1967 American League Pennant Race

April 30, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Senators 7, Twins 3  (5-9)

Mudcat Grant dropped to 0-3 on the season as he was shelled by the Senators.  He gave up six runs on six hits and five walks in only 4 2/3 innings of work.

The Twins didn’t score their first run until they were already down 6-0.  Earl Battey was the only Twin with two hits and he also drove in one of the Twins three runs.

April 30, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Senators 3, Twins 0  (5-10)

The Twins closed out the month of April with a series loss to the Senators after they were swept in today’s double header.  They also finished the month at 5-10 and you wonder had they finished April just .500, they probably would have been playing the Cardinals, not the Red Sox.

This was probably the Twins worst games of the season because they held to just one hit.  Cesar Tovar singled in the sixth and that was all the Twins got.

Jim Kaat had a nice start go to waste.  He dropped to 1-2 and he gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of work.

April 29, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Senators 9, Twins 6  (5-8)

After being down 4-1, the Twins rallied in the fifth inning with five five runs to take a 6-5.  Then the wheels fell of the wagon in the seventh as three different relievers gave up five runs as the Senators came back to beat the Twins.  Jim Perry took the loss and he gave up the first two runs in seventh but Jim Merritt gave up two runs with out getting a batter out and Al Worthington gave up a run before finally getting the final out in the inning.

Russ Nixon drove in two runs for the Twins and Rod Carew and Cesar Tovar both scored twice.

April 28, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Twins 7, Senators 3  (5-7)

The Twins ran up the score on the Senators and Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison had big games.  Killebrew went three for three with his second homerun, two RBIs, three runs and two walks.  Allison hit homerun number four and he drove in three runs.

Dean Chance calmed down after giving up three first inning runs and shut the Senators out the rest of the way.  He improved to 2-1 and he gave up three runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts in nine innings of work.

April 27, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium

Indians 5, Twins 4  (4-7)

Jim Kaat had a rough outing for the Twins.  While he didn’t take the loss, he gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits and walk with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.  Reliever Al Worthington took the loss when he gave up the game winner in the eighth inning.

Bob Allison put the Twins on the board with a three run shot in the sixth.  At the time, they were down 4-0 and while the Twins ended up tying the Indians, the pen couldn’t hold on long enough for the Twins to win it.

April 25, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium

Indians 1, Twins 0  (4-6)

It’s really tough when your starter throws seven innings and holds your opponents to one run on four hits, yet you still lose.  That was the case today as the Twins failed to even up their record.  You have to give Indians starter Steve Hargan some credit though because he really pitched a gem.  Mudcat Grant was almost as good but he dropped to 0-2 on the season.

Tony Oliva and Zoilo Versalles were the only Twins to get hits.  Oliva actully reached base twice he also drew a walk.

April 23, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 4 (4-5), Tigers 2 (6-5)

The Twins took the rubber game and beat the Tigers in their three game series.  The game started out as a pitchers dual until the Twins rattled off two runs in each of the final two frames to put the game away.

The Tigers actually got on the board first.  In the sixth inning, Earl Wilson helped out his own cause when he singled home Norm Cash.  Then after the Twins had taken a 2-1 lead in the eighth, Norm Cash hit his first homerun of the season to tie the game up.  The Twins then scored a pair of runs in each of the final two frames.  Bond hit a two run shot in the top of the eighth and then Zoilo Versalles tripled home Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew in the top of the ninth to provide the game winning run.

Earl Wilson was cruising in this one until the wheels fell of the wagon.  He had a three hit shutout going through seven innings but it looks like he pitched an inning or two too long.  The game winner came in the ninth when Wilson gave up the two run triple to Versalles to break the 2-2 tie. 

Dean Chance threw a nice game for the Twins but he didn’t get a decision.  He gave up one run on seven hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings.  Al Worthington gave up the tying run in the eighth but put the Tigers down in the ninth and picked up the win.

April 22, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 4 (3-5), Tigers 3 (6-4)

Bill Freehan was the Tigers offense today in a close game with the Twins.  Down 4-0, Bill Freehan hit a three run shot in the bottom of the ninth to make things close but a game ending double play got the Twins out of a jam to wrap the game up.

Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison led the way on offense for the Twins.  Allison hit a two run shot and Killebrew drove in two runs.  Cesar Tovar had three singles and he scored twice.  Jim Kaat picked up his first win of the season.  He gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks with one strikeout in 8 1/3 innings.

Freehan finished the game three for four.  Al Kaline had two singles and he scored on the Freehan homerun.  Mickey Lolich went eight innings and he gave up the four runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

April 21, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 12 (6-3), Twins 4 (2-5)

The Tigers ran up the score on the Twins in their third straight win.  The big inning for the Tigers was the fourth, in which they scored seven runs to really break the game open.

