A five-run eruption in the ninth inning carried the Twins to a 6-2 victory over the Rangers. Dan Ford led off the stanza with a single to knock out Ranger starter Doc Medich. Paul Mirabella relieved and was greeted by a single by Butch Wynegar. Mirabella thereupon was excused in favor of Reggie Cleveland.

Dave Edwards sacrificed the runners along and Rich Chiles was walked intentionally to load the sacks. Mike Cubbage hit a high bouncer to first baseman Mike Jorgensen who threw wildly past catcher Jim Sundberg, two runs scoring on the error. Roy Smalley followed with a run-scoring double. After Rod Carew walked, Hosken Powell grounded to shortstop to drive in another marker and a second run scored when shortstop Nelson Norman threw wildly past first base. [The Sporting News]



Minnesota Twins 6, Texas Rangers 2
Game Played on Tuesday, September 26, 1978 (Night game) at Arlington Stadium
Twins        0  0  0    0  0  0    0  1  5  -   6  9  0
Rangers      0  0  0    0  0  0    0  2  0  -   2 10  2


Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Cubbage 3b            5   2   1   0     0   1   .278      Bonds dh              5   0   1   0     0   2   .267
Smalley ss            4   1   2   2     1   0   .276      Sundberg c            4   0   0   0     0   2   .280
Carew 1b              4   0   0   0     1   0   .335      Oliver lf             4   1   3   0     0   0   .325
Adams dh              4   0   1   0     0   0   .262      Zisk rf               3   1   1   2     1   0   .261
  Morales ph,dh       1   0   0   0     0   1   .317      Beniquez cf           3   0   0   0     1   0   .259
Powell rf             5   0   1   1     0   0   .247      Harrah ss,3b          3   0   2   0     1   1   .225
Ford cf               4   1   1   0     1   0   .274      Wills 2b              3   0   1   0     0   0   .250
Wynegar c             3   0   2   0     1   0   .229      Alomar 1b             1   0   0   0     1   0   .174
  Norwood pr          0   1   0   0     0   0   .259        Jorgensen 1b        1   0   0   0     0   0   .195
  Borgmann c          0   0   0   0     0   0   .210      Norman 3b,ss          3   0   2   0     0   1   .300
Edwards lf            3   0   0   0     0   0   .257        Grubb ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .269
  Randall ph,2b       0   0   0   0     0   0   .272      Medich p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Wilfong 2b            3   0   1   0     0   1   .265        Mirabella p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Chiles ph           0   0   0   0     1   0   .268        Cleveland p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Rivera pr,lf        0   1   0   0     0   0   .260        Umbarger p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Zahn p                0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Barker p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Marshall p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               36   6   9   3     5   3             Totals               31   2  10   2     4   6

Time of Game: 2:43   Attendance:  6,797
Left on Base: Twins 9, Rangers 8
DP: Twins 2, Rangers 0
Errors: Jorgensen, Norman
Doubles: Cubbage (11), Smalley (30), Harrah (17), Oliver (35)
Home Runs: Zisk (21)
Stolen Bases: Oliver (8)
Caught Stealing: Harrah (8)
Sacrifice Hits: Randall (13), Wills (8), Alomar (1)
GIDP: Sundberg (18), Beniquez (9)


Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Zahn                    7.1  10   2   2   3   5   1  31   3.09
Marshall W(9-12)        1.2   0   0   0   1   1   0   6   2.34
Totals                  9    10   2   2   4   6   1  37

Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Medich                  8     6   2   2   3   2   0  33   3.74
Mirabella L(2-2)        0     1   1   1   0   0   0   1   7.15
Cleveland               0.1   1   3   1   1   0   0   4   3.16
Umbarger                0     0   0   0   1   0   0   1   5.04
Barker                  0.2   1   0   0   0   1   0   3   4.82
Totals                  9     9   6   4   5   3   0  42

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


TWINS 1ST: Cubbage struck out; Smalley flied out to right; Carew
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins
0, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 1ST: Bonds singled to right; Sundberg grounded into a
double play (shortstop to second to first) [Bonds out at
second]; Oliver grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

TWINS 2ND: Adams grounded out (pitcher to first); Powell
grounded out (second to first); Ford walked; Wynegar walked
[Ford to second]; Edwards grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 2ND: Zisk grounded out (second to first); Beniquez
grounded out (shortstop to first); Harrah singled to shortstop;
Harrah was picked off and caught stealing second (pitcher to
first to shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0,
Rangers 0.

