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2022 Twins Game Logs

2022 Game Log 43 – Tigers at Twins

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The Twins keep rolling as they lay waste to the dregs of the AL Central. Good on them, beating the bad teams leads to Division titles my grandpappy used to say. More importantly, this Twins teams is fun! They win in dramatic fashion, they are fundamentally sound, they have great characters. Byron Buxton over the weekend and Max Kepler last night both mentioned how much better the locker room is this year compared to last -- which most are taking as a jab at Donaldson (and probably Simmons). I wasn't in the locker room this year or last so I'll take their word for it.

Beau Briske for the Tigers and he has a stat line you would expect for a team playing at a .333 level. His last outing included 6 runs in 5.1 innings so not great. Sonny Gray for the Twins and he's been a good veteran presence for this team. After a slow start, he's really pitched well lately, although lots of run support (14 and 12 runs his last two games) will do wonders for your performance.

Game time at 6:40. Looks like a nice night for baseball.

Twins Lineup
CF - Buxton
2B - Arraez
SS - Correa
DH - Sanchez
RF - Kepler
LF - Celestino
3B - Urshela
1B - Miranda
C - Jeffers

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-three

MINNESOTA 6, CHICAGO 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, September 11.

Batting stars:  George Mitterwald was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fourteenth), a walk, and two runs.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.  Frank Quilici was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his second) and a walk.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a home run, his forty-first.

Pitching star:  Bill Zepp pitched a complete game shutout, giving up five hits and five walks and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Syd O'Brien was 2-for-4.  Lee Stange pitched two shutout innings, giving up a walk and striking out one.

The game:  With two out in the first Killebrew hit a home run to give the Twins a quick lead.  The next batter, Tony Oliva, was hit by a pitch, and Alyea then delivered an RBI double to make it 2-0 Twins.

It stayed 2-0 through three, with the White Sox not advancing a man past first.  In the fourth Rick Renick singled, Mitterwald walked, and Quilici hit a three-run homer to put the Twins up 5-0.

Chicago had their first threat in the fifth, putting men on second and third with two out, but Bobby Knoop struck out to end the inning.  A single and an error gave them men on first and third with one out in the fifth, but a strikeout and a popup ended that threat.

Mitterwald homered in the eighth to make it 6-0.  The White Sox put two on with two out in the ninth, but Tom McCraw popped up to end the game.

WP:  Zepp (8-4).

LP:  Barry Moore (3-9).

S:  None.

Notes:  Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.

Reese pinch-hit for Renick in the fifth and stayed in the game at first base, with Killebrew moving to third.  Jim Holt went to center field in the fifth, with Cesar Tovar moving to right and Oliva coming out of the game.  Danny Thompson came in to play third base in the eighth, with Killebrew coming out of the game.  Jim Nettles went to right field in the eighth, with Tovar moving to left and Alyea coming out of the game.

Oliva was 0-for-1 and was batting .317.  Alyea was batting .308.

This was the only shutout of Zepp's career.  It was also the only complete game of Zepp's career.

Barry Moore's given name was Robert Barry Moore.  If your last name is Moore and you're going to give your son the middle name of Barry, it seems like you should also give him the first name of Lionel.  Or at least John.

The Twins had won four in a row, nine of ten, and eleven of thirteen.  The were 6-1 just over half-way through their thirteen game homestand.

Record:  The Twins were 87-56, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was eleven.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-two

MINNESOTA 7, OAKLAND 2 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Thursday, September 10.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.  Frank Quilci was 2-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-second) and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out five.  Stan Williams pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Joe Rudi was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Sal Bando was 2-for-4.

The game:  Oliva homered with two out in the first to give the Twins an early 1-0 lead.  In the second Rich Reese and Paul Ratliff were each hit by a pitch (not the same pitch, of course) and Kaat delivered an RBI single to make it 2-0 Twins.  The Athletics got on the board in the third when Blue Moon Odom singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Rudi's single.

