Completing the three-game series sweep, the Rangers edged the Twins, 6-5. The Rangers scored three runs in the fourth inning. Pat Putnam drove in the first run with a single and Johnny Grubb followed with a homer. A sacrifice fly by Nelson Norman in the sixth stanza gave the Texans a 4-1 lead. Jim Kern came on in the ninth to record his 26th save of the season. [The Sporting News]



Texas Rangers 6, Minnesota Twins 5
Game Played on Sunday, September 9, 1979 (Day game) at Metropolitan Stadium
Rangers      0  0  0    3  0  1    0  0  2  -   6 11  2
Twins        0  0  0    1  0  0    0  2  2  -   5  8  1


Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Rivers cf             3   0   1   0     1   0   .283      Powell rf             3   0   0   0     0   1   .295
Wills 2b              4   1   0   0     1   0   .271        Rivera ph,rf        1   0   0   1     0   0   .276
Oliver lf             4   0   1   1     1   0   .325      Smalley ss            4   1   1   0     0   0   .289
Bell 3b               5   1   3   1     0   0   .300      Landreaux cf          3   0   0   1     0   0   .306
Montanez dh           5   0   1   0     0   0   .240      R. Jackson 1b         4   1   1   0     0   0   .270
Putnam 1b             4   1   1   1     0   0   .286      Wynegar c             3   1   1   0     1   0   .271
  Jorgensen 1b        1   0   0   0     0   0   .232      Goodwin dh            3   0   0   0     0   0   .275
Grubb rf              2   2   1   2     1   0   .280        Morales ph,dh       0   0   0   0     0   0   .268
Sundberg c            4   0   2   0     0   0   .273        Cubbage ph,dh       1   0   0   0     0   0   .274
Norman ss             3   1   1   1     0   1   .207      Wilfong 2b            4   1   2   0     0   0   .308
Comer p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Sofield lf            4   1   2   3     0   0   .258
  Lyle p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Castino 3b            3   0   1   0     0   0   .292
  Kern p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Adams ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .305
                                                          Hartzell p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            D. Jackson p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Redfern p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               35   6  11   6     4   1             Totals               34   5   8   5     1   1

Time of Game: 2:23   Attendance:  9,261
Left on Base: Rangers 9, Twins 4
DP: Rangers 1, Twins 1
Errors: Bell, Grubb, R. Jackson
Doubles: Montanez (4), Smalley (25), Sofield (2)
Triples: Wilfong (5)
Home Runs: Grubb (10)
Stolen Bases: Bell (5)
Sacrifice Hits: Rivers (5)
Sacrifice Flies: Norman (2), Landreaux (7)
GIDP: Sundberg (15), Wynegar (10)
Hit by Pitch: Grubb (1,by Hartzell)


Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Comer W(15-10)          7     6   3   2   1   1   0  27   3.78
Lyle                    1     1   2   0   0   0   0   5   3.16
Kern SV(26)             1     1   0   0   0   0   0   4   1.41
Totals                  9     8   5   2   1   1   0  36

Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hartzell L(6-8)         8.1   9   6   6   4   1   1  38   4.93
D. Jackson              0     1   0   0   0   0   0   1   4.42
Redfern                 0.2   1   0   0   0   0   0   3   3.39
Totals                  9    11   6   6   4   1   1  42

Hit by Pitch: Hartzell (4)
Wild Pitches: Lyle (3), Redfern (5)

Umpires: HP - Rich Garcia, 1B - Don Denkinger, 2B - Nick Bremigan, 3B - Steve Palermo


RANGERS 1ST: Rivers singled to left; Wills flied out to left;
Oliver grounded out (pitcher to first) [Rivers to second]; Bell
grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers
0, Twins 0.

TWINS 1ST: Powell grounded out (pitcher to first); Smalley flied
out to center; Landreaux grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Twins 0.

RANGERS 2ND: Montanez doubled to right; Putnam grounded out
(shortstop to first) [Montanez to third]; Grubb walked; Sundberg
grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first)
[Grubb out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Twins 0.

