TWINS OUTLAST CHISOX IN 17-INNING MARATHON
Kostro's 2 HRs Include Game-Winner
CHICAGO, July 24 (AP) - In the longest game played in the American League this
year, the Minnesota Twins benefited from Frank Kostro's second home run of the
contest, a two-run shot in the top of the 17th inning, to beat the Chicago White
Sox, 5-3, at Comiskey Park. Kostro hit his first home run of the game in
Minnesota's two-run fourth inning.
Both starting pitchers were long gone by the time of Kostro's heroics, but
acquitted themselves well before departing. Juan Pizarro of the White Sox
allowed three runs (two earned) in 8 1/3 innings while striking out seven and
Jim Grant surrendered three runs in 7 2/3.
The White Sox drew first blood, with a run in the first when Don Buford doubled
with one out and scored on Gene Stephens' RBI single. Buford was again the
catalyst when Chicago doubled its lead in the third. He tripled with one
out and trotted home on Floyd Robinson's sacrifice fly.
The Twins evened the contest in the fourth. Kostro led off with his second
home run of the year to halve the Chicago lead and Tony Oliva reached on third
baseman Pete Ward's two-base throwing error. Oliva advanced to third on
Harmon Killebrew's swinging bunt ground out and scored the tying run on Bob
Allison's sacrifice fly.
The White Sox took the lead in the seventh. Pizarro led off with a
single--one of two hits for the Chicago starter--and advanced to second on Tom
McCraw's sacrifice. Buford's long fly to left was caught by Killebrew on
the warning track with Pizarro advancing to third and Robinson drove home the
go-ahead run with a double past Allison into the right field corner.
A long rain delay, the second of the game, ended Grant's day two outs into the
seventh inning and Bill Pleis came on to record the final out of the frame.
In the top of the ninth, Allison reached on an infield single with one out and
Jimmie Hall dropped a single into right field, chasing Allison to third.
Eddie Fisher replaced Pizarro for the White Sox and induced a slow ground ball
to third from Earl Battey, but the White Sox were only able to force Hall at
second. Battey beat the relay throw to first, Allison scored and the game
was tied.
Chicago had a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the
ninth. With Pleis still pitching, McCraw drew a leadoff walk and took
third when Buford doubled down the left field line. Robinson was walked
intentionally to fill the bases with no outs. Pleis then struck out Ward
for the first out of the inning. Right-handed hitting Moose Skowron was
summoned to pinch hit for the lefty swinging Stephens. The Twins countered
with right-hander Al Worthington. The count moved to 3-2 and Worthington
struck out Skowron swinging for the second out. That brought Ron Hansen to
the plate and Worthington fanned him as well to work out of the jam.
The White Sox had another chance to end the contest in the 14th inning.
Facing right-hander Jerry Klippstein, Ward led off with a base on balls and
moved to second when Skowron singled to left. Hansen, who went hitless on
the day, attempted to sacrifice the runners along, but the Twins executed the
wheel play flawlessly. The bunt was to the left side and third baseman
Rich Rollins, who had come into the game as part of a double switch, threw to
shortstop Zoilo Versalles for the force at third. Klippstein then induced
a bouncer back to the mound off the bat of Mike Hershberger which he turned into
an inning-ending double play.
Minnesota finally broke through in the 17th. Don Mossi was working his
fourth inning of relief for Chicago and retired Rollins on a fly ball to center
to open the inning. Versalles, however, followed with a double past Ward,
down the third base line and Kostro belted his second home run of the game, into
the lower grandstand in left-center field, to put the Twins ahead, 5-3.
Klippstein retired the first two White Sox hitters he faced in the bottom of the
inning before surrendering a base hit to Hershberger, but J.C. Martin flied to
center field to end the game.
Factoring in the combined rain delays of an hour and 47 minutes, the game
concluded more than six hours after it began.