Oakland had two on with one out in the fourth but did not score.  The Twins broke it open in the fifth.  Cesar Tovar led off with a walk, was bunted to second, and went to third on a wild pitch.  He was still on third with two out, but walks to Harmon Killebrew and Reese loaded the bases.  Another wild pitch brought home a run, Alyea delivered a two-run single and went to second on the throw to the plate, and Ratliff added an RBi single, giving the Twins a 6-1 lead.

The Athletics got one run in the seventh on singles by Dick Green, Bert Campaneris, and Rudi.  The Twins got the run back in the bottom of the seventh when Tovar tripled and scored on a Cotton Nash ground out.  That made the score 7-2, and that's how it ended.

WP:  Kaat (12-10).

LP:  Odom (8-6).

S:  Williams (13).

Notes:  Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt went to center field in the sixth inning, with Tovar moving to left and Alyea coming out of the game.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Holt in the seventh, with Herman Hill going to center field in the eighth.  Cotton Nash pinch-hit for Ratliff in the seventh, with Mitterwald going behind the plate in the eighth.  Danny Thompson went to third base in the eighth, with Killebrew coming out of the game.

Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .318.  Alyea was batting .305.  Williams had an ERA of 2.05.

Hill was 0-for-1 and was batting .100.  Nash was 0-for-1 and was batting .000.  It was the first appearance in the majors for Nash in 1970.  He had appeared in three games in 1967 and six in 1969.

The Twins swept the series between the first and second place teams.  They had won eight of nine and ten of twelve.  This series essentially wrapped up the division for the Twins.

Record:  The Twins were 86-56, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was twelve.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-one

MINNESOTA 6, OAKLAND 1 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Thursday, September 10.

Batting stars:  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base (his twenty-ninth), and three runs.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base, his third.  Charlie Manuel was 1-for-1 with two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Tom Hall struck out eleven in a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Joe Rudi was 3-for-4 with a double.  Bob Locker pitched three innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and two walks and striking out one.

The game:  Each team put two on with one out in the first and did not score.  In the third Tovar led off with a single, stole second, was bunted to third, and scored on a Tony Oliva double.  Harmon Killebrew walked, a force out put men on first and third, Alyea delivered an RBI single, George Mitterwald walked to load the bases, and Manuel delivered a pinch-hit two-run single to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.

The Athletics got one back in the fourth when Sal Bando doubled and scored on a two-out single by Dick Green.  But there the score stayed until the sixth, when Tovar doubled and scored on an error.  The Twins scored one more in the eighth when Tovar singled and scored on a Leo Cardenas double.  Oakland only once got a man as far as second base after the fourth inning.

WP:  Hall (8-6).

LP:  Catfish Hunter (16-13).

S:  None.

Notes:  Frank Quilici started at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the third inning, with Danny Thompson taking over at second base.  Jim Holt went to center field in the seventh, with Tovar moving to left and Alyea coming out of the game.

Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .318.  Alyea raised his average to .300 for the first time since May 17.  Hall had an ERA of 2.53.

This has been referenced, but I just want to point out the move of Bill Rigney in the third inning.  With the Twins lead 2-0 and the bases loaded, Manuel was sent up to pinch-hit for Quilici.  You  would not expect a pinch-hitter for the eighth-place batter that early in the game.  I suspect Rigney sensed a chance to put the game away early and decided to go for it.  It worked, as Manuel delivered a two-run single to put the Twins up 4-0.

This was Hall's only complete game in eleven starts in 1970.  He'd had five in 1969.  He would have only one more in his career, with Cincinnati in 1972.  But then, he would make only thirty-four more starts after 1970, and never more than eleven in a season.  He spent most of the rest of his career in the bullpen.

The Twins had won seven of eight and nine of eleven.

Hunter lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks and striking out two.

In the matchup between the first and second place teams, and in a series Oakland desperately needed to win to stay in the race, the Twins had taken the first two games.  The Athletics would try to salvage at least one game of the series in game two of the doubleheader.

