PIERZYNSKI, TWINS PUMMEL ROYALS
Pair of 6-Run Innings Key Rout
KANSAS CITY, Apr. 24 (AP) - The Minnesota Twins batted around twice, scoring six
runs in both the fourth and eighth innings en route to an 18-3 plastering of the
Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski was
the most notable in a long list of Minnesota hitting stars, going 4-for-5 with a
double, a pair of home runs (including a grand slam), three runs scored and
seven RBIs. Pierzynski's seven runs batted in is the top mark in the
American League in the young season thus far. Six different Twins recorded
multi-hit games against a quintet of Royals hurlers; Minnesota accumulated 17
safeties in all.
The Twins set the tone for the game by scoring three times off Royals starter
Chris George (0-4) in the very first inning on Bobby Kielty's two-run double and
Torii Hunter's RBI single.
Carlos Beltran cut Minnesota's lead to 3-1 in the bottom half of the inning with
a solo home run off Brad Radke (3-1), but the Twins got the run right back in
the second when Pierzynski led off with a single and eventually scored on a
Cristian Guzman base hit.
The Royals tried to make a game of it in the third on Mike Sweeney's two-run
home run, drawing to within 4-3, but it was all Twins from that point on.
Minnesota blew the game open in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one
out and George was replaced by Albie Lopez who induced Hunter to ground into a
force out at the plate for the second out. It appeared that the Royals
might escape damage in the inning, but Lopez walked Doug Mientkiewicz to force
in a run and then, with Michael Cuddyer at the plate, uncorked a wild pitch,
increasing the lead to 6-3. Cuddyer eventually walked, refilling the
bases, and Pierzynski got the fastball he was looking for and drilled it just inside the right field foul pole for a grand slam
and a 10-3 lead.
The outcome of the game was never in doubt from that point on, but the Twins
kept right on scoring. Corey Koskie's RBI single in the fifth increased
the lead to 11-3 and Koskie upped the ante to 12-3 in the seventh with a solo
home run.
Minnesota scored six more times in the eighth, half of them on Pierzynski's
three-run home run off D.J. Carrasco. Later in the inning, Hunter drove
home a run with an infield single and Mientkiewicz's bases loaded single plated
two more.
Radke surrendered the two home runs, but pitched a solid game otherwise,
scattering seven hits in seven innings, striking out two and walking none en
route to his third win in four decisions on the season.
4/24/2003, Min03-KC03, Kauffman Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2003 Twins 3 1 0 6 1 0 1 6 0 18 17 0 11 1 2003 Royals 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 9 0 5 0 Twins AB R H BI AVG Royals AB R H BI AVG Jones,Jac lf 6 2 1 0 .383 Tucker,M rf 4 0 1 0 .264 Guzman,C ss 5 3 3 1 .268 Randa 3b 4 0 0 0 .310 Kielty dh 5 2 2 2 .277 Beltran cf 4 2 2 1 .350 Koskie 3b 3 2 2 2 .276 Sweeney,Mi 1b 3 1 2 2 .333 Hocking 3b 0 1 0 0 .286 Mayne c 1 0 0 0 .271 Hunter,T cf 6 1 2 2 .250 Ibanez lf 3 0 1 0 .247 Mientkiewicz 1b 4 2 2 3 .321 Lopez,M 1b 1 0 0 0 .200 Cuddyer rf 4 2 1 0 .158 Harvey dh 4 0 2 0 .283 Pierzynski c 5 3 4 7 .366 Berroa ss 4 0 0 0 .194 Prince c 0 0 0 0 .125 DiFelice c 3 0 1 0 .222 Rivas 2b 6 0 0 0 .227 Berger pr 1 0 0 0 .200 44 18 17 17 Febles 2b 3 0 0 0 .304 35 3 9 3 Twins INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Radke W 3-1 7.0 7 3 3 0 2 103 66 4.41 Romero,J 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 17 10 4.32 Guardado 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 15 10 1.08 9.0 9 3 3 0 2 135 86 Royals INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA George L 0-4 3.1 6 7 7 5 1 90 44 9.82 Lopez,Al 1.0 3 4 4 3 0 35 15 9.58 Wilson,K 2.2 1 1 1 1 1 43 29 1.54 Carrasco,D 1.0 6 6 6 2 1 37 20 7.20 MacDougal 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 15 11 9.39 9.0 17 18 18 11 3 220 119 Min: Hocking inserted at 3b in the 7th Prince inserted at c in the 9th KC : Berger ran for DiFelice in the 7th Tucker,M moved to lf in the 8th Mayne inserted at c in the 8th Lopez,M inserted at 1b in the 8th Berger moved to rf in the 8th 2B-Kielty(4), Pierzynski(11). HR-Koskie(3), Pierzynski 2(5), Beltran(2), Sweeney,Mi(6). RBI-Guzman,C(9), Kielty 2(8), Koskie 2(12), Hunter,T 2(17), Mientkiewicz 3(14), Pierzynski 7(21), Beltran(3), Sweeney,Mi 2(13). SB-Guzman,C(4). K-Kielty, Hunter,T, Cuddyer, Tucker,M, Harvey. BB-Jones,Jac, Guzman,C 2, Kielty, Koskie 2, Mientkiewicz 2, Cuddyer 2, Hocking. HBP-Pierzynski. HB-George. WP-Lopez,Al. BALK-George. GWRBI: Kielty Temperature: 58, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 11 MPH. Attendance: 16,361 Game Time: 3:30