Farewell, Sam Mele

From 1966 Minnesota Twins Yearbook

Sam Mele, the second man to ever manage the Twins, died this week. He passed away at his home on Monday, May 1, in Quincy, MA., at the age of 95. He was a solid hitter and outfielder as a player, before coaching stints with the Senators and Twins previous to his becoming their manager.

He was there to lead the very first era of team glory, and was the first Minnesota Twins manager to guide his team to the post-season. The Twins were the first to break the Yankee chain of domination, euphorically winning the 1965 American League Championship, before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh game of the World Series.

Managerial Stats Table

Rk	Year	Age	Tm	Lg		W	L	W-L%	Ties	G	Finish	W-L%post
1	1961	39	Minnesota Twins	AL	2nd of 4	2	5	.286	0	7	7
2	1961	39	Minnesota Twins	AL	4th of 4	45	49	.479	1	95	7
3	1962	40	Minnesota Twins	AL		91	71	.562	1	163	2
4	1963	41	Minnesota Twins	AL		91	70	.565	0	161	3
5	1964	42	Minnesota Twins	AL		79	83	.488	1	163	6
6	1965	43	Minnesota Twins	AL		102	60	.630	0	162	1	.429	AL Pennant
7	1966	44	Minnesota Twins	AL		89	73	.549	0	162	2
8	1967	45	Minnesota Twins	AL	1st of 2	25	25	.500	0	50	2
					7 years	524	436	.546	3	963	3.8	.429	1 Pennant

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/6/2017.

He would seem to have been the ideal man to guide a young team, not only because he was relatively young (39) when he took over the managerial reins from Cookie Lavegetto in June, 1961, but also because he was patient and yet authoritative - a man who would stand by young players like Zoilo Versalles and still not put up with distractions.  No example better illustrates this than his handling of "Zee," who was far from a finished product when Mele took over in '61. Zoilo had a tendency towards inconsistency and volatility in his emotions. At one point, he and the manager had a tense confrontation in the dugout before a game, which escalated to the point that Mele him fined several hundred dollars (read up on that at the newspaper clip link following this paragraph). But once the air cleared, Mele put the outburst behind, and reinstated Versalles as the starting shortstop. Zoilo went on to become the American League MVP in 1965. It follows that Mele would deserve some credit for that success.

He is also known for a passionate, fiery, on-field demeanor, and goes down in Twins lore for an incident on July 18,1965 (Box), when he charged umpire Bill Valentine at Metropolitan Stadium, during a game versus the California Angels. You can view details of this at the Austin (MN) Daily Herald, July 19, 1965, and here at The Lake Charles (LA) American, July 19, 1965.

1966 Minnesota Twins Yearbook - click for larger view

"Let me help you adjust your tie"

More to his basic nature, however, he was apparently a strong, loyal family man, devoted to his wife and children, and well regarded in baseball circles. I find it significant that his first team, the Boston Red Sox, brought him back as a scout almost immediately in 1967 after Twins Owner Calvin Griffith fired him (see Monroe (LA) Morning News of June 10, 1967). He spent the next 25 years with Boston as a scout, before retiring in 1992.

1964 Minnesota Twins Yearbook - Click on photo for larger view

The Twins sent out a press release on Monday, stating:

“The Minnesota Twins are deeply saddened by the loss of Sam Mele,” the team said in a statement. “The former skipper was an important figure in Twins baseball history. The beloved Mele, not only led the 1965 Twins to the American League pennant, but also helped establish the importance of Major League Baseball across the Upper Midwest.”

“So long, everybody!” -  Herb Carneal

Sam Mele

Sam Mele managed the Minnesota Twins to the American League pennant in 1965, but just a year and a half later was fired by the team. Subsequently, his former team rallied to finish the 1967 season tied with the Tigers, just one game out of first place in the American League.

Vin Scully Narrates 1965 World Series Documentary

Enjoy this gorgeous, color recap of the exciting '65 World Series, as told by the incomparable Vin Scully, who signed off a short time ago this afternoon after the Dodgers final regular season game of 2016. This is the latest in the continuing 1965 World Series posts. It is a collection of summaries for each of the games 1-7 from that post season between the Dodgers and Twins.

