MINNESOTA 4, CHICAGO 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, May 4.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 3-for-3.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 with a triple.  Graig Nettles hit a pinch-hit home run, his third.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson pitched 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and three walks and striking out none.  Joe Grzenda pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.  Ron Perranoski pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Luis Aparicio was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, a walk, and a stolen base, his sixth.  Bill Melton was 2-for-4 with a double.

The game:  The Twins started the scoring in the second.  Mitterwald doubled with one out but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple, leaving the Twins with two out and none on.  Frank Quilici walked and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches.  Ted Uhlaender walked, and the pair pulled off a double steal of second and home, giving Minnesota a 1-0 lead.  It went to 2-0 in the third when Tovar tripled and scored on a Leo Cardenas sacrifice fly.

The White Sox were putting men on base, but could not do anything with them.  They had a pair of walks in the first, a leadoff double by Aparicio in the fourth, a walk and a single with one out in the fifth, and one-out singles by Melton and Pete Ward in the sixth, all to no avail.  Duane Josephson got a leadoff single in the seventh.  The next two batters went out, but this time Carlos May singled to score Josephson and Aparicio tripled to tie the game.  Charlie Walters came in to replace Woodson but gave up a double to Melton, putting Chicago ahead 3-2.  Grzenda came in to retire the side, but the damage had been done.

The Twins came back in the eighth.  With one out, Nettles pinch-hit for Mitterwald, who had gone 3-for-3, and hit a home run to tie the score 3-3.  A walk, an error, and an intentional walk loaded the bases and Tovar delivered a single to put the Twins ahead 4-3.  Uhlaender was thrown out at the plate, but it did not cost the Twins, as Perranoski came in to retire the White Sox on three ground outs to end the game.

WP:  Grzenda (1-1).  LP:  Bob Locker (1-1).  S:  Perranoski (5).

Notes:  Rod Carew did not start, but came in as a defensive replacement.  He went 0-for-1, making his average .395.  It's kind of an interesting move--Carew came in to play second, Quilici moved from second to third, and Tovar went from third to left to replace Bob Allison.  Billy Martin obviously felt that gave him a better defense.  Whether it actually did seems at least somewhat debatable.

In the eighth, not only did Nettles pinch-hit for Mitterwald, but Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici.  After that, Martin's defensive move was to put Nettles in left field, rather than play Manuel or to leave Tovar there, and to move Tovar back to third base, rather than to play Nettles there.  Nettles obviously did not have the reputation for defense at third that he would later gain, but it again seems debatable whether that was the best defensive move Martin could have made.

Cardenas was 0-for-4 and was batting .326.  Uhlaender was 0-for-2 with two walks and was batting .321.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-2 with two walks and was batting .316.  Oliva was 0-for-4 and was also batting .316.  Grzenda's ERA was 2.93.  Perranoski's ERA was 0.37.

Tommy John started for the White Sox.  He pitched just four innings before being removed for a pinch-hitter with Chicago down 2-0, but with men on first and second with one out.  Pinch-hitter Walt Williams popped up to second.  John gave up two runs on five hits and three walks and struck out three.

Bill Melton looked like he was going to be really good when he was young.  In fact he was really good for a couple of years, but then it fell apart for him.  He was twenty-three in 1969 and in his first full season in the big leagues he hit .255/.326/.433.  He posted an OPS of over .800 his next two seasons.  He made the all-star team for the only time in 1971, but the two seasons were remarkably similar.  He hit 33 home runs in each season, and his slash lines are very close.  He missed much of 1972, but came back in 1973 to hit twenty homers and post an OPS of .802 at age twenty-seven.  That was as good as it would get for him, though.  He had a couple more down years for the White Sox, bounced to California in 1976 and to Cleveland in 1977, then was done at age thirty-one.  It was a back injury that cost him a lot of the 1972 season, and while no one comes right out and says so, one gets the impression that his back bothered him the rest of his career.

Record:  The Twins had won eight in a row and were in first place with a record of 16-7.  They led Oakland by 2.5 games.

