Paced by Harmon Killebrew, who hit a three-run homer, the Twins won the first game of a doubleheader, 5-3, in a split with the Royals, who exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning to capture the second game, 8-3. Bert Blyleven, who ended his personal five-game losing streak with the Twins' victory in the opener, was lifted with the bases loaded in the ninth and the Royals scored three runs on a single by Cookie Rojas and sacrifice fly by Carl Taylor before Freddie Patek grounded into a double play.

In the nightcap, Lou Piniella drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double to start the Royals' big inning. After a pass to Ed Kirkpatrick and single by Richie Scheinblum, scoring Piniella, John Mayberry capped the outburst with a homer. [The Sporting News]



Minnesota Twins 5, Kansas City Royals 3 (Game 1)
Game Played on Sunday, June      25, 1972 (Day game) at Municipal Stadium
Twins        0  1  3    1  0  0    0  0  0  -   5  8  0
Royals       0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  3  -   3 10  1


Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Royals               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Tovar rf              3   1   0   0     0   0   .281      Patek ss              5   0   1   0     0   0   .240
Thompson ss           3   1   1   0     2   1   .265      Otis cf               4   0   2   0     0   1   .293
Carew 2b              4   1   2   1     1   0   .288      Piniella lf           4   0   0   0     0   0   .316
Killebrew 1b          4   1   1   3     0   1   .227      Kirkpatrick c         3   1   1   0     0   2   .300
  Reese 1b            1   0   0   0     0   0   .188      Scheinblum rf         4   1   1   0     0   1   .316
Braun lf              4   0   2   0     0   0   .309      Mayberry 1b           3   1   2   0     1   0   .267
Nettles cf            4   0   1   0     0   0   .228      Rojas 2b              4   0   2   2     0   0   .273
Soderholm 3b          4   1   0   0     0   0   .216      Floyd 3b              2   0   1   0     0   1   .189
Roof c                4   0   0   0     0   1   .174        Hovley ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .219
Blyleven p            4   0   1   1     0   1   .214        Knoop 3b            0   0   0   0     1   0   .313
  Granger p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .333      Drago p               1   0   0   0     0   1   .065
                                                            Keough ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .267
                                                            Hedlund p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .357
                                                            Hopkins ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .143
                                                            Abernathy p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Taylor ph           0   0   0   1     0   0   .273

Totals               35   5   8   5     3   4             Totals               33   3  10   3     2   6

Time of Game: 2:25
Left on Base: Twins 8, Royals 7
DP: Twins 2, Royals 0
Errors: Piniella
Doubles: Carew (8), Braun (7)
Home Runs: Killebrew (9)
Stolen Bases: Tovar 2 (11), Patek (12)
Caught Stealing: Thompson (2), Otis (5)
Sacrifice Flies: Taylor (1)
GIDP: Rojas (11), Patek (5)
Hit by Pitch: Tovar 2 (10,by Drago,by Hedlund), Kirkpatrick (2,by Blyleven)


Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Blyleven W(8-8)         8     9   3   3   1   6   0  33   2.98
Granger SV(12)          1     1   0   0   1   0   0   4   0.49
Totals                  9    10   3   3   2   6   0  37

Royals                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Drago L(5-6)            5     7   5   4   2   2   1  26   2.43
Hedlund                 3     1   0   0   0   2   0  11   3.99
Abernathy               1     0   0   0   1   0   0   3   2.12
Totals                  9     8   5   4   3   4   1  40

Hit by Pitch: Blyleven (5), Drago (2), Hedlund (2)

Umpires: HP - Red Flaherty, 1B - Bill Haller, 2B - Jerry Neudecker, 3B - Bill Kunkel


TWINS 1ST: Tovar flied out to center; Thompson flied out to
right; Carew doubled to left; Killebrew made an out to second; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Royals 0.

ROYALS 1ST: Patek flied out to left; Otis singled to center;
Piniella flied out to right; Otis was caught stealing second
(catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0, Royals 0.

