We close out our look at the 2002 Twins by looking at their team leaders in a variety of categories.

BATTERS

AVERAGE

A. J. Pierzynski, .300
Jacque Jones, .300
Bobby Kielty, .291

OBP

Kielty, .405
Corey Koskie, .368
Doug Mientkiewicz, .365

SLUGGING

Torii Hunter, .524
Jones, .511
David Ortiz, .500

OPS

Kielty, .890
Hunter, .859
Jones, .852

OPS+

Kielty, 136
Hunter, 124
Jones, 123

GAMES

Jones, 149
Hunter, 148
Cristian Guzman, 148

PLATE APPEARANCES

Guzman, 656
Jones, 626
Hunter, 604

AT-BATS

Guzman, 623
Jones, 577
Hunter, 561

RUNS

Jones, 96
Hunter, 89
Guzman, 80

HITS

Jones, 173
Guzman, 170
Hunter, 162

DOUBLES

Jones, 37
Hunter, 37
Koskie, 37

TRIPLES

Guzman, 6
Pierzynski, 6
Hunter, 4
Rivas, 4

HOME RUNS

Hunter, 29
Jones, 27
Ortiz, 20

RBI

Hunter, 94
Jones, 85
Ortiz, 75

STOLEN BASES

Hunter, 23
Guzman, 12
Koskie 10

CAUGHT STEALING

Guzman, 13
Koskie, 11
Hunter, 8

WALKS

Mientkiewicz, 74
Koskie, 72
Kielty, 52

STRIKEOUTS

Jones, 129
Koskie, 127
Hunter, 118

TOTAL BASES

Jones, 295
Hunter, 294
Guzman, 240

GDP

Hunter, 17
Koskie, 14
Pierzynski, 14

HBP

Pierzynski, 11
Koskie, 9
Mientkiewicz, 6

SACRIFICE HITS

Luis Rivas, 8
Guzman, 8
Jones, 4
Denny Hocking, 4

SACRIFICE FLIES

Ortiz, 8
Mientkiewicz, 7
Guzman, 6
Jones, 6

INTENTIONAL WALKS

Mientkiewicz, 8
Koskie, 4
Kielty, 4

PITCHING

WINS

Rick Reed, 15
Kyle Lohse, 13
Eric Milton, 13

LOSSES

Milton, 9
Lohse, 8
Joe Mays, 8

WINNING PERCENTAGE

LaTroy Hawkins, 1.000 (6-0)
J. C. Romero, .818 (9-2)
Tony Fiore, .769 (10-3)

