Lou Piniella drove in the tying and go-ahead runs as the Royals completed a 4-3 comeback win over the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis.

Kansas City trailed 3-0 as they came to bat in the fifth. Twins starter Jim Perry got two quick outs but walked Pat Kelly. Joe Foy followed with his fifth home run of the year, cutting the Minnesota lead to 3-2. Mike Fiore doubled and Piniella singled, tying the game.

The score remained knotted at 3-3 into the seventh. With one out, Foy drew a walk from reliever Dick Woodson. Fiore doubled to move Foy to third. Piniella hit a grounder to shortstop Leo Cardenas. He threw home, but Foy slid under the tag to put the Royals ahead.

Royals starter Roger Nelson took the lead the rest of the way, although he issued a two-out walk in each of the last three innings. However, nothing came of any of them. Nelson raised his record to 6-7 with the complete game. He survived despite allowing nine hits and five walks and only striking out two. He did not have a single 1-2-3 inning. He was helped by the Twins having two men caught stealing, including Cardenas being nabbed trying to steal home in the sixth inning.

Minnesota scored single runs in each of the first three innings. Harmon Killebrew drove in two of them, including his 24^th home run of the year in the third.

The win raised Kansas City’s record to 36-48. They were in fifth place in the AL West, 12.5 games behind the Twins.

Box score and play-by-play: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN196907090.shtml

Today’s birthdays: Willie Wilson (1955), Tommy Hottovy (1981)