MINNESOTA 3, CHICAGO 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, May 3.

Batting stars:  Leo Cardenas was 3-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fifth.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched five innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk and striking out one.  Ron Perranoski pitched four shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Luis Aparicio was 2-for-4 with a double.  Carlos May was 1-for-4 with a home run, his sixth.  Gary Peters pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out two.

The game:  Nobody came very close to scoring until the fifth, when Cardenas hit a one-out single and Killebrew followed with a two-run homer.  May homered in the sixth to cut the lead to 2-1.  The White Sox missed a chance for more, as Aparicio followed with a double and Bill Melton was hit by a pitch.  A bunt moved men to second and third, Don Pavletich was intentionally walked, and Buddy Bradford hit into a double play to end the inning.

The White Sox also had a chance to at least tie it in the seventh.  Walt Williams singled and was bunted to second and Ron Hansen walked.  A strikeout and a fly out ended the inning.

The Twins got an insurance run in the eighth.  Ted Uhlaender singled, was bunted to second, and scored on a two-out single by Cardenas.  The last eight Chicago batters went out, the last six of them on ground outs.

WP:  Perry (3-1).  LP:  Peters (1-4).  S:  Perranoski (4).

Notes:  It was a different lineup.  Cesar Tovar started, led off, and was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first.  Cardenas batted second.  Rod Carew was perhaps on another National Guard weekend, as Frank Quilici started at second.  George Mitterwald caught and Uhlaender, who had been leading off, batted eighth.

Cardenas raised his average to .341.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 and dropped to .330.  Uhlaender was 1-for-2 with a walk and was batting .329.  Killebrew was batting .311.  Perry had an ERA of 2.57.  Perranoski had an ERA of 0.39.

Having gotten two days off, Perranoski was apparently fresh enough to throw four innings of relief.  He was averaging nearly two innings per appearance.

Carlos May has largely been forgotten, but he was a pretty good ballplayer.  Primarily an outfielder, he spent most of his ten-year career with the White Sox.  He made the all-star team in 1969 and again in 1972.  He was third in Rookie of the Year voting in '69 and got MVP votes in 1972-1973.  1969 was probably his best year, as he batted .281 with an OBP of .385 and 18 home runs.  He also had a very good year in 1972, when he batted .308 with an OBP of .405 and twelve home runs.  His career numbers are .274/.357/.392.  A couple of interesting things about him:  he lost his right thumb in an accident while on Marine Reserve duty in August of 1969.  It ended his season, but he came back to have a solid year in 1970.  Also, he is probably the only major league player to wear his birthday on his uniform:  May 17.

Record:  The Twins had won their seventh in a row and were 15-7, in first place, leading Oakland by two games.

MINNESOTA 6, SEATTLE 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, April 30.

Batting stars:  Tom Hall was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his fourth--and his third steal of home), scoring twice and driving in two.

PItching star:  Ron Perranoski pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Gus Gil was 2-for-4.  Jim Bouton pitched two shutout innings of relief, giving up one hit and striking out one.

The game:  It was scoreless until the fourth, when Carew singled, took second on a ground out, and scored on a Harmon Killebrew double.

The Twins took control in the fifth.  Leo Cardenas singled, Johnny Roseboro walked, and Hall singled to load the bases with none out.  Ted Uhlaender delivered a two-run single to make it 3-0.  A forceout-plus-error scored one and put Carew on second.  Walks to Tony Oliva and Killebrew filled the bases.  With Graig Nettles batting, the Twins pulled off a triple steal, with Carew stealing home, Oliva third, and Killebrew second, increasing the Twins lead to 5-0.

The Pilots got on the board in the sixth.  Three two-out singles plated one run and a passed ball brought home another, making the score 5-2.  In the bottom of the sixth, Hall doubled and Carew produced a two-out RBI single to make it 6-2.