ERA

Romero, 1.89
Hawkins, 2.13
Eddie Guardado, 2.93

STARTERS ERA

Johan Santana, 2.99
Reed, 3.78
Lohse, 4.23

ERA+

Romero, 237
Hawkins, 211
Guardado, 153

STARTERS ERA+

Santana, 150
Reed, 118
Lohse, 106

FIP

Santana, 2.66
Hawkins, 2.76
Romero, 3.05

GAMES

Romero, 81
Guardado, 68
Hawkins, 65

STARTS

Reed, 32
Lohse, 31
Milton, 29

GAMES FINISHED

Guardado, 62
Mike Jackson, 17
Bob Wells, 16

COMPLETE GAMES

Reed, 2
Milton, 2
Brad Radke, 2

SHUTOUTS

5 tied with 1

SAVES

Guardado, 45
Romero, 1
Santana, 1

INNINGS

Reed, 188
Lohse, 180.2
Milton, 171

HITS ALLOWED

Reed, 192
Lohse, 181
Milton, 173

RUNS ALLOWED

Milton, 96
Lohse, 92
Reed, 89

EARNED RUNS ALLOWED

Milton, 92
Lohse, 85
Reed, 79

HOME RUNS ALLOWED

Reed, 32
Lohse, 26
Milton, 24

WALKS ALLOWED

Lohse, 70
Santana, 49
Fiore, 43

STRIKEOUTS

Santana, 137
Lohse, 124
Milton, 121
Reed, 121

HIT BATSMEN

Lohse, 9
Radke, 7
Reed, 6

WILD PITCHES

Santana, 15
Romero, 9
Lohse, 8

WHIP

Hawkins, 0.97
Guardado, 1.05
Reed, 1.16

HITS/9

Romero, 6.9
Santana, 7.0
Guardado, 7.0

HOMERS/9

Romero, 0.3
Hawkins, 0.6
Santana, 0.6

WALKS/9

Reed, 1.2
Radke, 1.5
Milton, 1.6

STRIKEOUTS/9

Santana, 11.4
Guardado, 9.3
Romero, 8.4

STRIKEOUT/WALK RATIO

Reed, 4.65
Hawkins, 4.20
Milton, 4.03

As we wrap up our look at the Twins 2002 season, we look at Twins who placed among the top ten in the American League in various statistical categories.

WAR--position players

First--Alex Rodriguez, Tex, 8.8
Eighth--Jacque Jones, Min, 5.4

Defensive WAR

First--Darin Erstad, Ana, 4.2
Ninth--Corey Koskie, Min, 1.3

Triples

First--Johnny Damon, Bos, 11
Sixth--Cristian Guzman, Min, 6
Sixth--A. J. Pierzynski, Min, 6

Batter Strikeouts

First--Mike Cameron, Sea, 176
Ninth--Jacque Jones, Min, 129
Tenth--Corey Koskie, Min, 127

Stolen Bases

First--Alfonso Soriano, NY, 41
Ninth--Torii Hunter, Min, 23

Singles

First--Ichiro Suzuki, Sea, 165
Seventh--Christian Guzman, Min, 124

Extra Base Hits

First--Alfonso Soirano, NY, 92
Tenth--Torii Hunter, Min, 70

Hit By Pitch

First--David Eckstein, Ana, 27
Ninth--A. J. Pierzynski, Min, 11

Sacrifice Hits

First--David Eckstein, Ana, 14
Sixth--Cristian Guzman, Min, 8
Sixth--Luis Rivas, Min, 8

Sacrifice Flies

First--John Olerud, Sea, 12
Ninth--David Ortiz, Min, 8

GIDP

First--Jorge Posada, NY, 23
Eighth--Torii Hunter, Min, 17

Caught Stealing

First--Ichiro Suzuki, Sea, 15
Second--Cristian Guzman,  Min, 13
Fifth--Corey Koskie, Min 11

Power/Speed Number

First--Alfonso Soriano, NY, 40
Fourth--Torii Hunter, Min, 25.7

Outs Made

First--Alfonso Soriano, NY, 516
Second--Cristian Guzman, Min, 492

WHIP

First--Pedro Martinez, Bos, 0.92
Eighth--Rick Reed, Min, 1.16

Walks per nine innings

First--Rick Reed, Min, 1.25
Third--Eric Milton, Min, 1.58

Pitcher Games

First--Billy Koch, Oak, 84
Second--J. C. Romero, Min, 81
Tenth--Eddie Guardado, Min, 68

Saves

First--Eddie Guardado, Min, 45

Shutouts

First--Jeff Weaver, Det/NY, 3
Ninth--Joe Mays, Min, 1
Ninth--Brad Radke, Min, 1
Ninth--Kyle Lohse, Min, 1
Ninth--Rick Reed, Min, 1
Ninth--Eric Milton, Min, 1

Home runs allowed

First--Ramon Oritz, Ana, 40
Fourth--Rick Reed, Min, 32

Walks allowed

First--Tanyon Sturtze, TB, 89
Eighth--Kyle Lohse, Min, 70

K/W Ratio

First--Pedro Martinez, Bos, 5.98
Second--Rick Reed, Min, 4.65
Third--Eric Milton, Min, 4.03

Wild Pitches

First--Johan Santana, Min, 16
Ninth--J. C. Romero, Min, 9

Games Finished

First--Billy Koch, Oak, 79
Third--Eddie Guardado, Min, 62

WPA (pitchers)

First--Billy Koch, Oak, 4.6
Second--J. C. Romero, Min, 4.4

ANAHEIM 13, MINNESOTA 5 IN ANAHEIM

Date:  Sunday, October 13.

