DETROIT 7, MINNESOTA 6 IN DETROIT

Date:  Saturday, October 10.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk.  Greg Gagne was 1-for-5 with a home run and two runs.  Gary Gaetti was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Dan Schatzeder struck out five in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.  Juan Berenguer pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Pat Sheridan was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double, scoring twice.  Larry Herndon was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.  Kirk Gibson was 1-for-5 with two stolen bases, scoring once and driving in one.

The game:  It was scoreless until the third.  The Tigers loaded the bases with none out.  A ground out scored one and a balk scored a second.  Alan Trammell then singled home one and, following a walk, Herndon doubled home two to give Detroit a 5-0 lead.  The Twins came back in the fourth:  Gagne led off with a homer and Randy Bush had an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.  Brunansky hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 5-4.  In the seventh, two singles and a walk loaded the bases and Gaetti delivered a two-run single to put the Twins ahead 6-5.  Juan Berenguer got the Tigers out in the bottom of the seventh and Jeff Reardon came on to pitch the eighth.  Herndon led off with a single.  Tom Brookens popped up a bunt attempt, but Sheridan followed with a two-run homer that put Detroit ahead 7-6.  The Twins had Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, and Gaetti coming up in the ninth, but Mike Henneman set them down in order to end the game.

Notes:  Kirby Puckett was 0-for-5, making him 1-for-13 in the series so far...Gaetti was 5-for-12 and Brunansky was 4-for-9...Les Straker started but lasted only 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on three hits and four walks with one strikeout...Jack Morris pinch-ran for Herndon in the eighth inning and so scored the tying run when Sheridan homered...Sheridan had hit six home runs in 1987.  His career high was eleven, which came in 1988.  For his career, he hit 51 home runs.  He hit three postseason home runs, with the other two coming in 1985 for Kansas City...Walt Terrell started for Detroit and pitched six innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks with four strikeouts...Henneman pitched three shutout innings of relief, giving up one hit and three walks with one strikeout...The loss on the road, given the Twins' poor road record in 1987, again fueled the "Twins can't win on the road" theory.  Would that theory prove true?  We'll see tomorrow.

Record:  The Twins led the best-of-seven series 2-1.