MINNESOTA 5, OAKLAND 3 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Tuesday, September 22.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer (his twenty-third), a double, a stolen base (his fifth), and three runs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched five innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks and striking out three.  Ron Perranoski pitched 3.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Joe Rudi was 5-for-5 with two doubles.  Bert Campaneris was 2-for-5 with a double, a stolen base (his forty-second), and two runs.  Sal Bando was 0-for-0 with four walks.  Paul Lindblad pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out one.

The game:  Cesar Tovar led off with a walk and Oliva hit a two-run homer to give the Twins a quick 2-0 lead.  The Athletics loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the first but did not score.  Campaneris led off the third with a double and Rudi followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1.  Oakland had men on first ands second with two out, but did not score.

The Twins stretched their lead in the sixth.  Oliva singled, Harmon Killebrew walked, and Reese reached on an error, loading the bases.  Jim Holt then delivered a two-run single, putting the Twins up 4-1.  Oakland got one back in the bottom of the sixth when Bando walked, went to third on Dave Duncan's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Twins got a three-run lead again in the seventh on doubles by Oliva and Reese.  The Athletics tried to come back in the ninth.  Campaneris singled, stole second, and scored on Rudi's single, making it 5-3 and bringing the tying run to the plate with two out.  But Felipe Alou grounded out to end the game.

WP:  Kaat (13-10).

LP:  Chuck Dobson (16-14).

S:  Perranoski (32).

Notes:  Holt was in center field, with Tovar moving to left and Brant Alyea on the bench.  Paul Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.

Carew pinch-hit for Kaat in the sixth.  Tom Tischinski went behind the plate in the seventh in place of Ratliff.  Frank Quilici went to third base in place of Killebrew in the ninth.

Carew was 0-for-1 and was batting .374. Oliva was batting .321.  Tovar was 1-for-4 and was batting .300.  Stan Williams gave up a run in a third of an inning and had an ERA of 2.07.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.30.

Tischinski was 0-for-1 and was batting .196.

This was the first appearance for Carew since he was injured exactly three months earlier.

This was the clincher for the Twins.  They had won back-to-back division championships.  It will be interesting to see what their lineup looks like in the next game.

Record:  The Twins were 93-61, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Oakland.