Seasons
SEASON: 22 | YEAR: 1970
HEAD COACH: SID HARTMAN
Game 181 | January 19, 1970 | Harmon Killebrew, Bob Stein, Stan Williams
Seeking to improve their pitching, the Twins after the 1969 season packaged Dean Chance, Bob Miller, Graig Nettles and Ted Uhlaender in a trade with Cleveland for Williams and Luis Tiant. Williams rewarded them with a 10-1 record as a relief pitcher: Killebrew was coming off an MVP season in which he hit 49 home runs with 140 RBIs while batting .276. Stein, another future Dunker; was an All-American defensive end for the Gophers in 1967 and 1968, and played six years in the NFL with Kansas City, Los Angeles, San Diego and Minnesota.
Game 182 | February 12, 1970 | Erik Hill, Ollie Shannon, Bill Fitch
Hill and Shannon were the starting guards for Fitch's 1969-70 Gopher basketball team. Hill, a good shot and defended; won second team and honorable mention on the All Big Ten teams. Shannon, a community college transfer with long-range shooting skills, still is tied for the Gophers single-game scoring record with 42 (set before the three-point shot). At the end of his Gopher career, his teammates jokingly said of Shannon, "Ollie believes a pass is something that gets you in without buying a ticket."
Game 183 | March 18, 1970 | Gordie Howe
Known as "Mr. Hockey," Howe's professional career spanned some five decades. He led the NHL in scoring six times and won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP six times. Strong and durable, Howe holds the NHL record of appearing in 1,767 games. He starred for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 years and appeared before Dunkers in his next to last season with that team.
(LtoR) Bob McNulty, Gordie Howe, Paul Foss
Game 184 | April 21, 1970 | Paul Ratliff, Luis Tiant, Brant Alyea
Tiant had won 21 games for Cleveland in 1968 and was expected to be a major contributor to the Twins in 1970. Injuries limited him to just 18 games, and he finished with a 7-3 record before moving on to Boston in 1971. Ratliff, a "Bonus Baby" with the Twins in 1963, returned as a catcher in 1970 and appeared in 69 games, batting .268 with five home runs. Alyea, a journeyman outfielder, came to the Twins after the 1969 season in a trade for pitcher Joe Grzenda and future St. Paul sports columnist Charley Walters.
Game 185 | May 13, 1970 | Earl Weaver
The Earl of Baltimore, Weaver managed the Orioles from 1968-1982 winning six Eastern Division titles, four American League pennants and a World Series championship in 1970. That 1970 team defeated the Western Division Champion Twins en route to the World Series. He was famous for his animated arguments with umpires. In one, he walked back to the dugout screaming, "I’m going to check my rule book on that one." To which the umpire replied, 'Be my guest. Use mine." "That's no good," Weaver yelled, "I can't read Braille."
Game 186 | June 17, 1970 | Lee Trevino, P. J. Boatwright
The U.S. Open came to Hazeltine in 1970, and Trevino was one of the favorites. Boatwright, one of the world's foremost authorities on the rules of golf, was in his first year as executive director of the United States Golf Association. Trevino had won the Open in 1968 and would win again in 1971. He led golf's money-winning list in 1970, but could not compete at Hazeltine, with Tony Jacklin winning by seven strokes over Dave Hill. This was the first major championship played at the relatively new golf course in Chaska.
(LtoR) Back row: Tot Heffelfinger (physician), Bob McNulty; Front row: Philip H. Strubling, Lee Trevino, P. J. Boatwright, Jr.
Game 187 | August 10, 1970 | Bert Blyleven, Danny Thompson
Born in the Netherlands, Blyleven made his major league debut in June 1970 after only 21 minor league games. He pitched for the Twins from 1970-1976 and returned from 1985-1988 and played a major role in helping his team win the 1987 World Series. Thompson played shortstop with the Twins from 1970-1976 and was traded with Blyleven to the Texas Rangers for four players, including future Dunkers Head Coach Roy Smalley. Thompson, diagnosed with leukemia before the 1974 season, made his final start with Texas against Minnesota on September 29, 1970. He died at age 29 less than 10 weeks later.
Game 188 | October 23, 1970 | Alan Page, Ed Sharockman
Drafted in the first round out of Notre Dame, Page played 11 seasons at defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings and was a nine-time All-Pro Selection. He was named to the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team and is a member of both the College and Professional Football Halls of Fame. He studied to become a lawyer while playing for the Vikings and was named a Minnesota Supreme Court justice in 1992. Sharockman, nicknamed "Bozo" was an original member of the Vikings defensive secondary. He played 11 years with the Vikings and led the team in interceptions four different years.
Game 189 | November 27, 1970 | Jim Perry, Gaylord Perry
Along with Joe and Phil Niekro, the Perrys are the only other brother combination in baseball history to have each pitcher win more than 200 games. In 1970, Jim won the Cy Young Award with a 24-12 record with the Twins. Gaylord, a 1991 Hall of Fame inductee, went 23-13 for the San Francisco Giants that year and won 314 games over a career that lasted from 1962 to 1983.