Denny McLain benefited from a ton of support but he pitched a pretty good game.  He gave up three runs on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts in seven innings of work.  He’s now 2-1 on the season.  Dave Boswell took the brunt of that seven run fourth and he was pulled in that inning.  He gave up six runs (five earned) only three hits but he walked seven.  He dropped to 0-1 on the season.

Jim Northrup had a big day at the plate.  He went three for five with a homerun, three RBIs and two runs.  Bill Freehan went two for three with a homerun, two RBIs and a run and Al Kaline singled twice and drove in two runs.  For the Twins, Rod Carew hit a two run shot in the seventh and Tony Oliva homered and drove in two runs.

April 19, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium

Twins 3, Orioles 2  (2-4)

Dean Chance probably had the best start of anyone in the Twins rotation to date as he struck out ten and held the Orioles to two runs.  By the time the Orioles even put a run on the board, the Twins already had two up and while Chance eventually allowed the tying run in the seventh, the bats came through through in the ninth when Rod Carew singled home Ted Uhlaender to win it.

Harmon Killebrew hit his first homerun of the season.  His two run shot set the stage for Chance and gave him most of the runs he’d need to win.

April 16, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium

Indians 4, Twins 3  (1-4)

The Twins lost for the fourth time in their first five games in a tough loss to the Indians.  After going down 4-1, the Twins rallied with two runs in the eighth but that was close as they’d get. 

Mudcat Grant was knocked around for four runs in five innings of work.  Three relievers combined for four shutout innings to allow the Twins to mount their comeback but as we saw, they fell just short.

Zoilo Versailles was the Twins offense today.  He drove in all three runs on two singles.  Harmon Killebrew also had a nice game.  He went one for two with two walks and two runs.

April 15, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Tigers 4 (2-2), Twins 3 (1-3)

The Tigers evened up their record again in a close contest with the Twins.  Joe Sparma was knocked out of this one in the fifth inning after giving up three runs but the bullpen pitched well and allowed the Tigers to come back.  Jim Kaat did a good job of holding the Tigers down in the first four innings, but in the next three he yielding four runs and he was pulled in the seventh.

Down 3-1 in the top of the sixth, Al Kaline hit a two run shot to tie the game up.  Then in the seventh, Al Kaline grounded into what could have been a double play but Harmon Killebrew misplayed it at first base.  While this happened, Don Wert scampered home to give the Tigers the lead for good.  The Twins scored their first run in the first inning when Cesar Tovar scored on Sparma’s wild pitch.  They added two runs in the fifth when Rich Rollins doubled home Kaat and Tovar.  They’d be held scoreless in the final four frames though.

Dave Wickersham, Hank Aguirre and Fred Gladding all pitched well in relief for the Tigers.  They held the Twins to no runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings.

April 14, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 5 (1-2), Tigers 3 (1-2)

Earl Wilson struggled mightily with his control against the Twins in his first start of the season.  Wilson gave up seven walks in only five innings.  He also gave up six hits and this resulted in four runs (three earned).  He only struck out one batter.

Dave Boswell didn’t fare much better for the Twins and he was gone after four innings of work.  Jim Merritt really picked him up through.  He threw four innings of four hit shutout ball in relief to finish the game up and he picked up the win.

Dick Tracewski went two for four with a double, a run and an RBI.  Bill Freehan singled twice and scored.  The Tigers really failed to convert their baserunners into runs because they stranded twelve men on base.

For the Twins, Bob Allison and Zoilo Versalles both hit homeruns.  Versalles finished with two hits, two runs an RBI.

April 13, 1967 at Memorial Stadium

Orioles 7, Twins 1  (0-2)

The Twins could never get their bats going and starter Dean Chance was shelled in a game where the Twins really didn’t stand a chance.  Chance gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings of work.

The only run for the Twins came in the fifth when the Orioles already had a 6-0 lead.  Walt Bond drove home Bob Allison with a sac. fly.  No Twin reached base more then once and the entire team racked up only four hits.

April 11, 1967 at Memorial Stadium

Orioles 6, Twins 3  (0-1)

The Twins lost their season opener in a tough loss that saw Jim Kaat give up four first inning runs.  He calmed down after that and the Twins made a run at the Orioles, but they still didn’t score enough to overcome those four runs much less the six the Orioles ended up putting on the board.  Kaat gave up four runs in four hits and a walk with three strikeouts. 

Tony Oliva accounted for most of the Twins offense.  He went two for three with two RBIs and Rod Carew was the only other Twin with a multi-hit game.