Batting stars:  A. J. Pierzynski was 3-for-3.  Dustan Mohr was 2-for-4 with a double.  Corey Koskie was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Kyle Lohse pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Adam Kennedy was 4-for-4 with three home runs and five RBIs.  Scott Spiezio was 3-for-4 with a home run, scoring three times and driving in three.  Tim Salmon was 3-for-4.

The game:  With two out in the first, Koskie walked, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a David Ortiz double.  It went to 2-0 in the second when Mohr doubled and Pierzynski singled.  Kennedy led off the third with a home run to cut the lead to 2-1.  Spiezio led off the fifth with a homer and Kennedy hit a one-out home run to put the Angels in front 3-2.  With one out in the seventh, consecutive singles by Doug Mientkiewicz, Mohr, and Pierzynski loaded the bases.  Bobby Kielty walked to tie it up, a wild pitch put the Twins ahead 4-3, and Jacque Jones delivered a sacrifice fly to give the Twins a 5-3 advantage.

Then came That Inning.  You are totally excused if you want to skip this paragraph.  Johan Santana, who had come in with one out in the sixth, started the inning.  He gave up singles to Spiezio and Bengie Molina, and then Kennedy hit a three-run homer to give the Angels a 6-5 lead.  LaTroy Hawkins came in and gave up consecutive singles to David Eckstein, Darin Erstad, and Tim Salmon, loading the bases.  J. C. Romero came in and walked Garret Anderson, making the score 7-5.  Troy Glaus struck out for the first out, but Shawn Wooten singled to make it 8-5, a wild pitch brought home a run, and Spiezio had a two-run single to increase the lead to 11-5.  Bob Wells came in and gave up singles to Chone Figgins and Kennedy, loading the bases again.  Eckstein was hit by a pitch and Erstad had an RBI ground out, making it 13-5.  Alex Ochoa then struck out to finally end the inning.  It was all over but the crying at that point.

WP:  Francisco Rodriguez.  LP:  Santana.  S:  None.

Notes:  Mohr was again in right field.

The Twins made a couple of defensive substitutions in the eighth.  Tom Prince came in to catch, replacing Pierzynski.  Michael Cuddyer came in to play right field, replacing Torii Hunter,  with Mohr moving to center.  Not that it was likely to matter, but it seems strange to run up the white flag in an elimination game, even when you're way behind.

Ron Gardenhire again used four relief pitchers in an inning.  This time, though, he was just desperately looking for someone who could get an out.  My recollection (and recollection can be faulty) is that a lot of the balls in That Inning weren't hit all that hard.  Everything just found a hole.  Maybe today, with all the defensive shifts, it would've worked out differently.  Who knows?  But at the time, there just was nothing anyone could do.

Record:  Anaheim won the best-of-seven series four games to one.

ANAHEIM 7, MINNESOTA 1 IN ANAHEIM

Date:  October 12, 2002.

Batting stars:  David Ortiz was 2-for-4.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 1-for-3 with a double.  Corey Koskie was 1-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Brad Radke pitched 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  John Lackey struck out seven in seven shutout innings, giving up three hits and no walks.  Bengie Molina was 2-for-3 with a triple and a hit-by-pitch.  Darin Erstad was 2-for-4 with a stolen base.

The game:  Neither team even got a man to second base until the sixth, when Molina singled and was sacrificed to second.  The Angels broke through in the seventh.  Erstad led off with a single and went to third on a single-plus-error.  Tim Salmon walked, Troy Glaus delivered an RBI single, and Scott Spiezio had a run-scoring double to put Anaheim ahead 2-0.  In the eighth, the Angels had a man on third with two out.  Garret Anderson singled, Glaus singled, Brad Fullmer doubled, Spiezio was intentional walked, and Molina tripled to left to give Anaheim a 7-0 advantage.  The Twins avoided the shutout when Koskie had a two-out double in the ninth and scored on an Ortiz single.

WP:  Lackey.  LP:  Brad Radke.  S:  None.

Notes:  Dustan Mohr was again in right field.  He was 1-for-3.

This was John Lackey's rookie year.  He came up in late June of 2002 and made eighteen starts, going 9-4, 3.66.  He tied Bobby Kielty four fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting that year.  He has, of course, gone on to a long and successful career in the major leagues.

