BOSTON 6, MINNESOTA 5 IN BOSTON

Batting stars:  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his eleventh.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Tom Brunansky was 1-for-3 with a home run (his thirteenth) and a walk.

Pitching star:  Mark Portugal pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and three walks while striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Wade Boggs was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, scoring once and driving in one.  Bill Buckner was 1-for-3 with two walks and three RBIs.  Mike Greenwell was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, driving in one.

The game:  A single and four walks (one intentional) plated two runs for the Red Sox in the first inning.  The built a 4-0 lead through four, but the Twins rallied.  Brunansky hit a solo homer in the fifth and Hrbek hit a three-run shot in the sixth to tie it 4-4.  In the eighth a walk, a single, and a wild pitch put Minnesota up 5-4.  Jeff Reardon came on and retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth.  In the ninth, however, a single and a double put men on second and third with one out.  Dwight Evans popped up, but Bill Buckner delivered a two-run single to center to win the game for the Bostons.

Of note:  Dan Gladden was 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base (his eighth) and a run...Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4 with a run and is batting .325...Juan Berenguer started but lasted only 3.2 innings, giving up four runs on three hits and nine walks...Boston's starter was John Leister, who pitched 5.1 innings and gave up four runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 27-24, tied for second with Seattle, 1.5 games behind Kansas City.

Notes:  Greg Gagne was again the second-place batter.

Player profile:  You can be forgiven if you don't remember John Leister, as this was one of only ten major league games in which he appeared.  He was chosen in the third round of the January Secondary draft in 1984 by Boston.  He started in Class A and advanced a level a year reaching AAA by 1986.  This was only his second major league start--he had lasted just two innings in his first one, but here he pitched well other than the home run balls.  He would make one more start, then two relief appearances, then be sent back to AAA.  He had a good season in Pawtucket, going 11-5, 3.77, 1.29 WHIP, and made three more starts for Boston as a September call-up.  He was back in Pawtucket for all of 1988 and 1989, doing okay but nothing special.  He began 1990 in Boston but made only two appearances, one starting and one in relief, before being sent back to Pawtucket.  He had a poor year there and his playing career ended.  When people talk about players spending their entire career with one team, John Leister isn't who they have in mind, but he did it.  His record in the majors isn't much:  0-2, 8.50, 2.00 WHIP.  He did have one very good game, in September of 1987, when he pitched 7.1 innings against Baltimore and gave up two runs on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts.  He also had success in football, as he was the starting quarterback for Michigan State for three years and played for the USFL's Michigan Panthers.  He was the head baseball coach at Alma College from 1997-2007 and was the school's athletic director from 2007-2014.  At last report, John Leister was helping coach football at Chesaning Union High School in Chesaning, Michigan.