The idea of major-league baseball in Minneapolis-St. Paul and the Upper Midwest sounded implausible, even absurd, to many in the late 1950s and early 1960s; a long, snowy winter, followed by a cold, wet spring, transitioning into a short, cool summer, and finally morphing into a frosty autumn with the prospect of snow again. But not to Minnesotans and not to Calvin Griffith, who inherited the Washington Senators from his uncle Clark Griffith in 1955 and relocated the team to the Twin Cities for the start of the 1961 season. A charter franchise of the American League in 1901, the Senators were perennial losers in the nation’s capital. Syndicated sportswriter and humorist Charles Dryden wrote in 1909 following the Senators’ 42-110 season, “Washington: first in war, first in peace, last in the American League.” Save for a brief heyday in the 1920s and early 1930s, when they captured their only World Series title (1924) and appeared in two more fall classics (1925 and 1933), the Senators rarely proved that unflattering aphorism wrong. From their last World Series appearance to their move to Minnesota, the Senators enjoyed only four winning seasons (and one .500 season) and hadn’t finished in the first division (the top four spots of a then eight-team league) since 1946. Washington’s dismal teams translated into poor attendance. In each of their final six seasons in D.C., the Senators ranked last in the AL in attendance; only once in franchise history (1946) did the Senators break the million mark in attendance.

The Senators’ move to Minnesota came during a 10-year period that saw major changes to the baseball landscape and reflected a shift in the demographics of the country. Following the Boston Braves’ move to Milwaukee in 1953, which demonstrated that baseball could thrive in a small-market city in the Midwest, the St. Louis Browns relocated to Baltimore (1954), the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City in 1955, and the Brooklyn Dodgers turned their backs on Brooklyn and the New York Giants departed for San Francisco (both in 1958). Besides allowing the Washington franchise to become the Minnesota Twins in 1961, the American League expanded to 10 teams that season, adding the Los Angeles Angels and awarding Washington another team, aptly named the Senators. The following season, the New York Mets and Houston Astros joined the National League.

After decades of frustration in Washington, the newly christened Minnesota Twins transformed into one of baseball’s most successful teams throughout the 1960s. Even though the Twins finished in usual territory in their first season (seventh place), the club set a new attendance record, drawing in excess of 1.2 million, third highest in the league. The Twins played their home games Metropolitan Stadium, located in suburban Bloomington, about 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis. Since opening in 1956, it had been the home park for the Minneapolis Millers, a Triple-A team in the American Association. The Millers and their league rivals, the St. Paul Saints, ceased operations when the Senators relocated to Minnesota. The original seating capacity of the stadium was expanded from 18,000 to 30,637 in 1960, and expanded again to 40,000 in 1964. The Minnesota Vikings, an NFL expansion team in 1961, also played in the “Met,” as the stadium was affectionately called.

At the end of the 1961 season, Sam Mele, who joined the Senators’ coaching staff in 1959 after a 10-year big-league career, took over as skipper. Under Mele’s guidance, the Twins battled the Yankees for the pennant in 1962, finishing in second place, just five games behind the eventual world champions. The Twins won 91 games for the second consecutive season in 1963, but finished in third, well behind the Yankees; however, they led the AL in attendance. After a disappointing sixth-place finish in 1964, the Twins seemed like a long shot to capture the pennant in 1965.

The Twins’ success throughout the 1960s can be attributed to their excellent scouting and farm system, whose roots extended back to the final decade in Washington. The 1965 club was filled with home-grown players who developed into all-stars. Befitting the Senators’ long tradition of Cuban players, two men from that island anchored the 1965 squad: 25-year-old shortstop Zoilo Versalles, who led the league in runs (126), doubles (45), triples (12), and total bases (308) to earn the AL MVP award; and 26-year-old right fielder Tony Oliva. In his second full season, the eight-time All-Star established himself as one of baseball’s best pure hitters, leading the league in batting average (.321) and hits (185) for the second consecutive year. Former Rookie of the Year (1959) and vocal team leader Bob Allison was a rugged left fielder who blasted 23 round-trippers; center fielder Jimmy Hall chipped in with 20 homers and 86 runs batted in. Arguably the period’s most feared slugger, 11-time All-Star Harmon Killebrew had led the AL in homers in the three consecutive seasons 1962-1964, but suffered an elbow injury on August 2, 1965, that cast a shadow on the team’s title aspirations. But backup first baseman Don Mincher stepped in to belt 22 homers and slug .509. Catcher Earl Battey, who had languished with the Chicago White Sox backing up perennial All-Star Sherm Lollar, was acquired in a trade prior to the 1960 season and developed into one of the best catchers in the AL. The Twins built their reputation as sluggers, smashing 225 and 221 round-trippers to lead the majors in 1963 and 1964. The 1965 squad belted 150 (to rank fourth in the league), but was an all-around team, ranking first in runs, hits, and doubles, while finishing second in triples, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.

The Twins’ pitching staff, which had been considered the club’s weakness in its quest for a pennant in 1962, got a big boost from pitching coach Johnny Sain, who joined the coaching staff in 1965. Righty Mudcat Grant, acquired the previous season from the Cleveland Indians, transformed from a league-average hurler to a star, leading the AL wins (21) and shutouts (6). Southpaw Jim Kaat paced the league with 42 starts and notched 18 victories. Two graybeards, 36-year-old Al Worthington (2.13 ERA over 62 appearances) and 37-year-old journeyman Johnny Klippstein (2.24 in 56 outings), anchored a strong relief corps that helped the Twins rank third in team ERA (3.14) despite playing half their games in a hitters’ park.

The Twins’ 11-inning victory over the New York Yankees – in frigid weather and with the Twin Cities plagued by flooding – on Opening Day augured the team’s success in 1965. Battling the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers for the top spot over the first 2½ months of the season, the Twins took sole position of first place on July 5 and never looked back. By September 14 the Twins enjoyed a 10-game cushion in the pennant race and cruised to a 102-60 record, seven games in front of the White Sox. Along the way, the Twins led the AL in attendance with a franchise record 1,463,258 (since far exceeded). The Twins were a rough-and-tumble squad, feisty like their first-year third-base coach Billy Martin, who had ended his playing career with the Twins four years earlier, and enjoyed solid seasons from role players like rookie outfielder Sandy Valdespino, swingman Jim Perry (12-7, 2.63 ERA), and hard-throwing 20-year-old Dave Boswell.

The Twins, nominal underdogs against the pitching-rich Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, took the first two games of the fall classic, which opened at the Met. After losing three straight at Dodgers Stadium, the Twins returned to their fans in Minnesota with the Series on the line. Mudcat Grant pitched a six-hitter to win the biggest game in his career, setting up a highly anticipated Game Seven. Unfortunately the Twins had no answer for Sandy Koufax, whose otherworldly performance in Game Seven, a three-hit shutout on two days’ rest, sealed the Twins’ fate and gave the Dodgers their second title in three years.

The year of 1965 was a tumultuous time in American history. The war in Vietnam was escalating and news of casualties was reported on the nightly news; the civil-rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., reached a critical moment with the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama; Malcolm X was assassinated; and the race riot in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles resulted in $40 million worth of damage, more than 4,000 arrests, and at least 34 deaths. Major-league baseball, by contrast, perhaps seemed trivial in light of the violence that had seemingly taken over the country. Nonetheless, as it had for decades, baseball – and sport in general – gave Americans a chance to escape, be it ever so briefly, to a place where whites, African Americans, and Latinos competed with and against each other.

This SABR Digital Library volume celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Minnesota Twins. I invite you to read the life and baseball stories of all 35 roster players, the four coaches, and the manager of that team, and relive an exciting era of baseball history. Also included are biographies of team owner Calvin Griffith; broadcasters Herb Carneal, Halsey Hall, and Ray Scott; and sportswriters Dick Gordon and Max Nichols. To provide context for the Twins’ accomplishments, a comprehensive summary of the regular season, as well as meticulous essays highlighting important games and the All-Star Game played in Minnesota, an overview of the 1965 Dodgers, and thorough summaries of all seven games of the World Series are included. Feature stories about how the Griffith family built its pennant winner, the fate of the Twins after 1965, Metropolitan Stadium, and the 1965 season “by the numbers” round out this volume.

Members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) researched and wrote all of the biographies and essays in this book.  Their interest in baseball history and commitment to preserving its heritage have made the volume possible.

A lifelong Pirates fan, GREGORY H. WOLF was born in Pittsburgh, but now resides in the Chicagoland area with his wife, Margaret, and daughter, Gabriela. A Professor of German Studies and holder of the Dennis and Jean Bauman Endowed Chair in the Humanities at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, he edited the SABR book “Thar’s Joy in Braveland.” The 1957 Milwaukee Braves (2014) and Winning on the North Side. The 1929 Chicago Cubs (2015). He is working on a project about the County Stadium in Milwaukee.

After more than half a century, many writers have a tendency to wax nostalgic on these owner-operators. In fact, these owners, who had no outside source of income, often ran their clubs on a shoestring budget and spent much less on scouting and minor-league operations than the wealthier franchises. By the early 1950s some of these teams were spectacularly unsuccessful. Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics only twice finished as high as fourth in the 20 years from 1935 through 1954, the team’s last year in Philadelphia, and finished last 11 times during the same period. While not quite as inept as the Athletics, the Senators rarely offered a competitive baseball product over their last 20 years in Washington. Setting aside the chaotic years of World War II, the Senators never finished higher than fourth during that period while landing in the cellar five times.

As an 11-year-old child Calvin Griffith Robertson caught a break when he and his sister Thelma left their poor subsistence lifestyle in Montreal and moved in with Uncle Clark Griffith in Washington. Clark, managing partner of the Washington Senators, introduced Robertson to a life in professional baseball. Although never formally adopted, Robertson reversed his middle and last names so that his last name would be that of his new “father,” Clark. After a number of years working in the minors (as both a manager and front-office executive) to hone his craft, Calvin Griffith formally joined the Senators organization in 1942. When Clark died at age 85 after the 1955 season, Calvin assumed control of the club.

One of the Senators’ few bright spots was Joe Cambria, a former minor-league player and longtime minorleague owner who became a legendary scout for the Senators. Although he signed such players as Early Wynn and Mickey Vernon, he gained most of his fame for his efforts in Cuba, which led to the signing of more than 400 players. With the help of Cambria, the Senators organization was at the forefront of signing baseball players from Latin America –particularly Cuba — a talent source that was especially attractive to the Griffiths because it was inexpensive. Cambria helped deliver several extremely talented Cuban ballplayers to the franchise.

The Cuban connection remained strong in the late 1950s. The team’s top two starting pitchers during the Senators’ final years in Washington, Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos, were both signed from Cuba, and the former had developed into one of the American League’s best pitchers. Pascual led the league in strikeouts from 1961 to 1963, finished second in 1964, and won at least 20 games in both 1962 and 1963. Future reserve outfielder Sandy Valdespino came north in the mid-1950s. Cambria sent teenage shortstop Zoilo Versalles to the US in 1957.

While still in Washington, the team had also acquired a number of future Twins standouts via the more typical method of the time: signing amateur Americans. During much of the 1950s, the rules required that a player receiving a signing bonus greater than $4,000 spend his first couple of years in the major leagues. Termed a “bonus baby,” this youngster typically received little playing time before being sent to the minors for more active seasoning.

In 1954 the Washington Senators signed Harmon Killebrew for $30,000, though this was partially offset as some of the bonus was earmarked against his salary. Still only 17, Killebrew turned down a multisport scholarship to the University of Oregon. As a bonus baby he played very little for the Senators before getting a chance to start his minor-league apprenticeship in 1956. After an excellent year and a half in the minors, Killebrew hoped to make the team as a regular in 1958. Manager Cookie Lavagetto, however, preferred to stay with the veteran third baseman Eddie Yost.

Griffith, who grew up in the game, was not afraid to meddle in what would generally be considered the manager’s domain. In fairness, he was often correct, which paradoxically may have caused his manager even more consternation. To maneuver Killebrew into the lineup, Griffith traded Yost after the season. Nevertheless, Lavagetto still seemed unwilling to make the slugging Killebrew his regular third baseman until Griffith finally forced the decision upon his manager in the spring. Killebrew responded with 42 home runs. Cincinnati general manager Gabe Paul certainly recognized Killebrew’s ability and offered Griffith $500,000 — a mammoth amount for an owner-operator — for the slugging third baseman. “We knew we couldn’t play the $500,000 at third base,” Griffith said after turning the offer down. “And we were convinced Harmon would develop into a great box office draw.”[fn]Dave Anderson, “The Riddle of Harmon Killebrew,” Official Baseball Annual, 1963.[/fn] Griffith wouldn’t spend beyond his meager means to build a winner, but he wasn’t looking to pull money out of the franchise — he wanted to win and would do everything he could within his financial wherewithal.

Griffith and his scouts signed three other key members of their pennant-winning team for exactly $4,000 in the mid-1950s, effectively skirting the bonus rule. In 1955 outfielder Bob Allison signed with the Senators after his sophomore year at the University of Kansas. Jimmie Hall, the center fielder for the 1965 club, signed in 1956 after finishing high school in North Carolina. The team signed pitcher Jim Kaat, one of the two rotation anchors on the pennant-winning club, in 1957 after his freshman year in college.

Just before the start of the 1960 season, Griffith made a great trade with the owner of the 1959 pennantwinning Chicago White Sox, Bill Veeck. He dealt 32-year-old outfielder/first baseman Roy Sievers for two young players who became key performers on the 1965 Twins, catcher Earl Battey and first baseman Don Mincher, plus $150,000. Veeck had bonded with Sievers during their days together with the Browns in the early 1950s, which possibly distorted his view.[fn]John Steadman, “He Made It the Hard Way,” Sports Review, May 1958.[/fn] Sievers had led the league in home runs in 1957, but in conjunction with his slightly diminished 1959 season, Griffith couldn’t refuse this offer. Battey was only 25 years old, and though slow afoot, he was a superb athlete — when the White Sox originally signed him they had to compete with an offer from the Globetrotters for his services — and Mincher was a powerful, if raw, left-handed bat.[fn]“Iron Man in an Iron Mask,” Dell Sports, July 1962.[/fn] Even without the money, this trade favored Griffith.

Scout Floyd Baker landed third baseman Rich Rollins in 1960 for a $6,000 signing bonus (the previous bonus rule was no longer in effect) after he graduated from Kent State. “I signed Rollins for his hustle and determination,” Baker said. “Not his ability.”[fn]Joe Donnelly, “The Rich Rollins Surprise,” Sport, October 1962.[/fn] Rollins almost didn’t sign when the team told him he would be starting in a Class D league. He recognized that would strand him too far from the majors for a 22-year-old, and he successfully held out to debut in Class B. Rollins would develop into a solid regular, though by 1965 he was no longer the star he appeared to be in his first few years in the majors.

In the late 1950s, the Washington Senators finished last in American League attendance every year and usually by quite a distance. In 1956, when the Senators drew fewer than 450,000 fans, no other team was under 850,000. Thus, when Minnesota’s Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul came calling on Griffith to entice a move, he was more than ready to listen, and the Senators moved to Minnesota for the 1961 season.

The franchise that Griffith moved had finally begun to show some improvement at the major-league level its last year in Washington. After three consecutive last-place finishes, in 1960 the club moved up to fifth place and a record of 73-81. That squad boasted three position players who would star for the 1965 team: Killebrew, Allison, and Battey. In addition, Versalles, Rollins, and Mincher were in the farm system, run capably by Griffith’s brother, Sherry Robertson. Of the future pennant-winning pitching rotation, Pascual had established himself, and Kaat had been handed a little major-league experience as a 21-year-old.

Despite the burgeoning young talent, the team fell to a disappointing 70-90 the first year in Minnesota. Testifying to his dissatisfaction, Griffith fired manager Cookie Lavagetto with the team 23-36 and promoted coach Sam Mele. “The Mele method,” wrote sportswriter Max Nichols, “was to reprimand and encourage individually, to remind players often on points to be worked on, but not to give much actual instruction. Players were expected to improve themselves.”[fn]Max Nichols, “Sam Mele: A Study in Pressure,” Sport, April 1966.[/fn]

Griffith was delighted, however, with the attendance in his new home. The team drew 743,404 fans his last year in Washington, the fewest in the league. In Minnesota the club finished third in the new 10-team league, drawing 1,256,723 patrons. Griffith was not afraid to reinvest his profits in the ballclub — he would not spend more than he took in, but he wasn’t using the club to fund a lavish lifestyle.

The club introduced future star Zoilo Versalles to the starting lineup in 1961. Early in his career Versalles had become known as a hot dog. Cambria had told the Twins: “He’s just a baby, a hot cup of coffee. You don’t light a fire under a hot cup of coffee, you cool him off a little and be nice to him then you’ll find you’ll love him.” Nevertheless, managers Cookie Lavagetto and Sam Mele dispensed discipline and prodding.[fn]Bill Libby, “Versalles in Search of Himself,” Sport, February 1964.[/fn] And in his early years Versalles exhibited a swagger and moodiness that masked the fears of a young man in a strange country.

In early 1961 the organization added another Cuban, a man who would become one of the decade’s best players. Pedro Oliva signed with Cambria in February and left for the United States six weeks later. Because he did not have a passport, he borrowed his brother Antonio’s and thereafter adopted the name Tony.

After arriving in America, Oliva, along with 21 other Cubans, went straight to a tryout camp in Florida. The camp had only several days remaining, and Oliva was released after a four-game audition. Determined to get into Organized Baseball, Oliva received some help from Charlotte owner Phil Howser, then part of the Twins’ minor-league system. Howser paid for Oliva’s room and board, let him practice with the team, and then sent him to a rookie league in June. A player who was to become one of their greatest stars had nearly slipped away.

The team responded well to Mele in 1962, and the young talent that Griffith had accumulated finally fulfilled its potential. In a bid to improve the infield defense and support the team’s young infielders, Griffith had swapped Ramos to the Indians for veteran first baseman Vic Power, renowned for his fielding prowess, and hurler Dick Stigman. To accommodate their new first sacker, the Twins moved Killebrew from first base to left field.

The Twins jumped all the way to 91 wins, the most by the franchise since 1933. Killebrew had a great year at the plate, coming in third in the MVP balloting, and both he and Allison finished in the top five in slugging. Rich Rollins joined the lineup, made the All-Star team, and came in eighth in the MVP voting. The Twins also promoted second baseman Bernie Allen to the lineup. Allen had signed the year before for a big bonus after leaving Purdue and joined the Twins’ Class A farm team for the remainder of the season. In 1962 he played in 159 games and finished third in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Jim Kaat became a star, finishing second in innings pitched and sixth in ERA, and Pascual turned in another stellar season, despite missing much of August with an inflamed tendon.

For 1963 Griffith brought back essentially the same team, expecting that his young team could continue to grow. But the team started slowly, bottoming out at 11-20 on May 15. To bolster his squad, in early May Griffith swapped lefty starter Jack Kralik — the team was overloaded with left-handed starters — to Cleveland for righty Jim Perry, a terrific pitcher in 1960 who had seemingly plateaued. The team also inserted Jimmie Hall, who had been filling in for Killebrew and Allison, into the starting lineup in June. After taking over for incumbent center fielder Lenny Green, Hall validated Mele’s trust. He slugged 33 home runs and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. The Twins bounced back after their slow start to again win 91 games, well behind the Yankees, who won 104.

This was clearly a talented squad. They hit 225 home runs, tied for the second most ever to that point, and led the league in runs scored. The pitching came through as well. Behind a rotation led by Pascual, Kaat, Stigman, and Perry, the Twins had the third best ERA in the league. Moreover, the team was likely even better than its record: its 767 runs scored and 602 allowed translated to a Pythagorean record of 98-63. Expectations were high indeed for 1964.

While Griffith was satisfied with the talent in his organization, he had a decision to make regarding one of his top farmhands. Tony Oliva had hit .304 with 23 home runs for Dallas-Fort Worth in 1963, after hitting .410 and .350 his previous two years in the minors. In Minnesota, Griffith had an outfield full of stars — Killebrew, Allison, and Hall had all finished in the top five in slugging — but Griffith smartly recognized he needed to move Oliva into the lineup. To accommodate Oliva, Griffith dictated that Mele move Allison to first, put Oliva in right, and bench the aging Power. Pushing Oliva onto the team was a brilliant move, but putting Allison at first instead of Killebrew was certainly curious.

