Vida Blue gained his 10th straight victory with a lift from Mike Epstein, who smashed a two-run homer to enable the Athletics to defeat the Twins, 3-1. Reggie Jackson doubled ahead of Epstein's homer in the fourth inning.

An error by Bert Campaneris led to an unearned run for the Twins in the sixth and deprived Blue of a shutout. The A's picked up their last tally in the home half of the sixth on a walk to Jackson, single by Sal Bando and sacrifice fly by Rick Monday. [The Sporting News]



Oakland Athletics 3, Minnesota Twins 1
Game Played on Sunday, May       23, 1971 (Day game) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Twins        0  0  0    0  0  1    0  0  0  -   1  5  1
A's          0  0  0    2  0  1    0  0  x  -   3  6  1


Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Tovar cf              3   0   0   0     1   0   .305      Campaneris ss         4   0   1   0     0   0   .258
Braun 2b,3b           4   0   3   1     0   0   .355      Rudi lf               4   0   0   0     0   1   .240
Killebrew 1b          4   0   0   0     0   2   .302      Jackson rf            2   2   1   0     2   1   .278
Oliva rf              4   0   1   0     0   0   .384      Epstein 1b            4   1   1   2     0   1   .258
Cardenas ss           4   0   0   0     0   2   .267      Bando 3b              4   0   2   0     0   0   .280
Alyea lf              3   0   0   0     1   1   .247      Monday cf             2   0   0   1     1   1   .229
Renick 3b             3   0   0   0     0   3   .217      Duncan c              4   0   0   0     0   0   .217
  Hall p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .375      Green 2b              2   0   0   0     1   0   .228
Mitterwald c          3   0   1   0     0   1   .231      Blue p                2   0   1   0     0   1   .161
Perry p               1   1   0   0     1   0   .261
  Carew 2b            1   0   0   0     0   0   .228

Totals               30   1   5   1     3   9             Totals               28   3   6   3     4   5

Time of Game: 2:28   Attendance: 28,537
Left on Base: Twins 5, A's 7
DP: Twins 0, A's 2
Errors: Mitterwald, Campaneris
Doubles: Jackson (8), Bando (10), Campaneris (9)
Home Runs: Epstein (3)
Caught Stealing: Braun (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Blue (6)
Sacrifice Flies: Monday (1)
GIDP: Perry (2)


Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Perry L(5-4)            6.1   6   3   3   3   2   1  28   4.28
Hall                    1.2   0   0   0   1   3   0   6   3.44
Totals                  8     6   3   3   4   5   1  34

A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Blue W(10-1)            9     5   1   0   3   9   0  33   1.03
Totals                  9     5   1   0   3   9   0  33

Wild Pitches: Perry (2), Blue (7)

Umpires: HP - Don Denkinger, 1B - Art Frantz, 2B - Bill Deegan, 3B - Nestor Chylak


TWINS 1ST: Tovar grounded out (shortstop to first); Braun
singled to right; Killebrew forced Braun (third to second); Blue
threw a wild pitch [Killebrew to second]; Oliva flied out to
left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 1ST: Campaneris grounded out (shortstop to first);
Rudi grounded out (pitcher to second to first); Jackson struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 0.

TWINS 2ND: Cardenas was called out on strikes; Alyea grounded
out (shortstop to first); Renick struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Epstein grounded out (first unassisted); Bando
grounded out (third to first); Monday flied out to right; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 0.

TWINS 3RD: Mitterwald singled to left; On a bunt Perry grounded
into a double play (first to shortstop to second) [Mitterwald
out at second]; Tovar grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 3RD: Duncan lined to left; Green popped to first in
foul territory; Blue was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 0.

TWINS 4TH: Braun lined to left; Killebrew struck out; Oliva
singled to right; Cardenas was called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 4TH: Campaneris made an out to third; Mitterwald
dropped a foul fly hit by Rudi for an error; Rudi grounded out
(shortstop to first); Jackson doubled; Epstein homered [Jackson
scored]; Bando doubled to center; Monday was walked
intentionally; Duncan grounded out (second to first); 2 R, 3 H,
1 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 2.

TWINS 5TH: Alyea made an out to second; Renick struck out;
Mitterwald struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics
2.

ATHLETICS 5TH: Green walked; Blue out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Green to second]; Campaneris popped to
first in foul territory; Rudi grounded out (shortstop to first);
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Athletics 2.

TWINS 6TH: Perry walked; Tovar reached on an error by Campaneris
[Perry to third, Tovar to second]; Braun singled to right [Perry
scored (unearned), Tovar out at home (right to catcher)];
Killebrew struck out while Braun was caught stealing second
(catcher to second); 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 1,
Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Jackson walked; Epstein flied out to center;
Bando singled to right [Jackson to third]; Monday hit a
sacrifice fly to right [Jackson scored]; Perry threw a wild
pitch [Bando to second]; Duncan grounded out (shortstop to
first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 1, Athletics 3.

TWINS 7TH: Oliva lined to left; Cardenas lined to right; Alyea
walked; Renick struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 1,
Athletics 3.

ATHLETICS 7TH: Green made an out to shortstop; Blue singled;
Campaneris doubled [Blue to third]; HALL REPLACED RENICK
(PITCHING); CAREW REPLACED PERRY (PLAYING 2B); BRAUN CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING 3B); Rudi struck out; Jackson walked; Epstein
struck out; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Twins 1, Athletics 3.

TWINS 8TH: Mitterwald flied out to left; Carew made an out to
pitcher; Tovar walked; Braun singled to left [Tovar to second];
Killebrew forced Braun (second to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Twins 1, Athletics 3.

ATHLETICS 8TH: Bando flied out to center; Monday struck out;
Duncan flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 1,
Athletics 3.

TWINS 9TH: Oliva lined to right; Cardenas grounded out
(shortstop to first); Alyea struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 1, Athletics 3.