I became a Dodger fan largely because of him. And I must say, it was my pleasure to see this classy chap one last time on the MLB app. This is Classic Twins's salute to the great one, arguably the best announcer in Major League Baseball history.

His is a career that has spanned post-War 1950s-era Brooklyn to the 21st Century Los Angeles of the digital age, endearing him to millions as he wove his way across the generations and the decades. Scully could adorn a baseball broadcast like no other, adding player anecdotes and figurative language in a genial, American vernacular that was accessible to people in all walks of life. He did so with an economy of words that always had the deft subtlety of one who never forgot the game is the thing. He was the added chrome and vivid detailing on the classic, Mustang Convertible.

As the description from the You Tube sponsor puts it:

"Sandy, Don, and Claude take on Jimmy, Mudcat and The Little Potato!"

Video via the Sports History Channel

"So long, everybody!" - Herb Carneal

Bonus: Vin Scully interview with NPR, with soundbites from some of his most famous calls!

Twins Killers: Nolan Ryan No-Hits The Twins-Sept. 28, 1974

In December, 1971, promising but erratic flamethrowing righthander Nolan Ryan was traded from the New York Mets to the California Angels for former all-star shortstop, "Mr. Angel" Jim Fregosi. It has become celebrated as being among the most one-sided trades in baseball history, as the Ryan Express would roar out of station in that '72 season, while Fregosi was careening down the backtracks of of his career. Ryan's career in California may have started slowly, with ragged results, as evidenced in this Misc. Baseball post, but it gathered steam very shortly.

Ryan entered station in a Los Angeles/Anaheim Hollywood culture of the Nicholsons, Polanskis, hedonism, the burgeoning rock music and porn movie industries, along with the other local sin and depravity - the light-hitting Angels roster of the early 1970s, to be specific.

The Angels from 1972 through 1976 fielded some of the most pathetic offenses of the modern era, ranking last in runs scored for five seasons running. They under-performed the AL team scoring average by massive deficits in each season, amassing a cumulative .466 winning percentage in that time.


Coming into this game, they were second to last in the league in scoring (3.82* runs/gm) - a situation they would rectify shortly in the remaining games that year - and their best offensive player had been 38 year-old, future Hall Of Famer Frank Robinson (with a .251/.371/.461 slash line, 20 homers, 63 RBI) - and he wasn't even on the roster, having been traded to Cleveland two weeks previously.

*Boston led AL, finishing with 4.3 runs/gm - scored 696 in 1974 to Angel's 618 (3.79 runs/Gm)

But with Ryan added to the rotation, they had a thoroughbread that would turn them into a .687 team during games he started (147) in that 5 year span. For the record, Ryan had already pitched some milestone games versus Minnesota already. There was his very first American League start on April 18, 1972, a 2-0, complete game 4-hitter; also, he had beaten Koufax's old season strikeout mark in his last start of 1973, tossing an 11-inning, 16 K performance to finish with 383. But none was moRyyre dominating than this "air it out" (his words) no-hitter...

Ryan could definitely misfire back in those days,

before retooling his delivery in the late 70s.

This from his Aug. 7, 1974 near-no-hitter vs. Chicago

First, Some career numbers from the chief pitching Twins Killer of All-Time!

The all-time pitching Twins Killers appears in chart form later in this post. My claim is that Nolan Ryan would've EASILY bested Mark Buehrle in career wins versus Minnesota had he not missed 9 seasons while pitching in the National League (1980-88).

	N. Ryan Vs The	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	SO9	SO/W
	Minnesota Twins	20	11	.645	2.77	38	37	21	4	296.0	205	102	91	14	177	336	1.291	10.2	1.90

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 7/10/2016.

	Twins versus...	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	SB	CS	BB	SO	SO/W	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BAbip
	Nolan Ryan	38	1236	1038	102	205	35	5	14	39	19	177	336	1.90	.197	.318	.281	.600	.277

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/10/2016.

As it is, I would find it hard to fathom anyone forwarding someone else as a more daunting pitcher for the Twins [substitute any other opposing team of choice] to face in their history.

THE GAME

THE "A" stands for ANNIHILATE
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE!