Oliva responded to the Twins’ show of confidence with one of the best rookie seasons of all time. He led the league in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, and total bases. His 374 total bases were the most in the league between Mickey Mantle in 1956 and Jim Rice in 1977. Oliva also worked extremely hard on his fielding. Although he never really became a great outfielder, he improved enough to win a Gold Glove in 1966.

Despite Oliva’s performance and 221 home runs, the 1964 Twins fell all the way to sixth with a 79-83 record, and the season was viewed as a bitter disappointment. Moreover, the team lost Bernie Allen in June to a career-altering injury. He severely tore ligaments in his knee when Don Zimmer took him out at second with what Allen remembered as a “cross-body block” after a “lollipop” throw from Versalles.[fn]Dean Urdahl, Touching Base With Our Memories (St. Cloud, Minnesota: North Star Press, 2001), 5.[/fn]

Griffith, ever the activist, refused to concede the season and made three key moves in June, willingly and astutely spending the money his 1963 league-leading attendance afforded him. To bolster his faltering bullpen — 1963 hero Bill Dailey suffered arm problems and couldn’t repeat his outstanding performance — Griffith purchased two veteran relievers: Al Worthington from Cincinnati and Johnny Klippstein from Philadelphia. Both would excel in 1965. Griffith also picked up starter Jim “Mudcat” Grant in exchange for fifth starter Lee Stange, utilityman George Banks, and about $25,000.[fn]Terry Pluto, The Curse of Rocky Colavito (New York: Fireside, 1995), 69.[/fn] Grant had started the season poorly, but had been a reliable, league-average pitcher over the previous several seasons.

Griffith blamed much of the season’s fiasco on Mele. He felt that his manager failed to sufficiently rest his regulars. “Mele has not rested players to my satisfaction,” Griffith said. “Whoever manages the Twins next year [hardly a vote of confidence for his manager] will sit down with me in the spring and discuss a general policy of resting players.”[fn]Jon Kerr, Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1990), 67.[/fn]

Griffith also believed the team played “stupid, shabby baseball,” a sentiment subscribed to by a number of sportswriters.[fn]Ibid.[/fn] “By 1964 the Twins’ mental errors had become the talk of the league,” wrote Max Nichols. “Fundamental plays were beating them. Outfielders threw to the wrong bases almost daily. Infielders blew rundowns. Pitchers failed to cover first base. Infielders slept.”[fn]Nichols, “Sam Mele.”[/fn] The team had once again underperformed its Pythagorean record, this time by eight games. Minnesota’s run differential of 737 runs scored and 678 runs allowed would typically result in a record closer to 87-75. Whether the difference between a team’s actual won-loss record and that projected by its runs scored and allowed is mostly a function of random variation or can be attributed to some fundamental team characteristic remains unresolved within the baseball analytic community. In any case, something was clearly going on with the Twins. They had underperformed their run differential by a whopping 15 games over the past two years. And at a time before baseball observers understood the direct mathematical relationship between run differential and wins and losses, there was a widespread sense that the Twins were underperforming due to mental errors and a lack of fundamentals.

Griffith decided not to fire Mele but he rearranged the team’s coaching staff, bringing in two independent, strong-willed men. He signed Johnny Sain to be the pitching coach for roughly $20,000, making him one of the highest salaried coaches in baseball. Sain had been the pitching coach on the pennant-winning Yankees until he was let go after the 1963 season when he asked for a raise and a two-year contract. Sain spent 1964 working at his automobile dealership, but eagerly jumped back into baseball when Griffith came calling with an open checkbook. Whether due to Sain’s influence or other factors, the Twins’ ERA fell from 3.58 in 1964 to 3.14 in 1965, and the pitchers swore by Sain.

“No man alive knows more about that little baseball and how to throw it than Johnny Sain,” Worthington said. Mudcat Grant told reporters: “He made a winner out of me. He’s given me a second curve. It’s a quick, hard pitch. He can get it out of you. He has talent. He’s a great teacher.”[fn]Ed Rumill, “He Proves Yanks’ Letting Him Go Wasn’t Sain Move,” Baseball Digest, September 1965; Pat Jordan, “In a World of Windmills,” Sports Illustrated, May 8, 1972.[/fn]

To shore up the infield defense and add some spark to the club, Griffith hired fiery Billy Martin as the infield and third-base coach. Martin’s playing career had ended with the Twins when Mele released him at the end of spring training in 1962. Most recently, Martin had been a Twins scout. He immediately took an individual interest in Versalles and the two became very close. In fact, during spring training in 1965 Mele fined Versalles $300 for saying he was only leaving the field because Martin had told him to after Mele benched him for lackadaisical play.[fn]Francis Stann, “Erstwhile Moody Versalles Wins Acceptance,” Baseball Digest, October-November 1965; Nichols, “Sam Mele.”[/fn] This quickly blew over, and Versalles went on to the best season of his career, winning the MVP award in 1965. In Martin and Sain, Mele had a couple of great coaches, but they would require continuous monitoring and judicious handling.

Griffith also hoped to pull off at least one blockbuster trade to rearrange his talent. At the winter meetings he reportedly worked out a deal with the Mets. The Twins would receive second baseman Ron Hunt, already an All-Star at 23 (to address the uncertainty from Allen’s injury rehab); catcher Chris Cannizzaro; and solid starter Al Jackson. In exchange Griffith would send the Mets Hall, Battey, Perry, and either Rollins or Allen. Luckily for the Twins, Mets president George Weiss eventually turned this deal down.[fn]William Leggett, “Everybody Pick Up a Drum,” Sports Illustrated, August 23, 1965.[/fn] In a minor trade the team obtained second baseman Cesar Tovar from Cincinnati for a promising lefty, Gerry Arrigo, who never developed. Tovar went on to a number of fine seasons as a multi-position player with the Twins.

Griffith had built a great team. For 1965 Allison and Killebrew switched positions, so Harmon was now back at first and Allison was in left. Hall and Oliva rounded out a terrific outfield, at least offensively. Rollins and Versalles anchored the left side of the infield, and Battey was one of the league’s best catchers. Only at second base, manned by Jerry Kindall, did the Twins have anything less than a star-quality hitter, though Rollins had regressed significantly since his first years in the majors. Don Mincher provided a powerful left-handed bat off the bench. The rotation was anchored by Kaat, Pascual, and Grant. Sain and Mele tapped 20-year-old righty Dave Boswell, signed after high school in 1963, to be the fourth starter, leaving Perry in reserve should one of the top four falter. Worthington and Klippstein were the two key men in the bullpen.

The depth would come in handy. After a great start to the 1965 season, winning his first eight decisions, Pascual tore a muscle in his back near his shoulder. He tried to pitch through it for a month before undergoing surgery in July. Boswell missed much of the season with mononucleosis and pneumonia. To fill some of the void, Perry stepped in and pitched well enough to finish ninth in the league in ERA.

Mincher provided a valuable bat when Killebrew missed time with an elbow injury. Furthermore, to get Mincher’s bat into the lineup when Killebrew was healthy, Mele experimented with a platoon in which Killebrew played third base against right-handers and Mincher played first. This cost the slumping Rollins, who also occasionally filled in at second, some playing time at third.

In his decade at the helm Griffith had masterminded the turnaround of one of baseball’s most hapless franchises. While in Washington he had brought in a number of talented ballplayers on the cheap. Only Killebrew cost more than the bonus limit and many came at little or no cost through Cambria’s Cuban connections. When Minnesota proved to be the financial bonanza he had hoped, Griffith spent his additional revenues on building his pennant winner. He purchased players, included money in trades, and paid top salaries to his stars.

Griffith had developed good baseball instincts at the foot of his uncle Clark, and was not shy about involving himself directly with the team. When he sensed Killebrew was ready, he forced his manager to make room for him despite a veteran incumbent blocking the position; several years later he forced the issue for another future star, Tony Oliva. When Griffith felt his team wasn’t playing up to par after 1964, he revamped his on-field staff with expensive, big-name coaches, and the team responded. Under this baseball-savvy owner willing to spend his profits, the young and talented Twins appeared poised for many years of pennant contention.

MARK ARMOUR is the co-author of In Pursuit of Pennants—Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball (University of Nebraska Press, 2015) and the director of SABR’s Baseball Biography Project. He lives in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

DAN LEVITT is the author (with Mark Armour) of In Pursuit of Pennants: Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball, a spring 2015 publication from the University of Nebraska Press. He is also the author of several other notable baseball books including The Battle that Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy, Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty, and Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two boys.

Down in Orlando, Florida, much of the focus was on an addition to the coaching staff.  Some people saw Billy Martin as a manager-in-waiting, ready to take over if the Twins started slowly and Sam Mele got fired.  New York columnist Dick Young went so far as to write, “Everybody says Calvin Griffith hired Martin as coach so that Billy wouldn’t have to use such a long-bladed handle.”  Martin handled the situation with humor; after a fishing outing in which Mele fell out of the boat, Martin said, “I threw him an anchor.  It’s the only thing that was handy.”

A Twins press release at the time Martin was hired said he had been signed to “battle the umpires and put some life in the Twins on the field.”  Martin’s greatest influence came with shortstop Zoilo Versalles.  He flattered Zoilo, which gave him enough confidence to bring out talent that had remained largely hidden in past years.  Versalles still had some rough spots and often pushed Mele’s patience.  A week before the season opener, Mele pulled the shortstop from a game for “lackadaisical effort” and ordered him to stay in the dugout rather than retire to the clubhouse.  “I will for Billy,” was Versalles’s reply. Mele fined him $100 and, as Versalles goaded him on, increased the penalty to $300.

The Twins finished spring training with 11 wins and 16 losses.  As usual, the record wasn’t important.  Improving the fundamentals while shaking out their rough spots, the Twins were ready for the season. Calvin Griffith had lamented a “lack of life” shown by the team in a loss to its Denver farm club.  Martin remained upbeat and said, “This is only spring training. Wait until the season starts.  They’ll hustle.”

He was correct.

STEW THORNLEY grew up in Minnesota and attended his first Twins game at Metropolitan Stadium in 1962. He worked in radio broadcasting as a sportscaster/sports director at radio stations in Missouri and central Minnesota in the 1970s before going to college at the University of Minnesota. In the 1980s he worked in sales and also began writing books. His first, On to Nicollet: The Glory and Fame of the Minneapolis Millers, received a baseball research award from Macmillan Publishing and the Society for American Baseball Research. He has since written more than 40 other books for adults and young readers. He has worked in training, communications, and media relations for the drinking-water program for the Minnesota Department of Health since 1993 while continuing to write and work in sports. He does official scoring for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association and is an official scorer for Minnesota Twins home games for Major League Baseball. He is also a member of the MLB Official Scoring Advisory Committee. Stew lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, Brenda Himrich.

April 15. Detroit 6, Minnesota 4. Shrugging off a hitless performance on Opening Day, shortstop Zoilo Versalles got his MVP season on track by going 2-for-5 with a double against the Tigers. Versalles’ double sparked a four-run third inning for the Twins. With the game tied 4-4 in the seventh inning, future Hall of Famer Al Kaline broke the deadlock with a two-run homer off Jerry Fosnow, giving the reliever his first loss and his second decision in as many games.

April 17. Minnesota 3, Cleveland 0.  Despite tallying seven hits off Minnesota ace Jim Kaat, Cleveland was unable to plate any baserunners in a shutout loss to the Twins. Zoilo Versalles got the ball rolling in the first with a leadoff double off Cleveland starter Dick Donovan. The Twins’ quick start was sustained by an RBI single and RBI triple from Harmon Killebrew and Jimmie Hall, respectively. The Twins notched another run on a Bob Allison solo homer in the fourth inning. Kaat finished strong to earn the shutout win, despite failing to record a single strikeout.

April 18. Minnesota 6, Cleveland 3. Although he would notch a league-leading 21 wins in 1965, Mudcat Grant’s first start of the season was not one of his best. Grant gave up three runs in the third inning, including two on a Rocky Colavito double. Grant was chased in the fourth inning after walking Fred Whitfield and giving up a single to Vic Davalillo. Minnesota relievers Dave Boswell and Al Worthington kept the Indians scoreless for the remainder of the game, and the Twins got Grant off the hook by taking the lead in the bottom of the fourth on Jimmie Hall’s go-ahead two-run homer.

April 21. Minnesota 7, New York 2. As the New York World’s Fair opened for its second season in Queens, the Twins opened their first road trip in the Bronx, where Mickey Mantle promptly greeted Minnesota starter Camilo Pascual with a first-inning homer. Despite the shaky start, the Twins were intimidated neither by the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium nor by sinkerballer Mel Stottlemyre. The Twins tagged Stottlemyre for five runs in five innings, including home runs by Rich Rollins and Tony Oliva. Jimmie Hall added another home run, off Pete Mikkelsen in the eighth inning, to seal the win for the Twins.

April 22. Minnesota 8, New York 2. The Twins followed up their three-home-run performance the day before with three more homers. Leading the Bronx bombing were Tony Oliva, who blasted two home runs, and the speedy sparkplug Zoilo Versailles, who logged an inside-the-park home run in the top of the ninth.  Jim Kaat was solid once again, giving up one earned run and going the distance.

April 23. Minnesota 8, Detroit 6. Mudcat Grant’s early-season struggle continued as the Twins rode their four-game winning streak into Tiger Stadium. Grant’s travails were even more pronounced than in his first start, as he retired only one Tiger before being replaced by Bill Pleis in the first inning. Staring down the barrel of a five-run deficit, the Twins chipped away at the Tigers’ lead with timely hitting and errant Detroit fielding to tie the game after nine innings. In the top of the 10th, Harmon Killebrew walked and later scored on a Jerry Zimmerman single. The Twins added an insurance run when Detroit’s Jerry Lumpe committed an error on a Cesar Tovar groundball, and Minnesota improved to 6-1 with the win.

April 24. Detroit 7, Minnesota 4. After the Twins struck early on a two-run homer by Bob Allison in the second inning, Twins starter Dick Stigman loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third. Coming in to relieve, Jim Perry limited the damage to a single run. The Twins kept the 2-1 lead into the seventh inning, until Johnny Klippstein gave up back-to-back solo homers to Don Demeter and Willie Horton. As the ninth inning unfolded, it looked as if the Twins would notch yet another comeback win when Rich Rollins and Joe Nossek scored to give the Twins a 4-3 lead. Replacing his high-school teammate Rich Reese on a double switch, Jerry Fosnow entered the game in the bottom of the ninth to save the game for the Twins. The save, however, was not in the cards for the Deshler High School product, as Fosnow gave up Willie Horton’s second homer of the game. Fosnow was then tagged for the loss as the Tigers walked off on a three-run homer by Gates Brown off Al Worthington.

April 27. Minnesota 11, Cleveland 1. Coming off only their second loss of the season, the Twins arrived in Cleveland to take on the Indians. Starting pitcher Camilo Pascual’s masterful game began not on the mound, but at the plate, where he blasted a first-inning grand slam off Stan Williams. After giving up a leadoff double to Dick Howser, who scored on a double play, Pascual proceeded to baffle the Cleveland offense for the remainder of the game. Pascual earned the complete-game two-hitter as the Twins trounced the Indians.

April 28. Cleveland 9, Minnesota 3. Costly errors were the story of this game as Birdie Tebbetts’ Cleveland club scored six unearned runs in the first three innings. Starting pitcher Jim Kaat was the chief victim of his teammates’ sloppiness, and was pulled in the third inning after Tony Oliva and Bob Allison failed to handle two fly balls, leading to three Cleveland runs. In addition to being the only outfielder to not make an error, Jimmie Hall added two solo home runs in the losing effort.

April 30. Minnesota 7, Chicago 0. Mudcat Grant finally shook off his early-season struggles against the White Sox, who started the day a half-game ahead of the Twins atop the American League. Grant was perfect through four innings before giving up a leadoff double to Pete Ward in the bottom of the fifth. The White Sox did little more damage to Grant, who completed the shutout en route to his first win of the season. Zoilo Versalles continued to spark the Twins offense with two doubles and two runs scored, as the Twins surged to the top of the American League standings.

May 1. Chicago 2, Minnesota 1. Minnesota’s lead atop the standings was short-lived as the Twins continued to jostle with the White Sox for American League supremacy. Zoilo Versalles started the game with a triple off Joe Horlen, and gave the Twins the early lead by scoring on a Rich Rollins single. After the shaky start, Horlen settled down and held the Twins scoreless for the remainder of the game. Camilo Pascual did his best to keep the Twins in the game by holding the White Sox scoreless until the sixth, when Don Buford knotted the game, 1-1, with a home run. Al Worthington faced only three batters but was tagged with the loss after putting the go-ahead run, represented by Buford, on base in the eighth.

May 2 (Game 1). Minnesota 3, Chicago 2. Tommy John was less than surgical against the Twins as he gave up seven hits in seven innings, but the Twins were unable to capitalize against the Chicago lefty, who was forced to leave the game after being struck in the ankle by Tony Oliva’s errant bat. Jim Kaat gave up one run in six innings, and Harmon Killebrew saved his starting pitcher from the loss with a two-run eighth-inning home run off Hoyt Wilhelm to tie the game, 2-2. Killebrew then enabled lefty reliever Bill Pleis to win his first game of the season by doubling in Zoilo Versalles in the top of the 10th inning.

May 2 (Game 2). Chicago 5, Minnesota 4. After playing 10 innings at Comiskey Park in the first game of a doubleheader, the Twins and White Sox took the field for the second game with the American League lead on the line. Minnesota starter Dave Boswell struggled early, giving up four runs in two-plus innings before being replaced by Dick Stigman. Stigman gave up one hit in four innings of strong relief, but the Twins hitters were unable to dig out of the early hole. The White Sox salvaged a split in the series by taking the finale, 5-4, and the Twins left Chicago exactly as they had arrived: a half-game behind the White Sox.

May 4. Minnesota 7, Baltimore 3. After a hard-fought series against the White Sox in Chicago, the Twins returned home to host the Orioles. The Twins erupted for five runs in the third inning, as Earl Battey and Tony Oliva went deep against Wally Bunker. Battey drove in another run in the fifth inning against Don Larsen to give the Twins a 7-1 lead. The six-run cushion was more than enough for Mudcat Grant, who earned his second consecutive complete-game win.

May 5. Minnesota 9, Baltimore 2. The Twins’ bats struck early and often against the Orioles, starting with Tony Oliva’s RBI double in the first inning. Four of the Twins’ 14 hits came off the bat of Zoilo Versalles, who for the second straight game doubled and tripled against the Orioles. Versalles’s 12 total bases in two games not only propelled his team to their second straight win over the Orioles, but also contributed to his campaign to lead the league in the category in 1965.

May 6. Baltimore 5, Minnesota 1. Future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts managed to cool down the Twins’ hot bats in the series finale. Harmon Killebrew’s fourth-inning solo home run off Roberts was the only blemish for the Orioles’ righty, who earned the complete-game win. Jim Kaat fell to 2-2 for the season after giving up five earned runs in seven innings.

May 7. Chicago 13, Minnesota 5. With the hard-fought series in Chicago fresh in their memories, the Twins welcomed the league-leading White Sox to Metropolitan Stadium for another four-game series. The series began inauspiciously for the Twins, who gave up 13 runs en route to their first back-to-back losses of the season. Minnesota starter Dick Stigman was shaky yet again, and Sam Mele was forced to go deep into his bullpen after Dave Boswell failed to contain the damage. The Minnesota defense was also off-kilter, committing seven errors in the game, which was set a franchise record since the club moved to the Twin Cities.

May 8. Minnesota 4, Chicago 1. Mudcat Grant went toe-to-toe with Chicago starter Gary Peters for five innings as both teams struggled to break through. Chicago’s Floyd Robinson broke the deadlock in the sixth with an RBI single, but the Twins leveled the game by scrounging together a run with singles from Zoilo Versalles and Rich Rollins, and a sacrifice fly by Tony Oliva. Minnesota then pulled away with a seventh-inning RBI single by Versalles and a two-run blast by Jimmie Hall in the eighth.

