BY MARK A. LARSON
Editor & Publisher
Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim.
Here a Jim. There a Jim. Everywhere a Jim.
At least that’s what it seemed like with the Twins’ 1967 pitching staff. More than half of the team’s hurlers that year were players named “Jim” – Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, Jim “Mudcat” Grant, Jim Merritt, Jim Ollom and Jim Roland.
It was a year that featured one of the most exciting pennant races ever. Unfortunately, it ended on a sour note for the Twins as they fell one game short on the last day of the season … finishing in a second-place tie with Detroit behind the Red Sox.
Each Jim appeared in more than 20 games for Minnesota that year. Here’s a brief look at the six 1967 Twins’ Jims:
• JIM KAAT – “Kitty” Kaat’s days with the Twins went back to 1959 before the team relocated to Minnesota from Washington. The southpaw was a 25-game winner in 1966 and would have won the American League Cy Young Award, but prior to 1967 it was only given to one pitcher from both leagues. (The Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax deservedly won the Award that year.) During 1967, Kaat went 16-13, with 211 strikeouts and a respectable 3.04 ERA. (His first Topps card was in the 1960 set.)
• JIM PERRY – Perry, older brother of Hall-of-Famer Gaylord Perry, came to Minnesota in a mid-1963 trade with Cleveland. In 1967, Perry was used mostly in relief, but did start 11 games for the Twins. He was 8-7, with a 3.03 ERA. Three years later in 1970, Perry won 24 games for the Twins en route to the A.L. Cy Young Award. (The 1959 Topps set included his first card.)
• JIM GRANT – “Mudcat” also came to Minnesota in a trade with the Indians – in 1964. The following year he won 21 games for the pennant-winning Twins. But by 1967 his fortunes were on a downward path. Grant split his time between being a starter and reliever, posting a 4.72 ERA and going 5-6. He also headlined the musical act “Mudcat and the Kittens” … even appearing on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. (His first Topps card was in the 1958 set.)
• JIM MERRITT – He made his major league debut in 1965 and appeared in the World Series for the Twins that year. Merritt had his best year for Minnesota in 1967. The lefty was used mostly as a starter and ended the season with a record of 13-7. He compiled a team-leading – and career-best – 2.53 ERA over 227.2 innings. (His first Topps card was the year before in 1966.)
• JIM OLLOM – The Twins had high hopes for Ollom. As a 20-year old, he won 20 games in 1966 for Minnesota’s top minor league affiliate, the AAA Denver Bears of the Pacific Coast League. He also made his major league debut in 1966 for the Twins, pitching in three games. In 1967, the righty took the mound in 21 games, with a 5.40 ERA and lost his only decision. He was never to appear in the majors again. (Ollom’s first Topps card was in the 1967 set. He appeared, along with Ron Clark, on a Rookie Stars card. His one and only solo card appearance was in the ’68 set after his major league career was over.)
• JIM ROLAND – Roland pitched off-and-on for the Twins since 1962, splitting time between the bigs and minors during that period. During the ’67 season, he appeared strictly in relief. In 25 games that year, he went 0-1 and had a 3.03 ERA. (Roland’s premiere card appearance was on a 1963 Topps Rookie Stars card that he shared with three others – most notably White Sox hurler Gary Peters.)
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(Other members of Minnesota’s 10-man pitching staff in 1967 were even better than the “Jims” and included: All-Star 20-game winner Dean Chance, 14-game winner Dave Boswell, plus relievers Al Worthington, who led the A.L. with 18 saves, and Ron Kline, who went 7-1.)
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