Seattle wasn't done.  They opened the seventh with three more singles, cutting the lead to 6-3 and chasing Hall from the game.  Bob Miller came in to get one out and Ron Perranoski shut Seattle down the rest of the way, allowing just a sacrifice fly to ex-Twin Don Mincher.  The Pilots got a leadoff single in the ninth to bring the tying run up to bat, but Tommy Harper hit into a double play.

WP:  Hall (2-1).  LP:  Gene Brabender (0-2).  S:  Perranoski (3).

Notes:  Carew was batting .413.  Oliva was 0-for-2 with two walks and was batting .341.  Roseboro was 0-for-3 with a walk and was also batting .341.  Uhlaender was 1-for-5 with two RBIs and was batting .320.  Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a stolen base and was batting .309.  Cardenas was 1-for-3 with a walk and was batting .308.

Hall had allowed just two hits in 5.2 innings before singles got the best of him.  All eight hits he allowed were singles.  One wonders how many of those singles might have been outs today, with all the shifts going on.

Two ex-Twins played for Seattle in this game, Mincher and Rich Rollins.

The triple steal came off Pilots reliever Darrell Brandon.  I remember Bouton writing about this in "Ball Four".  As I recall the way Bouton told the story, Brandon was unsure whether he should go from the stretch or from the windup.  Pitching coach Sal Maglie hollered from the dugout "Go from the windup.  He's not going anywhere."  Then, of course, Carew stole home, with Oliva and Killebrew also advancing.  After the inning, Maglie went up to Brandon and said, "Darn it, you know you have to go from the stretch in that situation."

Record:  The Twins were 13-7, in first place, 1.5 games ahead of Oakland.

MINNESOTA 9, KANSAS CITY 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, April 29.

Batting stars:  Johnny Roseboro was 4-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a grand slam (his fourth homer) and a walk.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Dick Woodson pitched a complete game, giving up one run on nine hits and two walks and striking out five.

Opposition stars:  Bob Oliver was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Pat Kelly was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his third.

The game:  The Royals got on the board first, as Oliver homered with two out in the second inning.  The lead lasted until the third.  Uhlaender and Carew opened the inning with singles, and Tony Oliva was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Killebrew unloaded them with a grand slam to put the Twins ahead 4-1.

The Twins added a run in the fourth on an error.  They scored two more in the sixth on singles by Roseboro, Uhlaender, Carew, and Tony Oliva.  They scored two more in the seventh on one hit, helped by two walks, two errors, and two wild pitches.

One can accurately say that Woodson scattered nine hits, because there was only one time when Kansas City had more than one man on base.  That came in the eighth, when singles by Lou Piniella and Jerry Adair put men on first and second with one out.  Ellie Rodriguez hit into a double play to end the inning.

WP:  Woodson (1-0).  LP:  Roger Nelson (1-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Carew raised his average to .414.  Roseboro was up to .366.  Oliva was 1-for-3 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch and was batting .350.  Uhlaender went up to .329.  Killebrew was back up to .308.  Leo Cardenas was 0-for-5 and fell to .307.

Roseboro had a bunt single to lead off the fourth.

This was the first career complete game for Woodson and was only his second major league start.  As you may recall, his first start on April 13 had lasted just one inning, an inning in which he gave up three runs on three hits and two walks.  He would have fifteen complete games in his career, nine of them in 1972.  He actually had a really good year in '72, going 14-14 but with an ERA of 2.72 and a WHIP of 1.17.  He threw 251.2 innings that season and one suspects the workload was too much for him, as he never had another year that came anywhere close to that.

It was the third consecutive game in which the Twins starter had thrown a complete game, and in the game before that only one relief pitcher had been used.  Billy Martin apparently was not too concerned about keeping his relievers sharp, as a blowout game like this one would've been a perfect time to get somebody an inning.  One assumes Ron Perranoski, for one, was happy to get a break.

Royals starter Nelson pitched 5.1 innings, but allowed seven runs (six earned) on twelve hits and two walks and struck out four.

Record:  The Twins were 12-7, in first place, leading Oakland by 1.5 games.

MINNESOTA 4, KANSAS CITY 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, April 28.