TWINS 2ND: R. Jackson grounded out (third to first); Wynegar
walked; Goodwin lined to center; Wilfong grounded out (first
unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Twins 0.

RANGERS 3RD: Norman grounded out (first unassisted); Rivers
walked; Rivers was picked off first but was safe on an error by
R. Jackson; assist by Hartzell [Rivers to second]; Wills lined
to second; Oliver grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 1
E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Twins 0.

TWINS 3RD: Sofield grounded out (shortstop to first); Castino
popped to first in foul territory; Powell struck out; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Twins 0.

RANGERS 4TH: Bell singled to center; Bell stole second; Montanez
grounded out (shortstop to first) [Bell to third]; Putnam
singled to right [Bell scored]; Grubb homered [Putnam scored];
Sundberg singled to left; Norman struck out; Rivers flied out to
left; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Twins 0.

TWINS 4TH: Smalley doubled to right [Smalley to third (error by
Grubb)]; Landreaux lined out on a sacrifice fly to left [Smalley
scored (unearned)]; R. Jackson grounded out (shortstop to
first); Wynegar lined to left; 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 3, Twins 1.

RANGERS 5TH: Wills grounded out (first unassisted); Oliver
grounded out (second to first); Bell singled to center; Montanez
grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers
3, Twins 1.

TWINS 5TH: Goodwin grounded out (first unassisted); Wilfong
singled to second; Sofield lined to third; Castino grounded out
(third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Twins 1.

RANGERS 6TH: Putnam made an out to shortstop; Grubb was hit by a
pitch; Sundberg singled to right [Grubb to third]; Norman hit a
sacrifice fly to left [Grubb scored]; Rivers flied out to left;
1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 4, Twins 1.

TWINS 6TH: Powell grounded out (second to first); Smalley
grounded out (second to first); On a bunt Landreaux popped to
catcher in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 4,
Twins 1.

RANGERS 7TH: Wills lined to left; Oliver walked; Bell grounded
out (second to first) [Oliver to second]; Montanez grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 4, Twins 1.

TWINS 7TH: R. Jackson singled to left; Wynegar grounded into a
double play (third to second to first) [R. Jackson out at
second]; Goodwin flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 4, Twins 1.

RANGERS 8TH: Putnam made an out to second; Grubb grounded out
(first to pitcher); Sundberg lined to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Rangers 4, Twins 1.

TWINS 8TH: JORGENSEN REPLACED PUTNAM (PLAYING 1B); Wilfong
tripled to right; Sofield singled to left [Wilfong scored];
Castino singled to right [Sofield to second]; LYLE REPLACED
COMER (PITCHING); RIVERA BATTED FOR POWELL; Lyle threw a wild
pitch [Sofield to third, Castino to second]; Rivera reached on a
fielder's choice [Sofield scored, Castino out at third (second
to third)]; Smalley lined to center; Landreaux grounded out
(second to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 4, Twins 3.

RANGERS 9TH: RIVERA STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); Norman singled
to right; Rivers out on a sacrifice bunt (first to second)
[Norman to second]; Wills walked; D. JACKSON REPLACED HARTZELL
(PITCHING); Oliver singled to center [Norman scored, Wills to
third]; REDFERN REPLACED D. JACKSON (PITCHING); Bell singled to
center [Wills scored, Oliver to second]; Redfern threw a wild
pitch [Oliver to third, Bell to second]; Montanez reached on a
fielder's choice [Oliver out at home (shortstop to catcher),
Bell to third]; Jorgensen flied out to left; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Rangers 6, Twins 3.

TWINS 9TH: R. Jackson reached on an error by Bell; Wynegar
singled to left [R. Jackson to second]; MORALES BATTED FOR
GOODWIN; KERN REPLACED LYLE (PITCHING); CUBBAGE BATTED FOR
MORALES; Cubbage flied out to left; Wilfong grounded out (first
unassisted) [R. Jackson to third, Wynegar to second]; Sofield
doubled to center [R. Jackson scored (unearned), Wynegar scored
(unearned)]; ADAMS BATTED FOR CASTINO; Adams made an out to
shortstop; 2 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 6, Twins 5.