MINNESOTA 4, CALIFORNIA 2 IN CALIFORNIA
Date: Saturday, August 21.
Batting stars: Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his sixteenth) and two runs. Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs. Earl Battey was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Pitching star: Jim Merritt struck out seven in seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits and two walks.
Opposition stars: Fred Newman struck out seven in seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk. Bobby Knoop was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Albie Pearson was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
The game: Each team had only two hits in the first five innings. With one out in the sixth, though, the Twins got singles from Versalles, Sandy Valdespino, and Oliva and later got a two-run single-plus-error from Battey to go ahead 3-0. Knoop doubled in a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 3-1. in the eighth, Versalles singled, stole second, went to third on a bunt, and scored on an Oliva sacrifice fly to give the Twins a 4-1 advantage. Pearson had a two-out RBI double in the ninth to make it 4-2 and bring the tying run up to bat, but Jim Fregosi popped up to short to end the game.
Of note: Valdespino was 1-for-3 with a run. Jimmie Hall was 0-for-4.
Record: The win boosted the Twins to 79-45. Chicago defeated Kansas City and Detroit lost to Boston, so the White Sox moved back into sole possession of second place, eight games back.
Notes: Valdespino, who saw a lot of playing time in August, replaced Bob Allison...Battey once again took over the team batting lead at .313. Oliva went to .310. Hall fell below .300 at .297...The Angels used seven bench players, not counting pitcher Marcellino Lopez who was a pinch-runner. When the last time, other than a September game, a team even had seven bench players?...All of the bench players were used in the seventh inning or later. For the record, they were Lou Clinton (PH), Joe Koppe (PH), Tom Satriano (C-3B), Willie Smith (PH), Tom Egan (C), ex-Twin Vic Power (1B), and Al Spangler (PH).