MINNESOTA 4, CHICAGO 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, May 8.

Batting stars:  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fifth.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.  Bob Allison was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Mudcat Grant pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Floyd Robinson was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Don Buford was 2-for-4.  Gary Peters pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with one strikeout.

The game:  There was no score through five.  In the top of the sixth, the first two Sox were retired, but then came a walk and two singles to put Chicago up 1-0.  Tony Oliva's sacrifice fly tied it in the bottom of the sixth.  Zoilo Versalles contributed a sacrifice fly in the seventh to put the Twins ahead 2-1 and Hall hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Hoyt Wilhelm to make it 4-1.  The White Sox did not seriously threaten after the sixth inning.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.  Rich Rollins was 2-for-4 with a double.  Oliva was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Record:  The win made the Twins 12-7 and kept them tied for second with California (though ahead based on winning percentage), 1.5 games behind Chicago.

Note:  Jerry Zimmerman came in as a defensive replacement for Earl Battey and caught the last three innings.

CHICAGO 13, MINNESOTA 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, May 7.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his third.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs.  Earl Battey was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Pete Ward was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and a double, scoring three times.  Ron Hansen was 3-for-5 with a home run (his third), scoring three times and driving in two.  Al Weis was 2-for-2 with a home run and a double, driving in three.

The game:  Killebrew hit a three-run homer in the first to put the Twins up 3-0.  Weis' two-run double in the second immediately cut the lead to 3-2.  The White Sox took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on solo home runs by Hansen and Weis.  The Twins got the lead back in the sixth, taking a 5-4 advantage on two walks and RBI singles by Battey and Jerry Kindall.  It went downhill from there, though, as the White Sox scored three runs in each of the last three innings.  Danny Cater hit a three-run homer in the seventh, a pair of errors led to three runs in the eighth, and Ward hit a two-run homer in a three-run ninth.  Eddie Fisher made sure the Twins did not come back, pitching the three final innings perfectly.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4.  Rich Rollins was 1-for-4 with a run.  Bob Allison was 0-for-2 with two walks and a run.  Dick Stigman started but pitched only 3.2 innings, giving up four runs on five hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 11-7, tied for second with California (although in second based on winning percentage), 2.5 games behind the White Sox.

BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, May 6.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Bob Allison was 1-for-3.  Sandy Valdespino was 1-for-1 as a pinch-hitter.

Pitching stars:  Al Worthington pitched a perfect inning.  Jerry Fosnow pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Robin Roberts pitched a complete game, giving up one run on four hits and one walk with three strikeouts.  Brooks Robinson was 2-for-4 with a home run, his third.  Paul Blair was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

The game:  Robinson hit a home run in the second to put Baltimore up 1-0.  Killebrew homered in the fourth to tie it 1-1.  In the fifth, RBI singles by Roberts and Blair put the Orioles in front 3-1 and in the eighth, a run-scoring double by Luis Aparaicio and Russ Snyder's RBI single gave them a 5-1 lead.  Other than Killebrew's homer, the only Twins threat came in the eighth, when a pair of singles put men on first and second with one out.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.  Rich Rollins was 0-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4.  Valdespino, in his rookie season, had only been used as a pinch-hitter up to this point and was 3-for-6.  Jim Kaat started and pitched seven innings, giving up five runs on ten hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Record:  The loss made the Twins 11-6, in second place, 1.5 games behind Chicago.

MINNESOTA 9, BALTIMORE 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, May 5.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 4-for-5 with a triple and a double, scoring once and driving in four.  Rich Rollins was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs.  Jerry Zimmerman was 3-for-5 with a run.

Pitching star:   Camilo Pascual pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Brooks Robinson was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.  Jerry Adair was 1-for-3 with a run.  Herm Starrette pitched 3.1 innings of relief, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and no walks with one strikeout.

The game:  Tony Oliva doubled in a run in the first and Versalles had an RBI triple in the second to give the Twins a 3-0 lead.  The Orioles got on the board in the top of the third, but the Twins put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the third, all coming with two out, to take control of the game early.  A walk and two singles loaded the bases, an error scored one, and Versalles delivered a two-run single to make it 6-1.

Of note:  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-3 with three walks and a run.  Oliva was 1-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a walk.  Bob Allison was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Record:  The win made the Twins 11-5, in second place, one game behind the White Sox.

Note:  Harvey Haddix, at the end of a fine career, pitched the last two innings of mopup relief for the Orioles.

