MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3 IN TEXAS

Date:  Monday, September 28.

Batting stars:  Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and four RBIs.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, scoring twice.  Tom Brunansky was 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Joe Niekro pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Juan Berenguer retired all five men he faced.  Jeff Reardon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Tom O'Malley was 3-for-3 with a double.  Scott Fletcher was 2-for-4 with a run.  Jose Guzman struck out nine in 7.2 innings but allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks.

The game:  This was the clincher, but it wasn't easy.  After retiring the first Texas batter, Niekro gave up a pair of singles, a wild pitch, a walk, another wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, and a single to give Texas a 3-0 lead.  He got it going after that, though, as those were the only runs Niekro would give up this night.  In the fourth, Lombardozzi hit a three-run homer to tie the game.  Both teams had threats, but there was no more scoring until the eighth.  Two singles and a walk resulted in the bases being loaded with one out.  Lombardozzi came through again, lining a single to right to bring home the go-ahead run.  Mitch Williams then balked to make it 5-3.  The Rangers got one more base runner, on a one-out single in the ninth by Oddibe McDowell, but Geno Petralli lined into a double play to end the game.  There was much rejoicing in Jeff A's apartment on Poplar Avenue in Pierre, SD, and presumably there was much rejoicing in the homes of others reading this as well.  The Twins had won the division for the first time since 1970.

Notes:  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-5, making his average .329...The save was Reardon's thirty-first...The four RBIs were the most Lombardozzi had in a game all season.  He did not get his fourth RBI of the year until May 1.  The only other time in his career he had four RBIs in a game was August 5, 1988...Dan Gladden had two assists in this game, and they came on consecutive plays.  Petralli singled to short left and Gladden threw him out trying to stretch it into a double.  O'Malley followed with a single to left-center and Gladden threw hit out trying to stretch it into a double, too.  The next batter, Jerry Browne, hit a ground ball single to left and was content to stay on first base.

Record:  The Twins were 85-72, in first place by seven games over Kansas City.

MINNESOTA 8, KANSAS CITY 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, September 27.

Batting stars:  Al Newman was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his twenty-eighth.  Gary Gaetti was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirty-first) and two runs.

Pitching star:  Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game, giving up one run on five hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Opposition stars:  Danny Tartabull was 2-for-4 with a home run, his thirty-second.  Steve Farr struck out five in 4.1 innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits and no walks.

The game:  This is the one that clinched a tie for the division.  My main memory of it is that our local TV station that carried the Twins had technical difficulties for the first half-hour of the game, which means that I basically missed the game being decided, as the Twins ambushed Kansas City starter Charlie Liebrandt in the first inning.

Dan Gladden led off the first with a fly out, but then Newman doubled, Puckett homered, and Gaetti homered to make it 3-0.  Tom Brunansky grounded out, but Don Baylor singled and Kent Hrbek hit a two-run homer.  It was 5-0 after one inning and the Twins were never threatened the rest of the game.  Newman singled home a run in the second to make it 6-0.  In the fourth, Blyleven left a pitch up to Tartabull to put the Royals on the board, but it was the only run they would get.  In fact, they would not get a man past first base after that.  The Twins added two runs in the eighth to put the icing on the cake.

Notes:  Newman was at second base in place of Steve Lombardozzi...With the Royals on the brink of elimination, manager John Wathan was apparently not worried about abusing his relief pitchers.  Farr, who had pitched 4.1 innings Friday, again pitched 4.1 innings just two days later.  John Davis, who had pitched two innings Saturday, pitched 2.1 the next day...Liebrandt lasted only two-thirds of an inning, giving up five runs on five hits with no walks and no strikeouts.  As we all know, Liebrandt, who was a fine pitcher, also lost to the Twins in Game Six of the 1991 World Series, meaning that he was a key figure in both of the Twins World Championship years...I could not quickly find if the Twins have ever hit more than three home runs in the first inning of a game.  It would be cool if someone had the time to look that up.

Record:  The Twins were 84-72, in first place by six games over Kansas City.

KANSAS CITY 7, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, September 26.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-4 with a run.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Pitching star:  Keith Atherton pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Danny Tartabull was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer (his thirty-first) and two runs.  Steve Balboni was 1-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-fifth) and a walk.  Kevin Seitzer was 1-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

The game:  Kirby Puckett had a two-run single in the first inning to put the Twins ahead 2-0.  Balboni homered in the second to make it 2-1.  The Twins threatened in the third and fourth and finally scored again in the fifth on Hrbek's RBI single to give the Twins a 3-1 lead.  In the sixth, Jim Eisenreich's pinch-hit two-run double to tie it 3-3.  The Twins got the lead back in the bottom of the sixth on a Randy Bush single, but the Royals tied it 4-4 in the seventh.  It stayed tied until the ninth.  Jeff Reardon came in to pitch and struck out Willie Wilson, but then Seitzer singled, George Brett doubled, and Tartabull hit a three-run homer to put Kansas City ahead 7-4.  The Twins did not threaten in the bottom of the ninth.

