After trailing, 7-0, the Athletics rallied dramatically to defeat the Twins, 8-7, and clinch the West Division championship. Manager Dick Williams called on 24 players, including five pitchers and four second basemen. Dal Maxvill, who was the last of the quartet at second base and wound up in the cleanup spot in the A's juggled lineup, delivered a double that drove in the winning run in the ninth inning. Steve Braun drove in three runs with a double and single to pace the Twins to their early big lead.

The A's started their comeback with a homer by Mike Epstein in the fifth and added another run on a walk to Bert Campaneris, single by Sal Bando and double-play grounder by Joe Rudi in the sixth. Three runs followed in the seventh on a walk to Mike Hegan, double by Angel Mangual, single by Matty Alou, forceout grounder by Campaneris and single by Bando. The A's then tied the score in the eighth when Mangual singled after a base hit by Epstein, pass to Gene Tenace and single by Dave Duncan had loaded the bases. Bando was hit by a pitch in the ninth. Maxvill, up to sacrifice, took three balls from Dave LaRoche and a called strike. Manager Williams then switched to the hit sign and Maxvill came through with his winning double. [The Sporting News]



Oakland Athletics 8, Minnesota Twins 7
Game Played on Thursday, September 28, 1972 (Day game) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Twins        2  0  0    0  5  0    0  0  0  -   7 11  2
A's          0  0  0    0  1  1    3  2  1  -   8 11  0


Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Tovar lf              5   1   2   0     0   0   .264      Alou rf               5   0   2   1     0   1   .310
Thompson ss           5   1   2   0     0   0   .270      Campaneris ss         4   2   0   1     1   0   .241
Killebrew 1b          2   2   0   0     3   1   .230      Bando 3b              3   1   2   1     1   0   .239
  Reese pr,1b         0   0   0   0     0   0   .225      Rudi lf               4   0   0   0     0   1   .305
Holt rf               5   2   3   1     0   0   .381        Hamilton p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .154
Renick 3b             2   0   0   1     2   1   .174        Maxvill 2b          1   0   1   1     0   0   .224
Braun 2b              4   1   2   3     1   0   .288      Jackson cf            4   0   1   0     0   2   .262
Brye cf               3   0   1   1     1   1   .240      Epstein 1b            3   2   2   1     1   0   .273
  Nettles ph,cf       1   0   0   0     0   1   .203      Tenace c              2   0   0   0     2   0   .213
Mitterwald c          5   0   0   0     0   2   .186        Lewis pr            0   1   0   0     0   0   .250
Woodson p             4   0   1   1     0   1   .083        Haney c             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Granger p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .250      Green 2b              0   0   0   0     0   0   .270
  LaRoche p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .091        Marquez ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .375
                                                            Kubiak 2b           1   0   0   0     0   0   .199
                                                            Hegan ph            0   1   0   0     1   0   .311
                                                            Cullen 2b           0   0   0   0     0   0   .254
                                                            Duncan ph           1   0   1   0     0   0   .221
                                                            Blue pr             0   0   0   0     0   0   .045
                                                            Fingers p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .278
                                                          Odom p                1   0   0   0     0   1   .125
                                                            Locker p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Mincher ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .218
                                                            Waslewski p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Mangual ph,lf       2   1   2   2     0   0   .246

Totals               36   7  11   7     7   7             Totals               33   8  11   7     6   5

Time of Game: 2:58   Attendance:  9,155
Left on Base: Twins 10, A's 8
DP: Twins 2, A's 1
Errors: Renick, Braun
Doubles: Braun (21), Tovar (20), Alou (5), Mangual (13), Maxvill (1)
Home Runs: Epstein (26)
Sacrifice Flies: Renick (1)
GIDP: Holt (1), Rudi 2 (15)
Hit by Pitch: Bando (9,by LaRoche)


Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Woodson                 6.1   6   5   4   5   4   1  28   2.66
Granger                 1     4   2   2   1   1   0   8   3.14
LaRoche L(5-6)          0.2   1   1   1   0   0   0   4   2.61
Totals                  8    11   8   7   6   5   1  40

A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Odom                    4     6   6   6   4   3   0  22   2.66
Locker                  1     3   1   1   0   1   0   6   2.22
Waslewski               2     2   0   0   1   1   0   9   2.04
Hamilton                1     0   0   0   1   0   0   3   3.02
Fingers W(11-8)         1     0   0   0   1   2   0   4   2.49
Totals                  9    11   7   7   7   7   0  44

Hit by Pitch: LaRoche (6)

