Round 1–‘64 Dodgers strong arm ‘72 Twins in 3 game sweep

1964 Los Angeles Dodgers sweep 1972 Minnesota Twins behind strong arms

The series came down to pitching and timely hitting.  Until a huge 7^th inning in Game 3, neither team had more than a 2 run lead in this tightly contested series.  But ultimately the Dodgers starting pitching  and  the wheels of series MVP Maury Wills (.455 AVG, 3 SB, 3 RUNS), proved too much for the underdog Twins.

GAME 1 – 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers win 3-1

Sandy Koufax did in Game 1 what Sandy Koufax was supposed to do.  He DOMINATED the Twins hitters.   Koufax had a no-hitter until a single by Danny Thompson in the top of the 6^th inning.  The Twins could muster little else against the LA ace (8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 11 K) before Ron Perranoski closed the win out with a scoreless 9^th.  The top of the Dodger lineup (Wills along with Tommy and Willie Davis) went a combined 5 for 10 while scoring all 3 of the Dodger runs.

 

 

GAME 2 – 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers win 2-1

Not too be outdone by counterpart Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale (8 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 5 K) kept the Twin bats quiet again in Game 2.  This time it was Ron Fairly providing the offense with 3 hits that drove in both Dodger runs.  The Twins did briefly hold a 1-0 lead in this game by getting on the board first after a 2^nd inning HR by catcher Glenn Borgmann.  The lead did not last long though as the Dodgers tied it in the 3^rd and went ahead for good in the 5^th.   Perranoski again closed it out for the Dodgers despite walking 2 in the 9^th and throwing more balls than strikes in his inning of work.

GAME 3 – 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers win 8-0

A scoreless game into the 7^th became a blowout when the Dodgers showed some killer instinct and stomped on the Minnesota Twins with a 7 run 7^th inning highlighted by a 3 run homer by Tommy Davis.  Starters Dick Woodson (MIN) and John Purdin (LAD) had matched scoreless innings up to that point.  But it was only Purdin (6 IP, 4 H, 0 R) that was able to stay clean for the game.  The Dodgers pen kept the shutout in tact over the final 3 innings despite giving up 5 hits to a Twins offense that just couldn’t come up with a timely hit all series.  Click here to see series box scores.

--submitted by Peter Daly--