May 9. Minnesota 6, Chicago 1. Zoilo Versalles’s first-inning leadoff home run gave the Twins and Camilo Pascual an early lead. For his part, Pascual kept the White Sox scoreless through six innings and helped lead the offense with his second home run of the season. Jimmie Hall and Rich Rollins each added RBIs in the third and the fifth innings, respectively, as the Twins handed the White Sox their second consecutive defeat.

May 10. Minnesota 4, Chicago 3. After Mudcat Grant and Camilo Pascual turned in back-to-back complete games, Jim Kaat took the mound in the ninth inning nursing a 4-2 lead. After Kaat gave up a single to Bill Skowron, who was then driven home on a double by Pete Ward, Sam Mele turned to Al Worthington to preserve the 4-3 lead. Mele quickly reconsidered after Worthington walked Ron Hansen to put the go-ahead runner on base. Mel Nelson then answered the call by retiring three straight White Sox and earning his first save of the season. Minnesota catcher Jerry Zimmerman went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, as the Twins reopened a half-game lead over the White Sox.

May 11. Minnesota 3, California 2. As the Twins opened a three-game series with the Angels, a big question mark emerging out of the Twins’ otherwise stellar start centered on the number-four starter in the rotation. Dick Stigman, who struggled in his previous starts, could not get out of the first inning after giving up a leadoff home run to Angels center fielder Jose Cardenal and then loading the bases. Dave Boswell pitched well in relief, giving up one unearned run in 7⅓ innings, and the Twins were able to overcome Stigman’s slow start with home runs from Jerry Kindall and Tony Oliva.

May 12. Minnesota 4, California 3. Harmon Killebrew was the hero for the Twins as they won their second consecutive come-from-behind game against the Angels. The Minnesota slugger took California starter Rudy May deep in the sixth inning, and then clubbed a two-out, two-run homer off Bob Lee in the bottom of the eighth to put the Twins ahead by a run. Killebrew’s eighth-inning blast took Mudcat Grant off the hook for the loss, and Al Worthington earned his second win of the season with two scoreless innings of relief.

May 13. California 4, Minnesota 3. Scoring first proved to be disadvantageous yet again in the series with the Angels, but this time it was the Twins who could not hold onto the early lead. The Twins plated two runs in the first inning after Tony Oliva’s league-leading 10th double sparked a two-out rally. Jimmie Hall added another run on a solo homer in the sixth, but the Angels clawed back against Camilo Pascual, evening the game, 3-3, on a home run by Costen Shockley. When the game moved into extra innings, the Angels beat Al Worthington and avoided the sweep when Willie Smith drove in Jose Cardenal in the top of the 10th.

May 14. Minnesota 4, Kansas City 3. Coming off a 7-3 homestand, the Twins headed to Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium to take on the lowly A’s. Kansas City starter John O’Donoghue was less than keen on the Twins extending their winning ways as he silenced the Minnesota batters for 7⅔ innings. O’Donoghue was unable to overcome the heart of the Twins lineup in the eighth inning, however, as the Twins plated three on Bob Allison’s fourth home run of the season, which knotted the game, 3-3. In the ninth inning, with Jerry Kindall at second base and a Zoilo Versalles blooper coasting through the shallow sky, the trademark derring-do of firebrand third-base coach Billy Martin came into play as he sent Kindall home to give the Twins the lead. Martin attributed his decisiveness to his old mentor, explaining that “Casey Stengel taught me to always size up the position of the outfielders before a play … [t]hen when you see the ball in the air, you can make up your mind quickly. The outfielders were deep, so I knew the ball would fall in for a hit.”2

May 15. Minnesota 2, Kansas City 0. After scoring the winning run as a pinch-runner the previous afternoon, pitcher Dave Boswell was given the start against the A’s. Boswell made his case for a permanent spot in the rotation after giving up four hits in 7⅓ innings of scoreless work. Mel Nelson kept the A’s scoreless for the rest of the game as the Twins coasted to a 2-0 victory on the back of second baseman Jerry Kindall, who drove in both of Minnesota’s runs on a solo homer and an RBI single.

May 16 (Game 1). Kansas City 7, Minnesota 4. Just as in their first doubleheader of the season, the Twins ended up playing 19 innings on May 16. Home runs by Jimmie Hall and Tony Oliva gave the Twins a 3-2 lead heading into the eighth inning of the opener. Earl Battey’s RBI double tacked on an insurance run in the eighth, but in the ninth Bill Pleis was unable to protect the lead he inherited from Mudcat Grant, giving up a home run to Dick Green and a triple to Ed Charles, who scored later in the inning.  Mel Nelson then earned the loss when he gave up a three-run home run to Charles in the 10th.

May 16 (Game 2). Kansas City 4, Minnesota 2. Seeking to reverse his early-season struggles, Dick Stigman held the A’s scoreless for 4⅔ innings before Kansas City first baseman Ken Harrelson tied the game, 1-1, with an RBI single. The A’s took the lead in the sixth by playing some small ball, punctuated by Wayne Causey’s successful squeeze bunt. The Twins answered with some small ball of their own in the seventh inning, and were able to capitalize on an error by catcher Rene Lachemann to tie the game, 2-2. In the eighth Lachemann atoned for his error at the plate by belting a go-ahead homer off Johnny Klippstein as the A’s got a split in the four-game series.

May 17. California 5, Minnesota 4. After dropping two to the A’s in Kansas City on May 16, the Twins jetted to Los Angeles to take on the Angels. Camilo Pascual took a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning but was replaced by Jerry Fosnow after giving up a leadoff hit. Fosnow had trouble finding the strike zone and was replaced by Al Worthington, who was left to face Vic Power with two on and two out. Power came through with a hit, and gave the Angels a 4-3 lead.  Pinch-hitter Don Mincher forced extra innings by homering for the Twins in the ninth inning, but the Angels walked off in the 10th on a Buck Rodgers RBI single.

May 18. California 3, Minnesota 1. For the second straight game, the Twins were unable to protect a one-run lead going into the eighth inning. After shutting out the Angels for seven innings, Minnesota starter Jim Kaat ran into trouble in the eighth. The Angels tied the game on a Jim Piersall RBI single and surged ahead on a double by Joe Adcock that brought home Jim Fregosi and a very grateful Marcelino Lopez, who was awarded the win.

May 19 (Game 1). Minnesota 3, California 1. After suffering four defeats in three days, the suddenly-reeling Twins sought to right the ship in their doubleheader at Chavez Ravine. Once again the Twins found themselves in extra innings in the first game of a doubleheader. Dave Boswell got the start for the Twins and gave up one run on two hits in six innings, and Jerry Fosnow kept the Twins in the game by throwing three perfect innings of relief. Harmon Killebrew knotted the game, 1-1, in the seventh inning by doubling in Earl Battey, but neither team managed to score for the next four innings. In the top of the 12th, Tony Oliva drove home Zoilo Versalles and Sandy Valdespino to give the Twins and reliever Bill Pleis the win.

May 19 (Game 2). Minnesota 3, California 1. Mudcat Grant took the mound in the second game of the doubleheader and kept the Angels scoreless until the seventh inning when right fielder Lou Clinton scored on a Costen Shockley sacrifice fly. The Angels’ lone run of the game was not enough to overcome the Twins, who enjoyed their second 3-1 victory of the day and left Los Angeles with a series split.

May 21. Minnesota 6, Kansas City 4. After splitting four games with the Angels in California, the Twins returned to Metropolitan Stadium to host the visiting Athletics. In the second inning, the Twins loaded the bases for second baseman Jerry Kindall, who put the team ahead 1-0 by earning a walk from A’s starter Diego Segui. Future Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter replaced Segui after the walk and got his team out of the bases-loaded jam by inducing a double play off the bat of Twins starting pitcher Camilo Pascual, who then lost the lead in the top of the third by giving up a two-run homer to A’s first baseman Jim Gentile. After Moe Drabowsky replaced Hunter in the fifth inning, the Twins retook the lead on RBIs from Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew. Minnesota tacked onto its lead with a two-run homer by Zoilo Versalles and an RBI single by Earl Battey, as Pascual improved to 5-0 for the season and passed the .500 mark for his career with his 133rd win against 132 losses. “I think I am dreaming and I’m afraid I will wake up,” said Pascual, who attributed the accomplishment to mastering his slow curve and employing his fastball more tactically.3

May 22. Kansas City 6, Minnesota 2. Jim Kaat encountered first-inning trouble by giving up an RBI triple to Kansas City first baseman Ken Harrelson, who then scored himself on a wild pitch. Kaat ran into more trouble in the fourth inning when he made a throwing error trying to pick off Harrelson at second, which scored Dick Green. The Twins bats were unable to muster enough offense to bail out their ace, whose record went to 3-4 with the loss. Among the struggling Twins hitters was Tony Oliva, who went 0-5 and ended the day with a .227 batting average and a .261 on-base percentage, fourth worst in the American League.

May 25. Minnesota 17, Boston 5. There was carnage across the New England sports landscape as Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round of their rematch in Lewiston, Maine, and the Twins clobbered the Red Sox for a franchise-record 17 runs at Fenway Park. Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Earl Battey, and Jerry Kindall homered, and Twins starter Mudcat Grant got in on the fun himself with a triple. The prodigious offensive output was more than enough for Grant, who collected his fifth win of the season.

May 26. Minnesota 9, Boston 7. In the second game of the series with the Red Sox, the Twins continued to put on an offensive show at Fenway Park. Tony Oliva and Bob Allison both homered for the second consecutive game, and Zoilo Versalles hit his league-leading 13th double. Righty reliever Jim Perry earned his first win of the season after coming on in relief for Camilo Pascual, who gave up six runs in 1⅔ innings of work.

May 27. Boston 2, Minnesota 0. The Twins’ offensive outburst came to sudden halt against Boston starter Dave Morehead, who, together with reliever Dick Radatz, held the Twins scoreless and limited them to three hits. Despite giving up only one earned run in seven innings, Jim Kaat saw his record sink to 3-5.

May 28. Minnesota 4, Washington 1. After taking two of three from the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Twins returned to their ancestral home in the nation’s capital to play the Senators. Former Senators mainstay Bob Allison enjoyed his homecoming by belting his seventh home run of the season, off Senators starter Phil Ortega in the seventh inning. Tony Oliva added two more runs on his ninth home run of the season as the Twins cruised to a 4-1 win.

May 29.  Minnesota 11, Washington 8. Mudcat Grant’s perfect 5-0 record appeared to be in jeopardy after he gave up three runs on four hits in the first inning. Grant’s troubles continued into the fourth inning when he gave up a home run to first baseman Bob Chance and a rare round-tripper to shortstop Ed Brinkman. The Twins surged back in the fifth and sixth innings with eight runs on eight hits, including a Rich Rollins home run and Zoilo Versalles’ league-leading 14th double. Rollins tacked on another run in the ninth by doubling in Versalles as Twins reliever Jim Perry earned the win.

May 30. Minnesota 6, Washington 0. Like Mudcat Grant the day before, Camilo Pascual entered the series finale with the Senators with a perfect 5-0 record. Unlike Grant, Pascual tossed a gem. Pascual shut out the Senators on four hits and brought his strikeout total to 50, fourth best in the American League. Zoilo Versalles broke the game open in the fourth inning with a three-run home run, his fifth of the season, and Harmon Killebrew added his seventh as the Twins left their former home with an easy three-game sweep and a half-game lead in the American League.

May 31 (1). Minnesota 6, Baltimore 0.  After sweeping the Senators in Washington, the Twins traveled up the road to Baltimore to play two against Hank Bauer’s Orioles. After Camilo Pascual’s four-hit shutout the day before, Jim Kaat kept the Orioles scoreless on a measly three hits to earn his fourth win of the season. The Twins scored six runs, led by Zoilo Versalles’ third-inning two-run home run and a solo blast by Jimmie Hall in the sixth inning. Tony Oliva collected his 12th double of the season, which scored Sandy Valdespino.

May 31 (2). Baltimore 5, Minnesota 4. After doubling in his final at-bat in the first game of the doubleheader, Tony Oliva picked up where he left off by hitting an RBI double off the great Jim Palmer. Oliva’s two-bagger gave the Twins the early lead, and also placed him third in the league in both RBIs and doubles. Minnesota starter Dick Stigman failed to hold the lead, though, giving up a pair of two-run home runs to Bob Johnson and Dick Brown in the second inning. The Twins battled back in the fifth by scoring three runs on two hits to knot the game, 4-4. The score remained level until Baltimore right fielder Sam Bowens hit a ninth-inning walk-off home run off Johnny Klippstein.

June 2. Minnesota 6, Boston 3. As the season entered June, the Twins found themselves atop the American League with a half-game lead over the White Sox. Mudcat Grant found himself in an early 2-0 hole and in the second inning gave way to reliever Jim Perry, who limited the Red Sox to one run in 5⅔ innings en route to the win. As for the Twins’ bats, Jerry Zimmerman’s leadoff triple in the bottom of the third sparked a four-run onslaught, punctuated by Harmon Killebrew’s two-run home run. Jimmie Hall added another two-run homer in the fifth as the Twins took the game, 6-3.

June 3. Minnesota 4, Boston 3. As NASA astronaut Edward White became the first American to perform a spacewalk high above Earth, Camilo Pascual attempted to become the second American League pitcher to win seven games this season. After Bob Allison opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a two-run home run off Red Sox righty Bill Monbouquette, Pascual advanced his own cause by singling in Rich Rollins. On the mound, the undefeated Pascual was solid and victorious yet again, and his victory brought him into a tie with the Tigers’ Mickey Lolich for the American League lead.

June 4. Minnesota 9, Washington 5. The Twins enjoyed a 1½-game lead atop the American League as Gil Hodges’ Senators arrived in Bloomington. Although the Twins were sloppy in the field with four errors, they were prolific at the plate, scoring nine runs on 10 hits. Jimmie Hall’s 10th home run came in the fourth inning and was of the inside-the-park variety. The zaniness continued in the sixth inning when pitcher Jim Kaat doubled on an infield hit to first base, driving in Jimmie Hall and Bob Allison. Kaat earned his fifth win of the season despite giving up five runs on nine hits, and Jerry Fosnow was perfect in 2⅔ innings of relief.

June 6. Minnesota 11, Washington 2.  The Twins’ offensive assault on the Senators continued against starting pitcher Phil Ortega. Tony Oliva’s 10th home run of the season came in the bottom of the first inning, and the Twins steadily built upon their lead by scoring in each of the first four innings. Bill Pleis came on in relief for starter Dave Boswell in the fifth inning and kept the Senators scoreless for the remainder of the game as his record improved to 3-0.

June 7. Cleveland 2, Minnesota 1. Minnesota’s offensive juggernaut, along with its four-game winning streak, came to a halt against Luis Tiant and the Cleveland Indians. Tiant earned the complete-game win by limiting the Twins to one run on just two hits. Don Mincher, who got the start at first base in place of Harmon Killebrew, was responsible for driving in the Twins’ lone run by doubling home Tony Oliva. Despite giving up only two runs on five hits, Mudcat Grant was charged with his first loss of the year.

June 8. Minnesota 6, Cleveland 2. Harmon Killebrew returned to the lineup and the Twins returned to their winning ways against the Indians. Killebrew powered the Twins in the matinee game with his ninth home run of the season, a three-run blast that came in the first inning. Catcher Earl Battey checked in with his third home run of the season in the fourth inning. Camilo Pascual not only earned a complete-game win, but he also took the league lead in both categories after the performance (8 wins, 5 CG).

June 9. Cleveland 2, Minnesota 1. Jim Kaat and Cleveland starter Ralph Terry locked horns in a pitchers’ duel as the former American League All-Star teammates took shutouts into the eighth inning. Terry blinked first in the bottom of the eighth as Zoilo Versalles’s sacrifice fly brought home Jerry Kindall. As the Indians entered the ninth inning down a run, Cleveland manager Birdie Tebbetts employed a bit of gamesmanship to throw Kaat off his game by complaining to umpire Bill Haller about a hole in Kaat’s sweatshirt. Following a confrontation between Tebbetts and Sam Mele, as well as the trimming of Kaat’s shirtsleeves, Kaat got the loss by giving up a two-run homer to Cleveland third baseman Max Alvis in the top of the ninth. Tebbetts’ antics riled Sam Mele, who said, “I won’t forget it and I don’t think our players will either.”4

June 10. Cleveland 4, Minnesota 1. Despite scattering eight hits against Cleveland starter Sam McDowell, Minnesota’s only run came off the bat of pitcher Dave Boswell in the second inning. Boswell had more luck at the plate than on the mound as the Indians punished the righty for four runs in 5⅔ innings.

June 11 (Game 1). Minnesota 5, Detroit 4. After dropping three of four to the Indians at home, the Twins took to the road to face the fourth-place Tigers. Tony Oliva continued to rack up doubles as he swatted his 15th of the season in the second inning. Oliva then scored on Jimmie Hall’s sacrifice fly to give the Twins the early lead. Mudcat Grant let the Twins’ lead slip away as the Tigers went ahead 4-3 in the sixth. The Twins tied it back up in the ninth inning when reliever Terry Fox’s botched pickoff attempt allowed Don Mincher to score. Yet again the Twins were forced to play 10 innings in the first game of a doubleheader, but they made it count when Jimmie Hall’s second sacrifice fly of the game brought Sandy Valdespino home.

June 11 (Game 2). Minnesota 5, Detroit 4. After using 19 players, including five pitchers, in the first game of the doubleheader, the Twins needed a strong effort from spot starter Mel Nelson. Nelson delivered by allowing two runs in 7⅔ innings, but the Twins once again found themselves in extra innings. A breakthrough came in the 12th when the Twins put together three straight singles, a sacrifice fly, and a Jimmie Hall triple to take a 5-2 lead. The lead became precarious in the bottom of the inning when Jim Perry gave up a two-run shot to pinch-hitter Jim Northrup, but Perry retired the side to earn his fourth win of the season.

June 12. Detroit 8, Minnesota 5. Already taxed from the 22-inning doubleheader the day before, the Twins bullpen was called to action again when Camilo Pascual was chased from the game in the second inning after giving up five runs. Pascual escaped his first loss of the season, however, as Jimmie Hall’s three-run homer tied the game in the third inning. After keeping the Tigers scoreless for 3⅔ innings, Jerry Fosnow lost the game in the sixth as the Tigers plated three.

June 13. Detroit 5, Minnesota 4.  Skipper Sam Mele was forced to turn to his tired bullpen once more after Jim Kaat lasted only three innings and gave up three runs. Sluggers Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison made their mark on the game with their 11th and 10th home runs, respectively. Center fielder Joe Nossek went deep for the first time this season, but the Twins were unable to overcome the Tigers as they settled for a series split with Detroit.

June 15. Minnesota 4, Chicago 0. The Twins pulled into Chicago nursing a half-game lead over the White Sox. Mudcat Grant closed the door on Chicago’s plans to take first place as he shut out the hosts for his sixth win of the season. Chicago’s Gary Peters gave up early solo home runs to Tony Oliva and Bob Allison, and Rich Rollins added a ninth-inning home run to seal the game for the Twins. Although the Twins won the game, they lost second baseman Jerry Kindall, who was injured by a sliding Bill Skowron. The injury kept Kindall out of the lineup for most of the next two weeks.

June 16. Chicago 3, Minnesota 1. Camilo Pascual cruised through his first three innings of work and took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning. But his bid to go to 9-0 for the season came off the rails in the fourth inning when the White Sox loaded the bases. Catcher J.C. Martin and shortstop Ron Hansen each singled home a run, and then Pascual walked pinch-hitter Smoky Burgess to force Bill Skowron home for a third run. Starting pitcher John Buzhardt kept the Twins quiet into the eighth inning and then handed the ball to Eddie Fisher, who collected his 14th save of the season. Pascual fell to 8-1.

June 17. Minnesota 3, Chicago 1. Jim Kaat pitched masterfully for the Twins as they set out to take the rubber game from the White Sox. The lanky lefty gave up one run on four hits, and the Twins were able to push three runs across. One of the runs came on a home run by Don Mincher, who got the start at first base as part of Sam Mele’s tinkering with the infield to cope with Jerry Kindall’s absence. In this game the regular third baseman, Rich Rollins, moved to second base while Harmon Killebrew moved from first to third.

