CHICAGO 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Sunday, May 2 (Game 2 of doubleheader)

Batting stars:  Rich Rollins was 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs.  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching star:  Dick Stigman struck out four in four shutout innings of relief, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Don Buford was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.  Danny Cater was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Ken Berry was 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

The game:  Floyd Robinson homered in the first and Ron Hansen delivered an RBI single in the second to put the White Sox ahead 2-0.  Zoilo Versalles singled in a run in the top of the third to cut the lead to 2-1, but Buford hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to make it 4-1. Hall singled in a run in the fourth to make it 4-2, but it stayed there until the seventh.  Sandy Valdespino's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh pulled the Twins within one at 4-3, but Cater singled in a run in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead back to 5-3.  Tony Oliva led off the eighth with a double and eventually scored on Killebrew's sacrifice fly, but the Twins did not get the tying run on base as their last six batters were retired.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-2 with a walk and a run.  Oliva was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.  Bob Allison was 0-for-4.  Dave Boswell started but pitched only two-plus innings, giving up four runs on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 9-5, in second place, a half game behind Chicago.

Note:  There were eight doubleheaders (out of a maximum possible of ten) played in major league baseball on May 2.  I don't know if that's the record, but if it's not it has to be pretty close.

MINNESOTA 3, CHICAGO 2 IN CHICAGO (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Sunday, May 2 (Game 1 of doubleheader)

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and a walk, driving in three.  Earl Battey was 2-for-4 with a double.  Rich Rollins was 2-for-4 with a run.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Mel Nelson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Bill Pleis pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Tommy John pitched seven shutout innings, allowing seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  John Romano was 1-for-3 with a home run, his second.  Ron Hansen was 1-for-4 with a home run.

The game:  Romano homered with two out in the first inning to put the White Sox up 1-0.  Hansen homered with one out in the seventh to make it 2-0.  The Twins threatened in the first, sixth, and seventh, but did not score.  Finally, in the eighth, Killebrew hit a two-run homer to tie the score 2-2.  The White Sox put two on in the eighth and again in the ninth, but failed to score.  Zoilo Versalles led off the tenth with a single, went to second on a bunt, and scored on Killebrew's two-out double to put the Twins in front for the first time.  The White Sox got a two-out single in the bottom of the tenth, but no more.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-5 with a run.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-5.  Bob Allison was 0-for-4.

Record:  The win made the Twins 9-4, in first place, a half game ahead of Chicago and Detroit.