Record:  The Twins were 85-56, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty

MINNESOTA 3, OAKLAND 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, September 9.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Brant Alyea was 2-for-3 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched eight innings, giving up one run on five hits and four walks and striking out five.  Stan Williams struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Don Mincher was 2-for-3 with a home run, his twenty-sixth.  Chuck Dobson pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out four.

The game:  Mincher homered with two out in the fourth to open the scoring.  It stayed 1-0 through six innings, with the Twins getting just three singles in those first six innings.

The Twins finally got it going in the seventh.  Killebrew led off with a double and scored when Alyea hit a one-out double.  George Mitterwald walked, a force out put men on first and third, and Perry delivered an RBI single to put the Twins ahead 2-1.

The Athletics had men on second and third with one out in the eighth, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning.  The Twins got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Oliva doubled and scored on a Rich Reese single.

Sal Bando doubled with one out in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate.  But Reggie Jackson and Gene Tenace each struck out to end the game.

WP:  Perry (22-10).

LP:  Dobson (15-13).

S:  Williams (12).

Notes:  Frank Quilici was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Quilici in the seventh.  Danny Thompson then pinch-ran for Manuel and stayed in the game at second base.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the seventh and stayed in the game at center field, with Cesar Tovar moving to left.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Holt in the eighth.  Herman Hill then pinch-ran for Renick and stayed in the game in center field.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .318.  Perry had an ERA of 2.93.  Williams had an ERA of 2.11.

Oakland started the series five and a half games behind.  Realistically, they had to sweep the series to have much chance.  Obviously, they failed to do that, and could only hope to win two out of three now.

The Twins had won six out of seven and eight out of ten.

Record:  The Twins were 84-56, in first place in the American League West, 6.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-eight

MINNESOTA 8, MILWAUKEE 3 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Monday, September 7.

Batting stars:  Hal Haydel was 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and two runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Haydel pitched five innings of relief, giving up two runs on four hits and no walks and striking out two.  Ron Perranoski pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Dave May was 3-for-3 with a stolen base, his fourth.  Tommy Harper was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-seventh), a triple, and two runs.

The game:  Harper led off the game with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Brewers a quick 1-0 lead.  The Twins tied it in the bottom of the first when Killebrew doubled, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Brant Alyea single.  The Twins took the lead 2-1 in the second when Haydel doubled and scored on a Tovar single.  Harper homered in the third to tie it 2-2, but in the bottom of the third Alyea walked and scored on a two-out triple by Leo Cardenas to put the Twins up 3-2.  Haydel homered in the fourth to make it 4-2.

Milwaukee edged closer in the sixth.  Russ Snyder and May led off with singles, a bunt moved them to second and third, and a sacrifice fly made it 4-3.  But the Twins put it away in the seventh.  Tovar singled, Danny Thompson reached on an error, and Killebrew had an RBI single.  A wild pitch put men on second and third and a sacrifice fly scored a second run.  Cardenas walked, followed by run-scoring singles by Steve Brye and George Mitterwald brought the score to 8-3.  The Brewers got only one hit in the last three innings.

WP:  Haydel (1-0).

LP:  Al Downing (4-12).

S:  Perranoski (29).

Notes:  Thompson was once again on second base in place of Rod Carew.  Rick Renick was at third, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Brye was in right field in place of Tony Oliva.

The Twins made a number of defensive substitutions in the eighth.  Reese came in to play first in place of Killebrew.  Quilici came in and went to second, with Thompson moving to third and Renick coming out.  Jim Holt came in and went to center, with Tovar moving to left and Alyea coming out.  In the ninth, Jim Nettles came in to play right field, with Brye moving to left and Tovar coming out.

Haydel was batting .667.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.05.

Luis Tiant started but could go only one inning, coming out of the game due to injury.  He would make only one more appearance in 1970, nearly three weeks later.