June 18. New York 10, Minnesota 2. The Twins took their road trip to New York to take on the Yankees. Although 11 games back and struggling, the Yankees reminded Minnesota starter Mel Nelson just how mighty the Bronx Bombers still could be when Mickey Mantle sent his eighth career grand slam into the seats in the first inning. Rich Rollins gave the Twins some excitement by hitting an inside-the-park home run in the fourth.

June 19. New York 5, Minnesota 3. Second baseman Bobby Richardson set the table for the Yankees in the bottom of the first by doubling off Twins starter Mudcat Grant. The Yankees plated two in the first and scored another in the second on a Joe Pepitone home run as Grant left the game after only two innings of work. Future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford faced the minimum through three innings and took a 5-1 lead into the eighth inning. After giving up Harmon Killebrew’s only triple of the season, which scored Rich Rollins and Tony Oliva, Ford gave way to Pedro Ramos. Ramos earned the save and preserved the win for Ford; Mudcat Grant picked up his second loss of the season.

June 20 (Game 1). Minnesota 6, New York 4. Camilo Pascual got off to a rocky start in the first inning by giving up four straight hits and two runs before recording an out. After Pascual’s first-inning struggles, the Cuban righty settled down and kept the Yankees scoreless for the remainder of his outing. In the meantime, the Twins chipped away at New York’s early lead. Jimmie Hall was at the center of the Twins’ attack, tripling home Harmon Killebrew in the second inning and hitting a solo homer in the sixth as the Twins took a 3-2 lead into the seventh. Roger Maris’s two-run home run in the seventh inning gave the Yankees the lead, but Killebrew tied the game in the eighth with a home run. In the ninth inning the New York battery handed the Twins the game when Zoilo Versalles and Sandy Valdespino scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch.

June 20 (Game 2). Minnesota 7, New York 4. Attempting to sweep the doubleheader and split the series, Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew greeted Al Downing with a triple and a double, respectively, to give the Twins a one-run lead in the first inning. Minnesota continued to pound Downing early as Zoilo Versalles’s second-inning ground-rule double scored Earl Battey and Joe Nossek, each of whom later drove home a run in the third inning. Pitching before 71,245 at Yankee stadium, Dave Boswell was strong through 5⅔ innings, with his only hiccup coming in the third inning when he gave up a three-run home run to pinch-hitter Ray Barker. Harmon Killebrew put the game out of reach and secured the win for Boswell with his two-run ninth-inning home run.

June 22. Cleveland 5, Minnesota 4.  The Twins arrived in Cleveland just 1½ games ahead of the third-place Indians. Cleveland left fielder Chuck Hinton bookended the Indians’ attack by driving in the first run of the game in the first inning, and then blasting a walk-off home run in the 10th. Hinton’s home run handed Al Worthington his third loss and third blown save of the season as the Indians pulled within a half-game of the Twins. As the Twins saw their lead become more precarious, their injury troubles also mounted as Earl Battey was forced to leave the game with a dislocated finger.

June 23. Minnesota 6, Cleveland 3. Minnesota relied exclusively on the long ball as two of the usual suspects, Jimmie Hall and Bob Allison, went deep in the second and fourth innings, respectively. Allison’s home run plated three runs, and Sandy Valdespino gave the Twins two more insurance runs in the fifth inning with his first home run of the season. The six runs were more than enough for Mudcat Grant, who recorded his seventh win.

June 24. Cleveland 3, Minnesota 1. Camilo Pascual had the opportunity to improve upon his stellar start and conclude the Twins’ 14-game road trip with a win. Instead, the Twins lost both the game and Pascual, who left the game in the fifth inning after he injured his back. Harmon Killebrew drove in the Twins’ only run in the seventh inning as pitcher Ralph Terry won his seventh game for the Indians. Having gone 7-7 on the road trip, the injury-riddled Twins hobbled back to Minnesota with a razor-thin half-game cushion over the Indians and White Sox.

June 25. Minnesota 4, Detroit 3. With the White Sox and Indians both victorious, it looked as if the Twins would relinquish their grip on first place as they entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 3-2. Down to their last out, Harmon Killebrew and Don Mincher coaxed walks from the Tigers’ starter, Dave Wickersham. The Twins capped the two-out rally with RBI hits from Bernie Allen and pinch-hitter Joe Nossek to snatch the game away from the jaws of the Tigers.

June 26. Detroit 5, Minnesota 2. With the Twins coping with injuries to both Camilo Pascual and Jim Kaat, Bill Pleis got the spot start against the Tigers. Although he kept the Tigers scoreless for four innings, Pleis loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth inning before turning it over to Jim Perry. Perry almost escaped the jam by getting Don Demeter and Al Kaline on back-to-back popups, but the Tigers took a 2-0 lead on a hit by Willie Horton. Tony Oliva drove in the Twins’ first run in the sixth and scored on a wild pitch in the eighth, but the Tigers cruised to a 5-2 win.

June 27 (Game 1). Minnesota 6, Detroit 4. Tigers starter Joe Sparma faced eight Twins in the first inning and gave up two runs on Harmon Killebrew’s RBI single. Zoilo Versalles expanded the lead to 3-0 in the second inning with his eighth home run of the season. Don Demeter’s two-run homer off Mudcat Grant in the fourth inning leveled the game, but the Twins took the lead again on a Jimmie Hall groundout that scored Sandy Valdespino in the fifth. Al Worthington blew his fourth save of the season by giving up an RBI single to catcher Jackie Moore, but Worthington earned the win thanks to an eighth-inning two-run home run by Don Mincher.

June 27 (Game 2). Minnesota 6, Detroit 5. With the Twins rotation decimated by injury and the bullpen taxed, Sam Mele turned to Mel Nelson to start the second game of the doubleheader against the Tigers. Nelson gave up two runs in four innings of work before handing the ball over to Jim Perry, who retired the Tigers in order in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Things fell apart in the eighth, however, as Don Demeter led off with a home run. Demeter’s blast ended Perry’s day, but the Tigers were not finished leaving the yard in the eighth, as Willie Horton’s two-run shot off Johnny Klippstein tied the game. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the 10th, when Joe Nossek singled in Rich Rollins for the win.

June 28. Chicago 17, Minnesota 4. 38,405 fans packed Metropolitan Stadium to watch the first-place Twins take on the White Sox. Not only did the Twins fail to protect their half-game lead over the White Sox, but they were humiliated as Chicago scored 17 runs off starter Dave Boswell and relievers Jerry Fosnow, Dick Stigman, and Mel Nelson. Jimmie Hall’s 14th home run and Tony Oliva’s 19th double kept them among the league leaders in those categories, but the Twins gave up their lead in the standings as both the White Sox and the Indians surged ahead, relegating Minnesota to third place.

June 29. Minnesota 7, Chicago 6. Jimmie Hall’s double and Harmon Killebrew’s single led to a two-run first inning for the Twins. The Twins added runs in the second and third to take a 4-0 lead into the fourth inning. The Twins continued to pile up runs, but the White Sox also began to break through against Minnesota starter Jim Kaat, who left the game in the eighth with a 6-4 lead. After Mudcat Grant made a rare relief appearance, Dick Stigman gave up a two-run ninth-inning home run to pinch-hitter Smoky Burgess to tie the game. Seeking to avoid extra innings, Bernie Allen led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and moved to third on a Joe Nossek bunt. Zoilo Versalles’ sacrifice fly brought Allen home to win the game.

June 30. California 5, Minnesota 0. The Twins made a very brief trip to California to take on the Angels for one game. The visit was unproductive as the Angels tagged Minnesota starter Bill Pleis for four runs en route to a 5-0 win. The Angels’ Fred Newman was masterful with a two-hit shutout win, and the Twins closed out June with a 16-13 record, trailing the Indians by a half-game.

July 2. Minnesota 3, Kansas City 1. As the Twins entered July a half-game back of the Indians, catcher Earl Battey returned to the lineup after an injury. Battey made his presence felt by going 3-for-4 with a double against the last-place A’s, who entered the series a dismal 22-45. Tony Oliva’s July was off to a hot start as he was involved in all three of the Twins’ runs by tallying his 21st double of the season, collecting two RBIs, and scoring on a Harmon Killebrew single. The three runs were more than enough for Mudcat Grant, who gave up one run in the complete-game win, his eighth of the year.

July 3. Minnesota 3, Kansas City 2. Harmon Killebrew manned the hot corner and Don Mincher got the start at first base. Mele’s decision to start Mincher paid dividends as the lefty slugger put the Twins on the board with a fourth-inning solo home run. The A’s replied with a run of their own off Jim Kaat in the bottom of the fourth, but the Twins reclaimed the one-run lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Tony Oliva. Kaat could not keep the lead long as center fielder Jim Landis tied the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the fifth with a single that scored rookie pinch-hitter Skip Lockwood, who broke into the majors as a third baseman before converting to pitching. The game remained knotted until the top of the 11th, when Mincher went deep for his second home run to win the game for Minnesota.

July 4. Minnesota 5, Kansas City 2. Returning from injury, Camilo Pascual kept Kansas City scoreless for 2⅓ innings before aggravating his bad back. Jerry Fosnow came on in relief and gave up two runs in the fourth inning. But in the sixth, with Zoilo Versalles and Sandy Valdespino on base, Tony Oliva put the Twins up 3-2 with his 12th home run of the season. Harmon Killebrew then put the game out of reach with his 14th home run, a two-run shot, in the ninth inning. With the sweep of the A’s, the Twins left Kansas City tied for first place with the Indians.

July 5 (Game 1). Minnesota 6, Boston 2. The Twins looked to extend their winning streak against the visiting Red Sox. Jimmie Hall got Minnesota on the right track by doubling home Tony Oliva in the first inning. Oliva scored again in the third after he tripled off Earl Wilson and came home when shortstop Eddie Bressoud threw the ball away on the relay throw trying to cut down Oliva at third. The Twins built on their lead with a three-run sixth inning, and starting pitcher Dave Boswell was strong en route to his fifth win of the season.

July 5 (Game 2). Minnesota 2, Boston 0. Minnesota starter Jim Perry shut down the Red Sox in the second game of the doubleheader to earn his fifth win of the season against no losses, while bringing his ERA down to 2.59. With Earl Battey at the plate in the fourth inning, Bob Allison scored from first on a stolen base and an errant throw by Boston catcher Mike Ryan. Battey finished the at-bat with a triple, but was stranded at third. The Minnesota backstop continued to be at the center of the action when he drove home the second Minnesota run in the sixth inning. Tony Oliva’s seventh-inning double tied him with Carl Yastrzemski for the American League lead with 22. In addition to winning the game, Perry won the confidence of Sam Mele, who kept Perry in the starting rotation for the remainder of the season.

July 6. Minnesota 9, Boston 0. Jimmie Hall devastated Boston pitchers Jerry Stephenson and Bob Heffner by mashing a pair of two-run home runs in the first and second innings to bring his season total to 16. Don Mincher added his seventh home run of the season as Mudcat Grant and the Twins shut out the Red Sox.

July 7. Minnesota 5, Boston 2. After outscoring the Red Sox 17-2 in the first three games of the series, Jim Kaat and the Twins completed the four-game sweep. Earl Battey’s second-inning double sent Don Mincher to third base, and both Twins scored on a Bernie Allen single. Minnesota built on their lead with sacrifice flies from Jimmie Hall, Allen, and Harmon Killebrew. After completing the sweep of the Red Sox, the Twins stood alone atop the American League with a  1½-game lead over the Indians.

July 9. Minnesota 8, New York 3. The Twins jumped to a 4-0 first-inning lead against the visiting Yankees on back-to-back home runs by Harmon Killebrew and Don Mincher. The Yankees got back into the game in the fourth and fifth on a solo home run by Elston Howard and a solo inside-the-park home run by Roger Repoz. Mincher collected his second home run and second, third, and fourth RBIs of the game on his seventh-inning homer. Giving up three runs on six hits, Dave Boswell went wire-to-wire for his sixth win of the season.

July 10 (Game 1). Minnesota 4, New York 1. With runners on second and third in the bottom of the fifth inning, Minnesota starting pitcher Jim Perry helped his own cause with a squeeze bunt that scored Jimmie Hall. The next Twins hitter, Zoilo Versalles, added to the Twins’ lead with a two-run home run off Whitey Ford. Perry was solid on the mound, giving up four hits and one unearned run in eight innings, to improve to 6-0 on the season.

July 10 (Game 2). New York 8, Minnesota 6. The Twins’ torrid nine-game winning streak to start July came to a halt in the second game of their doubleheader with the Yankees. Although Jimmie Hall’s RBI double in the first inning gave the Twins the early lead, Mudcat Grant gave up back-to-back home runs to outfielders Roger Repoz and Hector Lopez in the second inning. Don Mincher’s bases-clearing triple in the fifth, followed by Sandy Valdespino’s RBI single, put the Twins back in front until the Yankees retook the lead for good on Clete Boyer’s eighth-inning grand slam off Johnny Klippstein. Despite the loss, the Twins held a four-game lead in the American League (with a record of 52-29) after 81 games, the midpoint of the season.

July 11. Minnesota 6, New York 5. After ending the Twins’ nine-game winning streak, the Yankees were poised to put them on a losing streak after Jerry Fosnow’s ninth-inning error gave New York a one-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth. However, with two outs and Rich Rollins on base, Harmon Killebrew slugged his 16th home run of the season to give the Twins the walk-off victory. The win sent the Twins into the All-Star Game on a high note, extending their lead to five games.

July 15 (Game 1). Minnesota 11, Kansas City 3. Tony Oliva’s first-inning home run gave Jim Kaat and the Twins the early 1-0 advantage. In the second inning Jim Kaat was at the plate to oversee an expansion of his lead when Earl Battey scored on a wild pitch and Kaat drove home Sandy Valdespino on a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the A’s demonstrated why they were in last place when three pitchers issued five consecutive two-out walks as part of a seven-run inning for the Twins. Tony Oliva added his second home run of the game in the fifth as the Twins routed the A’s.

July 15 (Game 2). Kansas City 3, Minnesota 2. Tony Oliva continued to heat up in July as he went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Apart from Oliva’s RBIs, the Twins struggled at the plate and took a precarious 2-1 lead into the ninth inning. A’s left fielder Tommie Reynolds handed Al Worthington his fifth blown save and fourth loss of the year when he doubled home Ken Harrelson and pinch-runner John O’Donoghue.

July 16. Kansas City 10, Minnesota 2.  Mudcat Grant lasted only two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on five hits. Jerry Fosnow got the Twins out of the first inning, but the A’s had another big inning in the third, plating three. Tony Oliva had another 2-for-4 performance, including his league-leading 26th double, but the Twins were otherwise largely silent as they were overwhelmed.

July 17. Kansas City 5, Minnesota 4. Rich Rollins got the start at second base and temporarily displaced Zoilo Versalles as the Twins’ leadoff hitter. Rollins went 3-for-5, including a leadoff double in the fifth inning. Bob Allison drove Rollins home on a single, and Earl Battey and Jimmie Hall followed with RBI singles to give the Twins a 4-0 lead after five. Starting pitcher Dick Stigman ran into trouble in the seventh, giving up back-to-back homers to Dick Green and Ken Harrelson. Green homered again in his next at-bat against Johnny Klippstein to tie the game, 4-4. The A’s took the lead in the ninth on an Ed Charles sacrifice fly, extending the Twins’ slide to three games.

July 18 (Game 1). California 5, Minnesota 3. The Angels’ Jim Fregosi and the Twins’ Don Mincher exchanged fourth-inning solo home runs, but the Angels added two more runs off Jim Kaat in the fifth inning to take a 3-1 lead. Replacing mononucleosis-ridden Dave Boswell and making his first appearance of the year, Dwight Siebler came on in relief of Kaat in the sixth inning. The Angels put the game out of reach against Siebler in the seventh, starting with a walk issued to the speedy Jose Cardenal, who then stole second and third, and scored on a Joe Adcock double that also brought home Tom Satriano. The game also featured a bit of drama beginning in the fifth inning when Rich Rollins and Sam Mele disputed a force-out call at second base by umpire Bill McKinley. Tempers flared again in the sixth inning between the three men, with Mele assuming what American League President Joe Cronin described as a “John L. Sullivan pose.”5 The altercation resulted in a $500 fine and a five-game suspension for the Minnesota skipper.

July 18 (Game 2). Minnesota 5, California 4. After four consecutive losses, the Twins turned to Mudcat Grant to end their slide. Grant gave up three consecutive two-out singles in the first inning, including an RBI single to Merritt Ranew that made it 1-0. In his first major-league start, second baseman Frank Quilici got the ball rolling with a leadoff double. Quilici and Tony Oliva then scored on a double by Bob Allison to give the Twins the lead. In the seventh the Twins extended their lead to 3-1 on a Jimmie Hall RBI single, but the lead slipped away in the eighth on a two-run homer by Tom Satriano and an RBI groundout by Jose Cardenal. Down a run, the Twins leveled matters in the eighth inning on a Don Mincher home run. Later in the eighth, with Bob Allison on third and Sandy Valdespino on first, Valdespino broke for second and Allison broke for home, with the latter getting caught in a rundown. Despite getting caught in the pickle, Allison scored when Jim Fregosi dropped the ball. The run put the Twins out in front for good.

July 19. Minnesota 5, California 2. For the second straight game, rookie Frank Quilici led off for the Twins, and for the second straight game he reached base in the first, this time on a walk. Quilici then scored on Harmon Killebrew’s 17th home run of the season. The Angels’ Joe Adcock responded in the second with a solo home run, and Jim Fregosi sent another ball out of the park in the top of the fourth to tie the game, 2-2. In the bottom half, with Bob Allison on third and Rich Rollins on first, Jerry Zimmerman grounded into a double play that allowed Allison to score, giving the Twins the lead. Jimmie Hall then put the game away in the seventh by driving in Quilici and Tony Oliva with a single, his 100th hit of the season. In addition to being among the league leaders in hits and RBIs (58), Hall stood atop the American League batting race with a .321 average at day’s end. Jim Perry earned the complete-game win, improving to 7-0 for the season.

July 20. California 9, Minnesota 1. Frank Quilici walked again as part of the Twins’ first-inning gambit, and then scored the Twins’ only run of the game on a Tony Oliva groundout. The ailing Camilo Pascual, making his first start in two weeks, was unable to protect the first-inning lead, giving up five runs on seven hits in 2⅓ innings of work. All told, the Angels tallied 15 hits and plated nine runners to split the four-game series.

July 21 (Game1). Minnesota 8, Boston 6. After splitting the series with the Angels in Minnesota, the Twins were back on the road to take on the Red Sox at Fenway Park in a doubleheader. Minnesota starter Jim Kaat made himself at home, retiring the side in order in the first inning and driving in the Twins’ first run in the second. The Twins sprayed 15 hits, five of which came off the bat of Tony Oliva, as they were able to overcome the Red Sox, who had six runs on 13 hits.

July 21 (Game 2). Minnesota 11, Boston 8. After being treated to an offensive show in the first game of the doubleheader, the Fenway Park faithful saw even more offense in the second game. Unfortunately for the Red Sox fans, more of the offensive output came from the visiting Twins. Harmon Killebrew and Jimmie Hall both collected their 60th RBIs of the season, with Killebrew’s coming on a fourth-inning two-run home run. Hall’s 60th RBI came on a sacrifice fly, although he was the only starting position player on either team not to record a hit. Al Worthington collected his sixth win for the Twins.

July 22. Minnesota 11, Boston 5. For the second straight game the Twins scored 11 runs against the Red Sox. The Twins’ three, four, and five hitters were at the center of their attack, as Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, and Bob Allison were a combined 6-for-12 with 10 RBIs. Both of Allison’s hits left the ballpark, and Tony Oliva collected his league-leading 28th double. Despite giving up five runs on 12 hits, Mudcat Grant earned his 10th win of the season as the Twins swept the Red Sox for the third consecutive series.

