher ever pitched in the majors again. Nixon was released and retired after the 1959 season. Bessent pitched three more seasons in the minors before retiring, his once promising career derailed by injuries and alcohol.14

The action then moved to Metropolitan Stadium for the afternoon game. For 8⅓ innings, Minneapolis’ Earl Wilson was the star. He had a double and home run as a batter, with a four-hit shutout, eight strikeouts, and a 6-0 lead. He seemed a cinch to win his 10th straight decision.

But the Saints proceeded, in the words of Tom Briere of the Minneapolis Tribune, to “explode all over the Stadium,” 15 beginning with a single by a good-hitting pitcher, Jackie Collum. Another hit, a walk, and a groundout ruined Wilson’s shutout. After walking his first four times up in the game, Gentile hit a long home run to right field, his third of the day, to make the score 6-4. After an infield hit, Joe Caffie hit a home run off reliever Bud Byerly to tie the score.

Byerly finally retired the side and the game remained tied until the last  of the 10th inning when Tom Umphlett singled in Jim Mahoney with the winning run. Byerly was the winner over future Dodger and Minnesota Twin Ed Palmquist of the Saints, who relieved in both games. 16

Jim Gentile had eight runs batted in and was not retired once by the Millers in the doubleheader. The San Francisco prep star was coveted by the Yankees but signed with the Dodgers for a $50,000 bonus in 1952. 17 He started as both a pitcher and first baseman and toiled for eight years in the Dodgers system, his path blocked by Gil Hodges and a bad temper.18 He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles after the 1959 season and became the first AL or NL player to hit two grand slams in consecutive innings on May 9, 1961, at Metropolitan Stadium against the Twins, the same year he tied for the AL lead  with 141 runs batted in. Gentile hit 179 home runs in nine big league seasons.

Before July 1959 was over, Earl Wilson was recalled by the Red Sox, becoming their second Black player, after Millers teammate Pumpsie Green. Green made his Red Sox debut on July 21, and Wilson on July 28. Wilson was 121-109, 3.69 in 11 seasons in the majors for Boston, Detroit and San Diego, with 35 home runs as a batter in the days before a designated hitter.19

The author could not find any record of action taken by American Association President Ed Doherty either “censuring” the Saints or fining Gene Mauch for the incident in the morning game. The Millers finished the season second in the Eastern Division at 95-67 but won the league playoffs, their third American Association championship in five years, and returned to the Junior World Series, losing to the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League four games to three.

The Saints remained in fourth place in the Eastern Division and out of the playoffs, finishing 81-81. Baseball-Reference notes that 35 of the 40 players who suited up for the Millers in 1959 were future or former major-leaguers. Fifteen of 32 players for the 1959 Saints ever played in the majors. Their roster contained numerous career minor leaguers, like Lacey Curry, Jasper Spears, Bobby Dolan, Rene Friol, Jim Koranda, Charlie Ready, Ed Richardson, and Gene Wallace, all of whom had nine or more years in Organized Baseball, with no time in the major leagues.

Local newspaper coverage on Independence Day 1959 discussed causes of St. Paul’s undermanned roster. In an uncommon display of Twin Cities unity, Dick Cullum of the Minneapolis Tribune and Joe Hennessy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press agreed that the Dodgers were not always treating their St. Paul affiliate with respect. Cullum wondered why outfielder Frank Howard, after tearing up the Double-A Texas League for the Dodgers’ Victoria Rosebuds farm, with 27 home runs and a .371 batting average in 63 games, and a brief trial with the Dodgers, was recently assigned to Triple-A Spokane in the Pacific Coast League, rather than St. Paul. 20 Saints GM Mel Jones bemoaned the fact that he had to share Dodgers’ Triple-A players with the Spokane Indians and the Montreal Royals of the International League. 21

The 1960 season marked the end of the Millers-Saints rivalry. On October 26 1960, Washington Senators’ owner Calvin Griffith announced that he was moving his franchise to the Twin Cities. 22  The Saints, still affiliated with the Dodgers, moved to Omaha, Nebraska. The Red Sox realigned with the Pacific Coast League’s Seattle Rainiers. 23

The Saints were revived as a franchise in the independent Northern League in 1993, playing in a new Midway Stadium. As of 2024, they were the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, a member of the International League.

Author’s Note

The author attended the afternoon game with his grandmother. He wishes to thank Maggie Sullivan of the George Latimer Library, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Joe Worley for digital copies of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Gary Belleville and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Jim Gentile (Trading Card Database)

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information.

Notes

1 The Western League had multiple iterations between 1885 and 1899, when several of its clubs formed what became known as the American League in 1900. Two Ohio clubs, Columbus and Toledo, joined the American Association in 1902 from the Western Association. The Western League continued and was affiliated with Organized Baseball, even after the loss of clubs to the American League in 1900 and the American Association in 1902, as a minor league of mostly Midwestern cities until 1937. The league had two additional reincarnations, 1939-41 and 1947-58. It was revived as an independent professional league (1995-2002). W.C. Madden and Patrick J. Stewart, The Western League (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2002), vii. The American Association was affiliated with Organized Baseball from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997, and has been an independent professional league since 2005. “League History,” American Association, https://aabaseball.com/league/history/, accessed December 8, 2024.

2 The Sporting Life, Western League, July 11, 1896: 15, Minneapolis Daily Times, July 5, 1896: 3.

3 The Sporting News, American Association, June 7, 1902: 3; July 12, 1902: 3; September 13, 1902: 3; “Fans Go Wild With Delight,” Minneapolis Tribune, May 31, 1902: 2, “St. Paul Gets Sweet Revenge,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 5, 1902: 2; “Another Even Break,” Minneapolis Tribune, September 2, 1902: 3; “Teams Break Even,” St. Paul Globe, May 31, 1902: 5; “Saints Break Even,” St. Paul Globe, July 5, 1902: 5, “Break Even Again,” St. Paul Globe, September 2, 1902: 5.

