For the second time in three weeks, the Royals picked up a 10th straight win. This one came at the expense of the Minnesota Twins, as Kansas City scored five runs in the seventh en route to a 6-3 win on Friday night at Metropolitan Stadium. 

Twins starter Paul Thormodsgard had only allowed two hits and enjoyed a 2-1 lead when the seventh inning began. Those two hits both came in the third, when Freddie Patek singled, stole second, and scored on Frank White’s double.

With one out in the seventh, John Mayberry drew a walk. Willie Wilson, just called up from Omaha, ran for Mayberry and stole second. Darrell Porter doubled, tying the game at 2-2. Amos Otis singled, bringing Porter home with the lead run. After walking another September callup, U L Washington, Thormodsgard gave way to reliever Tom Johnson, who got White to ground into a forceout at second. But George Brett belted his 19th home run of the year, and the Royals held a 6-2 lead.

Royals starter Marty Pattin gave his team seven good innings before the Twins rallied and knocked him out of the game in the eighth. Minnesota scored two runs in the first inning. Lyman Bostock led off with a double and Rod Carew drew a walk. After Butch Wynegar bunted the runners up a base, Glenn Adams singled for one run and Rich Chiles hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead. But Pattin held the Twins to five singles over the next six innings, although he did issue three walks and hit a batter.

Minnesota rallied in the eighth. Mike Cubbage started the inning with a single and Roy Smalley drew a walk. Pinch-hitter Randy Bass grounded into a forceout at second. Steve Mingori replaced Pattin and struck out Bostock, but Carew singled to score Cubbage. Doug Bird took over for Mingori and threw a wild pitch, putting runners at second and third. But Bird struck out Wynegar and worked around a leadoff single in the ninth, picking up his 12th save of the year.

Pattin picked up his eighth consecutive win, setting a franchise record as he passed teammate Paul Splittorff, who won seven straight decisions in 1976.

The Royals’ first 10-game winning streak of the season, from August 17-26, was followed by three losses in four games before they started the current streak. They now had an 85-54 record and a seven-game lead over Chicago in the AL West.

Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN197709090.shtml

Today’s birthdays:  Kyle Snyder (1977), Kyle Davies (1983), Billy Hamilton (1990)