Twins’ Versalles Reprimanded by Manager

Apr. 5, 1965 - Zoilo Versalles of the Minnesota Twins drew a humiliating and expensive reprimand today when manager Sam Mele benched him in the middle of an inning and then fined him $300.

Jim Hickman of the New York Mets singled sharply to the shortstop’s left with one out in the fourth inning, driving in two runs and Mele to distraction. The Mets went on to win, 8-1.

Hickman’s hit, with men on second and third, came with the Minnesota infield supposed to be in for a play at the plate. Versalles, it seemed, was neither on the infield grass nor back far enough to have normal lateral range.

This carelessness and the rather modest swipe Versalles made in the direction of the ball bothered Mele. The manager has been dissatisfied with Versalles on similar counts for more than a year.

“You didn’t give it an all-out effort,” Mele told Versalles after he had replaced him with Bill Bethea while the next Met batter was at the plate. At the end of the inning, Versalles headed for the clubhouse, but Mele stopped him in the runway alongside the dugout.

“Go sit in the dugout and watch the game. You might learn something,” Mele said.

Versalles hesitated.

“Come on, sit with me,” said Billy Martin, Minnesota’s third-base coach.

“Okay, for you I go,” Versalles said to Martin.

Now Mele really got angry.

“You’ll do it for me,” he roared, “and that will cost you $100.”

“Why not make it $200?” said Versalles.

“Okay, it’s $200.”“Why not $300?”“That’s what it is — $300. Now go out behind the outfield, and run your tail off.”

Versalles went and ran. 

He said later that he was angry, too.

“He can’t talk to me like that. He’s not my father or captain in the army,” said Zoilo, who had jumped the club for three weeks in 1961 because of homesickness. “If he wants respect, he has to show respect. I’ll talk with the boss on the way home.”Versalles was alluding to Cal Griffith, club president.

The incident embarrassed Martin because Mele’s position is regarded as insecure, and stories have pointed to Billy as a possible successor.

“I’m loyal to the man I work for,” said Martin, “and it was Mele who signed me as a coach, not Griffith or anyone else. He wanted me.”

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