Ryan rode roughshod on the Twins in this colossal effort before 10,872 fans at Anaheim Stadium, AKA,, "The Big A," on Saturday night, September 28, 1974 (BBRefbox). His third no-hitter came against the Minnesota Twins, and was his third in as many years. As in his third of his career SEVEN. Say that out loud to yourself, and you realize that he had to have been, arguably, the most dominating pitcher in history in multiple respects. It was an 8 walk, 15 strikeout, 158 PITCH!!,* 94 game score game for the the-27 year old phenomenon. All those pitches in a tidy 2:22...I can only imagine how the loudest fans in the 10,000 + in attendance could have made themselves heard all over the ballpark, informing the Angels how badly they sucked, or how unflattering Harmon was in doubleknit uniform. Besides the option of sitting nearly anywhere they wanted in the mostly-empty Big A ball park of the 1970s.

* Los Angeles Herald Examiner factoid

So, imagine Bobby Darwin's chagrin, facing
this guy in the twilight shadows.
Thinking even HE didn't even know
where his pitches were headed

He struck out the side in the first AND second innings. Larry Hisle, Bobby Darwin (twice looking), and Pat Bourque each struck out three times that night, and eventual Hall Of Famer Rod Carew did that twice. Steve Brye was the only Twins hitter to get into scoring position, two times via walks that night. Harmon Killebrew, appeared briefly against Ryan as a pinch hitter for Bourque in the 9th. It should be stated that this was NOT a classically well-played game. The Twins in the field did not distinguish themselves messing up key plays, i.e., Steve Braun's interference with the baserunner in the 3rd, botching a rundown, and Luis Gomez's mishandled relay throw from rightfielder Darwin in the 4th; those plays allowed 3 of the 4 Angels runs to score. Meanwhile, the Angels were baserunning butchers, running themselves out of innings in each of the aforementioned frames. But it was all rendered meaningless by the man on the mound.

"NOW BOARDING THE RYAN EXPRESS!"

Three strikeouts apiece for Bourque, Darwin, and Hisle that night, and two for Carew.
If "The Ryan Express"awarded frequent punch out points for its riders,
 these guys would have hit the jackpot. "All aboard!"

There really was NOTHING close to a hit, unless we count Glenn Borgmann's 7th inning flyout to left, caught on the run by leftfielder John Balaz. Ryan blew through the 8th and 9th innings, was stalled  momentarily by pinch hitter Harmon Killebrew's walk, but placed an exclamation mark on this classic game with a game-ending strike out of Eric Soderholm. Out of the 158 pitches Ryan threw, his walks and strikeouts alone were good for 77 pitches, at minimum. "Airing it out," indeed.

IN SUMMARY
The Angels came into this game at 64-94, last in the American League's Western Division, a .405 winning percentage, averaging 3.82 runs per game (5th worst in the Majors). They had very few bright spots on the roster they could parlay into trade cache, but there was no way they would part with a gem like Nolan Ryan

For 1974 Ryan had a 5.9 WAR, K'd 367, pitched 332.2 innings, had 26 complete games, faced 1,392 batters, finished third in the AL Cy Young balloting (LOL!!) and...walked 202 batters. For that one stat alone, my closest friend and I agreed he would blow his arm out, amassing all those strikeouts and free passes. Such young, baseball sages were we. Who would have guessed the eventual 300 game winner would win another 233 games over the next 19 years, before he retired after the '93 season? Not me, I'll tell you that...

September 28, 1974: Nolan Ryan tosses third career no-hitter

"I knew this would probably be my last start of the season," remarked California Angels speedballer Nolan Ryan. "I said to [catcher] Tom Egan, 'I think I'll let it all hang out. What do I have to lose?'" 1 The Ryan Express overpowered the Minnesota Twins, striking out 15, and also overcame eight walks to conclude the season with a no-hitter, the third in his last 72 starts.

Dave Chalk and Tom Egan congratulate

The entire Angels bench and map of California engulf Ryan

The [Helena] Independant Record and the Independant Press Telegram apply some on-the-spot coverage from that game, and specifics can be found at Baseball Reference. Here is the PDF document for the embedded (see below) Sporting News story, October 12, 1974 (enlarging controls (+), bottom of screen).



YES, BUEHRLE WAS GOOD - BUT JUST LOOK AT THE RYAN NUMBERS!!

MOST STARTER WINS VERSUS THE MINNESOTA TWINS, ALL-TIME
(Sorted by total decisions, lifetime, not incl. no-decisions (of course)).