Haydel made his major league debut, and it was a really good one.  He came in after Tiant was pulled, pitched five innings, got the win, went 2-for-3 at the plate, and also hit a home run.  It was the only home run of his major league career, and the double he hit was the only double, but then he only batted six times.  His career batting numbers are .500/.500/1.167.  His career pitching numbers are 6-2, 4.04, 1.31 WHIP.  He had a  terrible year in AAA in 1972 and then was out of baseball.  One wonders if he might have been injured--he had done decently in the minors, and not badly in the majors, prior to 1972.

I don't think of Tommy Harper as a home run hitter, but he hit thirty-one in 1970.  That was easily his best power year--his next highest was eighteen in 1965 with California.  He had an OPS of .899 in 1970--his next highest was .774 in 1983.  He hit 146 home runs in his career, which isn't too shabby.  He also stole 408 bases, which is what I remember him for.  He led the league in steals twice--73 in 1969 with Seattle, and 54 in 1973 with Boston.

The Twins had won five consecutive games and would go for the series sweep in the next game.

Record:  The Twins were 83-55, in first place in the American League West, six games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-seven

MINNESOTA 7, MILWAUKEE 6 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Monday, September 7.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his fourteenth and fifteenth) and seven RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 3-for-5.

Pitching star:  Ron Perranoski pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Dave May was 3-for-4 with a triple.  Bob Burda was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.  Mike Hegan was 2-for-4.  John Gelnar struck out five in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Ken Sanders struck out two in two perfect innings.

The game:  The Twins jumped on Brewers starter Lew Krausse for four runs in the first inning.  Cesar Tovar and Rich Reese opened the game with singles.  A ground out put men on second and third.  Harmon Killebrew was intentionally walked to load the bases, which makes perfect sense, but Alyea hit a grand slam to make it 4-0 Twins.

The Brewers tried to come back in the second.  Bob Burda, Mike Hegan, and Roberto Pena all singled, loading the bases with one out.  But Milwaukee could only score once, on a ground out, making the score 4-1.  And in the third, Alyea struck again.  Tony Oliva was hit by a pitch, Killebrew singled, and Alyea hit a three-run homer, making it 7-1 Twins.

From there it was a matter of hanging on.  In the fifth, singles by Pete Koegel and Ted Kubiak put men on first and third with two out.  Then came consecutive singles by May, Burda, and Hegan, resulting in three runs and cutting the lead to 7-4.  In the seventh, Tommy Harper reached on an error, went to third on May's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to 7-5.  In the eighth Phil Roof doubled and scored on Kubiak's single to cut the lead to 7-6.

But the Twins held on.  Bernie Smith singled with one out in the ninth, but did not get farther and the Twins prevailed.

WP:  Stan Williams (9-0).

LP:  Krausse (12-16).

S:  Ron Perranoski (28).

Notes:  Paul Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the seventh and stayed in the game in center field, with Tovar moving to left.  Mitterwald replaced Ratliff behind the plate in the eighth.  Frank Quilici came in to play second in the ninth, with Thompson moving to third and Killebrew coming out of the game.

Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .315.  Williams gave up two runs (one earned) in 2.2 innings and had an ERA of 2.13.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.11.

Neither starter did very well.  Bill Zepp started for the Twins and lasted 4.2 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and no walks and striking out two.  Krausse lasted just two innings, allowing seven runs on six hits and one walk and striking out three.

As noted above, the strategy of walking Killebrew to pitch to Alyea seems perfectly logical.  It just didn't work.  Alyea was the starting left fielder at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year, but there was a large stretch in the middle where Bill Rigney preferred using Jim Holt.  And when Alyea did start, he was almost always removed for defense midway through the game.  Apparently, Rigney considered Alyea to be absolutely awful on defense.

