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Several themes were evident for All-Star games played in the 1960s. First was the National League’s crushing superiority during the midsummer classics. Of the 13 games played (two games were played from 1960 through 1962) the National League took 11; the American League won only once (the second game in 1962 was a tie). Toward […]

A headache put Wally Pipp on the New York Yankees bench in June of 1925, opening the door for a young Lou Gehrig to take his position. For Kansas City Athletics shortstop Wayne Causey, it was an elbow injury that provided the opening for future star Dagoberto “Campy” Campaneris to ultimately take his.1 In the […]

The 1985 All-Star Game – a 6-1 National League win at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis – lacked drama. For the crowd of 54,960, that may have been disappointing. But for members of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which operated the stadium, it was a relief. In its fourth season as home of […]

April 1966 was a great time to be a Minnesota Twin. The Twins were the reigning American League champions – a title reserved for the New York Yankees in 14 of the previous 16 years. Only the seventh-game brilliance of Sandy Koufax had prevented the Twins from being fitted for World Series rings.1 Minnesota was […]

The famous line in the movie A League of Their Own, “There’s no crying in baseball,” came about because Tom Hanks’ character, Jimmy Dugan, brought tears to the eyes of outfielder Evelyn Gardner by screaming at her for missing the cutoff man. It’s a good thing there’s no crying in baseball because judging by the […]

A forgettable year for the Minnesota Twins, 1981, stands out in that it was the final season of Metropolitan Stadium. Even a finale couldn’t be properly planned for the ballpark, which opened in 1956 and was used by the minor-league Minneapolis Millers until the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota. A game on June 11 drew […]

When the Washington Senators suited up for the final game of the season on October 2, 1960, they didn’t know it would be the last one for the storied franchise in the nation’s capital. In what appeared to be a hasty action by the American League only a few weeks after the season ended, Senators […]

This dog day afternoon at Fenway Park was “a strange and sticky day for the 20,522 who chose to watch” in person.1 Boston Globe writer Peter Gammons put it aptly: “As often happens to very mediocre pitchers on hot Sunday afternoons in Friendly Fenway, they got combed all over the place.”2 Gammons referred specifically to […]

The Minnesota Twins were competing with the Kansas City Royals for second place in the American League West Division as June 1971 arrived. After stumbling through a lackluster April, Minnesota went 16-12 in May and jumped from fourth place to second. The Twins were reigning AL West champions, winning both the 1969 and 1970 titles […]

A key cog in Detroit’s starting rotation since the mid-1960s, Tigers pitcher Earl Wilson headed into the 1970 campaign having posted the fourth-most wins among all American League hurlers since 1962 – including a league-leading 22 victories in 1967. Additionally, the big right-hander could provide rare offensive punch from his position. Frequently used as a […]

I guess it was the best game I ever pitched — Whitey Ford1   During a 16-year career, Whitey Ford pitched a total of 3,170⅓ innings. On eight occasions, he pitched more than nine innings. His longest outing, a 14-inning shutout in 42-degree weather, occurred in Griffith Stadium on April 22, 1959.2 The Yankees defeated […]

Stan Williams, a veteran right-hander, stood atop the mound at Metropolitan Stadium in the top of the ninth inning of a 1-0 game with runners at first and second and two out. At the plate stood pinch-hitter Vada Pinson, a dangerous batter and a new arrival in his first month with the Cleveland Indians after […]

Rich Reese had a .322 batting average in 1969 for the Minnesota Twins. He was platooned at first base with Harmon Killebrew, who usually moved to third when a left-hander was pitching. With most of his plate appearances (nearly 80 percent) against right-handers that season, Reese figured he wouldn’t be in the lineup against Baltimore […]

1986 Sportsco Living Legends baseball card featuring Harmon Killebrew, Al Kaline, Warren Spahn, and Hoyt Wilhelm (Trading Card Database)   “Give me an Old-Timers Classic over the All-Star Game any day,” wrote Tom Boswell in the Washington Post on the eve of the June 29, 1987, game. “I’m trying to remember the 1986 All-Star Game. […]

Willie Mays’ strong play helped the Giants catch the Dodgers in the exciting 1962 NL pennant race. (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)   The San Francisco Giants made a late-season charge to catch the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1962 National League pennant race. Leading the Giants by four games with only seven […]

On September 27, 1966, Jim Kaat was honored in front of 300 businessmen at the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce by receiving the Chamber’s highest award for achievement. This distinguished group was hoping it would be a prelude to a bigger accolade, baseball’s Cy Young Award. Two days earlier, Kaat’s 25th win had tied Sandy Koufax […]

The Minnesota Twins (92-60) were ready to party. All that stood between them and clinching the American League West title was one win over the second-place Oakland A’s, who were 8½ games back at 84-69. Given the standings and the Monday night game, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that only 4,284 fans were in attendance. Starting […]

The 1967 pennant race in the American League was shaping up to be quite a doozy. With roughly five weeks left in the season, five teams were within striking distance of bringing home the flag. On August 24 Chicago (69-54) and Boston (70-55) were in a virtual tie for first place. They were followed by […]

If Rich Reese had as much success in baseball as he later did in business, perhaps his major-league résumé would have been filled with All-Star appearances, batting titles, MVP awards, and World Series triumphs. As it was, his path to such acclaim was hindered by a succession of higher-profile players who kept him from a […]

Babe Ruth, John Montgomery Ward, George Sisler, Smoky Joe Wood, Lefty O’Doul, Bobby Darwin. Bobby Darwin? At first glance he seems to be out of place among this list of major-league luminaries. However, closer examination reveals that he indeed does belong. Why? Because he is one of a handful of major-league pitchers who successfully transitioned […]

Baseball is a great family sport and father/son duos have been in the game since baseball’s early days, from George Sisler and sons Dave Sisler and Dick Sisler, to Yogi Berra and his son Dale Berra right up through the times of Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., as well as Cal Ripken Sr. […]

He was a sports broadcaster and former college football player from the Midwest. Tall and grey haired, he sported a crooked nose as a football injury badge. Answering to the name Harmon, he called gridiron action working for ABC telecasts. It would be understandable to many if he were often mistaken for the great Tom […]

“There are a lot of men like Harry Warner at the fringes of the game,” observed Minneapolis Tribune columnist Doug Grow shortly after the 1982 World Series. “The game grabs them young and holds on forever. And it doesn’t give them a whole bunch in return.” Be that as it may, Warner certainly appreciated what […]

On October 14, 1965, the Minnesota Twins lost a heartbreaking World Series Game Seven to Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0. While the disappointment was palpable, there was every reason to believe the Twins would soon be back in the Series. The team had won the pennant convincingly with a record of 102-60, […]