Batting stars:  Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his second.  Johnny Roseboro was 2-for-4 with a double.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-0 with three walks.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry pitched a complete game shutout, giving up seven hits and one walk and striking out six.

Opposition stars:  Mike Fiore was 2-for-4 with a double.  Future Twin Tom Burgmeier pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks and striking out one.

The game:  An error, a walk, and a single loaded the bases for the Twins with none out in the first inning.  Killebrew hit a sacrifice fly, but it was the only run the Twins got in the inning.  It did not come back to haunt them.  Killebrew and Graig Nettles started the fourth with walks and Reese delivered a three-run homer to make it 4-0.

The Royals threatened in the fifth.  Ellie Rodriguez doubled and Juan Rios had a bunt single, putting men on first and third with one out.  Ed Kirkpatrick struck out, however, and Pat Kelly flied out to end the inning.  The Twins had men on first and second in both the fifth and the sixth, but were turned aside each time.  No more runs were needed, however, as Perry did not allow more than one baserunner in any inning after the fifth.

WP:  Perry (2-1).  LP:  Mike Hedlund (1-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Carew was 1-for-3 with a walk to "drop" his batting average to .409.  Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .351.  Cardenas was 0-for-3 with a walk and was batting .329.  Uhlaender was 0-for-4 and was batting .318.

Frank Quilici and Cesar Tovar were again used as defensive replacements for Killebrew and Graig Nettles, respectively.

Perry was making just his second start of the season.  He had started the third game of the season, then made five appearances out of the bullpen, the last one an outing of 2.1 innings just three days earlier on April 25.  He would make one more start on May 3, then go back to the bullpen.

Reese was caught stealing for the third time this season.  For the year he would go 1-for-6 in stolen bases, indicating that Billy Martin eventually figured out that having him try to steal bases might not be a good idea.

Hedlund, the Royals starter, was in his first full season in the majors, having gotten cups of coffee with Cleveland in 1965 and 1968.  He started 16 games and relieved in 18, and really did pretty well--only 3-6, but with an ERA of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.30.  He wasn't bad as a starter, but was excellent as a reliever, posting an ERA of 1.69 and a WHIP of 1.03 out of the pen.  His best year in the majors was 1971, when he was in the Kansas City rotation all season.  He went 15-8, 2.71, 1.17 WHIP that year.  The next year, however, he went 5-7, 4.78 and was through as a big-leaguer.  He played in AAA two more seasons, but was done after 1974.  Just looking at his record, one suspects he may have had injury problems.  His career numbers are 25-24, 3.56, 1.30 WHIP.  He pitched 465.2 innings in 113 games, 62 of them starts.

Record:  The Twins had won three in a row and were 11-7, in first place, leading Oakland by one game.

MINNESOTA 4, CHICAGO 3 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Sunday, April 27

Batting stars:  Frank Quilici was 2-for-4.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-2 with a home run (his third), a walk, and a hit-by-pitch.  Rod Carew was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.

Pitching stars:  Dave Boswell pitched an eight-inning complete game (see below), giving up three runs on six hits and four walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Buddy Bradford was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Gail Hopkins was 2-for-4.  Wilbur Wood pitched two perfect innings of relief, striking out one.

The game:  Killebrew homered in the first inning to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  The White Sox got the run back in the bottom of the first, as Aparicio singled, went to third on a stolen base-plus-error, and scored on a Hopkins single.

The Twins got a pair of two-out hits in the second, but did not score.  They took the lead in the fourth, however, as Bob Allison led off the inning with a double and scored on a Leo Cardenas single.  The lead lasted until the sixth.  Hopkins and Duane Josephson singled, leaving men on first and second with two out.  Bradford then came through with a two-run double, putting Chicago up 3-2.

The Twins took the lead back in the seventh.  With two out, Tovar singled and Carew followed with a two-run homer to put the Twins up 4-3.

The White Sox went down in order in the seventh, and the Twins did the same in the top of the eighth.  In the bottom of the eighth the White Sox put men on first and second with two out, but Don Pavletich was caught looking to end the inning.  The Twins went down in order in the top of the ninth.

