1965 World Series

Zoilo Versalles

Game 1 was set to be a pitching duel between Dodgers' Don Drysdale and the Twins' Mudcat Grant (21–7, 3.30 ERA on the year). Drysdale was starting because the game fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar. Dodger ace Sandy Koufax, who is Jewish, stated he would not pitch that day.

In the Twins' third inning any thought of a pitchers' duel was put to rest. Going into that inning, it was 1–1. Coming out, it was 7–1. It started with a Frank Quilici double to left field, followed by an error by Jim Lefebvre, allowing the pitcher Grant to reach. Then, shortstop Zoilo Versalles stepped to the plate. He had hit 19 home runs in the regular season and would later win the AL MVP Award for that year. He crushed a pitch from Drysdale for a three-run home run to make the score, 4–1. However, the Twins' scoring wasn't over. With still no one out, left fielder Sandy Valdespino began things again with a double. After a few outs and baserunners, and a single by Harmon Killebrew, the Twins had two runners again. With three straight singles (Earl Battey, Don Mincher, and Quilici), scoring three unearned runs, the Twins had jumped out to a six-run lead and would never look back, winning the game 8–2.

Frank Quilici set a World Series record with his two hits in the third inning. Mudcat Grant was the first black World Series game-winner for an American League team, and just the seventh pitcher to homer in a World Series game.

The Dodgers had scored their runs on a Ron Fairly homer and a Maury Wills bunt single that scored Lefebvre. Grant received the win while Drysdale took the loss. In the postgame news conference, a reporter jokingly said to Dodger manager Walter Alston, "I bet you wish Drysdale was Jewish too."

Jim Kaat

In Game 2, the Twins this time got to Dodger ace Sandy Koufax. Minnesota's pitcher, this time Jim Kaat, again shut down the Dodgers' weak offense. A heavy rain storm soaked Metropolitan Stadium overnight, and the two teams slogged their way through the first five innings. In the top of the fifth, Ron Fairly singled, then left-fielder Bob Allison made a diving, sliding catch of a fly ball off the bat of Jim Lefebvre, preventing a run. Aided by an error, the Twins broke the scoreless tie in the sixth, Versalles hit a missile shot and when Jim Gilliam bobbled the ball at third base, the ball ricocheted off Gilliam and into left field. Versalles reached on the two-base error, then scored on a Tony Oliva double. Killebrew followed with a single, plating Oliva. That is all the runs the Twins would need, though Kaat added insurance in the eighth with a two-run base hit of his own. The Twins went up 2–0 in the Series.

Claude Osteen

In Game 3, pressure was on Claude Osteen to have a good start so Los Angeles would not go down 0–3. He faced Camilo Pascual, who had a quality (though somewhat injury plagued) year (9–3, 3.35 ERA). Dodger Stadium was filled to capacity and fans were treated to an appearance from Casey Stengel, a member of the 1916 Dodgers World Series team. Stengel, sans his cane despite a broken hip, hobbled on to the field and threw out the first pitch.

In the first inning, Versalles led off with a double. But with two men on, Versalles was caught stealing home on the front end of an attempted double steal. In the fourth, Johnny Roseboro put the Dodgers on the board with a two-run single. The play cost the Dodgers dearly, Jim Lefebvre bruising his heel crossing the plate with the second of the two runs. The Dodgers, already short on hitting (Lefebvre was batting .400 at the time), went with Dick Tracewski (.118 for the Series) at second base the rest of the way. The Twins received a scare of their own in the seventh inning. Catcher Earl Battey, chasing a popup, collided full speed with the railing used to cover sub-field level "dugout seats" next to the Twins dugout. Battey crumpled in a heap holding his neck and was replaced by Jerry Zimmerman. Los Angeles continued to score runs on a Willie Davis single and a Lou Johnson double in the fifth, then a Wills double in the sixth.

Osteen, who as a pitcher for the Senators had had a perfect 5–0 record against the Twins, completed the game by getting Zimmerman to ground into a double play. He allowed only five hits, succeeding where the Dodger aces hadn't in Games 1 and 2.

Wes Parker

In a rematch of Game 1 pitchers Drysdale and Grant, the Dodgers ace prevailed, allowing only two runs on five hits. He had eleven strikeouts, fanning Jimmie Hall and Don Mincher three times each. Grant gave up three runs in the first five innings, then was removed in the sixth, when the Dodgers got three more.

The Twins opened the game with aggression when Sandy Valdespino tried to stretch a single into a double. Lou Johnson, not known as a great fielder, gunned down Valdespino at second. The Dodgers scored twice without getting the ball out of the infield. Maury Wills collided at first base with Twins second baseman Frank Quilici on an infield single as pitcher Grant was slow to cover the bag. The play cartwheeled Wills backwards, but the Dodger dusted himself off and promptly stole second. Wills went to third on another infield single, this time by the speedy Willie Davis, as Grant was again slow to cover. Wills scored when Ron Fairly beat out a potential double-play grounder.

In the bottom of the second, Dodger speed made up for what seemed a lack of power. Parker bunted a single, then stole second and took third when Grant's throw went wild. Parker scored when Roseboro's grounder to second got through Quilici.