Wayne Twitchell made his major league debut in this game.  Maybe you say "big deal", and understandably so, but Twitchell played for ten seasons and pitched in 282 games (133 starts).  He career numbers are 48-65, 3.98, 2 saves, 1.43 WHIP.  His best year was 1973, when he went 13-9, 2.50, 1.21 WHIP with five shutouts and ten complete games.  He made his lone all-star appearance that year.  He was traded to Philadelphia after the 1970 season, which is where he spent the bulk of his career.  He also pitched for Montreal, the Mets, and Seattle.  He's not all time great or even an all time very good, but you have to have something on the ball to be able to pitch ten seasons in the big leagues.

Pete Koegel got his first major league hit in this game.  A catcher/first baseman, he played in three major league seasons and got eighty-six at-bats.  His numbers are .174/.268/.244, hitting one home run (off Tommy John).  He was very tall, especially for his time, standing 6'6".

There were nine doubleheaders played on this Labor Day.

The Twins had a four-game winning streak.

Record:  The Twins were 82-55, in first place in the American League West, six games ahead of Oakland.  California fell to third place, seven games back.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Nineteen

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 3, NEW YORK 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, August 19.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a double.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched a complete game shutout, giving up four hits and a walk and striking out five.

Opposition star:  Fritz Peterson pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out two.

The game:  There was no score in the first three innings.  The Yankees got men on first and third with two out in the fourth but did not score.  It cost them.  In the bottom of the fourth Killebrew hit a one-out single.  The next batter went out, but two-out singles by Brant Alyea, Reese, and Leo Cardenas resulted in two runs.  It stayed 2-0 until the eighth, when Danny Thompson singled with two out and scored on Killebrew's double.

The Yankees had some threats early.  Horace Clarke walked leading off the game and reached second with two out.  Jake Gibbs hit a two-out triple.  Singles by Bobby Murcer and Jim Lyttle put men on first and third with two out in the fourth.  But they got only one hit after that, a two-out single by Clarke in the eighth.

WP:  Perry (18-10).

LP:  Peterson (13-8).

S:  None.

Notes:  Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Jim Holt replaced Alyea and went to center field, with Cesar Tovar moving to left.  Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth and went to second base, with Thompson moving to third.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .321.  Perry had an ERA of 2.94.

Tischinski was 0-for-3 and was batting .171.

This was one of four shutouts Perry had in 1970.  He had thirty-two for his career.  It was one of thirteen complete games he had in 1970, the most he had in a season.  He had 109 for his career.

The Twins had followed up their nine game losing streak with a three game winning streak.

Record:  The Twins were 72-47, in first place in the American League West, 5.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Seventy-nine

MINNESOTA 4, CALIFORNIA 2 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Thursday, July 9.

Batting stars:  Rick Renick was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.  Leo Cardenas was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his seventh). and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk and striking out five.  Tom Hall struck out five in three perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Jim Spencer was 2-for-3.  Jim Fregosi was 2-for-4.  Rudy May pitched 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks and striking out four.

The game:  The Angels scored two in the first inning.  Sandy Alomar singled, stole second, and scored on a one-out single by Fregosi.  Singles by Alex Johnson and Spencer brought home another run, making it 2-0 California.

The Twins got on the board in the second.  Tony Oliva singled and scored from first on Renick's double, cutting the lead to 2-1.  The Angels opened the fourth with a pair of singles but did not score, so it was still 2-1 until the seventh.  Renick led off with a single and went to second on a ground out, leading to an intentional walk to Cardenas.  Rich Reese then delivered a pinch-hit single, tying the score at two.

It stayed 2-2 until the ninth.  With two out Hall singled and Cardenas followed with a two-run homer, putting the Twins up 4-2.  California did not get a hit after the inning-opening singles in the fourth.

WP:  Hall (5-2).

LP:  Eddie Fisher (3-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .330.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .316.  Cesar Tovar was 1-for-4 and was batting .316.  Blyleven had an ERA of 2.45.  Hall had an ERA of 2.11.

The Twins started the game with Jim Perry batting third in the lineup and listed as the left fielder, with Bob Allison at first base.  As the Twins were on the road, Perry was scheduled to be the third batter of the game.  He wasn't, of course--Killebrew pinch-hit for him and stayed in the game at first base, with Allison moving to left.  There must be a story behind that, but I have no idea what it is.

