MINNESOTA 9, BOSTON 7 IN BOSTON
Date: Wednesday, May 26.
Batting stars: Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a home run (his sixth) and two walks, scoring three times. Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his sixth) and a walk, scoring twice. Earl Battey was 2-for-3 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.
Pitching stars: Jim Perry pitched 3.2 innings of relief, giving up an unearned run on three hits and no walks with one strikeout. Bill Pleis pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
Opposition stars: Carl Yastrzemski was 1-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in three. Felix Mantilla was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Dick Radatz struck out four in two shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk.
The game: It was a game of big innings. Allison hit a three-run homer in a four-run top of the first. The Red Sox got one back in the bottom of the first and scored five in the second, highlighted by Yastrezemski's three-run double, to go up 6-4. Killebrew homered in the third to cut the lead to 6-5. In the fifth, Tony Oliva homered and Battey had a two-run double in a four-run inning that gave the Twins a 9-6 lead. Boston got one in the sixth to make it 9-7 but did not score again. They did load the bases with two out in the ninth, but Al Worthington came in to retire Tony Conigliaro on a ground out to end the game.
Of note: Rich Rollins was 0-for-3. Oliva was 1-for-5 with a home run, his eighth. Jimmie Hall was 1-for-5 with a run. Camilo Pascual started but lasted only 1.2 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks with no strikeouts.
Record: The win made the Twins 23-13 and put them in a tie for first place with Chicago (the Twins led based on winning percentage).
Notes: The Twins were really struggling to find a second-place hitter. They started the season with Jerry Kindall in that spot, but by this time he had been dropped to eighth and was hitting .204. He was replaced with Rollins, who was little better--the 0-for-3 in this game dropped him to .227.