KANSAS CITY 7, MINNESOTA 4 IN KANSAS CITY
Date: Saturday, June 28.
Batting stars: Leo Cardenas was 2-for-2 with two doubles and a walk, driving in two. George Mitterwald was 2-for-3. Bob Allison was 1-for-1 with two walks.
Pitching stars: None.
Opposition stars: Mike Fiore was 2-for-2 with two walks. Lou Piniella was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. Jackie Hernandez was 2-for-4. Galen Cisco struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks.
The game: The Twins put men on second and third with one out in the second but came up empty. The Royals opened the scoring in the third. Hernandez singled and Joe Foy walked, putting men on first and second with two out. Fiore then singled home the game's first run. Bob Oliver delivered another single, but Foy was thrown out trying to score from second, so the score remained 1-0. Buck Martinez homered leading off the fourth, making it 2-0.
The Twins had a big inning in the sixth. With one out, Harmon Killebrew singled, Allison walked, and Mitterwald singled, loading the bases. Cardenas tied the score with a two-run double and then, with two out, Rick Renick came through with a two-run single to put the Twins ahead 4-2.
The lead didn't last long. With two out and a man on third in the bottom of the sixth, Piniella had an RBI double and later came around to score on an error, tying it 4-4.
The Twins had chances to get back into the lead. Cesar Tovar led off the seventh with a double, but it led nowhere. They had men on first and third with one out in the eighth, but again the threat died. It cost them, because in the bottom of the eighth, the Royals scored three times and took control of the game. Oliver led off with a walk and stole second. With one out, Martinez was intentionally walked. It didn't work, as Kansas City then got three consecutive singles. Piniella singled to load the bases, Hawk Taylor had a two-run single, and Hernandez had an RBI single. The Twins went down in order in the ninth.
WP: Cisco (1-0). LP: Dave Boswell (9-8). S: Moe Drabowsky (7).
Notes: It was kind of a B lineup for the Twins. Tovar was in center field, replacing Ted Uhlaender. Allison was in left, which is not exactly unusual but he did only start fifty-two games in 1969. Mitterwald was the catcher in place of Johnny Roseboro. Frank Quilici was at second base, although Rod Carew pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. Rick Renick was at third, with Killebrew on first and Rich Reese on the bench. although Reese was used as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.
Tony Oliva was 1-for-5 with a double and was batting .304. Carew singled in his pinch-hitting appearance and was batting .382.
Boswell pitched 7.2 innings, but allowed all seven runs (six earned) on eleven hits and five walks, striking out six. He had gotten into the eighth inning in each of his last four starts and five of his last six.
Future Twin Bill Butler started for Kansas City. He struck out seven in six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks.
The Twins were 2-4 against the expansion Royals so far and had lost all four games played in Kansas City.
Record: The Twins were 39-32, in second place in the American League West, a half game behind Oakland.