July 23. Baltimore 3, Minnesota 2. The Twins took their road trip to Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium to take on the second-place Orioles, who entered the day 4½ games back. Baltimore starting pitcher Steve Barber kept the Twins scoreless until the eighth inning, when Bob Allison and Earl Battey tied the game, 2-2, with back-to-back home runs. Twins starter Jim Perry pitched into the ninth inning, but was replaced by Bill Pleis with runners at the corners and one out. After issuing a walk to load the bases, Pleis gave way to Johnny Klippstein, who gave up a walk-off RBI single to Brooks Robinson, and the Twins fell to the Orioles.

July 24. Baltimore 3, Minnesota 1. With the game knotted, 1-1, going into the bottom of the eighth, Boog Powell slugged his eighth home run of the season off Bill Pleis. Pleis was battered for another run when relief pitcher Dick Hall doubled to score second baseman Jerry Adair. With the win, the Orioles climbed to within 2½ games of the Twins for the league lead.

July 25. Minnesota 8, Baltimore 5. As Bob Dylan was booed for “going electric” at the Newport Folk Festival, the Twins upset the Baltimore crowd with some electric hitting in the late innings. Down 5-1 and in danger of losing three straight to the second-place Orioles, the Twins opened the eighth inning with singles by Frank Quilici, Sandy Valdespino, and Zoilo Versalles, with Versalles’s hit scoring Quilici from second. Tony Oliva then cleared the bases and tied the game with a three-run homer. The Twins scored three more in the ninth inning against veteran Harvey Haddix on a two-run RBI triple by Versalles and a sacrifice fly by Oliva to give Al Worthington the win.

July 26. Minnesota 8, Baltimore 2. In search of a series split, first baseman Don Mincher put the Twins ahead in the first inning with a three-run homer. Although the three runs were enough for Mudcat Grant, who gave up two runs in 6⅓ innings for the win, the Twins plated five more runs, including one on Harmon Killebrew’s 20th home run of the season. Making his third appearance of the year, reliever Garry Roggenburk turned in 2⅔ innings of strong relief, earning his first save of the season.

July 27 (Game 1). Washington 10, Minnesota 7. Minnesota starter Jim Perry had trouble with the host Senators, giving up five runs on five hits in just 3⅓ innings of work. Perry’s exit in favor of Johnny Klippstein did not slow down the Senators, as they posted a six-run fourth inning to take a commanding 9-0 lead. The Twins started to come alive in the sixth inning beginning with a Harmon Killebrew two-run homer, and then Earl Battey’s three-run blast in the seventh inning drew the Twins within three, but Minnesota was unable to overcome the Senators.

July 27 (Game 2). Minnesota 9, Washington 5. Zoilo Versalles, Earl Battey, and Don Mincher all went deep for Minnesota in a 12-hit, nine-run onslaught. The Twins were aided by four Washington errors, and relievers Dwight Siebler and Al Worthington combined to pitch four innings of shutout baseball, with Worthington earning the win.

July 28. Minnesota 9, Washington 1. Looking to wrap up their road trip with a win, the Senators filled out the scorecard against the Senators. The red-hot Tony Oliva went 5-for-5, raising his batting average to .308, third best in the American League. Harmon Killebrew’s third-inning two-run homer put him in sole possession of the American League lead in RBIs with 69, and brought him into a tie with Detroit’s Willie Horton for the lead in home runs, with 22. The only setback for the Twins was the loss of Camilo Pascual, who, after dealing with a strained back muscle for more than a month, exited the game in the fourth inning. Pascual’s injury proved to be serious enough to warrant surgery, and it was projected that he could miss the remainder of the season.

July 30. Minnesota 3, Baltimore 2. Four days after beating the Orioles in Baltimore, Mudcat Grant went to the mound at Metropolitan Stadium to take on Hank Bauer’s club again. As in his previous start, Grant allowed two runs, but unlike his last outing, he went the distance en route to his 12th win. Grant’s run support came from RBIs by Tony Oliva, Rich Rollins, and Earl Battey, who broke a 2-2 deadlock in the eighth with a squeeze bunt to bring home Don Mincher.

July 31. Minnesota 2, Baltimore 1. Jim Perry was solid in his bid for his eighth win of the season, giving up only one run in eight innings, but the Orioles’ John Miller was just as strong, keeping the Twins scoreless after eight innings. Harmon Killebrew broke through for the Twins in the nick of time, driving in pinch-runner Jim Kaat with an RBI single to force extra innings. Al Worthington kept the Orioles silent in the 10th and 11th innings, and Tony Oliva led off the bottom half of the 11th with a hit. Oliva moved to second on a bunt by Worthington. After an intentional walk to Killebrew, all eyes turned to pinch-hitter Joe Nossek. Nossek grounded to Brooks Robinson, but the Baltimore infield was unable to turn the double play, enabling the aggressive Oliva to score from second base and give Minnesota the victory. With the win, the Twins expanded their lead in the American League to six games, and improved their sterling July record to 22-9.

August 1. Baltimore 7, Minnesota 6. Bob Allison’s second-inning solo home run and fourth-inning sacrifice fly gave the Twins an early 3-1 lead over the visiting Orioles. Jim Kaat ran into trouble in the fifth inning, however, giving up a double to Dick Brown and a triple to Luis Aparicio. Later in that inning Don Mincher’s error led to two more runs as the Orioles wrestled the lead away from the Twins. Jimmie Hall’s fifth-inning RBI groundout brought home Kaat’s replacement, Garry Roggenburk, to tie the game, 4-4. On the mound Roggenburk kept the Twins in the game by tossing 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief, and Earl Battey put the Twins out in front in the eighth with a two-run RBI double off Jim Palmer. The lead was short-lived, as Boog Powell silenced the Twins with a three-run home run in the ninth off Dick Stigman to give the Orioles the victory.

August 2. Minnesota 6, Baltimore 5. Left-hander Jim Merritt made his major-league debut when Sam Mele gave him the start against the Orioles. With Minnesota leading 2-0 in the top of the sixth inning, Merritt lost the lead and, more significantly, the Twins lost Harmon Killebrew to injury. The reigning American League home-run champion and team leader dislocated his elbow and had to be taken off the field in a stretcher after he smashed his outstretched arm into an oncoming baserunner while reaching for a wild throw. Although Minnesota would have to forge ahead without Killebrew, Mele summed up the team’s persevering attitude, saying, “These guys never stop fighting. They won’t now with Harmon out of the lineup.”6 True to Mele’s word, the rest of the Twins kept swinging, and Minnesota retook the lead with a three-run outburst in the eighth inning. Baltimore’s Dick Brown tied the game again with a three-run home run, but Jimmie Hall led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo walk-off home run.

August 3 (Game 1). Minnesota 4, Washington 3. With the irreplaceable Harmon Killebrew out of the lineup until September 21, Don Mincher stepped into the role of the Twins’ everyday first baseman. Mincher also filled in for Killebrew in the batter’s box by slugging his 14th home run of the season to break a 1-1 deadlock in the fourth inning. Four batters later, Minnesota starter Mudcat Grant doubled his lead by doubling in Frank Quilici. Not only did Grant drive in a run, but he scored a run of his own in the seventh as the Twins held off the visiting Senators in the first game of the doubleheader.

August 3 (Game 2). Washington 4, Minnesota 2. With Camilo Pascual still out of the starting rotation, Dwight Siebler started the second game of the doubleheader with the Senators. Big Frank Howard took Siebler deep in the second to give Washington a 1-0 lead, and Ken Hamlin extended the lead in the next inning with an RBI double. Zoilo Versalles put the Twins on the board and tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom half of the third, but Don Zimmer’s fifth-inning double off Mel Nelson scored two and put the Senators up for good.

August 4. Minnesota 4, Washington 3. Jim Perry gave up three runs in 4⅔ innings before giving way to the Minnesota bullpen. Bill Pleis, Garry Roggenburk, and Dick Stigman were all strong in relief as they kept the Senators scoreless through the ninth inning. After the trio of relief pitchers did their duty, Jerry Kindall made their efforts count by tying the game in the ninth with his fifth home run of the season. After a walk to Zoilo Versalles and a single by Tony Oliva, Jimmie Hall found himself at the plate with runners on the corners and a chance to win the game, which he did on an RBI single off Marshall Bridges.

August 5. Minnesota 8, Washington 5. After Earl Battey doubled in Bob Allison in the second inning, pitcher Pete Richert and the Senators were beset by a series of miscues. Jimmie Hall reached base on an error, and Battey scored on a wild pitch. The sloppiness continued as Hall scored on a passed ball with Frank Quilici at the plate. Having scored three on a series of Washington follies in the second inning, the Twins plated three more in one fell swoop in the third inning on a three-run home run by Joe Nossek. Bob Allison and Zoilo Versalles checked in later in the game with an RBI triple and home run, respectively, as the Twins took three of four from the visiting Senators.

August 6. Minnesota 9, Boston 3.  The Twins had the Red Sox’ number in 1965. Minnesota showcased its dominance over Boston in the bottom of the sixth when the Twins scored six runs, including two on a Bob Allison home run and three on a Zoilo Versalles blast. The offensive output carried Jim Merritt to his first career win in only his second start.

August 7. Minnesota 9, Boston 4. Zoilo Versalles and Don Mincher each collected his 15th home run of the season as the Twins cruised to victory again against the Red Sox. Despite giving up four runs, Mudcat Grant went the distance to collect his league-leading 14th win. The American League leaders in batting, Carl Yastrzemski and Felix Mantilla, both went deep for Boston, but the Twins’ Jimmie Hall gained ground in the batting race by going 2-for-4, bringing his average to .306.

August 8. Minnesota 8, Boston 0. Minnesota collected yet another sweep against the Red Sox by dismantling Boston. Tony Oliva went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs to bring his average to .307 and thrust himself into the batting title conversation. Bob Allison and Don Mincher both tripled, and pitcher Jim Perry was stellar, improving to 8-2 with his two-hit shutout.

August 10. Minnesota 7, New York 3. After sweeping the Red Sox in Minnesota, the Twins embarked on a coast-to-coast road trip, beginning in New York. The Twins jumped ahead of Whitey Ford in the first inning on an RBI double by Rich Rollins and an RBI single by Tony Oliva. The Yankees tied the game, 2-2, in the seventh inning, but the Twins ran away in the eighth inning, scoring five runs on four hits and an error. Winning pitcher Jim Kaat gave up only one earned run through seven innings, but after giving up an eighth-inning home run to Mickey Mantle, Kaat gave way to Al Worthington, who recorded his 14th save of the season. It was the Twins’ sixth win in a row as they improved to 73-39 and stretched their lead to 8½ games over second-place Baltimore.

August 11. New York 5, Minnesota 4. For the second straight game the Twins jumped ahead of the Yankees in the first inning with RBI singles coming from Earl Battey and Rich Rollins. Despite the early lead, Mudcat Grant and the Twins came apart in the fifth inning, which began with an Elston Howard base hit and a Ray Barker double. Howard scored on a wild pitch with Clete Boyer at the plate, and Boyer added to the damage by singling home Barker. Grant’s nightmare inning continued when his error allowed Phil Linz to get on base. Linz and Boyer scored on a Bobby Richardson single before Grant was lifted in favor of Garry Roggenburk. The five-run fifth inning was all the Yankees needed as they ended the Twins’ six-game winning streak.

August 12. Minnesota 8, New York 2. It was a banner day for Minnesota rookies Jim Merritt and Frank Quilici. Merritt gave up only two runs on his way to his first career complete game and Quilici collected his first career triple in the eighth inning, which produced his first two career RBIs. Don Mincher continued to contribute at the plate, taking New York starter Al Downing deep in the fourth inning. More excitement came in the ninth when Rich Rollins stole home on a double steal as the Twins took the series from the Yankees.

August 13. Cleveland 3, Minnesota 1. The next stop on the Twins’ road trip was Cleveland, where they took on the Indians on Friday the 13th. Bad luck struck the Indians in the fifth inning when an error by Tony Oliva and a wild pitch from starting pitcher Jim Perry allowed the Indians to score two runs. Oliva atoned for his error with his 16th home run of the year in the seventh inning, but the Indians held off the Twins.

August 14. Cleveland 3, Minnesota 1. The Twins’ bad fifth-inning luck was not limited to Friday the 13th, as Larry Brown and Chuck Hinton tagged Jim Kaat for two home runs in the fifth inning on Saturday the 14th. Cleveland hurler Sam McDowell shut down the potent Minnesota offense, limiting the Twins to one run on three hits. The lone Minnesota run came off the bat of rookie newcomer Andy Kosco, who homered in just his second major-league at-bat.

August 15 (Game 1). Minnesota 4, Cleveland 3. Having lost two in a row to the Indians, the Twins needed to sweep Sunday’s doubleheader in order to escape Cleveland with a series split.  Jimmie Hall’s second-inning double, followed by Earl Battey’s RBI single, gave the Twins the early 1-0 lead against Luis Tiant. The Twins added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning on a two-RBI double by Don Mincher and an RBI single by Hall to give Mudcat Grant a comfortable 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Leon Wagner chased Grant and made things interesting with a two-run home run in the ninth, and Chuck Hinton made reliever Al Worthington sweat with an RBI single, but the Twins managed to hold on.

August 15 (Game 2). Cleveland 6, Minnesota 4.  Tony Oliva cracked his 30th double of the season in the first inning, and was brought home on a single by Don Mincher to give the Twins the early lead. Oliva struck again in the seventh inning with an RBI single to extend the Twins’ lead to 3-1. Garry Roggenburk had his first blown save of the season by giving up a game-tying two-run home run to Max Alvis with two out in the bottom of the ninth. Jerry Kindall put the Twins back out in front in the 11th inning with a solo blast, but the Indians refused to go quietly. With pinch-hitter Leon Wagner at the plate and a runner on third, Minnesota reliever Bill Pleis committed a balk to tie the game. Pleis could not shake off the miscue as Wagner tagged Pleis for a walk-off home run. Despite losing three of four to the Indians, the Twins left Cleveland with a comfortable eight-game lead over the second-place Indians.

August 17. Detroit 7, Minnesota 4. The Twins continued their Midwest swing in Detroit against the Tigers, who came into the game tied with the Indians for second place. Making his fourth career start, Jim Merritt ran into a buzz saw in the third and fourth innings, giving up solo home runs to Don Wert, Al Kaline, and Willie Horton.  Dave Boswell fared even worse in relief, giving up four runs, including three on Horton’s second home run of the game, in the fifth inning. After being shut out by Hank Aguirre for seven innings, Minnesota rallied. Zoilo Versalles doubled to lead off the eighth inning and the Twins narrowed the seven-run deficit on RBI singles by Tony Oliva, Earl Battey, and Don Mincher. Versailles doubled again in the ninth inning and was brought home by Frank Quilici, but the Tigers held on to win.

August 19 (Game 1). Minnesota 8, Detroit 3. The Twins jumped on Tigers pitcher Dave Wickersham in the first inning, plating two. Two innings later, Minnesota did even more damage against the Detroit righty, scoring four runs on back-to-back home runs by Don Mincher and Rich Rollins to take a commanding 6-0 lead. On the mound, Mudcat Grant took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before it was broken up by a Norm Cash home run. Grant got the run back himself with an RBI double in the eighth inning, and stayed in the game to earn the complete-game win despite giving up a ninth-inning home run to Don Demeter.

August 19 (Game 2). Minnesota 2, Detroit 1. On his way to a 3-for-4 game, Zoilo Versalles hit his ninth triple of the season off Mickey Lolich before scoring the first run of the game on a Jerry Kindall squeeze bunt. Pinch-hitter Jake Wood tied the game in the seventh inning with an RBI single off Jim Kaat. The Tigers were unable to muster anything else against Kaat, and Zoilo Versalles’s eighth-inning double and Sandy Valdespino’s ensuing pinch-hit single handed Kaat the victory and gave the Twins the series win.

August 20 (Game 1). California 3, Minnesota 1. After wrapping up a doubleheader in Detroit the day before, the Twins flew to California to take on the Angels in their second doubleheader in as many days. Although the road-weary Twins managed to collect nine hits, their only run came on Jimmie Hall’s sixth-inning double. In an otherwise strong start, Jim Perry gave up a two-run fourth-inning home run to Joe Adcock, which was enough to stick him with his fourth loss of the season.

August 20 (Game 2). Minnesota 3, California 1. Making his first start since July 9, Dave Boswell went 6⅓ innings against the Angels. Although Jose Cardenal’s third-inning solo home run was the only run scored against Boswell, he left the game behind a run. The Twins were unable to crack California’s George Brunet until the ninth inning when Zoilo Versalles and Rich Rollins led off with a single and a double, respectively. Taking a long lead at third, Versalles bolted for home when Tony Oliva hit a bouncing ball down the first-base line. Versalles scored when first baseman Vic Power hurried the throw home, and Rollins moved to third. Third-base coach Billy Martin hailed Versalles’s aggressive baserunning, saying, “Zoilo stole that run.”7 Andy Kosco then put the Twins in the lead with a sacrifice fly. Sandy Valdespino added an insurance run with an RBI single, and Johnny Klippstein retired the Twins in order in the bottom of the ninth on his way to his sixth win of the season.

August 21. Minnesota 4, California 2. Jim Merritt and Angels starter Fred Newman kept the game scoreless through five innings. The Twins came alive in the sixth with three straight singles by Zoilo Versalles, Sandy Valdespino, and Tony Oliva, with Oliva’s single bringing home Versalles to break the deadlock. Jimmie Hall advanced Oliva and Valdespino on a groundout, and Earl Battey brought them home on a single to give the Twins a 3-0 lead. Second baseman Bobby Knoop shaved the lead to two with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning, but the Twins regained a three-run lead when Oliva drove in Versalles for the second time, this time on sacrifice fly in the eighth. Coming on in relief of Merritt, Al Worthington gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth but nonetheless earned his 16th save of the season as the Twins equaled their 79-win total of the previous season.

August 22. California 4, Minnesota 1. In the first inning, Tony Oliva’s league-leading 155th base hit scored Zoilo Versalles with his league-leading 98th run to put the Twins up 1-0. Unfortunately for Jim Kaat, Oliva’s RBI was all that would come in the way of run support, and Kaat lost the narrow lead in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by Jim Piersall. Kaat gave up two more runs in the sixth inning on a two-run, two-out RBI single by starting pitcher Dean Chance. Kaat’s record dropped to 12-10 with the loss. The defeat wrapped up Minnesota’s whirlwind cross-country road trip, in which they went 7-7.  They still had a comfortable 6½-game lead as they returned home.

August 23. Minnesota 4, New York 3. Without taking a breath, the Twins winged all the way back to Minnesota to take on the Yankees. Zoilo Versalles opened the scoring against Whitey Ford with a solo home run, his 16th of the year. Mudcat Grant kept the Yanks scoreless until Bobby Richardson doubled home Roger Repoz in the top of the sixth inning. Frank Quilici put the Twins back in front in the bottom of the sixth with a single, but Clete Boyer took Grant deep in the seventh with a two-run blast that gave New York the edge. Ford protected his one-run lead until the ninth inning, when he was chased after giving up a single to Versalles. Versalles scored on Tony Oliva’s 31st double of the season, forcing extra innings. Al Worthington made the home crowd nervous by loading the bases in the 10th inning, but he struck out Elston Howard to get out of the jam. After Bob Allison and Don Mincher drew walks off Jim Bouton, the Twins walked off on Jerry Kindall’s RBI single.

August 24. New York 2, Minnesota 1. Tony Oliva went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .312. One of Oliva’s hits came in the sixth inning and drove home Sandy Valdespino to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. Jim Perry could not hold the lead, though, giving up a two-run home run to Tom Tresh in the eighth. The two runs were enough for Mel Stottlemyre, who earned his 16th victory for New York.

August 25. Minnesota 5, New York 4. The Twins’ injury woes continued to grow after Tony Oliva exited in the first inning with a jammed finger. (Oliva sat out the next five games.) Bob Allison, who had recently been splitting duties with Sandy Valdespino, checked in with a home run to give the Twins and Jim Merritt the early lead. Merritt then saw his lead increase when he drew a walk and scored on Joe Nossek’s fifth-inning double. In the seventh inning, the Yankees’ Tom Tresh went deep for the second consecutive game, and then Hector Lopez tied the game with a sacrifice fly. The Twins struck back in the bottom of the frame, plating two on Rich Rollins’s triple and adding another on Earl Battey’s double. Merritt was denied the complete game after Elston Howard chased him with a ninth-inning home run, but the Minnesota rookie still earned the win after Al Worthington retired the side.