4 Rex D. Hamann, The Millers and the Saints, Baseball Championships of the Twin Cities Rivals, 1903-1955 (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2014), 4.

5 Hamann, 288.

6 Stew Thornley, Holy Cow! The Life and Times of Halsey Hall (Minneapolis: Nodin Press, 1991), 36.

7 Stew Thornley, On to Nicollet, The Glory and Fame of the Minneapolis Millers (Minneapolis: Nodin Press, 1988), 34-35; Halsey Hall, “Sammy Bohne Doesn’t Play But Gets More Hits Than Those That Do,” Minneapolis Journal, July  5, 1929: 28.

8 George A. Barton, “Wright Cracks Record; Kels and Saints Divide,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 5, 1940: 17. The Millers were often referred to in the press at the time as the Kels, a reference to their owner, Mike Kelley.

9 Michael Benson, Ballparks of North America, A Comprehensive Historical Reference to Baseball Grounds, Yards and Stadiums, 1845 to Present (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1989), 236, 354.

10 Mauch was in his second and last year as the Millers’ manager and repeated as the American Association Manager of the Year, before taking the helm of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960 and beginning a long career as a major league manager. Frank Haraway, “Mauch Repeats as Top A.A. Skipper,” The Sporting News, November 4, 1959: 17.

11 “Mauch Leads Mates Into Midway Stands,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 5, 1959: 6. (The St. Paul Pioneer Press account said the incident occurred in the fifth inning, while the Minneapolis Tribune and The Sporting News reported that it was in the fourth inning.)

12 Tom Briere, “Mauch Goes Into Stands, Warns Fan,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 5, 1959: 25; “Mauch Goes Into St. Paul Stands to Silence Heckler,” The Sporting News, July 15, 1959: 32. There was speculation that Mauch may have begun the day in bad humor because he was not selected to replace Pinky Higgins, fired as Boston manager the day before. Charles Johnson, “Lowdown on Sports,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 5, 1959: 26. The Associated Press’s report carried by the Pioneer Press, July 4, 1959: 10, on the hiring of Senators coach Billy Jurges to replace Higgins’ said other candidates were considered but were under contract to other teams. However, Mauch was already under contract to the Red Sox to manage their Minneapolis affiliate. Jurges was fired in June 1960 after a 59-63 record as manager, succeeded by Mike Higgins!

13 Tom Briere, “Millers, Saints Divide Pair,” Minneapolis Tribune, July 5, 1959: 25.

14 Andy McCue, Don Bessent, SABR Biography Project. Bessent was 14-7 with a 3.33 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Dodgers. He was a star in the Dodgers’ seven-game World Series loss to the Yankees in 1956, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two appearances. In the 1955 Series, won by the Dodgers over the Yankees in seven games, he pitched 3⅓ scoreless innings.

15 Briere, “Millers, Saints Divide Pair.”

16 Briere, “Millers, Saints Divide Pair.”

17 Jack McDonald, “Brooks Outbid Bosox, Yanks for ‘Frisco Kid,’” The Sporting News, July 2, 1952: 32.

18 Dick Gordon, “Gentile Curbs Quick Temper by Swinging a Hot Bat,” The Sporting News, August 5, 1959: 33. Gordon noted bat-throwing incidents by Gentile in previous years. Saints GM Mel Jones denied that Gentile had been suspended earlier in 1959, although Gentile’s SABR biography by Corey Stolzenbach notes a heated argument between Gentile and manager Macon that season. An incident involving Gentile tossing his bat at umpire Ed Vargo on June 12, 1966, while a member of the Houston Astros, helped end his major-league career, John Wilson, “Bat-Tosser Gentile Headed for Minors, Fights Back Tears,” The Sporting News, June 25, 1966: 6.

19 In 1962 Wilson, facing the Los Angeles Angels, pitched the American League’s first no-hitter by a Black pitcher.

20 Dick Cullum, Minneapolis Tribune, “Dodgers, Saints in Family Spat,” July 4, 1959: 17.

21 Jenk Jones, Minneapolis Tribune, “AA Brass Watch Stars, See Tight Race in AA,” July 14, 1959: 14. There were 26 Triple-A franchises and 16 major league teams in 1959. The Dodgers had three farm teams at this level, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Baltimore had two each, and the Red Sox, White Sox, Detroit, Cubs, Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland, Kansas City, and San Francisco had one each. Washington had no Triple-A farm team and four teams at this level operated with no major league affiliation.

22 Charles Johnson, “Cities Hit Homer! Here’s How We Got the Senators,” Minneapolis Star, October 27, 1960: 1.

23 The last holiday doubleheader occurred on Labor Day, September 5, 1960, with St. Paul winning the morning game, 4-2, at Midway Stadium and the Millers taking the afternoon game, 6-4, at Metropolitan Stadium. The only fireworks occurred when Miller pitcher Glen “Stubby” Stabelfeld escaped serious injury when he deflected Willy Miranda’s line drive with his glove and was hit on the forehead in the eighth inning of the morning game, and when Saints catcher Dan Gatta was ejected in the fourth inning of the second game for arguing balls and strikes. Carl Yastrzemski of Minneapolis hit in both games, extending a hitting streak to 29 games. Tom Briere, “Millers, Saints Divide; Yaz gets 3 Hits,” Minneapolis Tribune, September 6, 1960: 20. Yastrzemski’s streak was snapped at 30 games three days later by Saints pitcher Art Fowler. Tom Briere, “Schwall, Golden Trade Shutouts,” Minneapolis Tribune, September 9, 1960: 15.