Game 3:

Monday, October 5, 1970 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

R

H

E

Minnesota

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

7

2

Baltimore

1

1

3

0

0

0

1

0

x

6

10

0

WP: Jim Palmer (1–0)   LP: Jim Kaat (0–1)

Home runs:

MIN: None
BAL: Davey Johnson (2)



@ retrosheet.org

When the series shifted to Baltimore, Earl Weaver called on his workhouse Jim Palmer to wrap it all up. The big righthander, just 10 days short of his 25th birthday and two years removed from an arm ailment that threatened his career, was razor sharp, scattering seven hits. In fairness, Palmer was entitled to a shutout. A brilliant sun blinded Frank Robinson while he was tracking down Cesar Tovar's fifth-inning fly that fell for a single. Cardenas' single produced a run, but that was all for the Twins.

A 20-game winner with a 2.71 ERA in regular season, Palmer set a personal career high of 12 strikeouts and issued only three walks. He also laced a double and prominently in the second-inning Oriole run when his blooper to short center field was misplayed for a two-base error. Palmer subsequently scored on Buford's double. The Minnestoa's starting assignment went to Jim Kaat, a 14-game winner who had been handicapped by late-season arm miseries. The left-hander departed with none out in the third after yielding six hits. By that time the trend of the game had been established and three successors, while more effective, were helpless to change the outcome, the Birds cruising to an easy victory and the Al pennant.

Aftermath:

This was Twins' Manager Bill Rigney's only division title and playoff appearance as a manager, although having managed for many years.