On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins ended a three-game skid with a 10-6 win over Tampa Bay. With the Los Angeles Angels losing to Oakland, the Twins jumped over the Angels to take a half-game lead for the American League’s second wild-card berth. Baltimore is just a game back of the Twins, while Texas, Kansas City and Tampa Bay are within three games heading into Thursday’s action. The Twins face a stiff challenge over their final 23 games.
Fifty years ago today, the Twins, vying for the American League pennant in the pre-division days, were in a similarly tight race.
In fact, on Thursday, September 7, 1967—after losing a 3-2 decision the night before to young Cleveland righthander Luis Tiant—the Twins fell into a first-place tie with… all three of the other contenders.
American League Standings
(through games of Sept. 6, 1967)
W – L Pct
Minnesota 78-61 .561
Chicago 78-61 .561
Boston 79-62 .560
Detroit 79-62 .560
Yes, the four clubs were in a virtual tie atop the standings with 23 games to play.
All but the Chicago White Sox were in the race into the final hours of the 1967 season. Although the White Sox never held even a share of first place after entering into the four-way tie, they stayed close and were well positioned to win the pennant heading into the final week. Chicago trailed by just a game and closed the season with series against the last-place Kansas City Athletics and the mediocre Washington Senators,
Before it was over, the Twins, Red Sox and Tigers all took turns leading the pack. That may be how the stretch run plays out for the 2017 Twins and their rivals as they chase a chance at one-game roulette in October.
Somehow this year’s Twins, who lost 103 games in 2016, have stuck around. The bullpen has been erratic, but down the stretch, starters Ervin Santana, Bartolo Colon, Jose Berrios and a resurgent Kyle Gibson have given the team a boost.
This writer has been anticipating a Twins fade, but a look at the other wild-card contenders reveals that each has only two or three starters pitching effectively. The Orioles arguably have the best bullpen of the group, the Twins likely the worst. But scoring runs has come far easier for the Twins than it did in 2016.
Even without injured slugger Miguel Sano, the Twins offense has produced since the break, especially in August, when the club won 20 games. Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Joe Mauer have led the way with impressive second-half performances.
Baltimore also has a host of hitters firing on all cylinders as the season winds down. Welington Castillo, Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop and recent arrival Tim Beckham have been productive since the break and have led the Orioles to the brink of a playoff berth the last two weeks.
The Orioles and Twins are 1-2 in the league, respectively, in second-half runs. Assuming the Yankees clinch the first wild-card spot, Minnesota and Baltimore are this writer’s favorites to chase down the second. If the Yankees were to hit the skids, perhaps it will be the Twins and Orioles squaring off on October 3 for the right to advance.
I will post about the 1967 Twins and their wild AL pennant race down to the final days of the season, culling stories from the upcoming and 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.
Fifty years ago today, the Twins, vying for the American League pennant in the pre-division days, were in a similarly tight race.
In fact, on Thursday, September 7, 1967—after losing a 3-2 decision the night before to young Cleveland righthander Luis Tiant—the Twins fell into a first-place tie with… all three of the other contenders.
American League Standings
(through games of Sept. 6, 1967)
W – L Pct
Minnesota 78-61 .561
Chicago 78-61 .561
Boston 79-62 .560
Detroit 79-62 .560
Yes, the four clubs were in a virtual tie atop the standings with 23 games to play.
All but the Chicago White Sox were in the race into the final hours of the 1967 season. Although the White Sox never held even a share of first place after entering into the four-way tie, they stayed close and were well positioned to win the pennant heading into the final week. Chicago trailed by just a game and closed the season with series against the last-place Kansas City Athletics and the mediocre Washington Senators,
Before it was over, the Twins, Red Sox and Tigers all took turns leading the pack. That may be how the stretch run plays out for the 2017 Twins and their rivals as they chase a chance at one-game roulette in October.
Somehow this year’s Twins, who lost 103 games in 2016, have stuck around. The bullpen has been erratic, but down the stretch, starters Ervin Santana, Bartolo Colon, Jose Berrios and a resurgent Kyle Gibson have given the team a boost.
This writer has been anticipating a Twins fade, but a look at the other wild-card contenders reveals that each has only two or three starters pitching effectively. The Orioles arguably have the best bullpen of the group, the Twins likely the worst. But scoring runs has come far easier for the Twins than it did in 2016.
Even without injured slugger Miguel Sano, the Twins offense has produced since the break, especially in August, when the club won 20 games. Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Joe Mauer have led the way with impressive second-half performances.
Baltimore also has a host of hitters firing on all cylinders as the season winds down. Welington Castillo, Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop and recent arrival Tim Beckham have been productive since the break and have led the Orioles to the brink of a playoff berth the last two weeks.
The Orioles and Twins are 1-2 in the league, respectively, in second-half runs. Assuming the Yankees clinch the first wild-card spot, Minnesota and Baltimore are this writer’s favorites to chase down the second. If the Yankees were to hit the skids, perhaps it will be the Twins and Orioles squaring off on October 3 for the right to advance.
I will post about the 1967 Twins and their wild AL pennant race down to the final days of the season, culling stories from the upcoming and 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.