Washington and Minnesota - The Psychedelic Era (1960-1969)

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1960

City

Decade

1960

Washington

1963

Minneapolis - St. Paul

1967

Minneapolis - St. Paul

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1961

Minneapolis - St. Paul

1964

Minneapolis - St. Paul

1968

Minneapolis - St. Paul

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1962

Minneapolis - St. Paul

1965

Minneapolis - St. Paul

102

1969

Minneapolis - St. Paul

1966

Minneapolis - St. Paul

Titles:

Top Twins Players of the Sixties

1965 - AL Champs (Lost to Dodgers in World Series)

1969 - Division Champs (Lost to Orioles)

Pitchers:

Jim Kaat (23.14) - 90

BallPark:

Camilo Pascual (21.12) - 61

Griffith Stadium (1960)

Jim Perry (20.6) - 36

Metropolitan Stadium (1961-1969)

Dave Boswell (12.98) - 33

Mudcat Grant (5.96) - 27

Team Name:

Dean Chance (13.14) - 24

Senators (1960)

Al Worthington (10.07) - 20

Twins (1961-1969)

Jack Kralick (11.82) - 20

Dick Stigman (6.81) - 16

Owner:

Pedro Ramos (8.03) - 16

Calvin Griffith

Jim Merritt (11.36) - 15

Ron Perranoski (5.08) - 9

General Managers:

Ray Moore (1.6) - 8

Don Lee (5.43) - 5

Managers:

Ronnie Kline (0.51) - 1

Cookie Lavagetto (1960-1961)

Johnny Klippstein (3.78) - 0

Sam Mele (1961-1967)

Bob Miller (3.4) - 0

Cal Ermer (1967-1968)

Joe Grzenda (0.32) - 0

Billy Martin (1969)

Frank Sullivan (-0.13) - 0

Bill Zepp (-0.32) - 0

No Hitters:

Jack Kralick (1962)

Catchers:

Dean Chance (1967)

Earl Battey (17.52) - 69

John Roseboro (0.81) - 9

Hall of Famers:

Harmon Killebrew

First Basemen:

Rod Carew

Don Mincher (8.26) - 19

Tony Oliva

Rich Reese (3.37) - 13

Jim Kaat

Vic Power (1.7) - 11

Walt Bond (0.11) - 0

Rookie of the Year:

Tony Oliva (1964)

Second Basemen:

Rod Carew (1967)

Rod Carew (10.13) - 23

Jerry Kindall (-1.4) - 2

MVP:

Ted Lepcio (0.03) - 0

Zoilo Versalles (1965)

Harmon Killebrew (1969)

ShortStop:

Zoilo Versalles (15.15) - 60

Cy Young:

Leo Cardenas (5.08) - 11

None

Third Base:

Notable Events:

Harmon Killebrew (45.83) - 90

Rich Rollins (11.86) - 26

1960 - The last season in Washington for the franchise. The club finishes below

Graig Nettles (1.07) - 0

.500, as usual, but they are beginning to show some signs of life as they finsh fifth.

In a real tragedy for Washington baseball fans, just as the team has begun to

Outfield:

be aggressive in the young talent market, the team leaves town. Of course, this was

Bob Allison (32.73) - 83

calculated by Calvin Griffith who would not have endeavored to build a top club if

Tony Oliva (31.87) - 73

he wasn't planning on moving the franchise. Catch-22.

Jimmie Hall (14.75) - 43

Cesar Tovar (15.09) - 38

1961 - The franchise moves to Minnesota after sixty years in Washington

Lenny Green (7) - 32

There are ironies all over the place here. Clark Griffith spent the last

Ted Uhlaendar (3.19) - 22

twenty years of his life building up Griffith Stadium for his family, eschewing

Jim Lemon (1.88) - 11

success on the field to do so. As a result, the team stunk, attendance

Bill Tuttle (-0.89) - 3

was low and because it was low, son Calvin had the perfect excuse to

Carroll Hardy (0.23) - 0

move the franchise - and he did. Calvin, a snooty sort, never cared for

Cotton Nash (0.11) - 0

Washington because there were too many blacks for his taste. Minnesota

George Thomas (0) - 0

was a white enough destination for him. Griffith couched his racism in economic

Wally Post (-0.03) - 0

terms stating that blacks didn't attend baseball games and that he needed to move

Pete Whisenant (-0.1) - 0

the club to a venue where there were hard working whites that could afford to

go to watch baseball. Calvin never wanted to stay in Washington,

Notable Events:

something that Clark seemed to be totally oblivious of.