The Twins used five pitchers in the eighth inning.  Ron Gardenhire, in the last couple of games, used his bullpen entirely differently than he had all season.  During the season, he very rarely tried to play matchups and very rarely used relievers for less than an inning unless they were getting hit hard, instead trusting his relievers to get their job done.  That's not what he did that in game three or in the eighth inning of game four.  Johan Santana started the inning, retiring David Eckstein on a popup and giving up a bloop single to Darin Erstad.  He then picked Erstad off base, but the Twins messed it up and Erstad stole second.  LaTroy Hawkins then came in to face Alex Ochoa and got him to ground out.  J. C. Romero came in to face Anderson and gave up an RBI single.  Mike Jackson came in and gave up the single to Glaus, the double to Fullmer, the Spiezio intentional walk, and the Molina triple.  Finally, Bob Wells came in to strike out Adam Kennedy and end the inning.  My point is not that Gardy was wrong--the fact that it didn't work is not proof that it was a bad decision at the time.  My point is simply that this was something Gardy didn't do all season, and then he suddenly decided to do it in the ALCS.

Record:  Anaheim took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

ANAHEIM 2, MINNESOTA 1 IN ANAHEIM

Date:  Friday, October 11.

Batting star:  Dustan Mohr was 2-for-4 with a stolen base.

Pitching star:  Eric Milton pitched six innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Jarrod Washburn struck out seven in seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks.  Garret Anderson was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double.  Troy Glaus was 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk.

The game:  The Twins had men on first and third with none out in the first inning, but Torii Hunter flied out to end the inning.  It cost them, as Anderson homered leading off the second to put the Angels ahead 1-0.  The Twins put men on first and second with one out in the third, but Corey Koskie fanned and Matthew LeCroy flied out to end the inning.  There were no more real threats until the seventh.  Mohr led off the inning with a single and scored from first on a Jacque Jones double to tie it 1-1.  Anaheim had men on second and third with one out in the seventh, but the Twins used four pitchers in the inning--LaTroy Hawkins, Johan Santana, Mike Jackson, and J. C. Romero--and got out of the inning with the game still tied.  in the bottom of the eighth, however, Glaus led off with a home run to give the Angels a 2-1 lead.  The Twins did not get a man on base after the seventh inning.

WP:  Francisco Rodriguez.  LP:  Romero.  S:  Troy Percival.

Notes:  LeCroy was the DH rather than David Ortiz.  He was 1-for-3.

This was the first game of the post-season in which Michael Cuddyer did not play.  Mohr was the right fielder in his stead.

Jarrod Washburn was pretty average for his career, but he had an excellent season in 2002.  He was 18-6, 3.15, 1.18 WHIP.  He was fourth in Cy Young voting.  For his career he was 107-109, 4.10, but in 2002, he was really good.

Record:  Anaheim took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

ANAHEIM 6, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, October 9.

Batting stars:  Doug Mientkiewicz was 3-for-4.  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-4 with a double.  Corey Koskie was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Johan Santana struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and no walks.  Mike Jackson struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Brad Fullmer was 2-for-3 with a home run and a double.  Darin Erstad was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Troy Glaus was 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk.

The game:  Erstad hit a home run in the first inning to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.  Anaheim opened the second with a Glaus single, a Fullmer double, and a Scott Speizio double to make it 2-0 with men on second and third.  Starter Rick Reed retired the next two batters, leaving men on first and third, and it appeared the Twins might get out of the inning.  But then Spiezio and Adam Kennedy pulled off a double steal of second and home and David Eckstein followed with a single to make the score 4-0.  It stayed 4-0 until the sixth, when Fullmer hit a two-run homer to increase the lead to 6-0.  The Twins got back into the game in the bottom of the sixth.  Guzman led off with a double and scored on Koskie's single.  With one out, Torii Hunter doubled and Mientkiewicz followed with a two-run single to cut the lead to 6-3.  That was as good as it got, however.  The Twins put two on with two out in the eighth, bringing the tying run to the plate, but pinch-hitter Bobby Kielty was caught looking to end the threat.  The Twins went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Ramon Ortiz.  LP:  Reed.  S:  Troy Percival.