Reese pinch-hit for George Mitterwald and Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Blyleven in the seventh.  Both stayed in the game, with Reese going to first (moving Killebrew to third, Renick to left field, and Allison leaving the game) and Ratliff going behind the plate.  Herman Hill came in to play center field in the ninth, with Tovar moving to left and Renick leaving the game.

It's interesting that Hall was allowed to bat in the ninth inning of a tie game.  He had pitched two perfect innings, and there were two out and none on, both of which probably affected the decision.  Also, the Twins didn't have a lot of bench players left at this point.  What's even more remarkable is that it paid off, as Hall got a hit in front of Cardenas' home run.  Hall was not a good batter--.161/.191/.172 in 192 career at-bats.  But he came through here.

It's also interesting that Bill Rigney seems to have stopped pulling Killebrew for defense late in games.  Frank Quilici, his usual defensive replacement, was still on the team, and Danny Thompson had taken over second base, so Quilici was still available.  But Killebrew was being allowed to stay in the games.

This was the first of a four-game series with the Angels going into the all-star break.  A sweep would put a lot of space between the Twins and California.  The Twins had won five in a row, ten of eleven, and twelve of fourteen.

Record:  The Twins were 53-26, in first place in the American League West, six games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Seventy-eight

MINNESOTA 8, OAKLAND 6 IN OAKLAND

Date:  Wednesday, July 8.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 4-for-4 with a home run (his twelfth) and two runs.  Leo Cardenas was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs.  Danny Thompson was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Rich Reese was 1-for-5 with a home run, his sixth.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Sal Bando was 4-for-4 with a double and three runs.  Don Mincher was 2-for-4.  Reggie Jackson was 2-for-4.  Dave Duncan was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his eighth.

The game:  The Twins took the lead in the first when Tovar singled and Oliva hit a two-run homer.  The Athletics got on the board in the second when Bando singled, went to third on Jackson's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  They tied it in the fourth when Bando doubled and scored on Mincher's single.

The Twins got the lead back in the sixth.  Thompson reached third on a single-plus-error, scored on a sacrifice fly, and then Reese homered to make it 4-2.  They added two more in the seventh.  Cardenas led off with an infield single.  He had only gotten to second with two out, but then Jim Perry walked and Thompson and Oliva had run-scoring singles, making it 6-2.  The Twins got one more in the eighth when Cardenas doubled and scored on a Perry single, and one more in the ninth when Oliva singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on a Frank Quilici double.

So it was 8-2 going to the bottom of the ninth, and Perry had given up just one hit since the fourth.  But with one out Bando, Jackson, and Mincher all singled, making it 8-3, and Duncan hit a three-run homer, making the Twins' lead just 8-6.  Ron Perranoski came in and walked Felipe Alou.  Frank Fernandez fanned, but Bert Campaneris singled, bringing the winning run to the plate in Joe Rudi.  But he grounded out and the Twins held on for the victory.

WP:  Perry (13-6).

LP:  Catfish Hunter (13-6).

S:  Perranoski (20).

Notes:  Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Rick Renick was at third base in place of Harmon Killebrew, who got his first day off of the season.  Jim Holt was in left in place of Brant Alyea.  Quilici replaced Renick in the eighth, with Quilici going to second and Thompson moving to third.

Oliva was batting .331.  Tovar was 1-for-4 and was batting .314.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.65.

Quilici was 1-for-1 and was batting .188.

Perry pitched very well for eight innings, but his like was 8.1 innings, six runs, eleven hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.

Hunter pitched 6.2 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and one walk and striking out two.

I don't suppose it's all that rare, but it does seem somewhat unusual to have both starters give up six runs.

This was the third four-hit game for Oliva in 1970.

The Twins had won four in a row, nine of ten, and eleven of thirteen.

Record:  The Twins were 52-26, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of California.