And oddly, that's where the game appears to end.  Everything in the box score indicated that the bottom of the ninth was not played, but no reason is given for that.  One supposes that the most likely explanation is that the game was rained out, but that's a strange time to call the game--with a one-run difference going to the bottom of the ninth.  The start time weather indicates 68 degrees and cloudy, which doesn't tell us much of anything.  If someone has the time and inclination to research what happened, it would be interesting to know.

WP:  Boswell (2-2).  LP:  Gary Peters (1-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  This looks like Billy Martin's version of a Gardy-style B lineup, although Martin had some better players to use when he did it.  Tovar was in center rather than Ted Uhlaender.  Allison was in left. only his fifth start of the season.  George Mitterwald was behind the plate rather than Johnny Roseboro, and Quilici was at third base.

Killebrew was batting third in this game and Tony Oliva fourth, something Martin sometimes did against left-handed pitchers.

Boswell had started just three days earlier, on April 24, and had lasted just 2.2 innings.

Bradford had a heck of a series against the Twins, going 6-for-11 with a home run, two doubles, and a walk, driving in four runs.

I have no memory of Gail Hopkins.  He was the mostly-regular first baseman for the White Sox in 1969.  It was his first full year with the team.  He played for Chicago from 1968-1970, Kansas City from 1971-1973, and the Dodgers in 1974.  He never hit for much power, but in his good years posted decent batting averages and OBPs.  His best year looks like 1971, when he batted .278/.364/.431 in 295 at-bats.  His career numbers are .266/.352/.376.  He played in Japan for three seasons and hit with power there, belting 69 home runs over three years.  He had a successful career after baseball, first getting Ph. D. in biology and then graduating from medical school.  He practiced medicine for many years in Lodi, California and in Hinsdale, Illinois.  He has two children, both of whom are also doctors.  At last report, he was also the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ohio Valley University.

Record:  The Twins were 10-7, in first place, leading Oakland by a half game.

MINNESOTA 12, CHICAGO 1 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Saturday, April 26.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 4-for-5 with a double.  Charlie Manuel was 3-for-3 with a three-run homer a double, and a walk, scoring twice and driving in four.  Ted Uhlaender was 3-for-5 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in two.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-5 with a home run and a double, driving in three.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Dean Chance pitched six shutout innings, giving up three hits and no walks and striking out two.  Joe Grzenda pitched three innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Buddy Bradford was 3-for-4 with a double.  Luis Aparicio was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.

The game:  The Twins got on the board in the second inning as Manuel walked, took third on a single, and scored on a Cardenas ground out.  They made it 3-0 in the fourth, as Tony Oliva walked and scored from first on a Harmon Killebrew double.  Manuel then singled to score Killebrew.

The Twins took control of the game in the fifth.  Johnny Roseboro singled, stole second, and went to third on a wild pitch.  Uhlaender scored him on a bunt single and scored from first on Carew's double.  With two out, Killebrew was intentionally walked, but Manuel hit a three-run homer, making the score 8-0.

The Twins didn't stop there.  Cardenas led off the sixth with a home run.  In the seventh, consecutive doubles by Manuel, Reese, and Cardenas made it 11-0.  Uhlaender homered leading off the eighth.

The lone White Sox run came in the bottom of the eighth.  Aparicio drew a two-out walk and scored from first on a Pete Ward double.

WP:  Chance (2-0).  LP: Joel Horlen (2-2).  S:  Grzenda (1).

Notes:  Carew took over the team batting lead, raising his average to .424.  Oliva was 0-for-3 with two walks and was batting .371.  Manuel raised his average to .353.  Cardenas was up to .349.  Uhlaender went up to .339.

I said earlier that Billy Martin's pitching philosophy seemed to be to leave a pitcher in the game as long as he was getting people out, regardless of innings, pitch counts, or anything else.  Chance seems to have been the exception.  He came out of his previous start after seven innings, having given up just an unearned run.  Here he came out after six shutout innings.  It appears that he was battling an injury--he would not pitch again until May 9, made only four appearances in May (two in relief), and then did not pitch again until August.  He was very effective when he did pitch, though.

