Capping a comeback, the Athletics scored two runs in the ninth inning and defeated the Twins, 5-4, with the aid of great relief pitching by Darold Knowles, Mudcat Grant, Rollie Fingers and Bob Locker. The Twins scored their runs, three coming on a homer by Harmon Killebrew, before Blue Moon Odom could retire a batter in the first inning.

The A's picked up an unearned run in the fourth and closed the gap when Reggie Jackson singled and Mike Epstein homered in the sixth. Then in the ninth, Gene Tenace doubled and when Dick Green sacrificed, both runners were safe on a late throw to third. Angel Mangual singled to score Tenace with the tying run and Bert Campaneris hit a sacrifice fly to admit Green with the winning run. [The Sporting News]



Oakland Athletics 5, Minnesota Twins 4
Game Played on Friday, September 10, 1971 (Night game) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Twins        4  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   4  8  2
A's          0  0  0    1  0  2    0  0  2  -   5  7  0


Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Tovar lf,rf           4   1   1   0     0   1   .302      Campaneris ss         3   0   0   1     1   0   .256
Carew 2b              4   1   2   0     0   0   .309      Blefary lf            4   0   0   0     0   1   .210
Oliva rf              4   1   2   1     0   1   .348      Jackson rf            4   2   2   0     0   1   .276
  Nettles cf          0   0   0   0     0   0   .239      Epstein 1b            2   1   1   2     2   1   .243
Killebrew 1b          4   1   1   3     0   2   .251      Bando 3b              2   0   0   1     1   0   .275
Cardenas ss           4   0   1   0     0   1   .276      Monday cf             4   0   1   0     0   0   .235
Brye cf,lf            3   0   0   0     0   1   .235      Tenace c              4   1   2   0     0   0   .289
Soderholm 3b          3   0   0   0     0   2   .172      Green 2b              3   1   0   0     0   0   .241
Roof c                3   0   0   0     0   1   .208      Odom p                0   0   0   0     0   0   .170
Blyleven p            2   0   0   0     0   2   .141        Knowles p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .143
  Haydel p            1   0   1   0     0   0   .333        Hendrick ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .250
                                                            Grant p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .300
                                                            Anderson ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .400
                                                            Fingers p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .226
                                                            Garrett ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .167
                                                            Locker p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Mangual ph          1   0   1   1     0   0   .308

Totals               32   4   8   4     0  11             Totals               30   5   7   5     4   4

Time of Game: 2:16   Attendance:  7,229
Left on Base: Twins 1, A's 7
DP: Twins 1, A's 3
Errors: Brye, Soderholm
Doubles: Tenace (6)
Home Runs: Killebrew (23), Epstein (17)
Stolen Bases: Tovar (16)
Sacrifice Hits: Green (5)
Sacrifice Flies: Bando (5), Campaneris (4)
GIDP: Brye (1), Killebrew (20), Cardenas (13), Green (14)


Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Blyleven                5.1   5   3   2   3   4   1  24   3.05
Haydel L(3-2)           3     2   2   2   1   0   0  13   4.40
Totals                  8.1   7   5   4   4   4   1  37

A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Odom                    0     4   4   4   0   0   1   4   3.90
Knowles                 3     1   0   0   0   5   0   9   4.03
Grant                   2     0   0   0   0   2   0   6   3.34
Fingers                 2     1   0   0   0   3   0   6   2.74
Locker W(5-1)           2     2   0   0   0   1   0   7   2.93
Totals                  9     8   4   4   0  11   1  32

Wild Pitches: Blyleven (5)

Umpires: HP - John Rice, 1B - Bill Kunkel, 2B - Red Flaherty, 3B - Ron Luciano


TWINS 1ST: Tovar singled to right; Carew singled to left [Tovar
to second]; Oliva singled to right [Tovar scored, Carew to
second]; Killebrew homered [Carew scored, Oliva scored]; KNOWLES
REPLACED ODOM (PITCHING); Cardenas singled to center; Brye
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Cardenas out at second]; Soderholm struck out; 4 R, 5 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 1ST: Campaneris walked; Blyleven threw a wild pitch
[Campaneris to second]; Blefary flied out to left; Jackson
struck out; Epstein was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 0.

TWINS 2ND: Roof struck out; Blyleven struck out; Tovar struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Bando walked; Monday flied out to center; Tenace
singled to left [Bando to second]; Green grounded into a double
play (second to shortstop to first) [Tenace out at second]; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 0.

TWINS 3RD: Carew grounded out (shortstop to first); Oliva
grounded out (second to first); Killebrew struck out; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 3RD: HENDRICK BATTED FOR KNOWLES; Hendrick struck out;
Campaneris grounded out (catcher to first); Blefary struck out;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 0.

TWINS 4TH: GRANT REPLACED HENDRICK (PITCHING); Cardenas grounded
out (third to first); Brye flied out to center; Soderholm was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics
0.

ATHLETICS 4TH: Jackson singled to center [Jackson to third
(error by Brye)]; Epstein walked; Bando hit a sacrifice fly to
right [Jackson scored (unearned)]; Monday flied out to center;
Tenace reached on an error by Soderholm [Epstein to third,
Tenace to first]; Green grounded out (second to first); 1 R (0
ER), 1 H, 2 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 1.

TWINS 5TH: Roof flied out to center; Blyleven struck out; Tovar
made an out to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics
1.

ATHLETICS 5TH: ANDERSON BATTED FOR GRANT; Anderson made an out
to second; Campaneris grounded out (third to first); Blefary
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 1.

TWINS 6TH: FINGERS REPLACED ANDERSON (PITCHING); Carew singled
to right; Oliva struck out; Killebrew grounded into a double
play (shortstop to second to first) [Carew out at second]; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Jackson singled to center; Epstein homered
[Jackson scored]; Bando grounded out (third to first); Monday
singled to right; HAYDEL REPLACED BLYLEVEN (PITCHING); Tenace
forced Monday (third to second); Green grounded out (third to
first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 3.

TWINS 7TH: Cardenas struck out; Brye struck out; Soderholm
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins
4, Athletics 3.

ATHLETICS 7TH: GARRETT BATTED FOR FINGERS; Garrett made an out
to second; Campaneris grounded out (third to first); Blefary
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4,
Athletics 3.

TWINS 8TH: LOCKER REPLACED GARRETT (PITCHING); Roof lined to
right; Haydel singled to center; Tovar forced Haydel (second to
shortstop); Tovar stole second; Carew flied out to center; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 3.

ATHLETICS 8TH: Jackson grounded out (second to first); Epstein
walked; Bando flied out to right; Monday grounded out (shortstop
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 3.

TWINS 9TH: Oliva singled to left; Killebrew struck out; Cardenas
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Oliva out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics
3.

ATHLETICS 9TH: BRYE CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); NETTLES
REPLACED OLIVA (PLAYING CF); TOVAR CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING
RF); Tenace doubled to left; Green reached on a fielder's choice
on a sacrifice bunt [Tenace to third]; MANGUAL BATTED FOR
LOCKER; Mangual singled to right [Tenace scored, Green to
third]; Campaneris hit a sacrifice fly to center [Green scored];
2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 4, Athletics 5.