Notes:  Michael Cuddyer again was the right fielder, going 1-for-3.

Reed lasted 5.1 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and no walks, striking out none.

Ortiz also lasted 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on ten hits and one walk and striking out three.

The Twins were 2-for-3 with men in scoring position, which of course is good news and bad news.  It's a good batting average, but you're not going to win many games if you only have three at-bats with men in scoring position.

Record:  The best-of-seven series was tied one apiece.

MINNESOTA 2, ANAHEIM 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, October 8.

Batting stars:  Corey Koskie was 2-for-4 with a double.  Luis Rivas was 1-for-2 with a walk.  Torii Hunter was 1-for-3 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Joe Mays pitched eight innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and no walks and striking out three.  Eddie Guardado struck out two in a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Kevin Appier pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks and striking out two.  Adam Kennedy was 1-for-3.  Brad Fullmer was 1-for-3.

The game:  Hunter led off the second with a double and got to third with none out on a wild pitch.  With one out, A. J. PIerzynski delivered a sacrifice fly to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The Angels put together a rally in the third, getting two-out singles from Kennedy and David Eckstein, and Cristian Guzman booted a Darin Erstad ground ball to tie the score.  A single and a walk put men on first and second with one out for the Twins in the fourth, but they could not score.  In the fifth, Rivas walked, Guzman singled, and Koskie doubled to right to give the Twins a 2-1 advantage.  Mays took it from there, as he retired the last thirteen men he faced.  Guardado came on to pitch the ninth.  He gave up a one-out walk to Tim Salmon, but he never advanced past first as the Twins took the victory.

WP:  Mays.  LP:  Appier.  S:  Guardado.

Notes:  Michael Cuddyer remained the right fielder, going 0-for-2 with a walk.

I'd forgotten how many gritty, grindy guys the Angels had on that team.  David Eckstein.  Darin Erstad.  Adam Kennedy.  Chone Figgins probably fits that category, too.  Ben Weber and Al Levine are probably in there as well, among others.

in the notes to game two of the ALDS I explained the reasons why making Joe Mays the Twins' number two starter for the playoffs seemed like a really strange decision.  That explanation was very well reasoned and insightful, and the fact that Mays had a tremendous game here should not be taken as a refutation of that explanation.  Seriously, Mays pitched really well in this one.  I still don't know that it was the logical thing to do, but it worked, so there's not much you can do but give Gardy credit for it.

Record:  The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

MINNESOTA 5, OAKLAND 4 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Sunday, October 6.

Batting stars:  Cristian Guzman was 3-for-5 with two doubles and a stolen base.  Michael Cuddyer was 2-for-2 with a walk.  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-3.

Pitching stars:  Brad Radke pitched 6.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks and striking out four.  J. C. Romero pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Ray Durham was 3-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base.  Mark Mulder struck out nine in seven innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and a walk.  Mark Ellis was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer.

The game:  The Twins got on the board in the second, but missed a chance for more.  LeCroy opened the inning with a single and Torii Hunter doubled, putting men on second and third with none out.  Doug Mientkiewicz lined to short, Cuddyer was intentionally walked, and A. J. PIerzynski popped up.  Denny Hocking singled in one run, but Jacque Jones fanned, leaving the Twins up by just 1-0.  They got another run in the third, as Guzman doubled and scored on a LeCroy single to make it 2-0.  The Athletics scored in the bottom of the third on a Durham homer, making it 2-1.  The Twins had men on second and third with one out in the fourth but did not score.  It stayed 2-1 all the way until the ninth inning.  Dustan Mohr led off the inning with a walk and Pierzynski homered to give the Twins a 4-1 lead.  With two out, Guzman got an infield single, stole second, and scored on David Ortiz' double to push the lead to 5-1.  The Twins needed every run.  Eddie Guardado came in to pitch the ninth.  Eric Chavez led off with a single.  Jermaine Dye popped up, but David Justice doubled and Ellis hit a three-run homer to cut the margin to just 5-4.  Terrence Long flied out, but Randy Velarde singled, bringing up the go-ahead run in Durham.  Durham fouled out to the second baseman to win the game for the Twins.

WP:  Radke.  LP:  Mulder.  S:  None.