TWINS 3RD: Wilfong flied out to left; Cubbage grounded out
(first to pitcher); Smalley walked; Carew grounded out (second
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 3RD: Wills flied out to right; Alomar grounded out
(shortstop to first); Norman singled to shortstop; Bonds flied
out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

TWINS 4TH: Adams grounded out (second to first); Powell grounded
out (third to first); Ford grounded out (second to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 4TH: Sundberg struck out; Oliver singled to right;
Oliver stole second; Zisk walked; Beniquez grounded into a
double play (second to shortstop to first) [Zisk out at second];
0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

TWINS 5TH: Wynegar flied out to left; Edwards grounded out
(shortstop to first); On a bunt Wilfong singled to pitcher;
Cubbage grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Twins 0, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 5TH: Harrah doubled to left; Wills out on a sacrifice
bunt (pitcher to second) [Harrah to third]; Alomar walked;
Norman was called out on strikes; Bonds popped to shortstop; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

TWINS 6TH: Smalley flied out to left; Carew grounded out (second
to first); Adams flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 0, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 6TH: Sundberg flied out to right; Oliver doubled to
right; Zisk grounded out (shortstop to first) [Oliver to third];
Beniquez walked; Harrah struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins
0, Rangers 0.

TWINS 7TH: Powell grounded out (second to first); Ford grounded
out (third to first); Wynegar singled to right; Edwards forced
Wynegar (shortstop to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0,
Rangers 0.

RANGERS 7TH: Wills singled to shortstop; Alomar out on a
sacrifice bunt (first to second) [Wills to second]; Wills was
picked off second (pitcher to second); Norman singled to right;
Bonds struck out; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 0, Rangers 0.

TWINS 8TH: Wilfong struck out; Cubbage doubled to right; Smalley
singled to right [Cubbage scored]; Carew flied out to center;
Adams singled to center [Smalley to second]; Powell grounded out
(second to first); 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 1, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 8TH: Sundberg was called out on strikes; Oliver singled
to center; Zisk homered [Oliver scored]; MARSHALL REPLACED ZAHN
(PITCHING); Beniquez lined to third; Harrah walked; Wills popped
to shortstop; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 1, Rangers 2.

TWINS 9TH: JORGENSEN REPLACED ALOMAR (PLAYING 1B); Ford singled
to center; MIRABELLA REPLACED MEDICH (PITCHING); Wynegar singled
to left [Ford to second]; CLEVELAND REPLACED MIRABELLA
(PITCHING); HARRAH CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING 3B); NORMAN
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING SS); NORWOOD RAN FOR WYNEGAR; RANDALL
BATTED FOR EDWARDS; Randall out on a sacrifice bunt (first to
second) [Ford to third, Norwood to second]; CHILES BATTED FOR
WILFONG; Chiles was walked intentionally; RIVERA RAN FOR CHILES;
Cubbage reached on an error by Jorgensen [Ford scored (no RBI),
Norwood scored (no RBI), Rivera to third]; Smalley doubled to
right [Rivera scored, Cubbage to third]; UMBARGER REPLACED
CLEVELAND (PITCHING); Carew was walked intentionally; MORALES
BATTED FOR ADAMS; BARKER REPLACED UMBARGER (PITCHING); Morales
struck out; Powell singled to shortstop [Cubbage scored
(unearned), Smalley scored (error by Norman) (unearned), Carew
to third]; Ford flied out to left; 5 R (3 ER), 4 H, 2 E, 2 LOB.
Twins 6, Rangers 2.

RANGERS 9TH: MORALES STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING DH); BORGMANN
REPLACED NORWOOD (PLAYING C ); RANDALL STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING
2B); RIVERA STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING LF); Jorgensen grounded out
(first to pitcher); GRUBB BATTED FOR NORMAN; Grubb flied out to
center; Bonds struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 6,
Rangers 2.