June 5, 1964 - With the Yankees safely out of town, the Twins returned to home-run form tonight to punish Baltimore, 11-5, before 15,949 rooters at Metropolitan Stadium.
Leading the assault with a pair of well-clocked homers was little Zoilo Versalles (pictured). He hit one 370 feet in the first inning and grew stronger as the game wore on with a 400-footer in the sixth, driving in three runs for the night. Jimmie Hall, wearing his new ear-flap batting helmet, hammered No. 12 in the first inning. He also batted in three runs.
Add to this triples by Rich Rollins and Bob Allison, doubles by Tony Oliva, Allison, and Harmon Killebrew, plus an assortment of five singles for 29 total bases by the Minnesota sluggers.
It became apparent early the Twins were not impressed by Baltimore’s top-ranked pitching staff in the American League, which came in with an ERA of 2.93.
The Twins ended Baltimore’s six-game win streak and starting pitcher Milt Pappas’ four-victory string. They clubbed Pappas, Chuck Estrada, Wes Stock, and Harvey Haddix for 13 hits.
With some runs to work with, Lee Stange of the Twins pitched a nine-hitter to win his second in seven decisions, both over Baltimore. “I’ve pitched much better than that,” said Stange afterward, “and lost.”
But Jimmie Hall seemed to speak for all the Twins when he pointed out that “This was one we owed to Stange. It’s about time we got him some runs.”
The result pulled Minnesota into third place in the A.L standings and nudged Baltimore into second place behind the White Sox.
Allison and Oliva each bagged three hits as Tony boosted his league-leading average to .389. The Orioles got homers from Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell, and Jackie Brandt.
Bob Allison had one misgiving. “I let an RBI slip through my hands in the ninth,” he said, “but Haddix is tough. Baltimore must have great pitching if they’re using him in relief in an 11-5 game.”
For Minnesota manager Sam Mele, the day was a pleasant one. Long before his Twins were bombing Baltimore, Sam shot an 80, his season’s best, in a morning round at North Oaks.
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