![]() ![]() The Twins made more errors than anyone but last-place Kansas City and were second worst in double plays. ![]() Even if it turns out that he can't pitch, he'll be fun.ĪI Lopez insists that it wasn't pitching that hurt Minnesota last year but bad fielding. Boswell peered in at Dick Stuart, the next batter, and called out to his catcher, "Is this guy a first-ball hitter, too?" Then he struck Stuart out and went on to a 2-0 record before the season ended. His second pitch was hit for a double by Tony Conigliaro and his third for another double, by Carl Yastrzemski. (He was fined $50 but says it was worth it.) In his debut with the Twins late last year Boswell's first pitch was hit for a home run by Felix Mantilla of the Red Sox. The Twins have an interesting prospect in rookie right-hander Dave Boswell, who once punched a winter league umpire on the jaw because of a call that cost Boswell a ball game. Al Worthington, John Klippstein, Jim Perry and Bill Pleis shared most of the bullpen work last year, and the first two had impressive earned run averages (1.38 for Worthington, 1.96 for Klippstein). They've got to stop throwing those high curves." Still, the Twins led the league in complete games and on paper have a good staff: Camilo Pascual, who fell to 15-12 after two straight 21-game years, is ordinarily one of the best in the league lefty Jim Kaat was 17-11 Jim Grant was 11-9 with a fine 2.82 ERA after coming to the Twins from Cleveland Dick Stigman, another left-hander, fell from 15 wins to six, but he could snap back. Mostly, though, it's up to the pitchers to help themselves. "It can't hurt the pitchers," says Manager Sam Mele, "and who knows, maybe it will help. It didn't help much, so this year the fences have been moved back instead of up: 20 feet in center, 14 feet in left. You just don't know when." Last year the club raised the fences four feet. "'Pitching there is like sticking your head under a guillotine," said one American Leaguer. The Twins' Metropolitan Stadium in the flat fields west of Minneapolis is a hitter's paradise (there is a steady flow of air out toward the fences, and long flies seem to float out of the park). Home runs are nice to have, but a certain lack of hitting in the clutch seems indicated. They can hit the hell out of a baseball.įor all this they had a remarkably negative record: they won the fewest doubleheaders of any team in the league (one out of 16 played), had the second worst record for extra-inning games (they won only seven of 21), lost the most one-run games (38) and lost 14 shutout games while winning only four. 291 lifetime) and Earl Battey (.272), and the Twins' euphoria is somewhat easier to understand. Add to all this the steady bats of Rich Rollins (.270, but. Oliva was the league batting champion, Killebrew the home run leader. As a team the Twins hit 221 homers, 35 more than the second best club in the league and almost 60 more than the Yankees. And Don Mincher, who is not even a regular (he had only 287 ABs last year), hit 23. Harmon Killebrew hit 49 home runs last year Bob Allison and rookie Tony Oliva each hit 32 Jimmie Hall hit 25 even 155-pound Zoilo Versalles hit 20. ![]() Such curious optimism could reflect the Scandinavian stubbornness the Twins have been exposed to in Minnesota, but more likely it stems from an overregard for the awesome cornucopia of power that is the Twins' batting order. This season the Twins are standing pat they are trying again with almost precisely the same club they had last year. 500 and a few games off the pace until July and then fell far, far behind-ending the season in a dismal tie for sixth, 20 games in back of the league-leading Yankees. Expected to bid seriously for the pennant, they dawdled along a few games over. Except for the Dodgers, the Twins were by far the most disappointing team in the major leagues last season. ![]()
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