MINNESOTA 4, BOSTON 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, June 3.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his eighth.  Rich Rollins was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Camilo Pascual was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Pitching star:  Camilo Pascual pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Bill Monbouquette pitched six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  Ex-Twin Lenny Green was 2-for-5 with a run.  Felix Mantilla was 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

The game:  Allison hit a two-run homer and Pascual had an RBI single in the second inning to give the Twins a 3-0 lead.  Lee Thomas tripled and scored in the fourth and Mantilla singled in a run in the eighth, cutting the lead to 3-2.  In the bottom of the eighth, a pair of errors and Allison's RBI single gave the Twins an insurance run.  They needed it, as a walk, a single, and an error cut the margin to 4-3 with two out in the ninth.  A ground out ended the game.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4.  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 with a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-4.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with a run, raising his average to .316.

Record:  The win moved the Twins to 29-15 and increased their lead over Chicago to 1.5 games.

Notes:  The Twins won despite the first four batters in their lineup going 0-for-16.  Earl Battey remained out of the lineup, with Jerry Zimmerman talking his place.  I had not remembered Pascual as a very good batter, but he hit .205 for his career and one year hit .302 (1959).  His 2-for-3 in this game raised his average to .242.