A five-run rally in the eighth inning, fashioned with four hits, a walk, hit batsman and four stolen bases, enabled the Athletics to defeat the Twins, 5-2. Jim Hughes, who started for the Twins, yielded only three hits before the roof fell in. Gene Tenace drew a walk to start the rally and gave way to Larry Lintz, who stole second. Ron Fairly, making his first appearance with the A's, rapped a pinch-single, scoring Lintz.

Matt Alexander ran for Fairly and stole second. After an infield hit by Phil Garner, Alexander counted on a forceout by Ken McMullen. Bill North followed with a single and Claudell Washington was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Don Baylor capitalized on the opportunity with a single, driving in two runs. Baylor stole second and Washington then stole home with the final run of the outburst. [The Sporting News]



Oakland Athletics 5, Minnesota Twins 2
Game Played on Wednesday, September 15, 1976 (Night game) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Twins        1  1  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   2  5  0
A's          0  0  0    0  0  0    0  5  x  -   5  7  1


Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Braun dh              4   0   1   1     0   2   .284      North cf              4   1   1   0     0   0   .275
Smalley ss            3   0   1   0     1   1   .262      Washington rf         3   1   2   0     0   1   .258
Carew 1b              3   1   1   0     0   0   .332      Baylor dh,1b          4   0   2   2     0   1   .248
Bostock cf            4   0   0   0     0   0   .329      Rudi lf               4   0   0   0     0   1   .283
Cubbage 3b            4   0   0   0     0   0   .257      Bando 3b,ss           3   0   0   0     0   1   .229
Wynegar c             4   0   0   0     0   1   .265      Tenace c              2   0   0   0     1   0   .257
Hisle lf              3   0   0   0     1   1   .267        Lintz pr            0   1   0   0     0   0   .000
Ford rf               4   1   1   0     0   1   .266        Newman c            0   0   0   0     0   0   .200
Randall 2b            3   0   1   0     0   1   .268      Fairly 1b             3   0   1   1     0   1   .265
Hughes p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Alexander pr        0   1   0   0     0   0   .036
  Burgmeier p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Torrez p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Campbell p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Garner 2b             3   0   1   0     0   0   .259
                                                          Sandt ss              1   0   0   0     0   0   .203
                                                            Holt ph             1   0   0   0     0   0   .500
                                                            Campaneris ss       0   0   0   0     0   0   .267
                                                            Williams ph         0   0   0   0     0   0   .209
                                                            McMullen ph,3b      1   1   0   1     0   0   .211

Totals               32   2   5   1     2   7             Totals               29   5   7   4     1   5

Time of Game: 2:13   Attendance:  3,774
Left on Base: Twins 6, A's 2
DP: Twins 1, A's 0
Errors: Bando
Stolen Bases: Carew (45), Ford (15), Lintz (31), Alexander (19), Washington (34), Baylor (48)
Sacrifice Hits: Carew (8)
GIDP: Rudi (13)
Hit by Pitch: Washington (2,by Burgmeier)


Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hughes L(8-13)          7.1   5   3   3   1   4   0  26   4.88
Burgmeier               0.1   2   2   2   0   0   0   4   2.64
Campbell                0.1   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   3.17
Totals                  8     7   5   5   1   5   0  31

A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Torrez W(14-10)         9     5   2   1   2   7   0  35   2.52
Totals                  9     5   2   1   2   7   0  35

Hit by Pitch: Burgmeier (1)

Umpires: HP - Rich Garcia, 1B - Lou DiMuro, 2B - Bill Kunkel, 3B - Dave Phillips


TWINS 1ST: Braun made an out to shortstop; Smalley struck out;
Carew singled; Carew stole second; Bostock reached on an error
by Bando [Carew scored (unearned) (no RBI)]; Cubbage flied out
to left; 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 1, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 1ST: North flied out to center; Washington singled;
Washington was picked off first (pitcher to first); Baylor
struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 1, Athletics 0.

TWINS 2ND: Wynegar grounded out (second to first); Hisle was
called out on strikes; Ford singled; Randall singled [Ford to
third]; Braun singled [Ford scored, Randall to second]; Smalley
flied out to left; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Rudi flied out to center; Bando grounded out
(shortstop to first); Tenace lined to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 3RD: Carew grounded out (shortstop to first); Bostock
flied out to left; Cubbage popped to third in foul territory; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 3RD: Fairly flied out to center; Garner grounded out
(shortstop to first); Sandt flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 4TH: Wynegar flied out to right; Hisle flied out to
center; Ford flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 2,
Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 4TH: North grounded out (second to first); Washington
singled; Baylor singled to right [Washington to third]; Rudi
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Baylor out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2,
Athletics 0.

TWINS 5TH: Randall made an out to second; Braun was called out
on strikes; Smalley walked; Carew grounded out (first
unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 5TH: Bando struck out; Tenace grounded out (shortstop
to first); Fairly struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 2,
Athletics 0.

TWINS 6TH: Bostock made an out to shortstop; Cubbage flied out
to left; Wynegar lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 2,
Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Garner flied out to left; HOLT BATTED FOR SANDT;
Holt flied out to center; North grounded out (pitcher to first);
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 7TH: CAMPANERIS REPLACED HOLT (PLAYING SS); Hisle walked;
Ford forced Hisle (shortstop to second); Ford stole second;
Randall struck out; Braun was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 7TH: Washington struck out; Baylor flied out to left;
Rudi grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 8TH: Smalley singled; Carew out on a sacrifice bunt
(catcher to second) [Smalley to second]; Bostock grounded out
(second to first) [Smalley to third]; Cubbage grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 8TH: Bando grounded out (first unassisted); Tenace
walked; LINTZ RAN FOR TENACE; Lintz stole second; Fairly singled
[Lintz scored]; ALEXANDER RAN FOR FAIRLY; Alexander stole
second; Garner singled [Alexander to third]; WILLIAMS BATTED FOR
CAMPANERIS; BURGMEIER REPLACED HUGHES (PITCHING); MCMULLEN
BATTED FOR WILLIAMS; McMullen forced Garner (shortstop
unassisted) [Alexander scored]; North singled [McMullen to
second]; Washington was hit by a pitch [McMullen to third, North
to second]; Baylor singled to right [McMullen scored, North
scored, Washington to third, Baylor to second (on throw)];
CAMPBELL REPLACED BURGMEIER (PITCHING); Washington stole home
and Baylor stole third; Rudi struck out; 5 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Twins 2, Athletics 5.

TWINS 9TH: BAYLOR CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING 1B); NEWMAN
REPLACED LINTZ (PLAYING C ); TORREZ REPLACED ALEXANDER
(PITCHING); MCMULLEN STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 3B); BANDO CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING SS); Wynegar struck out; Hisle grounded out
(shortstop to first); Ford struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 2, Athletics 5.