The Dodgers then showed power with Parker and Johnson home runs. The Twins had scored their two runs on home runs from Killebrew and Oliva. Back in form, Drysdale evened the series as L.A. won, 7–2.

Maury Wills

In Game 5, the Minnesota pitcher who had done so well in Game 2, Jim Kaat, did not do as well this time, as the Dodgers won their third straight. Koufax give up only four hits and one walk, striking out ten. Kaat gave up two runs quickly in the first inning, then again in the third. Dave Boswell came in to attempt to stop the bleeding and Jim Perry did the same. Koufax basically put the game out of reach in the seventh, when he helped himself out with an RBI single to score Fairly. The Dodger's win put them up 3–2 in the series.

In the first inning, Dodger speed forced the Twins into fielding mishaps. Wills doubled and Gilliam singled in the run. Willie Davis bunted and third-baseman Killebrew's hurried throw to first went high, enabling the streaking Davis to make it all the way to third and plating Gilliam. The Dodgers collected 14 hits and four stolen bases, while Koufax steadily kept the Twins in check for the shutout.

Mudcat Grant

In Game 6, Osteen did not fare as well as he had in his last start. In the fourth inning, Battey reached on an error by Dick Tracewski, followed by a Bob Allison two-run home run. Grant, for the Twins, was on his game once again. He also helped himself, as had Koufax for L.A. the game before, but in this case with a towering three-run home run, after Quilici was intentionally walked to get to Grant. A Fairly home run, his second of the series, put the Dodgers on the board to make the score 5–1, but that's all they would get as Grant pitched a complete game.

Twins manager Sam Mele chose to leave veteran pitchers Pascual and Perry and youngster Jim Merritt in the bullpen, instead going with Grant on two days' rest. Twins catcher Earl Battey brought the nearly 50,000 Metropolitan Stadium fans to their feet by leading off the second inning with a triple past a diving Willie Davis in center. Battey showed no outward ill-effects of his collision with the railing in Game 3, diving headfirst into third base on the play. Osteen promptly struck out Allison and Quilici, however, to quell the threat. Battey continued his fine play in the fourth by hustling to first when Tracewski booted his groundball, and Allison followed with a home run. Grant pitched solidly and the Twins tied the series at 3–3.

Sandy Koufax

Dodger manager Walt Alston was torn between starting Drysdale on normal rest or Koufax with only two days' rest. He decided on the left-handed Koufax, figuring if needed he would use the right-handed Drysdale in relief, then go back to his left-handed relief ace Ron Perranoski. Koufax told announcer Vin Scully in a post-game interview that he and Drysdale had come to the ballpark not knowing which would be on the mound. According to Koufax, the manager announced the decision purely in strategic terms regarding lefty vs. righty, saying he worded his announcement without even using the pitchers' names, saying only that he thought he'd "like to start the left-hander." The Twins went with Kaat, also starting on two days' rest. Both managers had relief pitchers warming up as their starters began the game.

Koufax had trouble throwing his curveball for strikes but escaped a couple of early jams, including one in the third inning when Zoilo Versailles stole second base with one out, but was called back after batter Joe Nossek was ruled out for interference. Koufax effectively gave up on his curveball and pitched the late innings almost exclusively with fastballs, still baffling the hard-hitting Twins. In the fourth inning, Dodger left fielder Lou Johnson told Koufax that he would get him the only run he would need. Johnson promptly hit one off the left-field foul pole to give the Dodgers a 1–0 lead. Ron Fairly followed with a double and scored on a Wes Parker single. The two runs came on three consecutive pitches.

Knowing Kaat was on short rest, manager Mele pulled him quickly. Al Worthington, Johnny Klippstein, Jim Merritt, and Jim Perry combined to shut out the Dodgers for the rest of the game. The Twins threatened again in the fifth inning when they had runners on first and second with only one out. Versailles hit a hard grounder down the third base line that appeared to be going for a double. This could have ended Koufax's day as Drysdale was warming up in the bullpen. But third baseman Jim Gilliam (who was often replaced late in games for defensive reasons) made a diving, backhanded stop and stepped on third for a force. Koufax bore down and got the third out. He ended up tossing a three-hit shutout, striking out ten in one of the greatest Game 7 pitching performances ever.

"Sweet Lou" Johnson hit two home runs, including the game-winner in the clinching Game 7.

No relief pitchers were used by the winning team in any game of this series; the winning starting pitcher went the distance in all seven games. This had not happened since 1940, and has never been repeated since.

The Twins' loss in Game 7 remains the only World Series game the Twins have lost at home, having later won all their home games in 1987 and 1991. Through 2017, the Twins have never won a road World Series Game (not including when the franchise was the original Washington Senators).

The National League won its third consecutive World Series (Dodgers in 1963, St. Louis Cardinals in 1964). The Senior Circuit would not claim back-to-back titles again until 1975 and 1976, when the Cincinnati Reds did so.

Although the Dodgers had played the maximum seven games in four best-of-seven World Series when they were located in Brooklyn (in 1947, 1952, 1955, and 1956), 1965 marked the first time they had done so when located in Los Angeles. It did not happen again until 2017. The Brooklyn Dodgers had also played seven games in the 1920 World Series when it was a best-of-nine series, losing to Cleveland five games to two.