Nowhere Near As Dramatic or Important, However, “Minne” at Boston, With Detroit Contending, Evokes The Great 1967 A.L. Pennant Race

There is so much less drama and importance in the current Minnesota (Twins) at Boston ed Sox) (one good thing is that it is still Fenway Park as the venue, these 57 and for that matter 112 years later, though the latter number coincides with the awful event involving a ship called “The Titanic”), penultimate weekend series, but with some degree of qualification for the 12 team baseball tournament at stake, memories are evoked from the incredibly dramatic Minnesota at Boston last weekend (just 2 games Saturday and Sunday, each “beamed” nationally by NBC with Curt Gowdy), as the “1 of 2” to the World Series, great ’67 A.L. Pennant race played out.

More details: 9 days and 8 games remain for the now 4 teams truly involved in a race for the 5 and 6 seeds in the A.L. playoffs. Currently the Twins, after an extra inning win (how can this ever be truly good if you put a runner on second to start each extra frame?!!), are in the 6 seed position (not to be confused with anything in the kamasutra, but alas reduced to thoughts only, I digress), trailing current “5” Kansas City (5’s again as K.C. has lost 5 straight games), by one game, but have the two team tiebreaker.

Now, truly evoke ’67 as now, as then, while Minne is at Boston (very likely Boston, 2 under .500 and trailing 4 teams and 5 down in the loss column is out of contention, obviously an exponential difference from 1967), the Detroit Tigers are in contention, currently one and a fraction games behind the Twins (Minne has the two team tiebreaker, which would be decisive in any season ending ties in the standings, as there are no playoff games to decide even playoffs qualification, the reason being with 12 teams in, “THEY” want it (the tournament), started immediately i.e. October 1,2 and 3 with 4 (12 to 8 round) tilts the first two days and zero to four as possible quantities for (“4”) decisive 3rd games on Thursday October 3rd, the 73rd anniversary date of the most dramatic pennant story of all).

Back to glorious ’67, Minnesota came to Boston for games on Saturday September 30 and Sunday October 1, leading Boston by 1 game, making it the opposite of 1949, when the Red Sox at the Yankees, needed 1 of 2 to win the pennant.

However, unlike ’49, another team Detroit (again involved this year, hence this post so you can “thank/blame” that/them), was very much involved, as they were even in the loss column with the Twins and hence one ahead of Boston, in “the as Beano Cook often reminded, but did not invent,” “the all important loss column.”

Yet, the loss column was not quite the whole story as “Det” had the disadvantage of having to play doubleheaders both Saturday and Sunday, vs the California Angels, who played the spoiler role very well, winning each nightcap game, the Sunday tilt following Boston’s second straight win vs Minne, clinching the pennant for the 100 to 1/”Impossible Dream” Red Sox.

Carl Yastrzemski was brilliant, all-time type brilliant, down the stretch for Boston, as they won the pennant in ’67. Click above to see his 44th home run, I believe off Jim Merritt, called by the great broadcaster, Ken Coleman, on the ’67 season’s penultimate day.

Two current “race” notes, Seattle, currently 2 behind Minne for qualification but sans the 2 team tie tiebreaker,is still in contention and more interesting, Carl Yastrzemski’s grandson Mike, playing for the N.L. and out of contention, S.F. Giants, singled and scored the run that put S.F. ahead to stay vs K.C. in a (2-1) win last night.