7/24/1964, Min64-ChA64, Comiskey Park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1964 Twins 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1964 White Sox 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 14 15 16 17 R H E LOB DP 1964 Twins 0 0 0 0 2 5 12 1 13 1 1964 White Sox 0 0 0 0 0 3 16 2 17 0 Twins AB R H BI AVG White Sox AB R H BI AVG Versalles ss 8 1 1 0 .229 McCraw 1b 5 0 0 0 .266 Kostro 3b 8 2 3 3 .344 Buford 2b 8 2 3 0 .254 Oliva rf 7 1 2 0 .299 Robinson,Fl rf 6 0 2 2 .299 Killebrew lf 8 0 1 0 .273 Ward,P 3b 6 0 2 0 .235 Allison 1b 6 1 2 1 .299 Stephens lf 4 0 1 1 .212 Hall,J cf 7 0 2 0 .294 Skowron ph 4 0 1 0 .267 Battey c 6 0 0 1 .258 Hansen ss 8 0 0 0 .262 Klippstein p 1 0 0 0 .000 Hershberger cf 7 0 1 0 .197 Goryl 2b 4 0 1 0 .190 Martin c 8 0 2 0 .250 Worthington p 0 0 0 0 .000 Pizarro p 4 1 2 0 .212 Mincher ph 0 0 0 0 .228 Fisher,E p 0 0 0 0 .250 Arrigo p 0 0 0 0 .200 Weis ph 1 0 1 0 .250 Zimmerman ph 1 0 0 0 .138 Wilhelm p 0 0 0 0 .167 Grant p 3 0 0 0 .182 Long ph 1 0 1 0 .212 Pleis p 0 0 0 0 .000 Mossi p 1 0 0 0 .333 Kindall 2b 1 0 0 0 .224 63 3 16 3 Rollins ph 3 0 0 0 .259 63 5 12 5 Twins INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Grant 7.2 10 3 3 2 2 96 64 4.51 Pleis 0.2 1 0 0 2 1 14 5 3.19 Worthington 1.2 2 0 0 0 2 32 19 1.96 Arrigo 3.0 1 0 0 0 2 26 21 2.67 Klippstein W 2-1 4.0 2 0 0 1 1 63 37 6.89 17.0 16 3 3 5 8 231 146 White Sox INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Pizarro 8.1 6 3 2 0 7 101 68 3.12 Fisher,E BS 1 1.2 1 0 0 1 3 24 15 2.94 Wilhelm 3.0 2 0 0 1 1 40 22 1.99 Mossi L 0-4 4.0 3 2 2 2 4 60 37 6.08 17.0 12 5 4 4 15 225 142 Min: Kindall inserted at 2b in the 9th Mincher batted for Worthington in the 11th Rollins batted for Kindall in the 11th Kostro moved to 2b in the 11th Rollins moved to 3b in the 11th Zimmerman batted for Arrigo in the 14th Zimmerman moved to c in the 14th ChA: Skowron batted for Stephens in the 9th McCraw moved to lf in the 10th Skowron moved to 1b in the 10th Weis batted for Fisher,E in the 10th Long batted for Wilhelm in the 13th E-Oliva, Ward,P, Martin. 2B-Versalles(23), Kostro(1), Allison(21), Goryl(5), Buford 2(12), Robinson,Fl(11), Ward,P(16). 3B-Buford(3). HR-Kostro 2(3). RBI-Kostro 3(4), Allison(51), Battey(35), Robinson,Fl 2(44), Stephens(16). SB-Oliva(9). K-Versalles 3, Oliva, Killebrew, Allison 2, Hall,J 3, Goryl, Grant 2, Kindall, Rollins, McCraw 2, Robinson,Fl, Ward,P, Hansen, Martin, Pizarro, Skowron. BB-Oliva, Allison, Mincher, Zimmerman, McCraw, Robinson,Fl, Ward,P 2, Hershberger. SH-McCraw 2. SF-Allison, Robinson,Fl. HBP-Hall,J. HB-Pizarro. WP-Pleis. GWRBI: Kostro Jim Grant was removed after a rain delay Temperature: 88, Field: wet, Sky: threatening, Wind: out to center at 11 MPH, Rain Delays: 36 and 71 minutes. Attendance: 20,902 Game Time: 4:17