Notes:  Bush was used as the designated hitter in this game...Puckett was 1-for-5 with two RBIs, making his average .329...The expanded rosters were again felt, as the teams combined to use four pinch-hitters (Eisenreich, Jamie Quirk, Thad Bosley, and Roy Smalley) and three pinch-runners (Lonnie Smith, Chris Pittaro, and Billy Beane)...Steve Carlton started and pitched 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts...Bret Saberhagen started for Kansas City and pitched six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and six walks with six strikeouts...The win went to John Davis, who was in his rookie season.  It was also the only good season he had, going 5-2, 2.27, 1.26 WHIP in 27 appearances (43.2 innings).  He was traded to the White Sox after the season in a deal that brought Floyd Bannister to Kansas City.  He flopped with the White Sox, going 2-6, 6.46, 1.92 WHIP in 38 appearances (69.2 innings).  Unsurprisingly, he spent part of those seasons in the minors as well.  He was released at the end of spring training of 1990, signed with Milwaukee, was released again, and signed with San Diego.  He made six appearances with the Padres, became a free agent, made five AAA appearances with Atlanta in 1991, and then his playing career was almost over.  I say almost because he tried to make a comeback in 1995, making four AAA appearances with the White Sox.  After that, his playing career was really over.  At last report, he was living in Colorado Springs and owned a franchise of American Leak Detection which, as you might guess, finds water leaks in pools, plumbing, sewers, drains, and under slab foundations.

Record:  The Twins were 83-72, in first place by five games over Kansas City.

KANSAS CITY 6, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, September 25.

Batting stars:  Dan Gladden was 2-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base (his twenty-fifth), scoring twice.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Mike Smithson pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Keith Atherton pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  George Brett was 2-for-2 with a home run (his twenty-second), a double, and three walks, driving in three.  Steve Farr struck out four in 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and a walk.  Danny Tartabull was 1-for-4 with a home run (his thirtieth) and a walk.

The game:  RBI singles by Puckett and Brunansky gave the Twins a 2-0 lead in the first inning.  Les Straker did not give up a hit until the Brett's RBI double in the fourth, which cut the lead to 2-1.  The Twins got two in the bottom of the fourth to go up 4-1, but the game turned in the fifth.  Jamie Quirk led off with a home run to make it 4-2.  Bill Pecota singled, stole second, and scored on a Kevin Seitzer single to make it 4-3.  Straker came out, Dan Schatzeder came in, and the first two batters he faced hit home runs.  Brett homered to give the Royals their first lead of the game at 5-4 and Tartabull followed with a home run to give Kansas City a 6-4 advantage.  Farr then came in and shut down the Twins offense.  They did load the bases on a walk and two errors, but Brunanasky flied out to end the inning.  The Twins did not get a man past first base after that.

Notes:  Puckett raised his average to .331...Gene Larkin was at first base, with Kent Hrbek out of the lineup.  Hrbek came in as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and struck out...Straker pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts...Kansas City starter Danny Jackson pitched four innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks with one strikeout...Steve Farr had other good years, but he was a dominant reliever from 1990-92 (1990 with KC, 1991-92 with the Yankees).  He was not a closer in 1990, but was in 1991-92.  In those three years, he was 20-14, 54 saves, 1.95, 1.11 WHIP and 191 strikeouts in 249 innings (167 games).  His 1993 numbers look terrible--4.21 ERA, 1.53 WHIP--but they are skewed by two really bad appearances at the beginning of the season and two other really bad ones at the end.  Other than that, he had an ERA of 2.42 and a WHIP of 1.23.  The Yankees let him go at the end of the season, though, and he split 1994 between Cleveland and Boston, not pitching well for either team.  After that, his playing career was over.  At last report, Steve Farr owned a trucking company and was living in the Outer Banks area of North Carolina.

Record:  The Twins were 83-71, in first place by six games over both Oakland, who lost to the White Sox 2-1 in ten innings, and Kansas City.

MINNESOTA 4, TEXAS 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, September 23.

