The Twins turned to the home run ball to score their fourth straight victory, a 9-3 rout of the Rangers. Eric Soderholm capped a four-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, Tony Oliva touched off a solo shot among three hits which drove in three runs and Craig Kusick smacked a two-run homer in the eighth.

Oliva drove in the Twins' first run in the opening inning with a sacrifice fly, and Minnesota took a 2-0 lead in the fourth when Kusick hit into a double play with the bases loaded. Loser Jim Bibby hit Steve Brye with a pitch for the second time in the game in the fifth, then gave up singles to Larry Hisle and Oliva ahead of Soderholm's home run. Toby Harrah hit his 19th homer in the seventh to spoil winner Joe Decker's shutout bid. [The Sporting News]



Minnesota Twins 9, Texas Rangers 3
Game Played on Monday, September 2, 1974 (Night game) at Arlington Stadium
Twins        1  0  0    1  4  0    0  2  1  -   9 13  1
Rangers      0  0  0    0  0  0    2  0  1  -   3  6  2


Twins                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Brye cf               1   2   0   0     0   0   .278      Nelson 2b             5   0   0   0     0   1   .255
  Darwin rf           2   0   1   0     0   0   .281      Tovar lf              4   0   0   0     0   0   .281
Carew 2b              4   0   1   0     1   0   .368      Burroughs rf          2   0   1   0     2   0   .296
Hisle rf,cf           5   1   2   0     0   1   .292      Hargrove 1b           4   0   0   0     0   1   .340
Oliva dh              4   3   3   3     0   0   .294      Spencer dh            3   1   2   0     1   0   .297
Soderholm 3b          5   1   3   2     0   0   .281      Randle 3b             3   1   0   0     1   1   .308
Braun lf              3   1   0   0     2   0   .297      Harrah ss             4   1   1   2     0   1   .259
Kusick 1b             4   1   1   2     1   0   .234      Lovitto cf            3   0   1   0     1   0   .200
Thompson ss           4   0   0   0     0   1   .256      Sundberg c            2   0   0   0     0   1   .265
  Gomez ss            1   0   0   0     0   1   .197        Sims ph,c           1   0   1   1     0   0   .171
Borgmann c            4   0   2   0     0   0   .264      Bibby p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Decker p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Thomas p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Broberg p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Foucault p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Stanhouse p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               37   9  13   7     4   3             Totals               31   3   6   3     5   5

Time of Game: 2:48   Attendance:  5,472
Left on Base: Twins 8, Rangers 7
DP: Twins 2, Rangers 3
Errors: Brye, Burroughs, Hargrove
Home Runs: Soderholm (9), Kusick (7), Oliva (13), Harrah (19)
Stolen Bases: Carew (31)
Caught Stealing: Burroughs (2)
Sacrifice Flies: Oliva (4)
GIDP: Kusick 2 (5), Braun (5), Spencer (5), Nelson (14)
Hit by Pitch: Brye 2 (5,by Bibby 2), Sims (3,by Decker)


Twins                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Decker W(14-11)         9     6   3   3   5   5   1  37   3.35
Totals                  9     6   3   3   5   5   1  37

Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Bibby L(18-16)          4.2   6   6   6   3   0   1  23   4.77
Thomas                  1.1   2   0   0   0   1   0   6   7.11
Broberg                 1     1   2   1   0   0   1   5   8.07
Foucault                1     2   0   0   0   1   0   5   2.20
Stanhouse               1     2   1   1   1   1   1   5   4.88
Totals                  9    13   9   8   4   3   3  44

Hit by Pitch: Decker (2), Bibby 2 (8)
Wild Pitches: Stanhouse (5)

Umpires: HP - Merle Anthony, 1B - Bill Haller, 2B - Armando Rodriguez, 3B - Bill Kunkel


TWINS 1ST: Brye was hit by a pitch; Carew flied out to left;
Hisle singled to left [Brye to third]; Oliva hit a sacrifice fly
to center [Brye scored, Hisle to second (on throw to home)];
Soderholm grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Twins 1, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 1ST: Nelson flied out to left; Tovar grounded out
(second to first); Burroughs walked; Burroughs was caught
stealing second (catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Twins 1, Rangers 0.

