Three unearned runs that resulted from a wild throw by Cesar Tovar with the bases loaded in the third inning proved the difference when the Tigers defeated the Twins, 8-6. Tovar's error came on an apparent double-play ball hit by Jim Northrup and cleared the bases. Northrup then scored himself on a single by Bill Freehan.

Dick McAuliffe led off the game with a homer in the first when the Tigers counted twice. Brant Alyea batted in four runs for the Twins with a pair of doubles. After a walk and a triple by Tovar in the fourth, the Twins tied the score with a homer by Harmon Killebrew in the fifth. The Tigers broke away in the seventh when Northrup walked and Freehan hit for the circut. [The Sporting News]



Detroit Tigers 8, Minnesota Twins 6
Game Played on Friday, April     24, 1970 (Day game) at Metropolitan Stadium
Tigers       2  0  4    0  0  0    2  0  0  -   8 12  0
Twins        2  0  2    1  1  0    0  0  0  -   6  9  1


Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
McAuliffe 2b          5   1   1   1     0   0   .260      Tovar 2b,cf           5   1   2   1     0   0   .385
Gutierrez ss          5   2   2   0     0   1   .315      Holt cf               2   1   0   0     1   0   .250
Kaline rf             5   1   5   1     0   0   .373        Mendoza ph,2b       2   0   0   0     0   1   .000
Cash 1b               4   1   1   0     1   1   .250      Oliva rf              5   1   1   0     0   2   .327
Horton lf             4   0   0   0     1   2   .280      Killebrew 3b          1   2   1   1     4   0   .343
Northrup cf           3   2   0   1     1   0   .333        Quilici pr          0   0   0   0     0   0   .333
Freehan c             3   1   2   3     2   0   .348      Reese 1b              5   0   2   0     0   0   .194
Maddox 3b             5   0   0   0     0   2   .158      Alyea lf              4   0   2   4     0   0   .429
Niekro p              2   0   1   0     0   1   .200      Cardenas ss           4   0   0   0     0   0   .209
  Hiller p            2   0   0   0     0   1   .000      Mitterwald c          4   0   0   0     0   0   .167
                                                          Perry p               1   0   0   0     0   0   .200
                                                            Hall p              2   1   1   0     0   0   .500
                                                            Williams p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Allison ph          0   0   0   0     1   0   .000
                                                            Perranoski p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               38   8  12   6     5   8             Totals               35   6   9   6     6   3

Time of Game: 2:54   Attendance:  5,368
Left on Base: Tigers 9, Twins 8
DP: Tigers 1, Twins 1
Errors: Tovar
Doubles: Kaline 2 (6), Tovar (4), Alyea 2 (3), Oliva (4)
Triples: Tovar (3)
Home Runs: McAuliffe (3), Freehan (2), Killebrew (3)
Sacrifice Hits: Northrup (2)
GIDP: Maddox (1), Alyea (3)


Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro                  3.1   6   5   5   3   0   0  19   2.79
Hiller W(1-0)           5.2   3   1   1   3   3   1  22   3.18
Totals                  9     9   6   6   6   3   1  41

Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Perry                   3     8   6   4   0   5   1  18   2.57
Hall L(0-1)             3.1   3   2   2   3   1   1  16   2.84
Williams                1.2   1   0   0   0   2   0   6   0.00
Perranoski              1     0   0   0   2   0   0   4   2.31
Totals                  9    12   8   6   5   8   2  44

Umpires: HP - Larry Napp, 1B - John Rice, 2B - Marty Springstead, 3B - Larry Barnett


TIGERS 1ST: McAuliffe homered; Gutierrez singled to right;
Kaline doubled to right [Gutierrez scored]; Cash struck out;
Horton struck out; Northrup lined to second; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Tigers 2, Twins 0.

TWINS 1ST: Tovar doubled to right; Holt walked; Oliva flied out
to left; Killebrew walked [Tovar to third, Holt to second];
Reese lined to shortstop; Alyea doubled to right [Killebrew to
third, Holt scored, Tovar scored]; Cardenas grounded out
(pitcher to second to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 2,
Twins 2.

