MINNESOTA 3, CLEVELAND 2 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Sunday, June 15.
Batting stars: Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-2 with a triple, two walks, and two RBIs. Rod Carew was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs.
Pitching stars: Dave Boswell pitched a complete game, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks and striking out seven.
Opposition stars: Tony Horton was 2-for-4. Steve Hargan pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and seven (!) walks, striking out four.
The game: Ted Uhlaender opened the bottom of the first with an infield single and Rod Carew walked. With one out, Killebrew tripled, bringing them both home and giving the Twins a 2-0 lead.
The Twins threatened to lengthen their lead in the third, but failed to do so. Tony Oliva singled with one out and Killebrew walked. A ground out moved the runners up and Graig Nettles was intentionally walked to load the bases. Leo Cardenas popped up to end the threat. It cost them, because the Indians tied it in the fourth. Larry Brown singled, Ken Harrelson reached on an error, Horton singled home a run, and an error brought home the tying run.
The Twins put two on in the bottom of the fourth, but again did not score. Neither team threatened after that until the seventh. Carew walked leading off the inning and Killebrew walked with one out. A force out put men on first and third with two down and Nettles got an infield hit to put the Twins ahead 3-2. Cleveland did not have a hit after the fifth and did not get a baserunner after the seventh, so the lead held and the Twins won.
WP: Boswell (8-7). LP: Hargan (1-3). S: None.
Notes: Billy Martin went back to the defensive arrangement he had used so often at the start of the season, with Nettles in left, Killebrew at third, and Rich Reese at first. It was Reese's first start at first base since May 14. The standard defensive switches were also made, with Cesar Tovar coming in to play left, Frank Quilici going to third, and Killebrew moving to first, in the ninth inning.
Carew raised his average to .391, Boswell lowered his ERA to 2.93.
Boswell bounced back well after his previous start, in which he had allowed five runs (four earned) in just 3.1 innings.
Steve Hargan had a few years when he was very good, and a few more when he was fairly decent, but this was not one of them. At the close of this game, his ERA was 8.20. He would end the season at 5-14, 5.70 with a WHIP of 1.57. Walks were a major reason for the swings in his career. He had five seasons in which his walks per nine innings were under three and one in which it was just slightly over, and those were his five good years. He had five years in which his walks per nine innings were over four, and those were his bad years. His good seasons were 1966-1967, 1970, and 1974-1976. A hard thrower, it appears that he had arm problems which hampered his control. His mid-70s resurgence appears to have come from a conversion from a flamethrower to a junkballer. We use that term with no disrespect--any legal way you can get major league batters out is a good way. For his career, he was 87-107, 3.92, 1.35 WHIP.
Record: The Twins were 31-26, tied for first place with Oakland in the American League West. They were actually slightly behind based on winning percentage, .545 to .544.