TWINS 2ND: Braun grounded out (first to pitcher); Nettles
singled; Soderholm reached on an error by Piniella [Nettles to
third, Soderholm to second]; Roof reached on a fielder's choice
[Nettles out at home (second to catcher), Soderholm to third];
Blyleven singled to center [Soderholm scored (unearned), Roof to
second]; Tovar flied out to left; 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
Twins 1, Royals 0.

ROYALS 2ND: Kirkpatrick struck out; Scheinblum struck out;
Mayberry grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 1, Royals 0.

TWINS 3RD: Thompson singled to center; Carew walked [Thompson to
second]; Killebrew homered [Thompson scored, Carew scored];
Braun grounded out (shortstop to first); Nettles grounded out
(pitcher to first); Soderholm flied out to right; 3 R, 2 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Twins 4, Royals 0.

ROYALS 3RD: Rojas singled to third; Floyd was called out on
strikes; Drago struck out; Patek made an out to second; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 4, Royals 0.

TWINS 4TH: Roof grounded out (shortstop to first); Blyleven
struck out; Tovar was hit by a pitch; Tovar stole second;
Thompson walked; Carew singled to center [Tovar scored, Thompson
to third]; Killebrew made an out to second; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 0.

ROYALS 4TH: Otis struck out; Piniella flied out to right;
Kirkpatrick struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 0.

TWINS 5TH: Braun doubled to right; Nettles grounded out
(shortstop to first); Soderholm flied out to left; Roof was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 0.

ROYALS 5TH: Scheinblum grounded out (second to first); Mayberry
singled to center; Rojas flied out to left; Floyd singled to
shortstop [Mayberry to second]; KEOUGH BATTED FOR DRAGO; Keough
grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 5,
Royals 0.

TWINS 6TH: HEDLUND REPLACED KEOUGH (PITCHING); Blyleven flied
out to right; Tovar was hit by a pitch; Tovar stole second;
Thompson struck out; Carew grounded out (shortstop to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 0.

ROYALS 6TH: Patek flied out to right; Otis grounded out (second
to first); Piniella flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 5, Royals 0.

TWINS 7TH: Killebrew struck out; Braun singled to center;
Nettles flied out to left; Soderholm flied out to right; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 0.

ROYALS 7TH: Kirkpatrick was hit by a pitch; Scheinblum forced
Kirkpatrick (first to shortstop); Mayberry singled to right
[Scheinblum to third]; Rojas grounded into a double play (second
to shortstop to first) [Mayberry out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 0.

TWINS 8TH: Roof popped to third in foul territory; Blyleven
grounded out (catcher to first); Tovar made an out to third; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 0.

ROYALS 8TH: REESE REPLACED KILLEBREW (PLAYING 1B); HOVLEY BATTED
FOR FLOYD; Hovley flied out to right; HOPKINS BATTED FOR
HEDLUND; Hopkins grounded out (first unassisted); Patek singled
to left; Patek stole second; Otis singled to third [Patek to
third]; Piniella flied out to center; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Twins 5, Royals 0.

TWINS 9TH: KNOOP REPLACED HOVLEY (PLAYING 3B); ABERNATHY
REPLACED HOPKINS (PITCHING); Thompson walked; Carew flied out to
right; Reese flied out to left; Thompson was caught stealing
second (catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 5,
Royals 0.

ROYALS 9TH: Kirkpatrick singled to right; Scheinblum singled to
right [Kirkpatrick to second]; Mayberry walked [Kirkpatrick to
third, Scheinblum to second]; GRANGER REPLACED BLYLEVEN
(PITCHING); Rojas singled to center [Kirkpatrick scored,
Scheinblum scored, Mayberry to second]; Knoop walked [Mayberry
to third, Rojas to second]; TAYLOR BATTED FOR ABERNATHY; Taylor
hit a sacrifice fly to left [Mayberry scored]; Patek grounded
into a double play (third to second to first) [Knoop out at
second]; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 5, Royals 3.