June 14, 1964 - Harmon Killebrew and his Minnesota Twin teammates went on a home-run rampage today to help American League players tie the major league record of 30 homers in a single day.
The American League set the record on June 10, 1962.
Killebrew hit three homers in a doubleheader against the Senators in Washington to raise his major-league-leading total to 20. Bob Allison connected twice and Zoilo Versalles, Jimmie Hall, and Jim Kaat once each for the Twins.
The homer-happy Twins have crashed 91 homers in 58 games, a giant head start toward the record of 240 by the Yankees in 1961. Minnesota has won three of four with Washington to protect fourth place.
Today, Washington pitcher Ron Kline called Killebrew “the strongest man in baseball.”
Kline, a 32-year-old relief pitcher with an ERA under 2.00, has pitched in both the American and National Leagues. Ron was pitching for the Senators today when Killebrew smashed homer No. 19 to provide the Twins’ 6-5 margin of victory in the eighth inning of the first game. Harmon socked his 20th in the 8-2 second-game victory.
“There is no hitter in the National League as strong as Killebrew,” said Kline. “Not Orlando Cepeda of the Giants nor any other man. I don’t say Harmon is the best hitter, but he’s tough because you can’t make a mistake on him. I got the 3-2 slider up high, and it was gone.”
Washington pitcher Dave Stenhouse, watching Killebrew’s two-homer explosion today, said: “Mickey Mantle may be as strong from the right side. But he’s a switch-hitter, and not as powerful as a lefthanded hitter.
“In 1962, Harmon got four hits off me — and all four were homers. He hit four different pitches. You make him look bad on a pitch then think you can get him out with the same pitch, and boom.”
“I felt I was hitting the ball a little better in the Detroit series than I have against Washington,” said Killebrew. “But this is a good park to hit in, with a good background. Balls carry better in some other parks, though, because this stadium is enclosed. I hit a few other balls this series to center that I thought were out, but the ball died.”
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