MINNESOTA 7, OAKLAND 5 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Sunday, August 9.
Batting stars: Kent Hrbek was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his twenty-seventh. Tim Laudner was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his fourteenth. Tom Brunansky was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-third) and a walk.
Pitching stars: Bert Blyleven pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Keith Atherton struck out two in a perfect inning.
Opposition stars: Alfredo Griffin was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in two. Carney Lansford was 2-for-5 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in two. Tony Bernazard was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs.
The game: Oakland got on the board in the first, but Hrbek hit a three-run homer in the third to put the Twins ahead 3-1. Brunansky homered in the fourth to make it 4-1. Oakland got one back in the fifth, but Laudner hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put the Twins ahead 6-2. Oakland scored one in the seventh to cut the lead to 6-3, but Gaetti got the run back with a home run in the eighth. Carney Lansford hit a two-out two-run homer in the ninth to bring the tying run up to bat, but Jose Canseco grounded out to end the game.
Of note: Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a run to raise his average to .324...Randy Bush was in right field and in the leadoff spot, with Brunansky in left...Steve Ontiveros pitched a complete game, giving up seven runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts. I'm sure that's nowhere near the record, but seven runs is a lot to give up in a complete game...This gave the Twins a four-game sweep of Oakland. The two teams had been tied for first going into the series.
Record: The Twins were 61-52, in first place, 3.5 games ahead of California.
George LeClair of the Pittsburgh Rebels surrendered 20 earned runs on 16 August 1914 in a complete game (but only 8-inning) 21-6 loss to the Indianapolis Hoosiers.
If the Federal League doesn't do it for you, the next-highest total is the 15 runs Giants hurler Slick Castleman gave up on 09 June 1936 against the Reds, who won 15-4.
The highest total since Expansion is the 10 earned runs Oakland's Mike Norris gave up in a 10-7 loss to the Brewers on 26 Sept 1980. The Brewers had a 5-run top of the ninth. Norris' WPA for the game is -0.884.
Jim Kaat's in a three-pitcher tie with Nolan Ryan and Ken Holtzman, each of whom surrendered 9 runs in a complete game. Kaat's ordeal came in a 15-9 victory over the Red Sox on 02 July 1964.
This gave the Twins a four-game sweep of Oakland. The two teams had been tied for first going into the series.
They'll get their payback in August the next year.
I'm not sure the Twins have had a better rivalry than with the Athletics – something about it seems just right. Don't get me wrong, I like icing the Pale Hosers just fine, but there was something special in the old AL West.
From '87 to '92, the Twins and A's won all 6 AL West titles, 5 AL pennants and 3 World Series. The Twins finished second to the A's twice ('88 and '92, which were the only 2 times in the expansion era the Twins won 90+ games and didn't get to the postseason). The A's finished 3rd in '87, but I've always thought of them as the main team the Twins battled for the title with the Royals sneaking in there at the end to finish second.