Fifty years ago today, on May 16, 1967, Dean Chance tossed a second straight shutout for his sixth of seven straight wins for the struggling Minnesota Twins. Five days earlier, he had worked a one-hitter against the Kansas City A’s, and he followed up with a five-hitter in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
With his second shutout, Chance stopped a three-game skid for the 12-15 Twins, who had scored just six runs in four games after the hard-throwing righthander had outdueled White Sox ace John Buzhardt in the one-run affair. With barely any offensive support, Chance, who improved to 6-1, put an end to first-place Chicago’s 10-game winning streak.
It was one of those rare stretches when neither Tony Oliva nor Harmon Killebrew—long the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, respectively, in the Twins lineup—could muster much offense.
Oliva, fighting a recurring back ailment from an automobile accident in 1966, missed nearly half of Minnesota’s first 27 games and barely hit when he was in the lineup. After going 0-for-3 in Chance’s second shutout, Oliva was batting .191 with a single homer and four RBIs in 14 games. Killebrew also started slowly. He had powered just eight extra-base hits—four home runs—through 27 games, though he had been drawing walks at an impressive pace while trying to find his power stroke.
Before Chance’s second shutout, Twins skipper Sam Mele moved Oliva behind Killebrew in the batting order. Neither player collected a hit that day, but Mele stuck to his plan. After a few games, he moved Zoilo Versalles into Oliva’s No. 3 spot and Oliva batted fifth, with Killebrew back at cleanup.
In the first 23 games after the switch, Killebrew went on a homer binge, powering 10 and knocking in 22 runs. He popped home runs in three of the first four games. On May 20, Killebrew kicked off a seven-game hitting streak and hit safely in 12 of 13 games to close May. He batted .347 and drove in 12 runs in those 13 games.
Mele’s move didn’t spark the turnaround, of course, but managers don’t mess with success. Even if it’s limited success. Oliva continued to struggle, though he pushed his average above the Mendoza Line during Killebrew’s home-run surge. Much like after his slow start in 1965, Oliva turned in a productive second half, flirting with .300 and the American League batting title down the stretch. His turnaround, however, was still a ways off.
Although Killebrew helped reignite the offense, the Twins still weren’t showing signs of contending. They lost six of 10 to close May and started June in sixth place with a lackluster 20-22 record.
I will post about the 1967 Twins and the wild AL pennant race all summer long, using material from my upcoming book, which I’ve tentatively titled The Glory Years of the Minnesota Twins: Rock ‘n’ Roll, War and Peace, the Civil Rights Movement and Baseball in the 1960s. I also post on my author page on Facebook.
With his second shutout, Chance stopped a three-game skid for the 12-15 Twins, who had scored just six runs in four games after the hard-throwing righthander had outdueled White Sox ace John Buzhardt in the one-run affair. With barely any offensive support, Chance, who improved to 6-1, put an end to first-place Chicago’s 10-game winning streak.
It was one of those rare stretches when neither Tony Oliva nor Harmon Killebrew—long the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, respectively, in the Twins lineup—could muster much offense.
Oliva, fighting a recurring back ailment from an automobile accident in 1966, missed nearly half of Minnesota’s first 27 games and barely hit when he was in the lineup. After going 0-for-3 in Chance’s second shutout, Oliva was batting .191 with a single homer and four RBIs in 14 games. Killebrew also started slowly. He had powered just eight extra-base hits—four home runs—through 27 games, though he had been drawing walks at an impressive pace while trying to find his power stroke.
Before Chance’s second shutout, Twins skipper Sam Mele moved Oliva behind Killebrew in the batting order. Neither player collected a hit that day, but Mele stuck to his plan. After a few games, he moved Zoilo Versalles into Oliva’s No. 3 spot and Oliva batted fifth, with Killebrew back at cleanup.
In the first 23 games after the switch, Killebrew went on a homer binge, powering 10 and knocking in 22 runs. He popped home runs in three of the first four games. On May 20, Killebrew kicked off a seven-game hitting streak and hit safely in 12 of 13 games to close May. He batted .347 and drove in 12 runs in those 13 games.
Mele’s move didn’t spark the turnaround, of course, but managers don’t mess with success. Even if it’s limited success. Oliva continued to struggle, though he pushed his average above the Mendoza Line during Killebrew’s home-run surge. Much like after his slow start in 1965, Oliva turned in a productive second half, flirting with .300 and the American League batting title down the stretch. His turnaround, however, was still a ways off.
Although Killebrew helped reignite the offense, the Twins still weren’t showing signs of contending. They lost six of 10 to close May and started June in sixth place with a lackluster 20-22 record.
I will post about the 1967 Twins and the wild AL pennant race all summer long, using material from my upcoming book, which I’ve tentatively titled The Glory Years of the Minnesota Twins: Rock ‘n’ Roll, War and Peace, the Civil Rights Movement and Baseball in the 1960s. I also post on my author page on Facebook.