As the postseason came to its conclusion, what did we learn?
Ex-Twin and reliever Louis Varland set a major league record with 15 appearances in the playoffs and fellow former Twins Paul Molitor and Jack Morris threw out first pitches before the start of Game 7.
And just before the completion of the World Series, the Washington Nationals announced that they had hired Blake Butera to be the team’s next manager. He has ties to two more ex-Twins: Sal Butera is his uncle and Sal’s son, Drew, is a first cousin.
And Blake Butera, 33, is the second youngest manager in baseball since Frank Quilici, who managed the Twins between 1972 and 1975.
After Quilici replaced Bill Rigney in July 1972, he was asked what kind of manager he would be in regard to curfews, fines, missing signs and hustling.
“I think that you must use common sense in all these things,” said Quilici to the Minneapolis Tribune. “I think some of us, including myself, have been cheating on the midnight curfew. I think it has hurt us on the field.
“Fines? I believe in talking to a man, telling him what I expect, and then if he fails, the rope shortens. I don’t think fines per se are the answer, but going back to the minor leagues may be the answer.”
Quilici intends to play a set lineup where possible, and he said that he would rely on the honesty of 36-year-old Harmon Killebrew to tell the manager when he is ready to play in the second game of a doubleheader and when he is not, the newspaper reported.
Quilici’s tenure as a Minnesota Twins manager got off to the best possible start because on July 7, 1972, he beat the New York Yankees 5-2 before about 20,000 fans at the Met.
Three Twins pitchers limited the Yankees to two runs on seven hits, while the offense countered with three hits from Rod Carew and a home run from Harmon Killebrew, who drove in two runs.
The next day the new manager witnessed a pitchers’ duel as Mel Stottlemyre and Bert Blyleven battled for 10 innings in an 11-inning game won by the Yankees, 1-0.
But there weren’t enough wins, and after three and a half seasons in which the Twins never finished higher than third place in the division, Quilici was let go near the end of the ’75 season.
The Minneapolis Tribune sought reaction from players about his dismissal.
“It’s always tough to see a manager go,” said Tony Oliva. “He’s a friend and a nice guy. I’ve been around Frankie for a long time; we broke in together in 1961 at Wytheville, VA. He had a tough job here, injuries, a long season. I can only wish him well.”