Death of An Angry Man: Tuesday-Thursday, September 26-28, 1967

Scores, September 26th

WAS 4, BAL 3 (10inns) W-Baldwin 10-3 L-Drabowsky 4-10 HR-Howard(35) Peterson(10)

BOS 8, CLE 4 W-Santiago 7-4 L-Tiant 14-19 HR-Sims(8) Thomas(1)ph

MIN 7, CAL 3 W-Kaat 13-14 L-Wright 7-11 HR-Mincher(25) Allison(19)

NY 10, DET 9 W-Talbot 6-8 L-Dobson 1-3 S-Womack(24) HR-Freehan(18) Smith(5) Hegan(1)

Scores, September 27th

CLE 4, BOS 3 W-Hargan 11-12 L-Stange 20-6 S-Pena(5) HR-Davalillo(2) Wagner(12) Yaz(46)

KC 2, CHI 1 W-Hunter 19-8 L-Horlen 13-16 Hunter 2-hitter.

CHI 10, KC 4 W-McMahon 11-4 L-Nash 7-17 S-Wilhelm(6) HR-Ward(30) Hanson(11) Hanson 4 rbi.

CAL 9, MIN 8 W-Kelso 3-5 L-Grant 1-2 S-Rojas(33) HR-Mincher(26) Killebrew(40)

Scores September 28th

No games.

The hate-filled Mr. Mincher

Don Mincher of the Angels had an attitude against his old team, and punished the Twins all series long. "I hate them," he said as he hit ball after ball off of and over the fence. But such anger isn't healthy, and Don died while unsuccessfully chasing a pop foul (but after hitting another home run for 3 more rbi.) His season is over, but he turned in gaudy numbers with 26 HR, 36 doubles, and 109 rbi, to go with a .267 batting average. 

Wednesday was a bad day for 20-game winners, with Lee Stange losing on a 2-run shot by puny Vic Davalillo, and Dean Chance giving up 7 runs in just 2 innings of work. Yikes.

Tom Phoebus jumped out of his hospital bed on Tuesday and twirled 8 innings of 5-hit ball. He had a comfy 3-1 lead against the popgun Senators and was fit to be tied when his manager decided to give the gift-wrapped save to Moe Drabowsky who promptly blew the lead and the game. Oops.

The badly hungover Tigers sent kid pitcher Pat Dobson out there to get it over with against the Yankees on Tuesday. He immediately gave up half a dozen runs in the bottom of the first, but then settled down some. Still, the Tigers trailed by a bunch when Steve Hamilton came on for New York and gave up 5 runs while retiring only one batter! The one out came when the Tigers, not taking this post-clinching game very seriously, sent up Denny McLain as a joke pinch-hitter to lead off. He grounded out, but who knew the Tigers would bat around and I would have to send good-hitting pitcher Earl Wilson up there to hit for him with the bases loaded, 2 out, and the score 10-7? Earl delivered a two-run single to make it 10-9, but Dooley "Drooly" Womack was able to get the final out and preserve the Yankee win. It seems like the Tigers can hardly lose even when they're fooling around. 

George Thomas of Boston and Mike Hegan of the Yanks say it's better to wait until the middle of the final week to start hitting 'em out!

Kansas City's Municipal Stadium in happier days.

Finally, only five thousand hardy souls showed up for the KC A's last home date ever. Jim Hunter rewarded the faithful with a masterful 2-1 win in the opener, but Jim Nash got lit up in the nightcap and failed to survive the first inning. Too bad, but the A's got hammered in their final home game before finishing the season at New York and then absconding to Oakland in '68. 

3 days and 15 games to go, including back-to-back doubleheaders for the Angels and Tigers on the weekend, and also a two-game set at Fenway between the Twins and Red Sox to decide second place.