Batting stars:  Dan Gladden was 2-for-3 with a home run (his eighth), a triple, and a walk, driving in three.  Don Baylor was 1-for-1 with an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and five walks with five strikeouts.  Juan Berenguer retired all four batters he faced, striking out one.  Jeff Reardon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Oddibe McDowell was 3-for-4 with two home runs, his thirteenth and fourteenth.  Tom O'Malley was 1-for-1 with a double.

The game:  Neither team got a hit through the first two innings.  That ended with the first batter of the third, when Blyleven left a pitch up to McDowell, who put the Rangers ahead 1-0.  There were no more hits in the game until the first batter of the fifth, when Blyleven again left a pitch up to McDowell, who put the Rangers ahead 2-0.  The Twins got their first hit in the fifth, a two-out single by Tom Brunansky, and tied the game in the sixth on Gladden's two-run homer.  Texas had the bases loaded with two out in the seventh, but Berenguer came in and retired Ruben Sierra on a ground out to end the threat.  In the eighth, Roy Smalley delivered a pinch-hit single and scored the go-ahead run on Gladden's triple.  Baylor came through with a two-out single later in the inning to make the score 4-2.  O'Malley hit a two-out double in the ninth to bring the tying run to bat, but Reardon got Jerry Browne on a fly to center to end the game.

Notes:  Kent Hrbek remained out of the lineup, with Randy Bush again playing first base and batting third.  Hrbek did come in to play defense in the ninth after Bush had been removed for a pinch-hitter...Kirby Puckett, batting fourth, was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .329...The scoreless inning dropped Reardon's ERA to 4.36, the lowest it had been since he pitched a scoreless inning in his first appearance of the season.  It would not go lower, and he would end the season with an ERA of 4.48...McDowell hit fourteen homers in 1987.  Six of them came against the Twins...The effects of September roster expansion can be noticed in this game, as the teams combined to use four pinch-hitters and five pinch-runners.

Record:  The Twins were 82-70, in first place by five games over Oakland, which lost to Cleveland 8-6.

MINNESOTA 6, TEXAS 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, September 22.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirty-first) and a double, driving in two.  Gary Gaetti was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his twenty-seventh)  and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Keith Atherton retired all seven batters he faced, striking out one.  Jeff Reardon pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Pete O'Brien was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Oddibe McDowell was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twelfth), a walk, and a stolen base (his twenty-first).  Jeff Russell pitched 4.2 innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

The game:  Most of the scoring came early.  Puckett hit a two-run homer in the first to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  McDowell homered in the second to make it 2-1.  O'Brien hit a two-run double in the third to put the Rangers up 3-2, but in the bottom of the third Greg Gagne homered to tie it and Gaetti hit an RBI single to put the Twins in front 4-3.  Brunansky homered in the fourth to make it 5-3, but Bob Brower created a run in the fifth on a single, a stolen base, and a stolen base-plus-error, cutting the margin to 5-4.  Then the scoring pretty much ran dry.  The Rangers put a man on third with one out in the sixth and one second with one out in the ninth, but could do nothing with them.  The last Twins run came in the eighth on Brunansky's RBI double.

Of note:  Kent Hrbek remained out of the lineup, with Randy Bush again playing first base and batting third with Puckett dropping to fourth...Gene Larkin was the DH in this game and the prior game.  Apparently TK believed that Bush's first base defense was superior to Larkin's.  Or, possibly, he believed that Bush would hit better if he played in the field...Puckett held his average at .332.

Record:  The Twins were 81-70, in first place by four games over Oakland.  Oakland had lost the previous day while the Twins were idle; they won this day, defeating Cleveland 10-2.

MINNESOTA 3, CLEVELAND 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, September 20.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer (his twenty-sixth) and a double, scoring twice.  Gene Larkin was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.  Gary Gaetti was 1-for-2 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Les Straker pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Juan Berenguer struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Jeff Reardon pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Rich Yett pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on eight hits and four walks with one strikeout in eight innings.  Dave Clark was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double.

The game:  Larkin's ground ball single in the second scored Puckett with the first run of the game.  There was no more scoring until the sixth, when Randy Bush drew a one-out walk and Puckett followed with a two-run homer to make it 3-0.  The Twins needed the runs, because Clark hit a two-run homer in the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2.  The Indians got the tying run to second with one out in that inning, but their last nine batters were retired.

Of note:  Kent Hrbek remained out of the lineup, with Bush playing first base and batting third...Puckett, in the cleanup spot, raised his average to .332...This was one of four complete games Yett pitched in his career...It was the fourth home run of Clark's career.  He would hit two more before the season ended and have sixty-two for his career.

Record:  The Twins were 80-70, in first place by 3.5 games over Oakland, which defeated Kansas City 7-6.

