With new skipper Cal Ermer at the helm, the Minnesota Twins fell into a mid-June rut of following two wins with two losses. They were still looking to turn their season around when Baltimore native and quirky Twins righthander Dave Boswell tossed a three-hitter to claim a 4-0 victory over his hometown Orioles.
Two days later, however—on June 21, 1967—after the Twins had flown from Baltimore to Detroit, Boswell and Tony Oliva would be at the center of a team squabble. On the bus traveling from the Detroit airport to the team’s hotel, the 22-year-old Boswell, who often carried guns on road trips, took out one of his unloaded handguns and started pulling the trigger.
Oliva was the most upset with Boswell, according to Rod Carew in his 1979 autobiography with Ira Berkow, “Carew.” In the Hall of Famer’s account, Oliva angrily told Boswell, “Don’t be playing with that thing on this bus.” To which Boswell replied: “Well, you guys play with guns in Cuba; why can’t we play with guns here?” When Mudcat Grant took sides with Oliva, Ted Uhlaender, who was friends with Boswell, piped in. The argument escalated quickly, with sides taken along racial lines, noted Carew.
The fray was Ermer’s first touch of internal strife as manager. He threatened fines when the argument turned noisy, and the bus went silent. That wasn’t the end of the incident. Money did exchange hands, as Ermer reportedly fined Boswell, Oliva and Uhlaender $250 each for their roles in the dispute.
The Twins continued to take turns winning and losing—at least until June 28, when Boswell went the distance, fanned 13 and outdueled former teammate Lee Stange and the Boston Red Sox for a 3-2 victory. The Twins improved to a still-lackluster 36-34—moving from fourth place to third, though seven games behind the front-running Chicago White Sox—but Boswell’s complete-game victory was the first of eight straight Twins wins.
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. The book will also document more Boswell hijinks, fun stuff that was more entertaining than his flashing a gun on the team bus.
Two days later, however—on June 21, 1967—after the Twins had flown from Baltimore to Detroit, Boswell and Tony Oliva would be at the center of a team squabble. On the bus traveling from the Detroit airport to the team’s hotel, the 22-year-old Boswell, who often carried guns on road trips, took out one of his unloaded handguns and started pulling the trigger.
Oliva was the most upset with Boswell, according to Rod Carew in his 1979 autobiography with Ira Berkow, “Carew.” In the Hall of Famer’s account, Oliva angrily told Boswell, “Don’t be playing with that thing on this bus.” To which Boswell replied: “Well, you guys play with guns in Cuba; why can’t we play with guns here?” When Mudcat Grant took sides with Oliva, Ted Uhlaender, who was friends with Boswell, piped in. The argument escalated quickly, with sides taken along racial lines, noted Carew.
The fray was Ermer’s first touch of internal strife as manager. He threatened fines when the argument turned noisy, and the bus went silent. That wasn’t the end of the incident. Money did exchange hands, as Ermer reportedly fined Boswell, Oliva and Uhlaender $250 each for their roles in the dispute.
The Twins continued to take turns winning and losing—at least until June 28, when Boswell went the distance, fanned 13 and outdueled former teammate Lee Stange and the Boston Red Sox for a 3-2 victory. The Twins improved to a still-lackluster 36-34—moving from fourth place to third, though seven games behind the front-running Chicago White Sox—but Boswell’s complete-game victory was the first of eight straight Twins wins.
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. The book will also document more Boswell hijinks, fun stuff that was more entertaining than his flashing a gun on the team bus.