DETROIT 5, MINNESOTA 2 IN DETROIT
Date: Wednesday, May 6.
Batting stars: Leo Cardenas was 2-for-2 with two walks. Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his seventh.
Pitching stars: None.
Opposition stars: Al Kaline was 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs. Jim Northrup was 2-for-3 with a walk. Ken Szotkiewicz was 1-for-4 with a home run. Les Cain pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits and six walks and striking out two.
The game: The Tigers took the lead in the first inning. Dick McAuliffe led off the inning with a single. With one out, Kaline walked and Norm Cash delivered an RBI single. With two out, Northrup and Bill Freehan each singled in a run, making it 3-0 Detroit.
The Twins put two men on with one out in the second, the third, and the fifth but each time a double play took them out of the inning. They also hit into a double play in the fourth and the sixth, making five consecutive innings in which they hit into a double play. I don't know the record for the most consecutive innings hitting into a double play, but five can't be too far off of it.
It stayed 3-0 until the sixth, when Szotkiewicz homered to make it 4-0. In the seventh Kaline walked and scored on Willie Horton's double to make it 5-0.
The Twins finally got on the board in the eighth. Cardenas walked and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer. But the Twins did not get a man on base after that.
WP: Cain (1-1).
LP: Dave Boswell (0-4).
S: None.
Notes: Bob Allison was again at first base in place of Rich Reese. Frank Quilici remained at second in the absence of Rod Carew.
Rick Renick pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh and Minnie Mendoza pinch-hit for Boswell in the seventh. Mendoza remained in the game at second base as part of a double switch. Carew pinch-hit for Steve Barber in the ninth.
Carew was 0-for-1 and was batting .349. Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .347. Brant Alyea was 1-for-3 and was batting .329. Killebrew was batting .316. Cesar Tovar was 0-for-4 and was batting .302.
Mendoza was 0-for-1 and was batting .091. Allison was 0-for-4 and was batting .100. Quilici was 0-for-1 and was batting .179. Boswell gave up four runs in six innings and had an ERA of 6.48.
This was one of three career home runs for Szotkiewicz. It gave him three RBIs for the series. As you may recall, he had nine for his career, which means he had one-third of his career RBIs in two games against the Twins.
Les Cain was a rotation starter from 1970-1971. This was the better year--12-7, 3.84. In both seasons he had a WHIP of 1.47, mainly because he walked 5.4 batters per nine innings. He walked six in this game. He also got five double plays in this game, which makes me think he might have induced a lot of ground balls. That would be explain why he was able to stay in the rotation for two years despite the walks.
Record: The Twins were 15-8, in first place in the American League West, a half game ahead of California.