August 26. Minnesota 9, New York 2. With Tony Oliva out of the lineup, Bob Allison powered the Minnesota offense, hitting his second home run in as many days to bring his season total to 20, and adding two doubles. Zoilo Versalles, Jimmie Hall, and Jerry Kindall also had multi-hit games as the Twins put up nine runs against the Yankees. Jim Kaat earned the complete-game win despite giving up 10 hits, as his record improved to 13-10.

August 27. Minnesota 7, Cleveland 0. The Indians entered the series on the ropes, losers of six of 10 games after taking three of four from Minnesota earlier in the month. Mudcat Grant was splendid as he bedeviled the Indians in a two-hit shutout performance to earn his league-leading 17th win. Grant also powered the Minnesota offense, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Rich Rollins, Earl Battey, and Bob Allison each collected an RBI as the Twins rolled.

August 28. Cleveland 6, Minnesota 5. Jim Perry found himself down early after giving up a two-run triple to Rocky Colavito in the top of the first inning. Not to be outdone, Sandy Valdespino responded with a first-inning triple off Luis Tiant, which scored Zoilo Versalles from second after he had doubled. Valdespino then scored on Earl Battey’s sacrifice fly to tie the game. Battey’s leadoff double in the fourth inning paved the way for RBI singles by Bob Allison and Jerry Kindall. The Twins continued to build on their lead in the fifth when Versalles tripled and scored on a Jimmie Hall base hit to put the Twins up 5-2. Perry’s lead was not safe, however, as Cleveland tied it up on back-to-back homers by Rocky Colavito and Fred Whitfield in the eighth inning. Al Worthington was saddled with the loss, giving up a sacrifice fly to Chuck Hinton in the ninth.

August 29. Cleveland 3, Minnesota 1. Jim Merritt took the mound in the rubber game with the Indians in search of his fifth win. He had a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning, but his plans were derailed when Rocky Colavito’s double tied the game and Fred Whitfield’s sacrifice fly put Cleveland ahead. Whitfield struck again in the eighth inning to add an insurance run on an RBI single, and the Twins never recovered, losing the game and the series to Cleveland.

August 30. Minnesota 3, Detroit 2.  Left fielder Willie Horton led the charge for Detroit, driving in the first run of the game off Jim Kaat in the fourth inning. After Don Mincher’s RBI single tied the game, Horton put the Tigers back in front with another RBI single and chased Kaat from the game in the process. Zoilo Versalles singled home Jerry Kindall in the seventh to put the game back on even terms, and the game remained tied after nine innings. Johnny Klippstein kept the Tigers scoreless and the Twins won the game on a walk-off RBI single by Sandy Valdespino in the 11th.

August 31. Detroit 7, Minnesota 6. With the Twins leading 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning, Tigers first baseman Norm Cash mashed a three-run go-ahead home run off Mudcat Grant. The Twins loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning and scored three, including two on Don Mincher’s triple, to retake the lead. The back-and-forth continued as the Tigers and Twins traded RBI singles in the sixth and seventh innings, and the Twins held a 6-5 lead going into the ninth. The lead changed yet again, and this time for good, when catcher Bill Freehan blasted a two-run homer off Mel Nelson. With the loss, the Twins ended August with a 19-13 record for the month, and maintained a 7½-game lead atop the American League.

September 1. Minnesota 5, Detroit 2. Entering the home stretch, the Twins entered September with a 7½-game lead in the American League. Minnesota’s prospects for capturing the pennant were bolstered by the return of Tony Oliva to the lineup. Oliva went 3-for-4 and initiated the scoring in the first inning by giving the Twins the lead on an RBI double. Oliva scored on a passed ball with Earl Battey at the plate, and then Battey drove home Bob Allison to give the Twins a 3-0 lead. Jim Perry gave up a two-run second-inning homer to light-hitting shortstop Ray Oyler, but otherwise shut down the Detroit offense as he captured his ninth win of the season.

September 2. Detroit 5, Minnesota 4. Detroit third baseman Don Wert had a field day against Jim Merritt, tagging the Twins starter for a two-run single and a two-run homer, the latter of which gave the Tigers a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning. The Twins loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning but were able to plate only one run when Cesar Tovar drew a walk off Joe Sparma. With the Twins down two going into the bottom of the ninth, Don Mincher gave his team hope by leading off with a home run, but Detroit reliever Terry Fox was able to save the game for the Tigers.

September 3. Minnesota 6, Chicago 4. Trailing the Twins by 6½ games with only 27 left to play, the second-place White Sox rolled into Minnesota needing to make a statement. Instead, it was the Twins’ Tony Oliva who did the talking, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a stolen base. Don Mincher added two more runs for Minnesota on his 19th home run of the season. With six runs of support, Jim Kaat earned the win despite giving up four runs in 5⅓ innings, and Al Worthington collected his 19th save of the season.

September 4. Chicago 5, Minnesota 4. Chicago shortstop Ron Hansen had a nightmare first inning, making errors on two straight plays, allowing Zoilo Versalles and Sandy Valdespino to reach base to lead off the game. Both scored on RBI groundouts by Tony Oliva and Don Mincher as the Twins took a 2-1 lead without recording a hit. With an RBI single in the fourth, Earl Battey gave Mudcat Grant a two-run cushion. The White Sox clawed back with two runs in the fifth, and then center fielder Ken Berry put Grant behind with a solo home run in the sixth. The White Sox added one more in the eighth when Don Buford stole home, and Hoyt Wilhelm held off the Twins to earn his 16th save of the season.

September 5. Chicago 2, Minnesota 0. Chicago’s Joe Horlen gave up only three hits in a shutout performance. Jim Perry gave up only one earned run in 7⅔ innings, but was stuck with the loss as the White Sox left Minnesota having gained some ground on the league-leading Twins.

September 6 (Game 1). Minnesota 8, Kansas City 6. Making his first appearance since aggravating his back on July 28, Camilo Pascual was given the start as the Twins traveled to Kansas City for a quick doubleheader.  Pascual ran into trouble in the second inning, giving up five runs to the A’s before making way for Dave Boswell. The Twins quickly got back into the game with a two-run third inning and a three-run fourth. Jerry Kindall was at the center of the attack in both innings, collecting two hits and scoring twice. Rich Rollins put the Twins ahead in the fifth inning with a single, and Earl Battey and Don Mincher added insurance runs in the eighth. Despite getting roughed up in his return, Pascual remained confident, saying, “my back is okay. It will take me two or three more times out. Then give me the ball.”8

September 6 (Game 2). Kansas City 4, Minnesota 3. The Twins gave Jim Merritt the early lead by plating two in the second inning. Although Merritt gave up a run in the second, his fourth-inning RBI single got the run back, and he took a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning. Mike Hershberger led off the eighth with a double, moved to third on a passed ball, and then scored on a groundout. Dick Green and Jose Tartabull had back-to-back doubles, which tied the game and caused Sam Mele to turn to Al Worthington. Worthington lost the game in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Santiago Rosario.

September 8. Minnesota 3, Chicago 2. After splitting the doubleheader in Kansas City, the Twins headed to Chicago with their lead over the White Sox narrowed to five games.  After giving up two runs in the first inning, Mudcat Grant settled down and blanked the White Sox for the remainder of the game. Zoilo Versalles brought the Twins within one by bringing home Rich Rollins on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. With his two-run home run in the seventh inning, Jimmie Hall put the Twins up for good as they extended their lead to six games.

September 9. Minnesota 10, Chicago 4. After eking out a win the day before, the Twins exploded against the White Sox at Comiskey Park. Giving up four runs on six hits in just 1⅔ innings, Chicago starter Joe Horlen was replaced by Bob Locker. Horlen’s counterpart, Jim Kaat, was strong enough, giving up three runs in 6⅔ innings. Al Worthington gave up one run in 2⅓ innings of relief, and Jimmie Hall went deep for the second straight game as the Twins cruised to victory.

September 10. Minnesota 8, Boston 5. After stretching their lead back to seven games in Chicago, the Twins headed to Fenway Park to take on the ninth-place Red Sox. With the bases loaded in the second inning, Zoilo Versalles cleared them with his 40th double of the season. Sloppy fielding by third baseman Rich Rollins and a wild pitch by Jim Perry put the Red Sox on the board in the bottom of the second, but the Twins extended their lead in the third on an RBI double by Don Mincher and a sacrifice fly by Earl Battey. The Twins pulled away with hits by Jerry Kindall and Jimmie Hall in the sixth inning, as Jim Perry earned his 10th win of the season and the Twins crossed the 90-win threshold.

September 11. Minnesota 8, Boston 4. For the second straight game, the Twins plated eight against the Red Sox. Every Twins position player got a hit and the top three men in the order – Zoilo Versalles, Jimmie Hall, and Tony Oliva – went a combined 10-for-15 with three doubles, four stolen bases, and five RBIs. Camilo Pascual also returned to form, going 7⅓ innings and giving up a respectable three runs on five hits to earn his ninth win of the season.

September 12. Minnesota 2, Boston 0. The final game of the season between the Twins and the Red Sox could not have come soon enough for Boston. Mudcat Grant put the Red Sox out of their misery by shutting them out on four hits. With his fifth triple of the season, Tony Oliva (.318) edged closer to Carl Yastrzemski (.323) in the American League batting race, and RBIs from Bob Allison and Don Mincher gave the Twins the victory. With the win, the Twins’ domination of the Red Sox was complete, as they ended the season with an incredible 17-1 record against Boston.

September 14. Minnesota 4, Kansas City 3. The Twins returned home to Minnesota to play the A’s, having gone 6-1 on their road trip to open a nine-game lead in the American League with 16 games left to play. After the A’s Mike Hershberger put Kansas City on top in the second inning, Earl Battey struck back for the Twins by doubling home Bob Allison. With the game tied, 2-2, in the bottom of the seventh, the hot-hitting Jimmie Hall drove in Zoilo Versalles and Rich Rollins to hand Jim Kaat his 16th win of the season.

September 15. Minnesota 7, Kansas City 5. Jim Perry squared off against Catfish Hunter, but neither starter recorded a decision. Hunter’s subpar day came to a close in the fifth inning after he gave up RBI singles to Zoilo Versalles and Bob Allison. Perry was not far behind Hunter, as he was chased in the sixth inning after giving up home runs to Ken Harrelson and Larry Stahl. With the game tied, 5-5, going into the bottom of the ninth, rookie pinch-hitter Ted Uhlaender recorded his first career RBI by singling home Don Mincher. Joe Nossek, also coming in as a pinch-hitter, added an insurance run by driving in Rich Rollins as the Twins won their seventh straight.

September 17. Washington 2, Minnesota 1. Camilo Pascual had another strong outing off the disabled list, giving up only one run on five hits in nine innings. Unfortunately for Pascual, his counterpart, Pete Richert, put up the exact same line and the game entered the 10th inning tied, 1-1. Making his third relief appearance since going to the bullpen to make room for Pascual, Jim Merritt gave up a go-ahead single to Don Lock as the Twins’ winning streak came to an end.

September 18. Minnesota 4, Washington 2. Rookies Ted Uhlaender and Frank Quilici started the game for Minnesota in left field and at second base, respectively, and ended up playing central roles in the victory. Uhlaender reached base on an error in the first inning, stole second, and scored on a single by Earl Battey. Quilici walked in the next inning and scored on Zoilo Versalles’s 17th home run of the season. Jim Kaat walked six, and left the game in the fifth inning with a 4-2 lead, so he was ineligible for the win. That distinction went to Johnny Klippstein, who pitched 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief.

September 19. Minnesota 8, Washington 1. Minnesota jumped on Washington in the first inning, as Joe Nossek doubled and stole third. Although Nossek was thrown out trying to score on a fielder’s choice, the Minnesota attack was undeterred as Bob Allison doubled home Andy Kosco and Earl Battey. Don Mincher kept the line moving by driving in Allison, as the Twins took an early 3-0 lead. Although the three runs were more than enough for Jim Perry, who went the distance and allowed only one run, the Twins added five more on RBIs by Frank Quilici, Zoilo Versalles, and two from Perry himself.

September 20. Kansas City 8, Minnesota 2. Don Mincher clubbed two home runs for Minnesota to bring his season total to 21; however, the Twins were able to muster little else against 19-year-old rookie Catfish Hunter and the A’s. Mudcat Grant was handed his sixth loss in 25 decisions, and Garry Roggenburk was roughed up in relief, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks without retiring a batter.

September 21. Baltimore 6, Minnesota 4. The Twins welcomed Harmon Killebrew back to the lineup as they closed in on the American League pennant, but the second-place Orioles arrived in Minnesota to keep their own remote pennant hopes alive. Boog Powell buoyed Baltimore’s hopes with a first-inning RBI single off Camilo Pascual, and Paul Blair’s fourth-inning blast extended Baltimore’s lead. With the Twins down 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Andy Kosco’s sacrifice fly and Zoilo Versalles’s league-leading 44th double pulled the Twins even. The Twins came apart, though, in the 10th inning, when Luis Aparicio singled home Jerry Adair and Boog Powell walked with the bases loaded as the Orioles took the game.

September 22. Baltimore 5, Minnesota 2. The Orioles again refused to go quietly in their final visit to Minnesota. Jerry Adair’s two-run second-inning homer off Jim Kaat put Baltimore ahead, and the Orioles added three more runs in the fifth inning. Other than allowing RBI singles to Tony Oliva and Bob Allison, the Orioles’ Dave McNally shut down the Twins, who saw their loss-column lead over Baltimore shrink to six games, with eight remaining.

September 25 (Game 1). Minnesota 5, Washington 0. After being idle for two days, the Twins played two against the Senators in Washington. Zoilo Versalles broke the 0-0 tie in the fifth inning with a two-run homer, his 18th of the year. The Twins added three more in the seventh on Tony Oliva’s double and Sandy Valdespino’s two-run RBI single. Mudcat Grant earned his league-leading 20th win in style, shutting out the Senators with a one-hitter.

September 25 (Game 2). Minnesota 5, Washington 3.  The Twins made two errors and Camilo Pascual gave up two hits in the second inning, leading to three Senators runs. The Twins earned one run on two singles and a sacrifice fly by Jimmie Hall in the fourth, and they added another run on a Don Mincher homer in the seventh, but they still trailed 3-2 going into the eighth inning. With two out and runners on first and second, Joe Nossek doubled to tie the game. Two batters later, Frank Quilici drove home two more runs with a single as the Twins wrested the game from the Senators. However, with Baltimore sweeping a doubleheader from California, the Twins would have to wait another day to celebrate.

September 26. Minnesota 2, Washington 1. Just as he had in his previous start against the Twins, nine days earlier, Senators pitcher Pete Richert made life difficult for Minnesota. Fortunately for the Twins, Jim Kaat kept his club in the game by giving up only one run in nine innings, but the Twins trailed 1-0 going into the sixth. Zoilo Versalles cracked Richert by legging out his league-leading 12th triple of the season. A passed ball allowed Versalles to score to tie the game. Two innings later, Frank Quilici led off the eighth with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch by Richert. With one out and Quilici on third, Versalles hit a fly ball to center field that allowed Quilici to tag up and give the Twins the lead. Kaat stayed in the game and kept the Senators scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings to earn the victory. With the win, the Twins clinched the American League pennant, bringing the World Series to the fans of Minnesota for the first time. Kaat’s reward for clinching the pennant was a spot in Minnesota’s World Series rotation, which had been less than a certainty given his recent struggles in closing out games. “I had plenty of incentive. I wanted to show them what I could do,” said the triumphant lefty.

September 28. Baltimore 4, Minnesota 2. With the pennant in hand, the Twins traveled to Baltimore to take on the Orioles, whose late-season surge had come up short. Jim Perry gave up two runs on six hits in four innings before being replaced by Al Worthington. Worthington encountered some control problems, loading the bases on two walks and a hit batsman before walking home two runs. In an encouraging sign for Minnesota, Harmon Killebrew hit his first home run since returning to the lineup, a two-run shot that brought the Twins within two, but Minnesota fell to Baltimore.

September 29. Minnesota 3, Baltimore 2.  Mudcat Grant went to the mound in search of his 21st win. Although he gave up only two runs in eight innings, Grant looked as if he might instead get his seventh loss, with the Twins down 2-1 going into the eighth inning. With Cesar Tovar on second after a double, Bob Allison carried Grant and the Twins to the lead with his 22nd home run of the season. After Grant loaded the bases in the ninth, Jim Merritt and Johnny Klippstein combined to hold the Orioles hitless for the remainder of the inning, with Klippstein earning his fourth save of the season.

September 30. Minnesota 7, Baltimore 6. He did not have his best stuff on the mound, but Jim Kaat did better at the plate, hitting his only home run of the season, off Milt Pappas. Kaat was not the only one to save a first for the end of the season; Zoilo Versalles clubbed his first career grand slam, off Pappas in the fifth inning. Jimmie Hall added two more runs on a single in the seventh. Hall’s insurance runs turned out to be crucial when Baltimore plated four in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 7-5 game. Baltimore’s Curt Blefary cut the Twins’ lead to one by scoring on an error by Jerry Kindall (who was filling in at shortstop) in the eighth, but Al Worthington was able to save the game for Minnesota.

October 2. California 5, Minnesota 4. The Twins returned home for the first time since clinching the pennant to take on the Angels. Camilo Pascual got the start and gave up two runs in five innings before turning the ball over to Mudcat Grant. Perhaps uncomfortable coming out of the bullpen, Grant did something he rarely did in 1965: he lost, giving up three runs in two innings. Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison both went deep for Minnesota, but it was not enough to overcome the Angels.

October 3. Minnesota 3, California 2. Jim Kaat got the start in the Twins’ final regular-season game, but Sam Mele distributed the day’s pitching load among Kaat, Dave Boswell, Al Worthington, Jim Perry, and Johnny Klippstein, with all but Klippstein getting two full innings of work. The pitchers combined to give up two runs on 12 hits, and Jim Perry was awarded his 12th win of the season. Although he would not repeat as home-run champion, Harmon Killebrew clubbed his 25th home run in the first inning. Don Mincher’s third-inning RBI single extended the Twins’ lead, and Minnesota concluded its stellar 1965 campaign with a record of 102-60.

BEN KLEIN grew up in Southern California, but moved to Washington, D.C. to attend college and law school. Now in Rockville, Maryland, Ben enjoys cheering for the Nationals, a pastime that he shares with his wife, Jen, and their newborn daughter, Abby. In the offseason, Ben and his dog, Charlie, turn their attention to college hoops and the Georgetown Hoyas.

Sources

BaseballReference.com

Retrosheet.org

Notes

1 “Tovar Sheds Goat’s Horns With Winning Smash in 11th,” The Sporting News, May 1, 1965.

2 Max Nichols, “Twins Run, Ignore Base-Line Caution,” The Sporting News, June 5, 1965.

3 Max Nichols, “Pascual, After 11 Long Years, Finally Passes .500,” The Sporting News, June 5, 1965.

4 Max Nichols, “Victory Escapes Through Small Hole in Kaat’s Sleeve,” The Sporting News, June 26, 1965.

5 Max Nichols, “No Valentine for Mele – $500 Fine, Five-Day Ban,” The Sporting News, July 31, 1965.

6 Max Nichols, “Injuries? They Just Spur Fighting Twins,” The Sporting News, August 14, 1965.

7 Max Nichols, “With Zoilo on Base, Look for Dust Cloud Around Home Plate,” The Sporting News, September 4, 1965.

8 Max Nichols, “Camilo’s Fast Ball Crackles – Back Surgery a Huge Success,” The Sporting News, October 2, 1965.

Calvin Griffith was born Calvin Robertson on December 1, 1911, in Montreal, Quebec. Calvin was the second child of seven children born to Jane Davies and James Robertson, who married in 1908. His family included an older sister, Mildred (who later would marry Joe Cronin, Washington shortstop and future American League President), a younger sister, Thelma (who would marry Washington pitcher Joe Haynes), and younger brothers Bruce, Sherrod, Jimmy, and Billy. Jimmy and Billy were twins born in 1921. By that time the situation with his family had become a struggle due to Calvin’s father’s alcoholism, which eventually would cut James’ life short in 1923 at the age of 42. The family had little money and it was necessary for Calvin to work to help support the family.

