Mudcat & Kitty domination!
Thanks to an on-the-cusp Washington Senators roster relocating to Minnesota in 1961, the Twins were able to hit the ground running faster than most expansion clubs. In ‘62 & ‘63 they won 90+ games, then after a slip-up in ‘64 they put together what is still considered the finest season in franchise history.
Back in division-less baseball times, this punched the Twins’ ticket to the World Series against the 97-65 Los Angeles Dodgers. With the “other LA squad” currently at Target Field, this seems like a good time to look at the first two games of that Fall Classic
Game 1 (10/6/65)
The first professional postseason baseball game in MN history drew 47,797 Twins faithful to Bloomington’s Metropolitan Stadium. One would have assumed the mound opponent to be square-in-his-prime Sandy Koufax—but Game 1 fell on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, of which Koufax observed. So, Sandy sat out and Dodger skipper Walter Alston gave the sphere to Don Drysdale—not too shabby a “plan B”.
The West Coasters struck first when Ron Fairly touched Twins SP Jim “Mudcat” Grant for a solo home run in the top of the second inning. But Don Mincher immediately returned the favor to Drysdale in the bottom half of the frame to tie the score.
In the third, MN bats erupted: AL MVP Zoilo Versalles hit a 3-run home run off Big Don and the combo of Earl Battey & Frank Quilici RBI knocks sent him to the showers with the Twins up 7-1! In the 6th, Zoilo again plated a run off LA reliever Jim Brewer to extend that to 8-1.
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Meanwhile, the Mudcat was managing a mound masterpiece: 9 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
Not only had the Twins beaten Tinsel Town’s shining stars, but done so in dominant 8-2 fashion!
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Game 2 (10/7/65)
Even more of Twins Territory—48,699 + my paternal grandfather—filled The Met the next day to see Koufax finally climb the bump against fellow southpaw Jim Kaat.
The expected pitcher’s duel broke out: 0-0 into the 6th. But Zoilo reached on an error and Joe Nossek sacrifice him to second in front of the lineup’s big boppers. Both Tony Oliva (double) and Harmon Killebrew (single) came through and the Twins grabbed a 2-0 lead.
Set Number: X11041 TK6 R5 F3
As championship clubs are wont to do, the Twins kept changing the number: future-Twin Ron Perranoski wild-pitched Zoilo home in the 7th, and Kaat—no slouch at the dish—helped his own cause by driving in Bob Allison & Mincher in the 8th!
Speaking of Kitty: 9 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A World Series masterclass besting even Stunning Sandy by a 5-1 final tally.
Kaat was helped by an all-time Twins web gem from Allison, as described here by the incomparable Vin Scully…
In their first two postseason contests, the Minnesota Twins had bested two of baseball’s ballyhooed hurlers and taken a 2-0 series lead in front of the home fans!
Up next? In the words of Horace Greeley: “Go West, young man”.