Our Blog: 1967 AL Pennant Race

This is part of a series on the 1967 American League Pennant Race.

Thursday, August 31, 1967. Just 2 1/2 games separate the top 4 teams at game time.

AL Standings

Team	W	L	W-L%	GB
Red Sox	76	58	.567	--
Twins	73	58	.557	1.5
Tigers	74	59	.556	1.5
White Sox	72	59	.550	2.5

White Sox 4, Red Sox 2

In a key matchup between the 1st place Red Sox and 4th place White Sox, Chicago's Tommie Agee, with nobody on, and Pete Ward, with 1 aboard, homer in the 8th, to defeat Boston before 35,138 at Fenway Park. Ward's runs are unearned as, with 2 outs, Boston's 3rd baseman Jerry Adair commits an error on a ground ball by Rocky Colavito, the batter before Ward. Chicago pitchers combine to give up only 2 Boston hits. Cisco Carlos starts for Chicago and lasts 6 1/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 1 hit. Hoyt Wilhelm, who gives up the other Red Sox hit, and Don McMahon pitch a combined 2 2/3 scoreless innings, with McMahon getting the win. His record moves to 4 and 2 on the year. Gary Bell goes the distance for Boston, giving up 4 runs, 2 earned, on 9 hits in his 9 inning pitched. His record is now 10 and 11 on the year. Don Buford goes 3 for 4 for Chicago, including his 9th double and 8th triple. The White Sox have 9 hits, 1 error, and leave 5 on base. The Red Sox have 2 hits, 1 error, and also leave 5. See Game

Twins 10, Orioles 9

In a high scoring affair, the Twins score 2 in the last of the 9th, after the Orioles score 3 in the top of the inning, giving Minnesota the victory before 21,911 at home in Metropolitan Stadium. The Orioles's Boog Powell scores in the 9th on a Davey Johnson double, and Curt Blefary follows with a 2-run home run. The Twins bounce back with a walk-off pinch-hit home run by Rich Reese, with Cesar Tovar aboard. The Twins use 3 relievers in the game after Jim Merritt starts and lasts 4 2/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits. Ron Kline gets the victory for the Twins, his 7th of the year against 0 losses. The Orioles use 4 relievers after Tom Phoebus lasts just 4 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. He has 7 strikeouts, however, in his outing. Moe Drabowsky gets the loss, his 5th against 7 wins. Reese's homer is his 4th of the year, while Blefary's is his 19th. For the Orioles, Johnson, who is 4 for 5 in the game, slams his 8th home run of the year in the 5th, with nobody aboard, and Brooks Robinson, with 3 hits, belts his 18th, also in the 5th, with 1 on. Larry Haney also has 3 hits for Baltimore. Tovar has 3 hits for the Twins. Both teams have 16 hits and 1 error. The Twins leave 8 on base, and the Orioles 11. See Game

Next: September 1. Red Sox/White Sox, Twins/Tigers.