The stolen base by Roseboro wasn't as rare a thing as I had thought.  He twice had double-digit stolen bases, swiping eleven in 1958 and twelve in 1962.  1962 was the only year he had a good percentage, however, going 12-for-15.   He stole 67 bases in his career, but was caught 56 times.  He would go 5-for-10 in 1969.

The Twins remained a little under .500 in base-stealing, as Reese was caught stealing second in the fourth inning.

This was the first save of Grzenda's career.  He would get three in 1969.  He had fourteen in his career, with the remaining eleven coming for Washington in 1970-1971.  He might have had a fifteenth--he was on the mound for the last Senators game in Washington with two out in the ninth, trying to protect a 7-5 lead, when the crowd stormed the field, causing the game to be forfeited.  He kept the baseball and presented it to the Washington Nationals on their first opening day.

The White Sox starter, Horlen, pitched just 4.1 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out two.

Record:  The Twins were 9-7, tied for first with the White Sox.

CHICAGO 6, MINNESOTA 5 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Friday, April 25.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 3-for-4.  Leo Cardenas was 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.  Graig Nettles hit a pinch-hit three-run homer, his second.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson pitched five shutout innings of relief, giving up two hits and no walks and striking out one.

Opposition star:  Buddy Bradford was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fourth.

The game:  The Twins scored two batters into the game, as Tovar singled and Cardenas tripled.  But despite Harmon Killebrew, Oliva, and Bob Allison coming up next, the Twins could not do any more damage, so the score stayed 1-0.

It would come back to haunt them, as the White Sox scored four in the bottom of the first.  A walk, a single, and a wild pitch put men on second and third with one out.  Don Pavletich hit a two-run single, and with two out Bradford homered to put Chicago up 4-1.

The Twins got another run in the fifth when Woodson walked, Tovar singled, and Cardenas had an RBI single, but they ran themselves out of the inning when Cardenas was thrown out at second.  They came back to take the lead in the eighth, however.  Oliva led off with a single and Allison followed with a double.  Bob Locker came in to replace starter Tommy John and Nettles, pinch-hitting for George Mitterwald, hit a three-run homer to make it 5-4 Minnesota.

The Twins couldn't hold the lead.  With a man on first and one out in the ninth, Ron Perranoski came in once again, and this time the overuse finally caught up to him.  He gave up singles to Walt Williams and Ron Hansen to tie it 5-5.  A passed ball put men on second and third and led to an intentional walk to Woodie Held.  Carlos May then singled to left to bring home the deciding run.

WP:  Locker (1-0).  LP:  Perranoski (3-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Tovar made only his fifth start of the season, replacing Ted Uhlaender in center.  Tovar would get more playing time as the season went on, both in the infield and the outfield.

Allison made only his fourth start of the season, playing left field.  He would be a part-time player most of the season, although he would play more down the stretch.

Frank Quilici made his fourth start of the season, his second at second base.  He was used as a defensive replacement for much of the season, generally replacing Killebrew at third base.

Ron Clark made his second start of the season, playing third base.  This would be his last appearance as a Twin.  He was sent to AAA Denver and was sold to Seattle in mid-July.

Rod Carew was used as a pinch-hitter and went 1-for-1, raising his average to .389.  Oliva went up to .388.  Cardenas raised his average to .345.  Nettles went up to .300.

From April 11-18, Hall made three appearances and pitched sixteen shutout innings, including a complete game shutout on the 18th.  Since then, he has made two starts and pitched just 3.2 innings, allowing nine runs on seven hits and two walks.  His ERA went from 0.42 to 3.55.

Perranoski had now appeared in ten of the Twins' fifteen games.  These were the first earned runs he had allowed on the season.

White Sox starter Tommy John pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on ten hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 8-7, tied for third with Kansas City, one game behind the White Sox.