MINNESOTA 7, BALTIMORE 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, May 4.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-5 with a triple and a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Earl Battey was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.  Jerry Kindall was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Pitching star:  Mudcat Grant pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on four hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Norm Siebern was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his second.  Curt Blefary was 1-for-3 with a home run, his sixth.  Ken Rowe pitched two perfect innings of relief with one strikeout.

The game:  A five-run third inning off Orioles starter Wally Bunker pretty much took care of the game.  Battey started the rally with a home run.  Kindall singled and scored on a Versalles triple.  Rich Rollins singled him home and Tony Oliva followed with a two-run homer, making the score 5-0.  It was 6-0 before the Orioles scored and Baltimore never got closer than four runs.

Of note:  Rollins was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Oliva was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, scoring once.  Bob Allison was 0-for-4.

Record:  The win made the Twins 10-5 and put them in second place, a half game behind the White Sox.

Note:  Pitching in long relief for the Orioles, going 2.2 innings, was Don Larsen, who still has the only perfect game in the World Series.  The Orioles' mopup man for the ninth inning was a rookie named Jim Palmer.

CHICAGO 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Sunday, May 2 (Game 2 of doubleheader)

Batting stars:  Rich Rollins was 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs.  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching star:  Dick Stigman struck out four in four shutout innings of relief, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Don Buford was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.  Danny Cater was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Ken Berry was 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

The game:  Floyd Robinson homered in the first and Ron Hansen delivered an RBI single in the second to put the White Sox ahead 2-0.  Zoilo Versalles singled in a run in the top of the third to cut the lead to 2-1, but Buford hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to make it 4-1. Hall singled in a run in the fourth to make it 4-2, but it stayed there until the seventh.  Sandy Valdespino's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh pulled the Twins within one at 4-3, but Cater singled in a run in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead back to 5-3.  Tony Oliva led off the eighth with a double and eventually scored on Killebrew's sacrifice fly, but the Twins did not get the tying run on base as their last six batters were retired.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-2 with a walk and a run.  Oliva was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.  Bob Allison was 0-for-4.  Dave Boswell started but pitched only two-plus innings, giving up four runs on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 9-5, in second place, a half game behind Chicago.

Note:  There were eight doubleheaders (out of a maximum possible of ten) played in major league baseball on May 2.  I don't know if that's the record, but if it's not it has to be pretty close.

MINNESOTA 3, CHICAGO 2 IN CHICAGO (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Sunday, May 2 (Game 1 of doubleheader)

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and a walk, driving in three.  Earl Battey was 2-for-4 with a double.  Rich Rollins was 2-for-4 with a run.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Mel Nelson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Bill Pleis pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Tommy John pitched seven shutout innings, allowing seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  John Romano was 1-for-3 with a home run, his second.  Ron Hansen was 1-for-4 with a home run.

The game:  Romano homered with two out in the first inning to put the White Sox up 1-0.  Hansen homered with one out in the seventh to make it 2-0.  The Twins threatened in the first, sixth, and seventh, but did not score.  Finally, in the eighth, Killebrew hit a two-run homer to tie the score 2-2.  The White Sox put two on in the eighth and again in the ninth, but failed to score.  Zoilo Versalles led off the tenth with a single, went to second on a bunt, and scored on Killebrew's two-out double to put the Twins in front for the first time.  The White Sox got a two-out single in the bottom of the tenth, but no more.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-5 with a run.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-5.  Bob Allison was 0-for-4.

Record:  The win made the Twins 9-4, in first place, a half game ahead of Chicago and Detroit.

CHICAGO 2, MINNESOTA 1 AT CHICAGO

Date:  Saturday, May 1.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 2-for-4 with a double.  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-4 with a triple and a run.  Earl Battey was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Camilo Pascual pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Joe Horlen pitched a complete game, allowing one run on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts.  Don Buford was 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk, scoring twice.  Floyd Robinson was 2-for-4.

The game:  Versalles led off the game with a triple and scored on a Rich Rollins single to put the Twins ahead 1-0 before an out was recorded.  It was the only run the Twins would score.  Allison led off the fifth with a double but could not get past third.  Buford hit a one-out homer in the sixth to tie it 1-1.  Harmon Killebrew reached on an error in the seventh and got to third with one out, but again was stranded.  In the eighth, two singles and an error allowed the White Sox to take their first lead of the game at 2-1.  The Twins got a pair of two-out singles in the ninth, but a foul out ended the game.

Of note:  Rollins was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4.  Killebrew was 0-for-4.

Record:  The loss drops the Twins to 8-4 and puts them in third place, a half game behind both Chicago and Detroit.