MINNESOTA 7, NEW YORK 2 IN NEW YORK

Date:  Wednesday, April 21.

Batting stars:  Rich Rollins was 2-for-5 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in three.  Jimmie Hall was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Camilo Pascual pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts.  Jerry Fosnow pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and four walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Mickey Mantle was 1-for-3 with a home run (his third) and a walk.  Bobby Richardson was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Tom Tresh was 2-for-5 with a run.

The game:  The Yankees struck first, getting a two-run homer from Mantle in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.  The Twins came back in the third, as Rollins had an RBI single followed by Oliva's two-run homer to put Minnesota up 3-2.  The first two Twins of the fifth went out, but Zoilo Versalles drew a walk followed by a Rollins two-run homer to make it 5-2.  Hall followed Harmon Killebrew's walk with another two-run homer in the eighth to build the lead to 7-2.  The Yankees put men on first and third in the fifth, first and second in the eighth, and loaded the bases in the ninth, but were turned aside each time.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, scoring once.  Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Record:  The win made the Twins 4-1, tied for first with Detroit, though ahead based on winning percentage.

MINNESOTA 6, CLEVELAND 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, April 18.

Batting stars:  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk, scoring twice.  Jerry Kindall was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Bob Allison was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI.

Pitching star:  Dave Boswell struck out three in 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up three hits and a walk.  Al Worthington pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Leon Wagner was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Chuck Hinton was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Rocky Colavito was 1-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

The game:  With two out and none on in the third, the Indians put together three singles and a double off Mudcat Grant to take a 3-0 lead.  In the third, Kindall hit a solo homer and another run scored on Rich Rollins' single-plus-error to cut the lead to 3-2.  The Twins took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on Hall's two-run homer.  They added two more in the eighth when Allison singled in a run and then, with men on first and third Allison and Hall pulled off a double steal of second and home.  The Indians threatened in the fourth, putting two men on with none out, and again in the ninth when they had two on with one out, but never scored again.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run.  Rollins was 1-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a run.  Grant pitched three innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and one walk with two strikeouts.  Five of the Twins eight position players, Versalles, Rollins, Oliva, Earl Battey, and Kindall, were all hitting below .200 at this point in the season.

Record:  The win made the Twins 3-1, tied for second with Boston, a half game behind Detroit.

MINNESOTA 3, CLEVELAND 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, April 17.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched a complete game shutout, giving up seven hits and one walk with no strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Sonny Siebert struck out three in three shutout innings of relief, allowing two hits.  Joe Azcue was 2-for-3.  Max Alvis was 2-for-4.

The game:  In the first inning, Versalles doubled, Harmon Killebrew had a two-out RBI single, and Hall followed with a triple to put the Twins up 2-0.  Allison led off the fourth with a home run to make it 3-0.  The Indians only once got a man as far as third base, in the second inning.

Of note:  Rich Rollins was 0-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Kaat was 1-for-3.

Record:  The win made the Twins 2-1, tied for second with Boston, a half game behind Detroit.

DETROIT 6, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  April 15.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two RBIs.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Norm Cash was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer.  Al Kaline was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk, and a stolen base.  Dave Wickersham pitched a complete game, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

The game:  Allison had a two-run single in a four-run third that put the Twins ahead 4-1.  In the fifth, Cash hit a three-run homer off Camilo Pascual to tie it up.  In the seventh, Kaline hit a two-run homer off Jerry Fosnow to give the Tigers the lead.  The Twins had only two hits after the third inning.  Both came in the ninth, but a double play meant they did not get a man past first.

Of note:  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-4 with a run.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4.  Earl Battey was 1-for-2 with an RBI.  Camilo Pascual pitched five innings, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Record:  The loss put the Twins at 1-1, tied for third, a game and a half behind Detroit.

MINNESOTA 5, NEW YORK 4 IN MINNESOTA (11 INNINGS)

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