Whether it was because of his age or his contract, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Kaat, a charter member of the Twins who spent 15 seasons in Washington, D.C., and Minnesota, finally was placed on waivers in the late summer of 1973.
In a profile of Kaat, the Society for American Baseball Research suggests that money could have been at the root of that decision.
“After his outstanding season in 1972, Kaat had used his leverage to push penny-pinching owner Calvin Griffith to raise his salary back to its previous high of $60,000,” SABR writes. “The negotiations were drawn out and acrimonious but eventually the pitcher prevailed.”
And then he was gone, placed on waivers by the Twins and picked up by the Chicago White Sox in August 1973.
Kaat reflected on his time with the Twins to The Minneapolis Tribune.
“The 1965 season was far and away the best experience I had in Minnesota,” said Kaat. “We had a bunch of guys that might have established a dynasty like Baltimore’s if the team had not been torn apart by trades in 1966, after we didn’t repeat as pennant winners. I did win 25 games in 1966 but it wasn’t as great as playing in the World Series the year before.”
His first start for the White Sox saw him toss a complete game three-hitter with one run allowed in a 4-1 victory over Detroit.
The Chicago Tribune took note of the win.
“The 33-year-old lefty hurled a masterful three-hitter in the opener, retiring 15 in a row in one stretch, and did not walk anyone.
“That’s the happiest I’ve been in a long, long time,” said Manager Chuck Tanner. “And it was because of Kaat. He really lifted me up and I think he may have lifted the team, too.”
“I’ve never been traded before,” said Kaat. “This is a new set of people. Yes, I like it here. (Pitching Coach) Johnny Sain and I just went back to the basics the last few days like Johnny is famous for and I tried to apply his principles. He’s been helpful in the short time I’ve been here.”
How well would he pitch for the South Siders? Kaat went 45-28 in his time with the White Sox, including a 21-13 mark in 1974 and a 20-14 record in 1975. Over those two-plus seasons his ERA was 3.10, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He also was named an All-Star in ’75 and tossed 303-plus innings, the second most of his 25 seasons in the majors. Kaat pitched 30 complete games with the Sox.
“While the White Sox were never contenders while Kaat was with them, his performance was a bright spot for otherwise forgettable teams,” SABR writes.
Extra innings…
–The Twins earned a series win over the Boston Red Sox, getting one-run victories on Saturday and Sunday to improve to 15-20. That’s still five games under .500, of course, but it looks and feels so much better than a team with 13 wins.
–The Twins were losing 4-1 in Sunday’s game, but rallied with four runs late in the game and then the bullpen took it from there. The artist formerly known as Louie Varland picked up the win with a scoreless seventh inning on seven pitches. Reliever Griffin Jax served up a run, but closer Jhoan Duran came right back to earn his fourth save with a nine pitch ninth.
–Pablo Lopez gets the ball Tuesday at home against the Baltimore Orioles. The Twins were 0-6 against the Birds last season, but this is not the same team. They are dead last in the AL East at 13-20.
Sources: Newspapers.com, MLB.com, SABR, Baseball-Reference.com