'65 Twins remember Series appearance
03/04/2006
MINNEAPOLIS -- Memory Lane can get a bit crowded sometimes -- especially if you're going back 40 years. But certain moments hold their place in time, which is why Frank Quilici found himself in tears watching Game 7 of the 1987 World Series.
The sight of the Twins battling in a familiar situation stirred up old feelings for Quilici, who played second base for Minnesota's 1965 World Series team. He still remembers the intensity, excitement and camaraderie of playing in that historic championship, which the Los Angeles Dodgers won in seven games.
"We really were just a huge family during the '60s and '70s," Quilici said. "I've always tried to put things in perspective and say I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have appeared in the World Series."
Quilici's shining moment came in the series opener against Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale. A career .214 hitter, Quilici singled and doubled in the same inning as the Twins surprised the Dodgers, 8-2, at Metropolitan Stadium.
"I came back to the bench after the second hit," Quilici recalled. "Honestly, I was so fired up, I thought we played two innings. I didn't even realize it."
Teammate Tony Oliva also was too focused on playing baseball at the time to comprehend the significance of the series. It was the first postseason appearance for the Minnesota Twins after moving from Washington five years earlier.
"In those days, you would think like a player," Oliva said. "You wouldn't think like a fan."
Oliva broke open Game 2 with a run-scoring double off legendary southpaw Sandy Koufax. The Twins went on to win that game, 5-1, and took a 2-0 lead to Dodger Stadium.
"People don't remember that," Oliva said of his RBI double, laughing. "People remember when [Koufax] struck me out. That was special for me to get a base hit against him."
Drysdale and Koufax bounced back when the series shifted to Los Angeles, as the home team won all three games. Twins pitcher Al Worthington made his first appearance of the series in the sixth inning of Game 4 in front of 55,920 fans at Dodger Stadium.
"You could call it a little nervous feeling," said Worthington, who played the last six seasons of his 16-year career with Minnesota.
Worthington can't hide his competitive fire when he says his most enduring memory of the 1965 World Series -- four decades later -- is losing. Koufax pitched a three-hit shutout in the decisive game in one of the great performances of the Hall of Famer's career.
"My high school coach told me, 'You'll never remember the games you win, you remember the games you lost,'" Worthington said. "I remember the seventh game very well."
Oliva has a different outlook. "Tony O" was a three-time batting champion in his career and led the league in hits five times. In the '65 Series, the longtime Twins outfielder batted 5-for-26 (.192) and went hitless in Game 7 against Koufax.
"When you lose to the Dodgers and Sandy Koufax, 2-0, you don't have to be ashamed of anything," Oliva said. "Only one team can win, but both teams can be great. ... To be able to play in the World Series against the Dodgers and to be in Minnesota, the people had the chance to see some of the best ballplayers in the world."
Quilici and Worthington said they welcome the 40-year anniversary of their benchmark season as an opportunity to reunite the team. Oliva has kept in touch with only a handful of his teammates through periodic charity events. The Twins organization will honor the '65 team with a special ceremony on Aug. 19.
"This year is special because the Minnesota Twins had the idea of a big program," Oliva said. "It means a lot because we have a chance to see people I haven't seen in 20 or 30 years. ... Those 40 years [since the Series] seem like yesterday. It's hard to believe 40 years went by."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
MINNEAPOLIS -- Memory Lane can get a bit crowded sometimes -- especially if you're going back 40 years. But certain moments hold their place in time, which is why Frank Quilici found himself in tears watching Game 7 of the 1987 World Series.
The sight of the Twins battling in a familiar situation stirred up old feelings for Quilici, who played second base for Minnesota's 1965 World Series team. He still remembers the intensity, excitement and camaraderie of playing in that historic championship, which the Los Angeles Dodgers won in seven games.
"We really were just a huge family during the '60s and '70s," Quilici said. "I've always tried to put things in perspective and say I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have appeared in the World Series."
Quilici's shining moment came in the series opener against Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale. A career .214 hitter, Quilici singled and doubled in the same inning as the Twins surprised the Dodgers, 8-2, at Metropolitan Stadium.
"I came back to the bench after the second hit," Quilici recalled. "Honestly, I was so fired up, I thought we played two innings. I didn't even realize it."
Teammate Tony Oliva also was too focused on playing baseball at the time to comprehend the significance of the series. It was the first postseason appearance for the Minnesota Twins after moving from Washington five years earlier.
"In those days, you would think like a player," Oliva said. "You wouldn't think like a fan."
Oliva broke open Game 2 with a run-scoring double off legendary southpaw Sandy Koufax. The Twins went on to win that game, 5-1, and took a 2-0 lead to Dodger Stadium.
"People don't remember that," Oliva said of his RBI double, laughing. "People remember when [Koufax] struck me out. That was special for me to get a base hit against him."
Drysdale and Koufax bounced back when the series shifted to Los Angeles, as the home team won all three games. Twins pitcher Al Worthington made his first appearance of the series in the sixth inning of Game 4 in front of 55,920 fans at Dodger Stadium.
"You could call it a little nervous feeling," said Worthington, who played the last six seasons of his 16-year career with Minnesota.
Worthington can't hide his competitive fire when he says his most enduring memory of the 1965 World Series -- four decades later -- is losing. Koufax pitched a three-hit shutout in the decisive game in one of the great performances of the Hall of Famer's career.
"My high school coach told me, 'You'll never remember the games you win, you remember the games you lost,'" Worthington said. "I remember the seventh game very well."
Oliva has a different outlook. "Tony O" was a three-time batting champion in his career and led the league in hits five times. In the '65 Series, the longtime Twins outfielder batted 5-for-26 (.192) and went hitless in Game 7 against Koufax.
"When you lose to the Dodgers and Sandy Koufax, 2-0, you don't have to be ashamed of anything," Oliva said. "Only one team can win, but both teams can be great. ... To be able to play in the World Series against the Dodgers and to be in Minnesota, the people had the chance to see some of the best ballplayers in the world."
Quilici and Worthington said they welcome the 40-year anniversary of their benchmark season as an opportunity to reunite the team. Oliva has kept in touch with only a handful of his teammates through periodic charity events. The Twins organization will honor the '65 team with a special ceremony on Aug. 19.
"This year is special because the Minnesota Twins had the idea of a big program," Oliva said. "It means a lot because we have a chance to see people I haven't seen in 20 or 30 years. ... Those 40 years [since the Series] seem like yesterday. It's hard to believe 40 years went by."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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