1970 Minnesota Twins season
Led by new manager Bill Rigney, the 1970 Minnesota Twins won the American League West with a 98–64 record, nine games ahead of the Oakland Athletics. The Twins were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series. After the ALCS, Metropolitan Stadium would never see another post-season game, and the Twins would not return to the postseason stage until 1987 when they won the World Series.
| 1970 Minnesota Twins | |
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| American League West Champions | |
| Major League affiliations | |
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| Location | |
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| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Calvin Griffith (majority owner, with Thelma Griffith Haynes) |
| General manager(s) | Calvin Griffith |
| Manager(s) | Bill Rigney |
| Local television | WTCN-TV |
| Local radio | 830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, Halsey Hall, Al Shaver, Ray Christensen, Frank Buetel) |
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Offseason
- October 13, 1969: Johnny Roseboro was released by the Twins.[1]
- December 1, 1969: 1969 rule 5 draft
- Mike Sadek was drafted from the Twins by the San Francisco Giants.[2]
- Hal Haydel was drafted by the Twins from the San Francisco Giants.[3]
- December 10, 1969: Graig Nettles, Dean Chance, Bob Miller, and Ted Uhlaender were traded by the Twins to the Cleveland Indians for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams.[4]
- March 21, 1970: Joe Grzenda and Charley Walters were traded by the Twins to the Washington Senators for Brant Alyea.[5]
Regular season
On April 7, newly acquired Twin Brant Alyea homered twice in going 4 for 4 and driving in 7 RBI. The RBI total set a record for major league baseball's Opening Day.
On May 20, in a 10–5 win over the Kansas City Royals, Rod Carew became the first Twin to hit for the cycle—going single, homer, double, triple. Over time, his feat will be matched by nine other Twins (César Tovar, 1972; Larry Hisle, 1976; Lyman Bostock, 1976; Mike Cubbage, 1978; Gary Ward, 1980; Kirby Puckett, 1986; Carlos Gómez, 2008; Jason Kubel, 2009; and Michael Cuddyer, 2009).
On June 5, pitcher Bert Blyleven debuted, allowing a home run off the first batter he faced.
Four Twins made the All-Star Game: first baseman Harmon Killebrew, second baseman Rod Carew, outfielder Tony Oliva, and pitcher Jim Perry.
On September 16, Blyleven struck out the first six batters he faced to tie a major league record. However, the Twins lost the game to the California Angels, 5–1.[6]
The Twins are no-hit for the second time in their history, losing 6–0 to Oakland's Vida Blue.[7]
The Twins won the American League West, led by leadoff batter César Tovar (120 runs), Oliva (.325, 23 HR, 107 RBI) and Killebrew (41 HR, 113 RBI). Carew was batting .366 (after 51 games) when his knee was injured turning a double play. Perry won 24 games and became the first Twins pitcher to win the AL Cy Young Award. Jim Kaat added 14 wins and rookie Bert Blyleven won 10. Kaat also won his 9th Gold Glove Award. Reliever Ron Perranoski led the AL with 34 saves.
1,261,887 fans attended Twins games, the third highest total in the American League.
Season standings
| AL West | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins | 98 | 64 | 0.605 | — | 51–30 | 47–34 |
| Oakland Athletics | 89 | 73 | 0.549 | 9 | 49–32 | 40–41 |
| California Angels | 86 | 76 | 0.531 | 12 | 43–38 | 43–38 |
| Kansas City Royals | 65 | 97 | 0.401 | 33 | 35–44 | 30–53 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 65 | 97 | 0.401 | 33 | 38–42 | 27–55 |
| Chicago White Sox | 56 | 106 | 0.346 | 42 | 31–53 | 25–53 |
Record vs. opponents
1970 American League Records Sources: | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | WSH | |
| Baltimore | — | 13–5 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 14–4 | 11–7 | 12–0 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 11–7 | 7–5 | 12–6 | |
| Boston | 5–13 | — | 5–7 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 12–6 | |
| California | 5–7 | 7–5 | — | 12–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 8–10 | 5–7 | 8–10 | 7–5 | |
| Chicago | 3–9 | 4–8 | 6–12 | — | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 2–16 | 4–8 | |
| Cleveland | 4–14 | 6–12 | 6–6 | 6–6 | — | 7–11 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 7–5 | 11–7 | |