In the summer of 1922 the family was visited by James’ sister Addie Griffith, wife of Clark Griffith, at that time the owner of the Washington Nationals. It was decided that Calvin (age 11) and his younger sister, Thelma (age 9), would return to Washington, D.C., and stay with the Griffiths. From this point on Calvin and his sister were raised as members of the Griffith family. Upon the death of Calvin’s father, the rest of the Robertson family also moved to Washington. Although Calvin and Thelma were never formally adopted by the Griffiths, they did have their names legally changed – in Calvin’s case from Calvin Griffith Robertson to Calvin Robertson Griffith.

Calvin began his involvement with baseball as the Washington batboy in 1922. This continued on through the world championship season of 1924 and the American League championship season of 1925. In 1928 he entered the Staunton Military Academy, graduating in 1933. After Staunton, Griffith entered the George Washington University, which he attended the next two years. During his time at Staunton and George Washington, he played baseball as a pitcher and catcher.

In the spring of 1935, Griffith left George Washington and went to work for the Washington organization at its Chattanooga farm club as secretary-treasurer, and in 1937 he took over as head man. With the team struggling in mid-season, Clark fired the manager and enlarged Calvin’s duties to include field manager. In 1938 the elder Griffith promoted Calvin to the same all-inclusive post with their affiliate in Charlotte. In 1941 Clark called Calvin back to Washington to take over a newly opened position with the big league club as assistant secretary, head of concessions.

Gradually Calvin began taking over the responsibilities of his uncle. Specifically he began attending league meetings in place of Clark, along with taking charge of making player trades and negotiating contracts with the media.

Clark Griffith died on October 27, 1955, and on November 1, at age 43, Calvin was elected president of the Washington Nationals. In the reorganization, Joe Haynes was named roving minor league pitching instructor; Sherry Robertson became assistant farm director; Billy Robertson assumed the position of supervisor of Griffith Stadium personnel and maintenance; and Jimmy Robertson remained as director of concessions. Calvin had inherited, along with his sister Thelma, 52% of the Nationals’ essentially debt-free franchise. The ballclub and the stadium were valued at approximately $4 million.

The Move to Minnesota

By 1955 the Washington franchise had suffered through years of poor performance and attendance. Rumors of offers from Louisville, Los Angeles, and Minnesota’s Twin Cities were confirmed by Calvin in the authorized biography written by Jon Kerr in 1990. But political difficulties in moving a franchise out of the nation’s capitol and a one-franchise city likely led to the delay in any transfer of the Senators. An article in the Washington Post January 15, 1958, bylined by Calvin, stated:

I have lived in Washington, D.C., for about 35 years. I attended school here and established many roots here. The city has been good to my family and me. This is my home. I intend that it shall remain my home for the rest of my life. As long as I have any say in the matter, and I expect that I shall for a long, long time, the Washington Senators will stay here, too. Next year. The year after that. Forever.1

Shirley Povich’s article in Baseball Digest later that year detailed Griffith’s testimony before the U. S. Senate’s Anti-Trust Committee. There Calvin tried to backpedal, explaining that what he had said above did not mean that he would not stay should the club no longer be able to financially function in Washington.

With many large cities clamoring for major league baseball and the major leagues dragging their heals on expansion, in 1959 52-year-old New York lawyer William Shea championed the creation on of a new eight-team major league — in Shea’s case largely to replace the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants who had departed for the West Coast in 1957. The threat of Shea’s Continental League sparked further talks by the American and National Leagues regarding expansion. Part of this discussion included consideration of Minneapolis-St. Paul as an expansion site, or alternatively, as a site for relocation of Griffith’s Washington franchise. Griffith had been promised a guaranteed annual attendance of 750,000 and an estimated $430,000 media contract by the Twin Cities delegation. Part of a possible expansion plan included the addition of a new team in the nation’s capitol, as Griffith’s possible relocation of the Senators was being challenged in the courts at the time by minority owner H. Gabriel Murphy.

The next year expansion finally became a reality. The National League voted at a meeting on October 17, 1960, to expand to New York and Houston, with those teams beginning operation for the 1962 season. In a meeting on October 26, the American League voted to expand to 10 teams for the following season (1961). Calvin Griffith would be allowed to move his franchise to Minnesota, with a new American League franchise replacing his in Washington.

Success in the 1960s

The Senators were greeted warmly in Minnesota. Ticket orders rolled in well in advance of tickets going on sale for the opening of the 1961 season. Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman probably put it best:

The Senators became the Minnesota Twins, moved into Met Stadium, took over the concessions business, and there were relatives all over the place: Joe Haynes, Thelma Haynes, Sherry Robertson, Billy Robertson, Jimmy Robertson. You didn’t know who was in charge of what. Your reaction was, “What is this? We didn’t get a ballclub. We got a family.” It was like being around the Beverly Hillbillies.

And then there was this guy Howard Fox. He wasn’t a relative, but he was the guy hanging out at Woodhill and Wayzata Country Clubs with Calvin. We wondered, “How does Fox fit it?”

…

It was an odd organization, but who cared? It was terrific to have major league baseball. The Upper Midwest went crazy, sending buses throughout the summer from every little town in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska, and even Montana.2

The Twins were very successful at the gate from the beginning. From 1961 though the 1970 season Minnesota topped one million in attendance each year, including totals of over 1.4 million in four of those years: 1962, 1963, 1965, and 1967. The team also showed dramatic improvement on the field. With last-place finishes in four of the last six seasons in Washington, the Twins started with a seventh-place finish in 1961 (in the expanded ten-team American League), jumping to second in 1962 and third in 1963. After a sub-par 1964 season, the Twins won the American League pennant in 1965 and came close in 1967.

Much of the improvement was due to quality players that were signed and developed in the Senators/Twins farm system, most notably Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, outfielders Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, and three-time batting champion Tony Oliva, first baseman Don Mincher, 1965 Most Valuable Player and shortstop Zoilo Versalles, and pitchers Camilo Pascual and Jim Kaat – all important members of the 1965 pennant-winning ballclub. By the end of the decade the system had also produced future Hall of Famers Rod Carew and Bert Blyleven.

Calvin was not above interjecting his opinions or directives when it came to his managers. A commonly cited example was when he insisted that Sam Mele stick with rookie Rod Carew during the 1967 season, when Carew was making the jump from playing class A ball in 1966.

In the mid-1960s, Calvin’s son, Clark II, joined the organization. Joe Haynes passed away in 1967 due to a heart attack at age 49; Sherry Robertson died due to injuries suffered in an automobile crash in Houghton, South Dakota in 1970 at the age of 51. George Brophy took over as farm director for Sherry Robertson, and Howard Fox became even closer to Calvin as a confidant/advisor.

The Hiring/Firing of Billy Martin as Manager

Since the move to Minnesota Calvin had been though three managers. Cookie Lavagetto, the holdover manager from Washington, was dismissed during the 1961 season and replaced by coach Sam Mele. Griffith let Mele go early in the 1967 season and replaced him with coach Cal Ermer, who lasted through 1968.

To lead his club on the field, Griffith appointed Billy Martin as manager on October 11, 1968. Billy had played for the Twins in 1961, his final season as a player. In 1965 the Twins brought Martin back to the major league club as a coach–a position he held through the 1967 season. In 1968 Billy was sent to the Twins’ triple-A affiliate in Denver to manage the team.

Billy’s tenure as a coach with the Twins had been controversial–most notably his physical altercation with Traveling Secretary Howard Fox in 1966, which had carried over from a charter flight into the hotel. The two publicly made peace, but Fox would continue to dislike Martin. Another notable altercation occurred during the 1969 season when Martin fought with his own pitcher, Dave Boswell, outside a bar on August 7. This event was not popular with Calvin, who said he had warned Martin against going to the same establishments as his players before he was hired as manager. Calvin did, however, support Martin’s fine of Boswell for the incident.

The Twins won the West Division of the American League that season, the first year of divisional play, and they entered the best-of-five playoff series against the East Division champion Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles won the first two games in Baltimore by one run each and then beat the Twins at home 11-2. In the third game, Billy had chosen to start Bob Miller over Jim Kaat, a decision which Calvin let it be known that he did not approve.

According to Tom Mee, the Twin’s public-relations director at the time, the decision to fire Martin came at a meeting during the World Series in New York City on October 13. Everyone in the assembled group of six was asked to express his opinion about whether or not Martin, working 1969 under a one-year contract, should be rehired. Everyone spoke against Martin until it got to Mee. According to Mee, the “pro-Billy” people were not there–Sherry Robertson, in particular — and only Mee ended up speaking up in favor of Martin. After everyone had spoken Howard Fox called the question, saying, “Well, what are you going to do?” to Calvin, who responded, “I’m gonna fire his ass.”3

The firing was very unpopular with fans and the media. Don Riley wrote in the St. Paul Pioneer Press the day before the firing:

Just remember what I told you. Griffith may not be popular with the masses but I don’t believe he’s stupid. If he didn’t rehire Martin, he leaves himself open to the biggest fan revolt since Gopher [University of Minnesota] fans learned there are football fields where you can see the game for five bucks . . . 4

And in his column the day after:

Griffith couldn’t have done a more dastardly work of unpopularity if he turned down a reprieve for Joan of Arc – or got caught drilling holes in Washington’s rowboat.5

Arno Goethel, the Twins’ beat writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, added an analysis of the situation a couple days later. All the sources of conflict were mentioned: Martin’s temperament, the Howard Fox conflict, Calvin’s second-guessing of Billy’s managerial style, the fact that Billy did not have complete control over the make-up of his coaching staff, and that Martin couldn’t tolerate the nature of the Twins charter flights, which frequently included relatives and associates of Twins front office personnel. According to Tom Mee, the organization never did fully recover from the firing of Billy Martin as it moved into the 1970’s. 6

Failures in the 1970s

As Griffith searched for a replacement for Martin, he uttered one of his more memorable quotes: “I can’t tell you what I intend to do, but I can tell you one thing; it won’t be anything rational.” 7 Griffith eventually hired Bill Rigney, and in 1970 the Twins’ again won the West Division. And again they lost the American League Championship Series in three straight games to the Orioles. This was to be the Twins’ last division championship under Calvin’s ownership. Rigney survived as manager until 1972, when he was replaced in mid-season by Frank Quilici.

Aging stars combined with lack of replacements led to the Twins failures of the early 1970s. As the decade wore on, the change in baseball’s reserve system led to further problems for Calvin. He had been brought through the Nationals organization, learning from his uncle that a baseball team was operated with a bottom line, and was concerned with making a profit, not spending money that team didn’t have. Avoiding debt and interest payments were always foremost in his management style.

After 1970 the team drew over a million in attendance only twice (1977, 1979) at Metropolitan Stadium. These lower attendance figures meant less revenue for salaries, which Calvin already considered too high for mere ballplayers. Calvin reacted to the new baseball economics by futilely trying to resist changes such as salary arbitration, player agents, free agency, and the increasing importance of television revenue, which gave an advantage to teams in larger markets. As time moved on, Griffith was considered a “dinosaur” or a “vestige of yesterday” relative to the new baseball owners of the late 1970s.

On the personal side, 1974 was the year Calvin separated from his wife and moved out of his Lake Minnetonka home. Calvin had married Natalie Morris of Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1940; the couple had three children: Clark, Corinne, and Claire. The two never did reconcile or divorce.

1978 – The Lions Club Talk in Waseca

On Thursday, September 28, 1978, Calvin accepted an invitation to travel south to the rural town of Waseca, Minnesota, to spend the afternoon playing golf with his friend, sportswriter Tony Sybilrud, and speak to the Waseca Lions Club that evening.

Coincidentally, Minneapolis Tribune staff writer Nick Coleman was also in attendance that night. Coleman was not there to cover the event (Coleman lived in Rochester, Minnesota, and covered southern Minnesota for the paper) but rather a guest of his father-in-law. It was later said that during the introduction of the audience Coleman identified himself by name only and not by vocation.

The meeting proceeded in a question and answer format. Griffith began to make comments about specific players and about race in general. Coleman is quoted as saying “I was wincing the whole time thinking, you don’t want to say that.” 8 He was not there with a tape recorder or anything with which to write, so when he returned from the meeting he wrote everything down from memory. The next day he called his editors to ask if they wanted him to write a story based on what he had heard. They called back and said yes, and that it would run in the Sunday paper.

In the most damaging part of the article, Coleman detailed:

At that point, Griffith interrupted himself, lowered his voice and asked if there were any blacks around. After he looked around the room and assured himself that his audience was white, Griffith resumed his answer.

“I’ll tell you why we came to Minnesota,” he said. “It was when I found out you only had 15,000 blacks here. Black people don’t go to ball games, but they’ll fill up a rassling ring and put up such a chant it’ll scare you to death. It’s unbelievable. We came here because you’ve got good, hardworking, white people here.”9

A few of the comments were specifically about Griffith’s star first baseman, Rod Carew. Calvin’s comments are believed to have underlined his dislike for agents and multi-year player contracts but clearly also impugned Carew’s intelligence:

Carew was a damn fool to sign that contract. He only gets $170,000 and we all know damn well that he’s worth a lot more than that, but that’s what his agent asked for, that’s what he gets. Last year, I thought I was generous and gave him an extra 100 grand, but this year I’m not making any money so he gets 170 – that’s it.10

This, and comments that Calvin made in general about blacks led to Carew’s public response in the papers a couple of days later on the final day of the 1978 baseball season, which also happened to be his thirty-third birthday:

I will not ever sign another contract with this organization. I don’t care how much money or how many options Calvin Griffith offers me. I definitely will not be back next year.

I will not come back and play for a bigot. I’m not going to be another nigger on his plantation.

How does he expect these players to respect the thing that’s across their chest – Twins – when it’s coming right from the top that he doesn’t care about the players?

He respects nobody and expects nobody to respect him. Spit on Calvin Griffith.11

Carew never again played for the Twins. Going into the 1979 season, at the end of which Carew would be a free agent, Griffith traded him to the California Angels for four players. Time however, softened Carew’s feelings for Calvin. In Bob Shower’s book, The Twins at the Met, Carew is included as one of the narrators. He praised Calvin for sticking with him early in his career. Recalling his Hall of Fame election, Carew also said:

When I first got the news that I was going into the Hall of Fame, he was the first person I called. It was 3 o’clock in the morning for him in Helena, Montana, and I woke him up. I called him before my mom because I owed him that much respect.12

From Calvin’s perspective the comments from the meeting were blown out of proportion and misunderstood. Also from his perspective, comments made in a Lions Club meeting were meant to stay within the walls of the Lions Club meeting. It also had been reported that Calvin had had “a few” drinks over the course of the afternoon and evening.

The Waseca talk haunted Calvin the rest of his life. Personally, I have been working in Waseca the past three years, and it appears that even the most marginal baseball fan is aware of that story of that day. Few obituaries for Calvin in 1999 were run without mention of the Waseca talk being the low point in Calvin’s career, and his life.

Calvin and His Family Business

As already alluded to, the Senators/Twins franchise under Calvin (and to some extent under his uncle) was a family business. Calvin’s son, Clark II, joined the organization in 1966. Thelma’s son, Bruce Haynes, joined the team in 1974 as farm director.

In the latter years of the Griffith-owned franchise much was made of the rift that existed between Calvin and his son. Disagreements that may have germinated when Clark did not consent to an apprenticeship in the minor leagues as his father had done, led to the elder Griffith gradually losing trust in his son’s judgments.

These disagreements manifested themselves in the organization’s response to the changing nature of the business: free agency, advertising, and negotiations between the players’ union and the representatives of management, in which Clark II played a significant role. Calvin described his relationship with Clark in a curious comment: “This is a very close-knit family. I imagine you talked to Clark yesterday, and I imagine he may have told you that we don’t talk.”13 The addition of Bruce Haynes to the executive mix further complicated the question of who would eventually inherit ultimate decision-making power after Calvin finally stepped down as president.

Move to the Metrodome, More Relocation Talk, and Sale to Carl Pohlad

Beginning in the early 1970s and fueled by the Minnesota Vikings’ desire to have a stadium with more capacity and one that could shelter the team from brutal Minnesota winter weather, talks began regarding a new domed facility for Minnesota sports teams. By 1975, the year that the Twins’ and Vikings’ leases were set to expire at Metropolitan Stadium, negotiations began in earnest.

Eventually funding for the domed stadium in downtown Minneapolis’s Industry Square location on the east side of downtown made its way through the Minnesota legislature. In July of 1979 the lease agreement was worked out with the Vikings. The Twins, on the other hand, had been sending Calvin’s son, Clark Griffith II, nephew Bruce Haynes (both Clark and Bruce were executive vice presidents), and lawyer Peter Dorsey to the lease meetings with no results. Eventually Calvin entered into the lease negotiations, landing some favorable clauses for the club:

• The Twins would get 30 percent of the stadium’s gross concession receipts up to an attendance of 1.4 million. After that they would receive 20 percent. In contrast, the Viking’s lease was for 10 percent.
• The lease contained an escape clause which allowed the team to be released from the contract if attendance fell below an average of 1.4 million for three successive years or if the team experienced net operating losses in three successive years.
• If the team could produce evidence of lack of attendance due to summer heat (the architects felt that the Metrodome, being mostly underground, would make air conditioning unnecessary), then the Twins were not bound to play in the Metrodome if the commission did not install air conditioning.
• The Twins would pay no more than $700,000 of the $1.7 million needed to build the team new offices in the Metrodome.

In 1982 the Twins moved into the Metrodome after experiencing a dismal strike-shortened 1981, both at the gate and on the field. In response Griffith unloaded five high salaried veterans — a couple of whom had just been signed to large multi-year contracts by Clark — and instead relied on group of young, untested rookies to fill out the roster. The season rivaled 1981 for results: the Twins went 60-102 and drew less than a million fans–this in their first season in a new stadium. The next season the Twins’ record improved to 70-92 but attendance slipped further to 858,939. The Twins were poised to test the three-year escape clause Calvin had negotiated.

Perhaps the most serious threat of relocation was to Tampa Bay. In 1983, Earle Halstead, Jr., retired publisher of The Baseball Blue Book, took a potential ownership group from Tampa Bay to visit Calvin in Winter Park, Florida, where Calvin stayed during spring training. The group purchased the 41 percent of the Twins owned by H. Gabriel Murphy. Their plan was then to go after Calvin or Thelma’s ownership in the Twins and offer Calvin an opportunity to continue to run the team. The move to Tampa Bay was to take place for the 1986 season. Calvin denied that any deal had been struck and further added that if anyone was going to move the team to Florida, it would be him.14

As the 1984 season proceeded, it appeared obvious that the Twins would not draw the 2.4 million fans required to bind the team to the Metrodome lease (the number needed to average the three-year total needed to meet the lease requirement), and the community began to worry. Local businessman Harvey Mackay organized a ticket buyout that would eliminate the escape clause and force Calvin to sell to a local buyer. Calvin claimed that this attempt, in the end, was in vain, as he could still have claimed net operating losses over the three seasons at the Metrodome.

Griffith contended he felt a loyalty toward Minnesota and in the end wanted to sell to a Minnesota buyer and keep the team in the Twin Cities. He ended up selling the club to local businessman Carl Pohlad for a price of $32 million in payments and salaries over a period of 20 years. Calvin thought Pohlad was also buying his management team, but in the end few were held over from the Griffith ownership. After the sale he had an office in the Metrodome but was never involved in any decisions. In the end, Calvin had not only brought major league baseball to Minnesota but also allowed it to stay there.

Three years later, when the Twins won their first World Series, it was with a core of players from the 1982 team. Both 1982 and 1987 rosters included Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, Tim Laudner, Frank Viola, and Randy Bush. Twins farmhands Kirby Puckett, Greg Gagne, Gene Larkin, and Mark Davidson also played key roles on the 1987 World Champions. The new management had also reacquired former Griffith-era stars Bert Blyleven and Roy Smalley.