TWINS 2ND: Braun walked; Kusick grounded into a double play
(second to first) [Braun out at second]; Thompson grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 1, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 2ND: Hargrove grounded out (first unassisted); Spencer
singled to center; Randle struck out; Harrah struck out; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 1, Rangers 0.

TWINS 3RD: Borgmann grounded out (pitcher to first); Brye
grounded out (shortstop to first); Carew walked; Carew stole
second; Hisle grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Twins 1, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 3RD: Lovitto reached on an error by Brye [Lovitto to
second]; Sundberg flied out to center; Nelson flied out to
center; Tovar flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Twins
1, Rangers 0.

TWINS 4TH: Oliva singled to shortstop; Soderholm singled to left
[Oliva to second]; Braun walked [Oliva to third, Soderholm to
second]; Kusick grounded into a double play (second to shortstop
to first) [Soderholm to third, Oliva scored (no RBI), Braun out
at second]; Thompson grounded out (first to pitcher); 1 R, 2 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 4TH: Burroughs grounded out (third to first); Hargrove
struck out; Spencer walked; Randle forced Spencer (second to
shortstop); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 2, Rangers 0.

TWINS 5TH: Borgmann flied out to left; Brye was hit by a pitch;
Carew flied out to left; Hisle singled to left [Brye to second];
Oliva singled to right [Brye scored, Oliva to second, Hisle
scored (error by Burroughs) (no RBI)]; Soderholm homered [Oliva
scored]; THOMAS REPLACED BIBBY (PITCHING); Braun grounded out
(second to first); 4 R, 3 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 6, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 5TH: DARWIN REPLACED BRYE (PLAYING RF); HISLE CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING CF); Harrah flied out to center; Lovitto
lined to center; Sundberg was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Twins 6, Rangers 0.

TWINS 6TH: Kusick grounded out (third to first); Thompson was
called out on strikes; Borgmann singled to left; Darwin singled
to center [Borgmann to second]; Carew grounded out (pitcher to
first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 6, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 6TH: Nelson struck out; Tovar popped to third; Burroughs
walked; Hargrove popped to third in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Twins 6, Rangers 0.

TWINS 7TH: BROBERG REPLACED THOMAS (PITCHING); Hisle grounded
out (shortstop to first); Oliva flied out to left; Soderholm
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Twins 6, Rangers 0.

RANGERS 7TH: Spencer singled to second; Randle flied out to
right; Harrah homered [Spencer scored]; Lovitto walked; SIMS
BATTED FOR SUNDBERG; Sims was hit by a pitch [Lovitto to
second]; Nelson flied out to right; Tovar grounded out (second
to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Twins 6, Rangers 2.

TWINS 8TH: SIMS STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING C ); Braun reached on an
error by Hargrove [Braun to second]; Kusick homered [Braun
scored (unearned)]; FOUCAULT REPLACED BROBERG (PITCHING);
Thompson grounded out (shortstop to first); Borgmann singled to
center; Darwin flied out to center; Carew singled to left
[Borgmann to second]; Hisle struck out; 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 1 E, 2
LOB.  Twins 8, Rangers 2.

RANGERS 8TH: GOMEZ REPLACED THOMPSON (PLAYING SS); Burroughs
singled to second; Hargrove forced Burroughs (first to
shortstop); Spencer grounded into a double play (first to
shortstop to pitcher) [Hargrove out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Twins 8, Rangers 2.

TWINS 9TH: STANHOUSE REPLACED FOUCAULT (PITCHING); Oliva
homered; Soderholm singled to center; Braun grounded into a
double play (shortstop to second to first) [Soderholm out at
second]; Kusick walked; Stanhouse threw a wild pitch [Kusick to
second]; Gomez was called out on strikes; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Twins 9, Rangers 2.

RANGERS 9TH: Randle walked; Harrah lined to left; Lovitto
singled to right [Randle to second]; Sims singled to right
[Lovitto to second, Randle scored]; Nelson grounded into a
double play (shortstop to first) [Sims out at second]; 1 R, 2 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Twins 9, Rangers 3.