KANSAS CITY 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN KANSAS CITY
Date: Saturday, June 20.
Batting stars: Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his fourth. Rich Reese was 2-for-4. The Twins only got one other hit.
Pitching stars: Dick Woodson struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit. Stan Williams pitched a perfect inning.
Opposition stars: Ed Kirkpatrick was 2-for-3 with a home run (his ninth), a double, and four RBIs. Amos Otis was 2-for-4. Jim Rooker pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks and striking out five. Bob Johnson struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.
The game: In the first inning, the Twins loaded the bases with one out on a bunt single, a walk, and an error, but Leo Cardenas grounded into a double play to end the inning. It cost the Twins, because the Royals scored four in the bottom of the first. Cookie Rojas hit a one-out double and scored on Rojas' single. An error put men on first and third and Joe Keough walked, loading the bases. With two out, Kirkpatrick hit a three-run double, making it 4-0 Kansas City.
It stayed 4-0 until the fourth, when Kirkpatrick homered to make it 5-0. Meanwhile, the Twins got only one hit in innings two through seven. Bob Allison led off the eighth with a double. Brant Alyea walked and Carew followed with a three-run homer to make it 5-3. It killed the rally, however, as the next three batters went out. Reese hit a one-out double in the ninth, bringing the tying run up to bat, but Charlie Manuel and Allison struck out to end the game.
WP: Rooker (4-4).
LP: Dave Boswell (2-6).
S: Johnson (1).
Notes: Rick Renick was in left field in place of Alyea. Allison pinch-hit for Dave Boswell in the fifth and stayed in the game in center field as part of a double switch. Alyea pinch-hit for Woodson in the eighth and Jim Kaat pinch-ran for Alyea. Manuel pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the ninth.
Carew was batting .376. Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .318. Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-2 and was batting .307. Woodson had an ERA of 2.35. Williams had an ERA of 1.85.
Manuel was 0-for-1 and was batting .167. Boswell gave up five runs (two earned) in four innings and had an ERA of 6.89.
This would be the last time Allison would play center field. He had not done so since playing two innings there in 1968.
Oliva was 0-for-12 in his last three games. Killebrew was 0-for-12 in his last four games.
This was Woodson's first appearance since June 2. I assume he had gone to AAA Evansville during the interim.
This was the Twins' third consecutive loss, two to the Royals and one to the Senators.
Record: The Twins were 38-21, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of California.