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


TWINS 1ST: Tovar grounded out (third to first); Thompson made an
out to second; Killebrew walked; Holt singled to right
[Killebrew to second]; Renick walked [Killebrew to third, Holt
to second]; Braun doubled to left [Renick to third, Holt scored,
Killebrew scored]; Brye walked; Mitterwald struck out; 2 R, 2 H,
0 E, 3 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 1ST: Alou was called out on strikes; Campaneris
grounded out (third to first); Bando grounded out (shortstop to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 2ND: Woodson struck out; Tovar doubled to center; Thompson
grounded out (third to first); Killebrew struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Rudi was called out on strikes; Jackson flied out
to center; Epstein walked; Tenace flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 3RD: Holt grounded out (second to first); Renick flied out
to right; Braun made an out to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 3RD: MARQUEZ BATTED FOR GREEN; Marquez flied out to
left; Odom struck out; Alou doubled to right; Campaneris
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins
2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 4TH: KUBIAK REPLACED MARQUEZ (PLAYING 2B); Brye grounded
out (shortstop to first); Mitterwald made an out to shortstop;
Woodson grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Twins 2, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 4TH: Bando walked; Rudi grounded into a double play
(second to shortstop to first) [Bando out at second]; Renick
dropped a foul fly hit by Jackson for an error; Jackson struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 2, Athletics 0.

TWINS 5TH: Tovar singled to left; Thompson singled to left
[Tovar to third]; Killebrew walked [Thompson to second]; Holt
singled to left [Killebrew to second, Thompson to third, Tovar
scored]; LOCKER REPLACED ODOM (PITCHING); Renick hit a sacrifice
fly to center [Thompson scored]; Braun singled to center [Holt
to second, Killebrew scored]; Brye singled to center [Braun to
second, Holt scored]; Mitterwald struck out; Woodson singled to
right [Brye to third, Braun scored]; Tovar forced Woodson
(second to shortstop); 5 R, 6 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics
0.

ATHLETICS 5TH: Epstein homered; Tenace walked; Kubiak flied out
to left; MINCHER BATTED FOR LOCKER; Mincher made an out to
first; Alou forced Tenace (third to second); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics 1.

TWINS 6TH: WASLEWSKI REPLACED MINCHER (PITCHING); Thompson
singled to left; Killebrew flied out to left; Holt singled to
center [Thompson to second]; Renick walked [Thompson to third,
Holt to second]; Braun flied out to left; Brye struck out; 0 R,
2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Campaneris walked; Bando singled to center
[Campaneris to third]; Rudi grounded into a double play
(shortstop to second to first) [Campaneris scored, Bando out at
second]; Jackson singled to left; Epstein flied out to right; 1
R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics 2.

TWINS 7TH: Mitterwald made an out to third; Woodson grounded out
(third to first); Tovar grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 7TH: Tenace grounded out (shortstop to first); HEGAN
BATTED FOR KUBIAK; Hegan walked; MANGUAL BATTED FOR WASLEWSKI;
Mangual doubled to left [Hegan to third]; Alou singled to left
[Mangual to third, Hegan scored]; GRANGER REPLACED WOODSON
(PITCHING); Campaneris forced Alou (shortstop to second)
[Campaneris to second (error by Braun), Mangual scored]; Bando
singled to center [Campaneris scored (unearned)]; Rudi forced
Bando (third to second); 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 7,
Athletics 5.

TWINS 8TH: CULLEN REPLACED HEGAN (PLAYING 2B); MANGUAL STAYED IN
GAME (PLAYING LF); HAMILTON REPLACED RUDI (PITCHING); Thompson
grounded out (third to first); Killebrew walked; REESE RAN FOR
KILLEBREW; Holt grounded into a double play (second to shortstop
to first) [Reese out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 7,
Athletics 5.

ATHLETICS 8TH: REESE STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 1B); Jackson struck
out; Epstein singled to right; Tenace walked [Epstein to
second]; LEWIS RAN FOR TENACE; DUNCAN BATTED FOR CULLEN; Duncan
singled to center [Lewis to second, Epstein to third]; BLUE RAN
FOR DUNCAN; Mangual singled to center [Blue to third, Lewis
scored, Epstein scored]; LAROCHE REPLACED GRANGER (PITCHING);
Alou popped to first in foul territory; Campaneris flied out to
center; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics 7.

TWINS 9TH: HANEY REPLACED LEWIS (PLAYING C ); FINGERS REPLACED
BLUE (PITCHING); MAXVILL REPLACED HAMILTON (PLAYING 2B); Renick
struck out; Braun walked; NETTLES BATTED FOR BRYE; Nettles
struck out; Mitterwald made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics 7.

ATHLETICS 9TH: NETTLES STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING CF); Bando was
hit by a pitch; Maxvill doubled to left [Bando scored]; 1 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 7, Athletics 8.