Griffith died October 20, 1999, at the age of 87 due to a kidney infection, 15 years after he had sold his interest in the ballclub that was his life. He is buried outside Washington, D.C.

KEVIN HENNESSY has been a member of SABR and the Halsey Hall Chapter since 1997. He lives in St. Paul.

Sources

Andelman, Bob. Stadium for Rent: Tampa Bay’s Quest for Major League Baseball. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, 1993.

Anderson, David (editor). Quotations from Chairman Calvin. Stillwater, Minnesota: Brick Alley Books Press. 1984.

Brackin, Dennis and Patrick Reusse. Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History. Minneapolis, Minnesota: MVP Books, 2010.

Coleman, Nick. “Griffith Spares Few Targets in Waseca Remarks.” Minneapolis Tribune, October 1, 1978.

Goethel, Arno. “Martin Showed Foresight When Named Twins’ Pilot.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 14, 1969.

Goethel, Arno. “Why Did Cal Bounce Billy?” St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 15, 1969.

Griffith, Calvin R. “Griffith Not Happy with Armory Stadium Site.” The Washington Post, January 17, 1958.

Griffith, Clark II. Interview September 6, 2011.

Grow, Doug. “We’re Gonna Win Twins!” Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2010.

Hartman, Sid with Patrick Reusse. “Sid!” Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyager Press, Inc. 1997.

Johnson, Charles. “The Story of How Minnesota Got Major League Baseball.” Greater Minneapolis, December, 1960, pgs. 11-13.

Kahan, Oscar. “Boss of Twins Bombarded by Advance Ticket Orders.” The Sporting News, January 11, 1961, pg. 9.

Kerr, Jon. Calvin, Baseball’s Last Dinosaur: An Authorized Biography. William C. Brown Publishers, 1990.

Klobuchar, Amy. Uncovering the Dome. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bolger Publications, Inc., 1982.

Leavengood, Ted. Clark Griffith: The Old Fox of Washington Baseball. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc., 2011.

Lenehan, Michael. “The Last Pure Men of Baseball.” Atlantic Monthly, August, 1981.

Libman, Gary. “Angry Twins beat K.C. in 11.” Minneapolis Tribune, October 2, 1978.

Libman, Gary. “Angry Carew vows he will not play for Griffith’s Twins again.” Minneapolis Tribune, October 2, 1978.

McCarthy, Kevin. Baseball in Florida. Pineapple Press, Inc., 1996.

McKenna, Brian. Clark Griffith: Baseball Statesman. 2010.

Mee, Tom. Interview September 7, 2011.

Minnesota Twins Media Guides, 1961 – 1988.

Osterman, Jordan. “Griffith’s Gaffe.” Waseca County News, July 5, 2011.

Povich, Shirley. “Cal Griffith Tries to Explain.” Baseball Digest, September, 1958, pgs. 51-52.

Riley, Don. “Sports Eye Opener.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 13, 1969.

Riley, Don. “Sports Eye Opener.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 14, 1969.

Ringolsby, Tracy. “Sport Interview: Calvin Griffith.” Sport Magazine. April, 1984..

Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “Griffith Nixes Report He’ll Sell Twins to Tampa Bay Group.” July 2, 1983.

Showers, Bob. The Twins at the Met. Beaver’s Pond Press, 2009.

Sinker, Howard. “Griffith: Talk Misunderstood.” Minneapolis Tribune, October 2, 1978.

Smith, Gary. “A Lingering Vestige of Yesterday.” Sports Illustrated, April 4, 1983.

Sport. “Minneapolis: Big-League Town in Waiting.” December, 1959.

Baseball Guide and Record Book. St. Louis, Missouri: Charles Spink & Son, 1960.

Thornley, Stew. Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press. 2006.

Washington Post. “Clark Griffith Brings Home 5 More Children to Adopt.” November 24, 1925.

Notes

1 Calvin Griffith.

2 Hartman, 95-96.

3 Mee.

4 Riley, October 13, 1969.

5 Riley, October 14, 1969.

6 Mee.

7 Kerr, 88.

8 Osterman.

9 Coleman.

10 Coleman.

11 Libman.

12 Showers, 64.

13 Lenehan.

14 Andelman, 34.

In Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva, the Twins had two of the top hitters in the league. Shortstop Zoilo Versalles led the league in total bases and runs scored, won a Gold Glove, and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. Along with Versalles, among the team’s position players The Sporting News named Oliva, center fielder Jimmie Hall, and catcher Earl Battey to their year-end all-star team representing the American League’s top players. Left fielder Bob Allison was only one season removed from finishing second in the league in OBP and fourth in slugging.

Led by these and other stars, the team dominated the league’s scoring with 774 runs; Detroit finished a distant second with 680. In 1963 and 1964 the team had hit 225 and 221 home runs respectively, the second and third highest single-season totals of all time up to that point. In 1965 manager Sam Mele chose to emphasize the team’s speed and the club stole 92 bases—fourth in the league—while being caught only 33 times. The Twins featured a terrific blend of power and speed.

The team also sported an excellent and deep pitching staff. Minnesota finished third in the league in ERA despite pitching in one of the league’s better hitters’ parks. Six pitchers started at least nine games, and every one could boast an ERA below the league average. Between 1963 and 1970 each of the six would win twenty games in a season at least once.

With 283 lifetime wins, then-rotation anchor Jim Kaat is currently on the Hall of Fame ballot and would not be a poor choice if elected. One of the league’s best left-handers, in 1965 Kaat went 18–11 with a 2.83 ERA while leading the league in games started. Teammate Jim “Mudcat” Grant led the league with 21 wins and a .750 winning percentage. At that time only one Cy Young Award winner was named for the major leagues, which in 1965 went to the National League’s Sandy Koufax. The Sporting News, however, named a Pitcher of the Year for each league and awarded the American League honor to Grant.

Curveball pitcher Camilo Pascual was the third Twins pitcher with over 20 starts in 1965. He led the league in strikeouts from 1961 to 1963, finished second in 1964, and won at least twenty games in both 1962 and 1963. Unfortunately, after a great start to the 1965 season that included winning his first eight decisions, he tore a muscle in his back near his shoulder. Pascual made it back by early September and started Game Three of the World Series. Although he pitched with less than stellar success after his return, Pascual was only 31, and the Twins had every reason to believe he would bounce back in 1966.

The other three hurlers who started at least nine games consisted of two youngsters, 20-year-old Dave Boswell and 21-year-old Jim Merritt along with swingman Jim Perry. Boswell and Merritt both turned in an ERA below the league average and struck out more than seven batters per game. Fourth starter Perry finished ninth in the league in ERA. Al Worthington, with 21 saves and a 2.13 ERA, anchored a good bullpen.

The Twins were not only talented but young. No player with over 150 at bats was yet on the wrong side of 30; of the pitchers, only Pascual was older than 30. With good reason, the Twins and their fans looked forward to a promising future.

* * *

But it was not to be. The Twins would not again win the pennant for more than 20 years, behind a completely different generation of players. The club came agonizingly close in 1967 when no dominant team emerged, and after some retooling, won division titles in 1969 and 1970. Nevertheless, with a boatload of young talent that had already proved it could win at the highest level, Minnesota averaged only 86 wins from 1966 though 1968. This was not going to win a pennant in the ten-team American League.

So what happened? Why did the Twins, who showed so much promise in 1965, fail to capture another flag? Like many complex questions, one can identify several causes for the failure to repeat. Most significant was the unexpected and dramatic falloff in production from the top position players. Table 1 highlights the players’ performance before and after their pennant winning season. Every single player batted worse over the remainder of his career than through 1965. And not just a little bit worse, several simply collapsed below the level of a major-league-caliber baseball player.

Jimmie Hall played for several years after 1965, but never again as a more than a stop-gap. Some of his decline may be attributed to a beaning, but in any case, his dramatic fall-off left the Twins with a gaping hole in center field. Catcher Earl Battey suffered from chronically sore knees, exacerbated by goiter and weight gain that likely led to a premature end to his career. But the suddenness from which he fell from one of the league’s top catchers to out of the league in just two years would surprise almost any organization. Third baseman Rich Rollins had regressed since breaking in as a regular in 1962, when he actually led all American League players in votes for the All-Star game. The next year he hit .307 to finish third in the batting race, and in 1964 he led the league in triples. Nevertheless, despite his still young age, after 1965 Rollins would never again be a quality major league regular. In 1966 Bob Allison suffered a broken bone in his hand and turned in only two more quality seasons. Tony Oliva’s recurring problems with his right knee and a shoulder separation in 1968 left him a star but well below the level he had established during his first two years as a regular.

Zoilo Versalles, though, may have been the saddest case of all. Uncovered by legendary scout Joe Cambria, in the summer of 1957 Versalles arrived in Key West as a 17-year-old: hopeful, scared, unable to communicate in English, and thrown into a segregated society he didn’t understand. Versalles covered much of his anxiety with a cocky swagger and a reputation as a hot dog. The talented youngster quickly worked his way through the Twins system and by 1961 was the team’s regular shortstop as 21-year-old.

After his 1965 MVP season, however, Versalles completely lost his ability to play baseball. By 1967 Versalles was one of the worst starting regulars in the league; both his on-base and slugging percentages fell below .285. Sportswriter Doug Grow once asked Griffith what happened. Griffith told him, “drugs.” Versalles had been prescribed pain killers for a chronically bad back. Unfamiliar with the culture and the language, Versalles often ignored the correct dosage, taking well over the prescribed amount.1

How exactly leadership of a baseball team affects performance on the field has long been debated. The Oakland A’s of the 1970s fought each other and owner Charles Finley to three World Series victories. In many other instances, however, turmoil and dissension have often been used to explain the failure of otherwise talented clubs. The Twins of the late 1960s were fractured into several distinct cliques, and unlike the A’s with a strong, skilled manager in Dick Williams, they had no one with a firm hand on the reins.

Twins owner Calvin Griffith grew up in baseball and by the early 1960s directed a truly family operation. Brothers Sherry, Jimmy, and Billy Robertson along with brother-in-law Joe Haynes all held down key executive positions within the organization. By the time Griffith moved the franchise to Minnesota, he had become an astute judge of baseball talent and was ably assisted by his family and scouts. Moreover, prior to the death of Haynes in 1967 and Sherry in 1970 and the changing baseball economics that Griffith never really understood, the Twins organization should be regarded as one of the league’s more successful, both on the field and in the stands. Over their first decade after moving from Washington to Minnesota in 1961, the Twins actually led the American League in attendance.

Despite his success, Griffith represented the last of the family owners; by the late 1960s baseball teams were owned by men who had made their fortunes in other lines of work and bought into baseball. Because Griffith operated as his own general manager and was not particularly skilled at leadership, he often micromanaged and rankled those who worked for him, somewhat akin to the problems George Steinbrenner experienced in the 1980s when not buffered by a solid general manager. His desire for hands-on involvement also occasionally hindered his hiring judgment.

After a disappointing 1964 season in which the Twins won only 79 games, Griffith cut manager Sam Mele’s salary by $3,000 and publicly criticized his manager for being “too nice a guy” and managing a team that played sloppy baseball. Mele’s managing philosophy of offering criticism and encouragement in private and highlighting what he wanted each player to practice, but not providing a lot of specific instruction, played into Griffith’s concerns.2

To remedy the situation, Griffith foisted two brilliant but strong-willed coaches on Mele: pitching coach Johnny Sain and third-base coach Billy Martin. Much of the hullabaloo surrounding Sain derived from his tendency to separate the pitchers from the position players. Many pitchers he coached were his ardent students and in particular on the Twins, Jim Kaat. Martin was a ferocious competitor and helped enormously in relating to the Latino players. He was also a short-tempered, paranoid bully.

By 1966 Martin and Sain hated each other, and Mele was at odds with his pitching coach as well. The antagonism flared midseason in Kansas City when Sain confronted Martin after the third-base coach had cussed out a pitcher over a squeeze play. Martin and Sain were both angry and neither felt that Mele sufficiently took control of the situation. Moreover, in the aftermath of the altercation, players began to take sides, always a dangerous situation. After the season in which the Twins finished 89–73, nine games behind the Orioles, Griffith jettisoned Sain. In response, star pitcher Jim Kaat, who finished 25–13 and surely would have won the American League Cy Young Award had the award been bestowed in both leagues, sent a widely-circulated open letter defending Sain and criticizing the decision to fire him.

Finally, after a 25–25 start to the 1967 season, Griffith fired Mele and promoted Cal Ermer from the Twins triple-A farm team in Denver. Ermer found himself in an almost impossible situation: a man with little major league experience as either a player or coach thrust into a team fractured into cliques, both racial and otherwise, made up of stars who had tasted a pennant, and with a hands-on owner breathing over his shoulder.

To Calvin Griffith’s credit, he had assembled one of baseball’s more racially mixed teams. Many of the team’s stars were African-Americans and Cubans who would have been banned for being too dark-skinned before 1947. But race relations in America in the 1960s were in flux, and baseball was not exempt. Just twelve days into his tenure, Ermer was faced with a difficult situation on the team bus in Detroit, a city teeming with racial tension.

White pitcher Dave Boswell was playing with a gun, when Grant, who is black, told him to put it away. When Boswell ignored him, Oliva also told Boswell to knock it off. “You Cubans play with guns down there,” Boswell reportedly replied. “We got a right to play with guns up here.”3 Sandy Valdespino and Ted Uhlaender nearly came to blows, before cooler heads held them back. Ermer went to the back of the bus to calm things down and later held a meeting at the hotel to simmer down the tensions. Many of the black players remained unconvinced, but there can be no doubt that the team responded on the field. “Cal Ermer was a great guy,” Kaat remembered. “I don’t know if he ever had control over big league players, but he was a different presence than Sam and it worked for the rest of that season.”4 At least for the next 112 games: the Twins went 66–44 (with 2 ties), taking a slim lead in the pennant race.

But the Twins could not seem to shake their controversies. Holding onto a one game lead, the team once again faced off against itself on September 29. In a contentious players-only meeting to divvy up the World Series money (a small portion was also allotted to high finishing teams that did not win the pennant), many of the players argued against giving Mele a share. Once this had been pushed through, five members the pro-Mele faction symbolically voted not to give Ermer a share either. More substantively, eleven players agreed to pool their own shares to give Mele a portion. Even the commissioner’s office felt the need to weigh in and castigate the players but otherwise took no action. In the aftermath of this dramatic meeting, the Twins lost the final two games of the season, and the pennant, in Boston.

The team’s success under Ermer over the last half of 1967 did not translate into 1968. In addition to the players’ drop-off noted earlier, Killebrew suffered a brutal hamstring injury that contributed to a 79–83 record. “It has been quite apparent to me that Ermer has lost control over the club,” Griffith complained late in the season.5 Moreover, this was not a lone sentiment. “Cal Ermer was a weak man,” wrote catcher John Roseboro. “He was quiet like [Los Angeles Dodgers manager Walter] Alston, but he didn’t have Walt’s firmness and he didn’t have the respect Walter had.”6 Griffith, a lifelong baseball man with strong opinions of his own, too often exacerbated the situation by criticizing Ermer, making it hard for him to exercise the necessary managerial authority.

With the firing of Ermer, for 1969 Griffith finally relented and hired fan-favorite and domineering personality, Billy Martin. In this first year of two divisions, Martin brought the Twins home first in the West. With young star Rod Carew and several other quality newcomers having joined the aging nucleus of 1965, the Twins could still perform at a fairly high level. But it was too little, too late. The Orioles had built a superior ballclub in Baltimore, ranked by some as one of the greatest of all time. The Twins window of opportunity had closed.

In one of the odder mistakes, the Twins had a potentially great pitcher that they simply didn’t use. Early in 1963 season the Twins traded for Cleveland’s Jim Perry, a good pitcher who had been struggling recently. During Perry’s first two years in the majors, 1959 and 1960, he had won thirty games, while leading the league in wins, starts, and shutouts in 1960. He fell off over the next couple of years, but with the help of Twins pitching coach Johnny Sain and a new curveball, he rejuvenated his career in Minnesota. For some reason, however, the Twins relegated Perry to the periphery of the rotation, essentially keeping him as a swing man from 1965 to 1968. Only once during those four years did Perry start more than 20 games despite having an ERA better than any rotation regular in three of them. When Martin finally put Perry into the rotation in 1969 he went 20–6. The next year he won the Cy Young Award with a 24–12 record. Perry currently holds the Twins career record for lowest ERA (minimum 750 IP) at 3.15 and finished with a career total of 215 wins.

By 1965 Calvin Griffith had built a terrific young team in Minnesota. The team won the American League pennant by a comfortable margin and came within a Sandy Koufax three-hitter of winning Game Seven of the World Series. Griffith, a life-long baseball man, had built a solid organization manned primarily by baseball savvy family members and close friends. The team drew well at the gate, and Griffith paid his players well by the standards of the time. But this group of Twins players could not repeat. Too many of the stars suffered unexpected rapid and severe declines, and in fairness to Griffith, it is almost impossible to know when a star is truly declining and when it is simply a one-year aberration, especially at the young age of many of his players. Furthermore, Griffith did continue to add talent over the next couple of years, most notably second baseman Rod Carew.

Griffith also seemed to lose control over the team. The team bickered and fought with itself in nearly every possible permutation: coach versus coach, coach versus management, and player versus player. Until hiring Martin in 1969, Griffith was unwilling to vest in his managers the sort of authority necessary to truly manage a diverse group of stars with strong personalities. In the years after 1965 a combination of bad luck and ill-defined manager control thwarted the Twins from reprising their success.

DANIEL R. LEVITT is the author of “The Battle That Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy,” released in the spring of 2012 by Rowman & Littlefield under its Ivan R. Dee imprint. He is also the author of “Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty,” a Seymour Medal finalist and co-author of “Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got that Way,” winner of The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two boys.

Sources

Anderson, Dr. Wayne J. Harmon Killebrew: Baseball’s Superstar. Salt Lake City: Deseret Books, 1971.

Armour, Mark L. and Daniel R. Levitt. Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way. Washington D.C.: Brassey’s, 2003.

Carew, Rod with Ira Berkow. Carew. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979.

Furlong, Bill. “The Feuding Twins: Inside a Team in Turmoil.” Sport, April, 1968.

Golenback, Peter. Wild, High and Tight: The Life and Death of Billy Martin. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994.

Jordan, Pat. “In a World of Windmills.” Sports Illustrated, May 8, 1972.

Kerr, Jon. Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown, 1990.

Leggett, William. “A Wild Finale—and It’s Boston.” Sports Illustrated, October 9, 1967.

Nichols, Max. “The Kaat Organization.” Sport, December, 1966.

Nichols, Max. “Sam Mele: A Study in Pressure.” Sport, April, 1966.

Roseboro, John with Bill Libby. Glory Days with the Dodgers and Other Days with Others. New York: Atheneum, 1978.

Smith, Gary. “A Lingering Vestige Of Yesterday.” Sports Illustrated, April 4, 1983.

Sporting News Baseball Guides. 1965 through 1970.

Sports Illustrated. “Minnesota Twins.” April 18, 1966.

Urdahl, Dean. Touching Base with Our Memories. St. Cloud, MN: North Star Press of St. Cloud, 2001.

Williams, Jim. “Which Is the Real Jim Kaat.” All Star Sports, August, 1968.

Zanger, Jack. Major League Baseball. 1965–1970. New York: Pocketbooks.

Notes

1 Doug Grow, Phone Interview, February 21, 2011.

2 Max Nichols, “Sam Mele: A Study in Pressure.” Sport, April 1966. 81.

3 Bill Furlong. “The Feuding Twins: Inside a Team in Turmoil.” Sport, April 1968. Rod Carew with Ira Berkow, Carew. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979) 82.

4 Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 21, 2007, C8.

5 Jon Kerr. Calvin, Baseball’s Last Dinosaur: An Authorized Biography. (Dubuque, IA: William C. Brown Publishers, 1990) 78.

6 John Roseboro with Bill Libby. Glory Days with the Dodgers and Other Days with Others. (New York: Atheneum, 1978) 230.