| Detroit | 7–11 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 11–7 | — | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 7–11 | 6–6 | 9–9 | |
| Kansas City | 0–12 | 5–7 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 4–8 | 6–6 | — | 12–6 | 5–13 | 1–11 | 7–11 | 6–6 | |
| Milwaukee | 5–7 | 7–5 | 6–12 | 11–7 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 6–12 | — | 5–13 | 3–9–1 | 8–10 | 5–7 | |
| Minnesota | 7–5 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 13–5 | 13–5 | — | 5–7 | 13–5 | 6–6 | |
| New York | 7–11 | 8–10 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 11–1 | 9–3–1 | 7–5 | — | 6–6 | 10–8 | |
| Oakland | 5–7 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 16–2 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 5–13 | 6–6 | — | 10–2 | |
| Washington | 6–12 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 2–10 | — | |
Notable transactions
- June 27, 1970: Craig Kusick was signed as an amateur free agent by the Twins.[8]
Roster
| 1970 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | George Mitterwald | 117 | 369 | 82 | .222 | 15 | 46 |
| 1B | Rich Reese | 153 | 501 | 131 | .261 | 10 | 56 |
| 2B | Danny Thompson | 96 | 302 | 66 | .219 | 0 | 22 |
| 3B | Harmon Killebrew | 157 | 527 | 143 | .271 | 41 | 113 |
| SS | Leo Cárdenas | 160 | 588 | 145 | .247 | 11 | 65 |
| LF | Brant Alyea | 94 | 258 | 75 | .291 | 16 | 61 |
| CF | César Tovar | 161 | 650 | 195 | .300 | 10 | 54 |
| RF | Tony Oliva | 157 | 628 | 204 | .325 | 23 | 107 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Holt | 142 | 319 | 85 | .266 | 3 | 40 |
| Rod Carew | 51 | 191 | 70 | .366 | 4 | 28 |
| Rick Renick | 81 | 179 | 41 | .229 | 7 | 25 |
| Paul Ratliff | 69 | 149 | 40 | .268 | 5 | 22 |
| Frank Quilici | 111 | 141 | 32 | .227 | 2 | 12 |
| Bob Allison | 47 | 72 | 15 | .208 | 1 | 7 |
| Charlie Manuel | 59 | 64 | 12 | .188 | 1 | 7 |
| Tom Tischinski | 24 | 46 | 9 | .196 | 1 | 2 |
| Herman Hill | 27 | 22 | 2 | .091 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Nettles | 13 | 20 | 5 | .250 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnie Mendoza | 16 | 16 | 3 | .188 | 0 | 2 |
| Steve Brye | 9 | 11 | 2 | .182 | 0 | 2 |
| Rick Dempsey | 5 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Cotton Nash | 4 | 4 | 1 | .250 | 0 | 2 |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Perry | 40 | 278.2 | 24 | 12 | 3.04 | 168 |
| Jim Kaat | 45 | 230 | 14 | 10 | 3.56 | 120 |
| Bert Blyleven | 27 | 164 | 10 | 9 | 3.18 | 135 |
| Luis Tiant | 18 | 92.2 | 7 | 3 | 3.40 | 50 |
| Dave Boswell | 18 | 68.2 | 3 | 7 | 6.42 | 45 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Hall | 52 | 155.1 | 11 | 6 | 2.55 | 184 |
| Bill Zepp | 43 | 151 | 9 | 4 | 3.22 | 64 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Perranoski | 67 | 7 | 8 | 34 | 2.43 | 55 |
| Stan Williams | 68 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 1.99 | 76 |
| Dick Woodson | 21 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3.82 | 22 |
| Steve Barber | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4.61 | 14 |
| Pete Hamm | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.51 | 3 |
| Hal Haydel | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 4 |
Postseason
ALCS
Awards and honors
- Jim Perry, American League Cy Young Award
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Evansville Triplets | American Association | Ralph Rowe |
| AA | Charlotte Hornets | Southern League | Harry Warner and Pete Appleton |
| A | Lynchburg Twins | Carolina League | Tom Umphlett and Spencer "Red" Robbins |
| A | Orlando Twins | Florida State League | Jackie Ferrell |
| A | Wisconsin Rapids Twins | Midwest League | Johnny Goryl |
| A-Short Season | Auburn Twins | New York–Penn League | Boyd Coffie |
| A-Short Season | St. Cloud Rox | Northern League | Jim Merrick |
| Rookie | GCL Twins | Gulf Coast League | Fred Waters |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Auburn
Notes
- Johnny Roseboro at Baseball Reference
- Mike Sadek at Baseball Reference
- Hal Haydel at Baseball-Reference
- Graig Nettles at Baseball Reference
- Brant Alyea at Baseball Reference
- "Minnesota Twins". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- "Minnesota Twins". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- Craig Kusick at Baseball Reference
References
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
- Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
- Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com