MINNESOTA 3, CLEVELAND 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, September 19.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and a double, scoring twice.  Gary Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a home run, his thirtieth.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a stolen base (his twelfth) and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Frank Viola pitched seven innings, giving up an unearned run on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  Jeff Reardon struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Tom Candiotti took a complete game loss, pitching eight innings and giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.  Julio Franco was 3-for-4 with a run.  Brook Jacoby was 2-for-4 with a double.

The game:  Gagne homered in the first inning to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  Gaetti homered in the fourth to make it 2-0.  Joe Carter's RBI single in the sixth cut the lead to 2-1, but Puckett delivered an RBI single of his own in the bottom of the sixth to make it 3-1.  The Indians had only one baserunner after that, on a two-out single in the eighth.

Of note:  Dan Gladden was once again out of the lineup, with Mark Davidson leading off and playing left field...Kent Hrbek remained out of the lineup, with Randy Bush playing first base and batting third...Puckett raised his average to .329...Viola lowered his ERA to 2.99.

Record:  The Twins were 79-70, in first place by 3.5 games over Oakland, who defeated Kansas City 9-5.

MINNESOTA 9, CLEVELAND 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, September 18.

Batting stars:  Randy Bush was 2-for-3 with a home run (his tenth), a stolen base (his eighth) and a walk, driving in five.  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-3 with a home run (his thirtieth), a triple, and a walk.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-fifth) and a walk, driving in two.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven struck out nine in eight innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks.  Jeff Reardon struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Brook Jacoby was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his thirtieth.  Cory Snyder was 1-for-4 with a home run, his thirty-second.  Julio Franco was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, his thirtieth.

The game:  Blyleven left a pitch up to Snyder in the third and he put the Indians up 1-0.  The solo homer didn't hurt the Twins, though, as they bounced back with two in the bottom of the third and took control with a four-run fourth.  Puckett homered in the third and Brunansky and Bush homered in the fourth, with Bush hitting a two-run shot.  Bush hit a two-run single in the sixth to make it 8-1.  Cleveland scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth but never really got back into the game.

Of note:  Bush was again at first base and batting third, with Kent Hrbek remaining out of the lineup...Puckett batted fourth and raised his average to .327...Cleveland's starter was Darrel Akerfelds.  He lasted four innings, allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks with one strikeout.

Record:  The Twins were 78-70, in first place by 3.5 games over Oakland, who defeated Kansas City 4-0.

CHICAGO 13, MINNESOTA 10 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Wednesday, September 16.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 3-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and two doubles, scoring twice and driving in two.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and a double, scoring twice and driving in two.  Chris Pittaro was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Pitching star:  Steve Carlton pitched two shutout innings of relief, giving up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Harold Baines was 3-for-5 with a home run (his nineteenth) and a double, scoring twice and driving in four.  Ozzie Guillen was 3-for-5 with three doubles, scoring twice and driving in three.  Greg Walker was 2-for-5 with a home run (his twenty-fifth) and a double, scoring twice.

The game:  Gladden led off the game with a home run to put the Twins up 1-0.  The White Sox got the run back in the second, but the Twins got single runs in the third and fifth to lead 3-1.  That's when it went bad.  Chicago got three doubles in a five-run fifth to go ahead 6-3 and scored seven times in the sixth, getting a two-run homer from Baines and a solo shot from Walker, to take a 13-3 lead.  To the Twins' credit, they came back and made a game of it.  Gagne homered and Don Baylor doubled in a three-run seventh that made it 13-6.  Gary Gaetti hit a two-run double in a three-run eighth that made it 13-9.  They scored once more in the ninth to cut it to 13-10, but could not get the tying run up to bat before the game ended.

Of note:  Gladden was not only back in the lineup, he was in center field, with Kirby Puckett given the day off.  Puckett was used as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and popped up, making his average .326...Randy Bush batted third and played first base, with Kent Hrbek out of the lineup...Billy Beane was in right field, with Tom Brunansky again shifting to left...Pittaro was at second base, with Steve Lombardozzi out of the lineup...Mike Smithson started for the Twins but pitched only 4.2 innings, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts...Jose DeLeon was the Chicago starter.  He went 6.2 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks with six strikeouts...This was one of two times the Twins used Carlton in relief.  Cleveland had pitched him in relief nine times.  Before the 1987 season, the last time he had been used in relief was 1971.

Record:  The Twins were 77-70, in first place by 3.5 games over both Kansas City and Oakland.  The Royals lost to California 6-4 and the Athletics fell to Texas 4-1.