OAKLAND 7, MINNESOTA 0 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Tuesday, April 22.
Batting star: Leo Cardenas was 2-for-3.
Pitching stars: Charley Walters pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit. Jim Perry struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and three walks.
Opposition stars: Bert Campaneris was 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base (his second) and three runs. Danny Cater was 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Rollie Fingers pitched a complete game shutout, giving up five hits and one walk and striking out two.
The game: The Athletics got in going in the first inning. With two out and a man on second, Sal Bando tripled and Cater singled to give Oakland a 2-0 lead. They struck again with two out in the third inning. With men on first and second, Cater again singled home a run, making it 3-0 and chasing Twins' starter Tom Hall. Dick Woodson came in and could not get anything accomplished, allowing RBI singles to Dick Green and Rick Monday and a run-scoring double to future Twin Phil Roof. It was 6-0 after three and would never be a game again.
The Twins threatened in the fourth, putting men on second and third with one out. Graig Nettles popped up and Rich Reese grounded out to end the inning. Nettles had a one-out triple in the seventh, but Reese and Johnny Roseboro each grounded out to end the threat.
Oakland's final run came in the ninth, when Campaneris walked and scored from first on a double by Reggie Jackson.
WP: Fingers (1-0). LP: Hall (1-1). S: None.
Notes: Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .382. Carew was 0-for-3 with a walk, dropping to .341. Roseboro was 0-for-3 and was batting .318. Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a double and was batting .311.
Hall, who had thrown a complete game shutout on April 18, could not get out of the third inning, although just looking at the play-by-play it seems like a pretty quick hook. His line was 2.2 innings, five runs, five hits, one walk, one strikeout. It was made worse, of course, by the fact that Woodson couldn't get anybody out.
Jackson did not start the game. He was used as a pinch-hitter for Mike Hershberger, who started in right field. Presumably, Jackson was just being given the day off.
The Athletics' starting left fielder and number three batter was Tommie Reynolds, of whom I have no recollection. He played in parts of eight seasons from 1963-1972. He was with the Kansas City Athletics, the Mets, Oakland, California, and Milwaukee. This was his only season with the Oakland A's, but he appeared in 107 games for them, mostly in left. It would also be his best season, but he still only batted .257/.343/.308. He played in AAA with the Brewers from 1973-1978 and did very well, batting over .300 four times and hitting twenty or more home runs three times, but did not get another chance in the majors.
The Twins' loss put an end to their seven-game winning streak.
Record: Minnesota was 7-5, in first place, a half game ahead of Kansas City and Oakland.