Rk	Player	Gms		W	L	W-L%	ERA	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	WPA
1	Mark Buehrle	49	Ind. Games	30	19	.612	3.75	49	6	1	334.0	354	158	139	33	65	188	1.25	2.7
2	Frank Tanana	39	Ind. Games	19	20	.487	4.26	39	13	3	262.0	276	131	124	26	76	148	1.34	0.6
3	Chuck Finley	39	Ind. Games	22	17	.564	3.49	38	6	2	265.2	261	125	103	17	86	195	1.31	1.6
4	Catfish Hunter	37	Ind. Games	19	18	.514	4.31	36	16	1	259.0	233	132	124	43	60	160	1.13	-1.6
5	Roger Clemens	37	Ind. Games	24	13	.649	2.86	37	6	2	261.1	210	92	83	11	80	227	1.11	5.2
6	Luis Tiant	36	Ind. Games	19	17	.528	3.87	35	15	3	246.1	230	111	106	21	78	203	1.25	2.2
7	Jack Morris	35	Ind. Games	23	12	.657	3.31	34	15	3	255.2	209	100	94	22	66	156	1.08	3.1
8	Mel Stottlemyre	34	Ind. Games	22	12	.647	3.18	34	18	2	257.2	254	102	91	22	57	103	1.21	2.7
9	Paul Splittorff	34	Ind. Games	18	16	.529	3.98	34	9	1	212.2	236	104	94	13	62	103	1.40	0.5
10	Jim Palmer	33	Ind. Games	21	12	.636	2.54	30	14	4	233.2	187	77	66	17	75	133	1.12	2.9
11	Joe Horlen	32	Ind. Games	12	20	.375	4.65	27	8	3	172.1	189	93	89	18	41	71	1.33	-2.0
12	Nolan Ryan	31	Ind. Games	20	11	.645	2.71	31	21	4	246.0	165	83	74	12	146	280	1.26	3.8
13	Wilbur Wood	30	Ind. Games	19	11	.633	3.28	22	8	1	178.1	181	77	65	14	44	85	1.26	0.9
14	Mike Flanagan	30	Ind. Games	17	13	.567	3.67	28	9	0	201.0	188	94	82	17	71	106	1.29	1.8
15	Mike Mussina	28	Ind. Games	22	6	.786	2.81	28	6	4	205.1	182	71	64	15	44	161	1.10	4.1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used

Generated 7/25/2016.

Here's a look at the young, untamed Ryan from August 8, 1974. He was on 

the verge of no-hitting the White Sox , with Sox announcer Harry Caray uttering 

the phrase "holy cow!" 700 times. Jim Kaat would get a 

decision in this game as a White Sox pitcher. Note the wild quality of this pitching 

sequence, from the 9th inning, AND note the huge A$$ uniform numbers
on the backs of the White Sox! Imagine - Ryan again having TWO NO HITTERS
IN ONE SEASON, as he did in 1973!!

An afterthought: I was recalling Rod Carew summarizing his matchups against Ryan; in his autobiography, he said that he had more trouble with The Express earlier in his career, but when he adopted a lower crouch stance, it forced Ryan to bring the ball down, forcing his famous fastball to flatten out somewhat. Whatever the case, that memory led to that of the Carew-Tony Gwynn debate, regarding which player was the better hitter. Not that this is conclusive in and of itself, but here are their career totals batting against Nolan Ryan:

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Tony Gynn	67	63	19	0	1	0	6	3	9	.302	.328	.333	.662

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used

Generated 8/5/2016.

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Rod Carew	109	93	28	3	2	2	11	15	29	.301	.398	.441	.839

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used

Generated 8/5/2016.

Make of this what you want. I would tend to conclude that the Ryan Tony Gwynn saw was a better, more refined pitcher (see this wonky anaylis of Ryan's mechanics) by the time he came into the National League in 1984, one more able to set up a batter with his arsenal. Carew was long gone by the time Ryan returned to the AL in 1989, but I'd venture to say the matchup, had Carew been still active, would have been even more interesting given the added savvy and gamesmanship each had acquired over time.

As it was, it's only a fascinating sidebar to a long, and storied career. Add Nolan Ryan to Sandy Koufax as a prime, pitching Twins Killer!

"So long, Everybody!" - Herb Carneal