4/6/73: Meh in Alameda/Oh My! in Anaheim

OAKLAND-Bert Blyeven held the defending World Champion A's to 6 hits as the Twins overwhelmed the champs, 7-0. The Twins rocked Catfish Hunter for 4 runs in the 1st and 2 more in the second and were never headed with Joe Lis and Danny Thompson delivering back-to-back 2-run hits in the 1st. Bert Blyeven struck out 6 on the way to a complete game victory in front of a stunned crowd at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. MIN 7-8-1 OAK 0-6-2

ANAHEIM-Lee Stanton's game-winning single in the 10th gave the California Angels a wild 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals in front of an exhilarated crowd at The Big "A". Stanton's single scored Bobby Valentine with the winning run after the Angels had tied it on Valentine's RBI single scoring Billy Grabarkewitz, who had doubled to open the inning.

The game started wild when the Royals scored 5 runs off ace fireballer Nolan Ryan in the first with the key hits being a 2-run double by Hal McRae and a misplayed fly ball by Vada Pinson off the bat of Paul Schaal which was ruled an error, scoring 2 more runs. The Halos bounced back in the bottom of the inning against Royals starter Steve Busby, who walked Billy G and Bobby V to start the inning. Billy G scored on a double by Tom McCraw, while Valentine and McCraw scored on a 2-run single by Jim Spencer.

The score stayed at 5-3 KC, until the bottom of the 8th when with 2 outs, Vada Pinson drew a walk. Then in his first game as an Angel, Frank Robinson delivered a dramatic home run, tying the score at 5. Neither team scored in the 9th, then with 1 out in the Royals half of the 10th, John Mayberry homered off Ryan, giving the Royals the lead. Royals' reliever Gene Garber after pitching a scoreless 9th, could not record an out in the 10th as the Halos rallied to stun the Royals in an unforgettable opener. Ryan with 7 strikeouts in 10 innings, got the win, with Garber taking the heartbreaking loss. CAL 7-11-3 KCR 6-9-1

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