TIGERS 2ND: Freehan flied out to center; Maddox struck out;
Niekro singled to right; McAuliffe lined to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Tigers 2, Twins 2.

TWINS 2ND: Mitterwald flied out to center; Perry grounded out
(shortstop to first); Tovar grounded out (shortstop to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 2, Twins 2.

TIGERS 3RD: Gutierrez singled to right; Kaline singled to right
[Gutierrez to second]; Cash singled to right [Kaline to second,
Gutierrez to third]; Horton struck out; Northrup reached on an
error by Tovar [Northrup to second, Cash scored (unearned) (no
RBI), Kaline scored (no RBI), Gutierrez scored]; Freehan singled
to center [Northrup scored (unearned)]; Maddox flied out to
center; Niekro was called out on strikes; 4 R (2 ER), 4 H, 1 E,
1 LOB.  Tigers 6, Twins 2.

TWINS 3RD: Holt grounded out (first unassisted); Oliva doubled
to right; Killebrew walked; Reese flied out to center; Alyea
doubled to left [Killebrew scored, Oliva scored]; Cardenas
grounded out (pitcher to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers
6, Twins 4.

TIGERS 4TH: HALL REPLACED PERRY (PITCHING); McAuliffe grounded
out (first unassisted); Gutierrez struck out; Kaline singled to
left; Cash walked [Kaline to second]; Horton flied out to left;
0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 6, Twins 4.

TWINS 4TH: Mitterwald popped to catcher in foul territory; Hall
singled to left; Tovar tripled to left [Hall scored]; HILLER
REPLACED NIEKRO (PITCHING); Holt made an out to first; Oliva
grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 6,
Twins 5.

TIGERS 5TH: Northrup flied out to right; Freehan walked; Maddox
flied out to right; Hiller made an out to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Tigers 6, Twins 5.

TWINS 5TH: Killebrew homered; Reese singled to right; Alyea
grounded into a double play (third to second to first) [Reese
out at second]; Cardenas grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R,
2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 6, Twins 6.

TIGERS 6TH: McAuliffe grounded out (pitcher to first); Gutierrez
popped to catcher in foul territory; Kaline doubled to left;
Cash lined to second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 6, Twins 6.

TWINS 6TH: Mitterwald grounded out (third to first); Hall popped
to third in foul territory; Tovar lined to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 6, Twins 6.

TIGERS 7TH: Horton popped to third in foul territory; Northrup
walked; Freehan homered [Northrup scored]; WILLIAMS REPLACED
HALL (PITCHING); Maddox was called out on strikes; Hiller struck
out; 2 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 8, Twins 6.

TWINS 7TH: MENDOZA BATTED FOR HOLT; Mendoza was called out on
strikes; Oliva struck out; Killebrew walked; Reese singled to
right [Killebrew to second]; Alyea lined to shortstop; 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 8, Twins 6.

TIGERS 8TH: MENDOZA STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); TOVAR CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING CF); McAuliffe flied out to left; Gutierrez
grounded out (pitcher to first); Kaline singled to right; Cash
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 8,
Twins 6.

TWINS 8TH: Cardenas grounded out (shortstop to first);
Mitterwald grounded out (shortstop to third to first); ALLISON
BATTED FOR WILLIAMS; Allison walked; Tovar forced Allison
(second to shortstop); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 8, Twins 6.

TIGERS 9TH: PERRANOSKI REPLACED ALLISON (PITCHING); Horton
walked; Northrup out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second)
[Horton to second]; Freehan was walked intentionally; Maddox
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Freehan out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 8, Twins
6.

TWINS 9TH: Mendoza grounded out (third to first); Oliva struck
out; Killebrew walked; QUILICI RAN FOR KILLEBREW; Reese flied
out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 8, Twins 6.