1962 - The franchise posts its first winning season in ten years

1961 - The team moves to Minnesota. However, in order for that to happen, major

league baseball needs to have a team in Washington to appease Congress.

1963 - Rookie Center Fielder Jimmie Hall, 25, slugs 33 homers

Congress needed to be appeased because they supported the Reserve Clause

which was the mechanism by which baseball club owners were able to restrict

1963 - Jim Perry, 27, is acquired from the Indians for Jack Kralick

player salaries. Major league baseball was looking to expand, anyway, to hurt the

possibility of a third major league, The Continental League, from being formed.

1964 - Mudcat Grant, 28, is acquired from the Indians for Lee Stange

Originally, expansion was planned to be executed in both leagues in 1962, but

because the move to Minnesota was going to leave the major leagues without a

1964 - Cuban outfielder Tony Oliva, 25, is Rookie of the Year

team in Washington, the American League hastily expanded a year earlier.

He slugs 32 homers and bats .323

Unfortunately for Washington baseball fans, just as the team was about to be

successful, the club was moved and another stinker took it's place in Washington.

1965 - Cesar Tovar, a talented twenty four year old Venezuelan

utility man, is a rookie.

1961 - The timing of all of this was crucial and, altho' Calvin Griffith was a

poove, he wasn't a dummy. A lot of Clark's baseball savvy had rubbed off.

1965 - The Twins win the franchise's first AL pennant since 1933.

Calvin needed the team to be bad in Washington to keep attendance low

They lose to the Dodgers in a seven game World Series.

so that he had an excuse to move, but he also felt he needed to build a

Minnesota is led by Mudcat Grant's 21 wins,

winning team once they moved to Minnesota to ensure the move's success.

Tony Oliva's batting title, and MVP Zoilo Versalles.

Calvin did a masterful job, the Twins were about to become a juggenaut.

1966 - Jim Kaat wins 25 games

1961 - Altho' the Senators have stunk up the place forever, the 1961

Twins roster shows that there is definitely hope for improvement:

1967 - Panamanian Rod Carew, 21, is Rookie of the Year. Carew will

□ Lefthander Jim Kaat, 22

end up winning seven batting titles with the Twins.

□ Righthander Camilo Pascual - 26

□ Righthander Pedro Ramos - 26

1967 - Minnesota loses the pennant in the final game of the season,

□ Lefthander Jack Kralick - 26

played in Boston, to the champion Red Sox

□ Catcher Earl Battey - 26

□ First Baseman Don Mincher - 23

1969 - The league is split into two divisions as the Seattle Pilots and

□ Shortstop Zoilo Versalles - 21

Kansas City Royals make the league two six team divisions. The

□ Third Baseman Harmon Killebrew - 25

Twins are placed in the West Division and win the title. However,

□ Outfielder Bob Alllison - 26

they get beat by Baltimore in the first ever ALCS.

□ Reliever Ted Abernathy - 28

□ Reliever Hal Woodeshick - 28

1969 - Miinnesota is led by MVP Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew's .332

average, and twenty game winners Jim Perry and Dave Boswell

1962 - Minnesota picks up lefthander Dick Stigman from Cleveland in

exchange for Pedro Ramos. This marks the first of several deals

1969 - The Twins acquire Luis Tiant and Stan Williams from

that the Twins made with Cleveland for starting pitching during the

Cleveland for a young Graig Nettles and three others.

decade - helping greatly in Minnesota's success. They would later

acqure Jim Perry, Mudcat Grant and Luis Tiant from the Indians

Altho' Cleveland GM Gabe Paul was a good one, Calvin would snooker

him time and again during the decade for ace pitchers.