The rookie-laden Athletics continued their amazing early streak by defeating the Twins, 3-2, for their fifth straight victory and seventh in eight games. The A's scored all their runs in the fifth inning, starting with Rob Picciolo's first major league homer.

Mitchell Page, who had two hits to keep his batting average at .500, then drove in two runs with a single, scoring Bill North and Larry Lintz. Rod Carew homered for the Twins, who drew 14,788 for their home opener. [The Sporting News]



Oakland Athletics 3, Minnesota Twins 2
Game Played on Friday, April     15, 1977 (Day game) at Metropolitan Stadium
A's          0  0  0    0  3  0    0  0  0  -   3  6  1
Twins        0  0  1    0  0  0    0  1  0  -   2  7  1


A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
North cf              3   1   1   0     0   0   .227      Smalley ss            5   0   2   1     0   0   .364
  Mallory cf          1   0   0   0     0   0   .250      Carew 1b              4   1   2   1     0   0   .273
Lintz 2b              2   1   0   0     2   2   .214      Bostock cf            3   0   0   0     1   0   .321
Page lf               4   0   2   2     0   0   .500      Hisle lf              4   0   2   0     0   2   .324
Allen 1b              3   0   0   0     1   0   .375      Cubbage 3b            4   0   1   0     0   0   .438
  Alexander pr        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Chiles rf             2   0   0   0     1   0   .000
  E. Williams 1b      0   0   0   0     0   0   .160        Terrell ph,rf       1   0   0   0     0   0   .261
Sanguillen c          4   0   0   0     0   0   .241      Kusick dh             4   0   0   0     0   0   .200
Gross 3b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .370      Randall 2b            3   1   0   0     0   1   .115
McKinney dh           4   0   0   0     0   1   .273      Borgmann c            3   0   0   0     1   0   .100
Armas rf              4   0   1   0     0   1   .179      Thormodsgard p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Picciolo ss           4   1   1   1     0   0   .250        Schueler p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Torrez p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Torrealba p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Giusti p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               33   3   6   3     3   4             Totals               33   2   7   2     3   3

Time of Game: 2:50   Attendance: 14,788
Left on Base: A's 6, Twins 8
DP: A's 1, Twins 1
Errors: Page, Chiles
Triples: North (1)
Home Runs: Picciolo (1), Carew (1)
Stolen Bases: Lintz 2 (6), Mallory (2), Alexander (2), Bostock (3)
GIDP: Allen (1), Borgmann (1)
Hit by Pitch: Randall (1,by Torrez)


A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Torrez W(2-0)           7     5   2   1   3   2   1  29   2.81
Torrealba               0.1   2   0   0   0   0   0   3   0.00
Giusti SV(2)            1.2   0   0   0   0   1   0   5   2.00
Totals                  9     7   2   1   3   3   1  37

Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Thormodsgard L(1-1)     7     6   3   3   2   4   1  29   2.70
Schueler                2     0   0   0   1   0   0   7   3.68
Totals                  9     6   3   3   3   4   1  36

Hit by Pitch: Torrez (1)

Umpires: HP - Ron Luciano, 1B - Ken Kaiser, 2B - Bill Haller, 3B - Bill Kunkel


ATHLETICS 1ST: North grounded out (second to first); Lintz
walked; Lintz stole second; Page grounded out (first unassisted)
[Lintz to third]; Allen grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Athletics 0, Twins 0.

TWINS 1ST: Smalley grounded out (first to pitcher); Carew
grounded out (shortstop to first); Bostock grounded out (first
unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Athletics 0, Twins 0.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Sanguillen popped to third in foul territory;
Gross singled to right; McKinney struck out; Armas reached on an
error by Chiles [Gross to third, Armas to second (on throw to
3b)]; Picciolo grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 2
LOB.  Athletics 0, Twins 0.

TWINS 2ND: Hisle struck out; Cubbage flied out to left; Chiles
grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Athletics 0, Twins 0.

ATHLETICS 3RD: North flied out to center; Lintz was called out
on strikes; Page singled to center; Allen forced Page (shortstop
to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Athletics 0, Twins 0.

TWINS 3RD: Kusick reached on an error by Page [Kusick to
second]; Randall was hit by a pitch; Borgmann grounded into a
double play (third to first) [Randall to second, Kusick out at
third]; Smalley singled to right [Randall scored (unearned)];
Carew grounded out (first unassisted); 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1
LOB.  Athletics 0, Twins 1.

ATHLETICS 4TH: Sanguillen grounded out (shortstop to first);
Gross grounded out (second to first); McKinney grounded out
(third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Athletics 0, Twins 1.

TWINS 4TH: Bostock walked; Bostock stole second; Hisle struck
out; Cubbage grounded out (first unassisted) [Bostock to third];
Chiles grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Athletics 0, Twins 1.

ATHLETICS 5TH: Armas struck out; Picciolo homered; North tripled
to right; Lintz walked; Lintz stole second; Page singled to left
[North scored, Lintz scored]; Allen grounded into a double play
(third to second to first) [Page out at second]; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 1.

TWINS 5TH: MALLORY REPLACED NORTH (PLAYING CF); Kusick grounded
out (third to first); Randall flied out to center; Borgmann
lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 1.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Sanguillen grounded out (pitcher to first); Gross
grounded out (pitcher to first); McKinney lined to center; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 1.

TWINS 6TH: Smalley lined to left; Carew singled; Bostock forced
Carew (first to shortstop); Hisle singled to right [Bostock to
third]; Cubbage grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E,
2 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 1.

ATHLETICS 7TH: Armas singled to left; Picciolo forced Armas
(first to shortstop); Mallory forced Picciolo (second to
shortstop); Mallory stole second; Lintz struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 1.

TWINS 7TH: Chiles walked; Kusick flied out to center; Randall
grounded out (third to first) [Chiles to second]; Borgmann
walked; Smalley was credited with a single when a runner was hit
by the batted ball to first [Borgmann out at first (first
unassisted)]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 1.

ATHLETICS 8TH: SCHUELER REPLACED THORMODSGARD (PITCHING); Page
lined to right; Allen walked; ALEXANDER RAN FOR ALLEN; Alexander
stole second; Sanguillen popped to second; Gross grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 1.

TWINS 8TH: E. WILLIAMS REPLACED ALEXANDER (PLAYING 1B); Carew
homered; TORREALBA REPLACED TORREZ (PITCHING); Bostock grounded
out (first to pitcher); Hisle singled to left; Cubbage singled
to right [Hisle to second]; GIUSTI REPLACED TORREALBA
(PITCHING); TERRELL BATTED FOR CHILES; Terrell popped to first
in foul territory; Kusick forced Hisle (third unassisted); 1 R,
3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 2.

ATHLETICS 9TH: TERRELL STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); McKinney
popped to third in foul territory; Armas grounded out (third to
first); Picciolo popped to first in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Athletics 3, Twins 2.

TWINS 9TH: Randall struck out; Borgmann flied out to center;
Smalley flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Athletics 3,
Twins 2.