This volume celebrates the 1965 Minnesota Twins, who captured the American League pennant in just their fifth season in the Twin Cities. Led by an All-Star cast, from Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Zoilo Versalles, and Mudcat Grant to Bob Allison, Jim... Read more

This volume celebrates the 1965 Minnesota Twins, who captured the American League pennant in just their fifth season in the Twin Cities. Led by an All-Star cast, from Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Zoilo Versalles, and Mudcat Grant to Bob Allison, Jim Kaat, Earl Battey, and Jim Perry, the Twins won 102 games, but bowed to the Los Angeles Dodgers and a herculean performance by Sandy Koufax in Game Seven of the World Series.Included are the life and baseball stories of all 35 roster players, the coaches, and manager of the 1965 Twins, plus team owner Calvin Griffith; broadcasters Herb Carneal, Halsey Hall, and Ray Scott; and sportswriters Dick Gordon and Max Nichols. A comprehensive summary of the regular season, as well as meticulous essays highlighting important games and the All-Star Game played in Minnesota, an overview of the 1965 Dodgers, and thorough summaries the World Series games are included. Chapters about how the Griffith family built its pennant winner, the fate of the Twins after 1965, Metropolitan Stadium, and the 1965 season by the numbers round out the book.Members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) researched and wrote all of the biographies and essays in this book. Contents:Calvin Griffith by Kevin HennessyThe Last of the Family Owners: The Griffiths Build Their Lone Minnesota Pennant Winner by Daniel R. Levitt and Mark L. ArmourMetropolitan Stadium by Stew ThornleySpring Training by Stew ThornleyThe 1965 Minnesota Twins Regular Season Summary by Ben KleinBernie Allen by Chip GreeneBob Allison by Gregory H. WolfEarl Battey by Jack HerrmanDave Boswell by Gregory H. WolfApril 12, 1965: Twins Win in Extra Innings on Opening Day by Steve WestPete Cimino by Jeff EnglishJerry Fosnow by Greg ErionMudcat Grant by Joseph WanchoMay 12, 1965: Killebrew Belts Two Homers, Including Game-Winner In Eighth Inning by Gregory H. WolfJimmie Hall by Norm KingJim Kaat by Patrick LethertHarmon Killebrew by Joseph WanchoMay 26, 1965: Jim Perry Makes Most of His Opportunity by Joel RippelJerry Kindall by Tom TomashekJohnny Klippstein by Gregory H. WolfAndy Kosco by Norm KingJuly 11, 1965: The Killer Clouts Walk-Off Two-Run Round-Tripper by Gregory H. WolfFrank Kostro by J.G. PrestonJim Merritt by Gregory H. WolfDon Mincher by Marc Z. AaronMel Nelson by Doug SkipperMinnesota and 1965 All-Star Game: The Senior Circuit Takes Charge by Greg ErionJoe Nossek by Rick SchabowskiTony Oliva by Peter C. BjarkmanCamilo Pascual by Peter C. BjarkmanJim Perry by Joseph WanchoBill Pleis by Joel RippelSeptember 8 and 9, 1965: The Chicago Showdown: The Twins Take Two at Comiskey Park by Steve SchmittFrank Quilici by Norm KingRich Reese by Chip GreeneGarry Roggenburk by Mark ArmourRich Rollins by Rick SchabowskiJohn Sevcik by John SwolSeptember 25, 1965: Clinching a Tie is to Beer What Winning the Championship is to Champagne by Alan CohenDwight Siebler by Gregory H. WolfDick Stigman by Tom TomashekCesar Tovar by Rory CostelloTed Uhlaender by Joseph WanchoSandy Valdespino by Alan CohenZoilo Versalles by Peter C. BjarkmanSeptember 26, 1965: A Pennant for the Twins by Alan CohenAl Worthington by Bill NowlinJerry Zimmerman by Norm KingSam Mele by Bill NowlinJim Lemon by Gregory H. WolfBilly Martin by Jimmy Keenan and Frank RussoHal Naragon by Tracy J.R. CollinsJohnny Sain by Jan FinkelHerb Carneal by Stew ThornleyHalsey Hall by Stew ThornleyRay Scott by Stew ThornleyDick Gordon by Steve WestMax Nichols by Steve WestThe 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers by Greg ErionThe 1965 World Series Summary by Norm KingBy the Numbers: Major League Baseball in 1965 by Dan FieldsA Surprising Disappointment: Twins of the Late 1960s by Daniel R. Levitt Less