CALIFORNIA 12, MINNESOTA 3 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Tuesday, August 4.

Batting stars:  Steve Lombardozzi was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fifth) and a walk.  Gene Larkin was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Gary Gaetti was 0-for-2 with two walks and a run.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Doug DeCinces was 3-for-5 with a home run (his twelfth) and a double, driving in three.  Bob Boone was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring three times.  Gary Pettis was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in two.

The game:  It was close for four innings.  Bill Buckner singled in a run in the first and the Angels rallied for three in the third to go ahead 4-0.  Lombardozzi hit a three-run homer in the fourth to get the Twins back into the game at 4-3.  California put together a five-run fifth, though, making the score 9-3 and putting the game out of reach.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4 to make his average .319...Randy Bush was again your leadoff batter and right fielder, with Tom Brunansky in left and Dan Gladden out of the lineup.  Gladden was perhaps bothered by a minor injury--he was used as a pinch-hitter and would play the next game, but then would get a couple more days off and wouldn't return to the lineup regularly until August 11...Gene Larkin was again the DH, with Roy Smalley out of the lineup...This was the Twins debut of Steve Carlton, who came from Cleveland for a player to be named later (Jeff Perry).  It had been obvious all season that he was no longer the Hall of Fame pitcher he had been, and the change of scenery did not help him any.  As we will see, he did have a couple of good games for the Twins, but for the most part did not do much for them.  In this game he pitched 4.2 innings and allowed nine runs on eleven hits and four walks with one strikeout...Angels starter Don Sutton pitched six innings, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts...Sutton and Carlton were each forty-two years old when this game was played.  It would be interesting to know what the record is for oldest starters being matched against each other, if someone had the time to look it up.

Record:  The Twins were 57-51, in first place, one game ahead of Oakland.

We hope to resume player profiles either later this week or early next.

MINNESOTA 11, CALIFORNIA 3 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Monday, August 3.

Batting stars:  Gary Gaetti was 3-for-5 with a home run (his twenty-second), scoring twice and driving in five.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs.

Pitching star:  Dan Schatzeder pitched 5.1 innings of relief, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with no strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Brian Downing was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twentieth) and two walks.  Devon White was 2-for-2 with an RBI.  Bob Boone was 2-for-4 with a run.

The game:  California took a 2-0 lead in the second, but Gaetti's two-out two-run single in the third tied it 2-2.  It stayed 2-2 until the sixth, when a bases loaded walk to Gene Larkin and a Sal Butera sacrifice fly put the Twins ahead 4-2.  Downing homered in the bottom of the sixth to make it 4-3, but the Twins scored four times in the seventh to take control of the game.  Gaetti hit a three-run homer in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-5 with a run, raising his average to .322...Tom Brunansky was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI...Twins starter Joe Niekro pitched 3.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks with one strikeout...California starter Mike Witt lasted 6.2 innings, but allowed seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts...Larkin was the DH, with Roy Smalley on the bench...Randy Bush started in right field, with Brunansky moving to left and Dan Gladden out of the lineup.  Bush batted leadoff.  With Downing leading off for California, this had to be a matchup of two of the slowest leadoff men in the history of the game.  That, however, is not what this game is known for (see below).

Record:  The Twins were 57-50, in first place by two games over Oakland.  This was an important series, as the Angels entered it just 1.5 games behind the Twins (2.5 after this game).  That, however, is not what this game is known for, either (see below).

What this game is known for, as you may know, is that this is the infamous Joe Niekro emery board game.  Niekro had given up a couple of runs in the second, but retired the side in order in the third.  He got Gus Polidor to ground out to shortstop leading off the fourth.  Tim Tschida came out to check Niekro after that and, well, the rest is history.  Oddly, the b-r.com play-by-play makes no mention of the incident, and neither does the box score there.  It simply notes "Dan Schatzeder replaces Joe Niekro pitching".  If you didn't know, you'd assume that either this was a really quick hook or Niekro must have been injured.  This seems like it would be a good time and place to share memories about that game, if anyone is inclined to do so.

[ed: Here's the incident in all its glory]