MINNESOTA 6, NEW YORK 4 IN NEW YORK
Date: Sunday, June 20 (Game 1 of doubleheader)
Batting stars: Jimmie Hall was 2-for-3 with a home run (his twelfth), a triple, a walk, and a stolen base (his fourth), scoring once and driving in two. Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twelfth), a double, and a walk, scoring twice. Zoilo Versalles was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs.
Pitching stars: Camilo Pascual pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Al Worthington pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a walk with one strikeout. Jim Kaat pitched a perfect ninth inning.
Opposition stars: Roger Maris was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk, driving in three. Tom Tresh was 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs. Joe Pepitone was 2-for-4 with a walk.
The game: The Yankees again scored in the first inning, getting RBI singles from Maris and Elston Howard to go up 2-0. The Twins scored single runs in the second and third to tie it at two. Hall homered in the sixth to give the Twins a 3-2 lead, but Maris hit a two-run homer in the seventh to make it 4-3 Yankees. Killebrew homered in the eighth to tie it up 4-4. In the ninth, a walk and a single put men on first and third and a passed ball put the Twins up 5-4. A pair of walks and a wild pitch gave the Twins an insurance run. Kaat came in to take care of things in the ninth.
Of note: Sandy Valdespino was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his second), scoring once and driving in one. Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base, his fifth. Don Mincher was 0-for-3. Hall boosted his average to .322.
Record: The win moved the Twins to 37-23. They remained in first place by a half game over Chicago.
Notes: Valdespino replaced Bob Allison in the lineup. Mincher replaced Rich Rollins, with Killebrew moving to third. Jerry Zimmerman replaced Earl Battey. Kaat made the first of three relief appearances on the season and got the first of two saves. He had pitched a complete game three days earlier and would make his regular start two days later.
Maris's final homer of the season
Good catch. He got hurt on June 28 and made only four appearances the rest of the season, each as a pinch-hitter.
Now I wonder about how many pitchers have a complete game in one game and a save in their next appearance.
Good question. I also wonder when the last time was that it happened. These days, it would take a pretty unusual set of circumstances, like a must win game in a pennant race or a really long extra-inning game.
I was going to say Randy Johnson in the 2001 WS, but he got another win in the next appearance, not a save.
He was my first thought too. But, his complete game came in Game 2 and he went seven innings in Game 6. If it was a complete game in Game 6 and finished, but not started, the next game with a win or save, I think I'd count it.