Notes:  LeCroy started the game at DH.  Ortiz batted for him in the fourth inning.  The two combined to go 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

Cuddyer again was in right field.  Mohr came in for defense in the eighth and, of course, got a key walk in the ninth.

Hocking started at second base in place of Luis Rivas.  He went 2-for-4 with a double.  He also caught Durham's foul popup for the last out of the game.  As you probably remember, he got his finger spiked in the celebratory dogpile after the game and missed the League Championship Series.

On a personal note, I was listening to the end of this game on the radio.  I was on my way to Rapid City, where the next day I would be arguing in front of the state Supreme Court for the first time.  As the bottom of the ninth wore on, and the Athletics came back to within one run and then brought the go-ahead run to the plate, I was prepared for the worst.  John Gordon was on the call.  Durham swung, and Gordo said, "There's a HIIIIIGH..." and I thought, "Oh, no, we've lost."  Then Gordo continued, "...pop up!"  And of course, Hocking caught the ball and the rest is history.

Record:  The Twins won the best-of-five series, three games to two.  They would next face the Anaheim Angels, who defeated the Yankees three games to one.

MINNESOTA 11, OAKLAND 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, September 5.

Batting stars:  Doug Mientkiewicz was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.  David Ortiz was 2-for-3 with a double.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Eric Milton pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk and striking out three.  Kyle Lohse struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Jermaine Dye was 3-for-3 with a double.  Miguel Tejada was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Scott Hatteberg was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

The game:  Tejada hit a two-run homer in the third to open the scoring.  The Twins came back in the bottom of the third.  A. J. Pierzynski led off with a single and Jacque Jones hit a one-out double.  Cristian Guzman grounded out to bring home the first run and Ortiz doubled to tie it 2-2.  The Twins then took control in the fourth with some help from the Athletics.  With men on first and second with one out, Luis Rivas reached on an error to give the Twins a 3-2 lead.  A wild pitch made it 4-2.  A hit batsman and another error increased the lead to 5-2 and Corey Koskie's RBI single made it 6-2.  Another run-scoring wild pitch made the score 7-2, and RBI double by Hunter made it 8-2, and a Mientkiewicz single made the score 9-2 through four innings.  Oakland put two on with one out in the sixth but did not score.  Mientkiewicz hit a two-run homer in the seventh to round out the scoring.  The Athletics had only one hit after the sixth inning.

WP:  Milton.  LP:  Tim Hudson.  S:  None.

Notes:  Cuddyer was again the right fielder, going 0-for-3.

Milton gave the Twins their first well-pitched game of the post-season.

Five of the Twins runs were unearned.

Hudson lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing seven runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks and striking out four.  He threw ninety pitches.

Record:  The best-of-five series was tied 2-2.

OAKLAND 6, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, October 4.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4 with a double.  A. J. Pierzynski was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  LaTroy Hawkins struck out two in a perfect inning.  J. C. Romero pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Scott Hatteberg was 2-for-2 with a home run and a walk.  Terrence Long was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.  Ray Durham was 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk.

The game:  The Athletics opened the game with back-to-back home runs, with Durham's being of the inside-the-park variety, to take a 2-0 lead.  The Twins loaded the bases in the second on an error and two walks but did not score.  Long homered in the fourth to put Oakland up 3-0.  Pierzynski put the Twins on the board with an RBI single in the fourth. The Twins tied it in the fifth as Jones walked, Corey Koskie tripled, and Hunter singled.  The Athletics got another home run leading off the sixth, as Jermaine Dye went deep.  In the seventh, Durham walked and scored from first on a Randy Velarde double.  He scored on a sacrifice fly to put Oakland ahead 6-3.  The Twins did not get the tying run up to bat after that.

WP:  Barry Zito.  LP:  Reed.  S:  Billy Koch.

Notes:  Cuddyer was again the right fielder, going 1-for-4.

Rick Reed started and struck out eight in five innings, but gave up four runs (all on solo homers), six hits and two walks.

The Twins stranded nine runners and were 3-for-11 with men in scoring position.  Oakland stranded seven and went just 0-for-2 with men in scoring position.

Record:  Oakland took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.