was entitled to a shutout. A brilliant sun blinded Frank Robinson while he was tracking down César Tovar's fifth-inning fly that fell for a single. Cardenas' single produced a run after a triple, but that was all for the Twins. A 20-game winner with a 2.71 ERA in regular season, Palmer set a personal career high of 12 strikeouts and issued only three walks. He also laced a double and figured prominently in the second-inning Oriole run when his blooper to short center field was misplayed for a two-base error. Palmer subsequently scored on Buford's single. The Twins starting assignment went to Jim Kaat, a 14-game winner who had been handicapped by late-season arm miseries. The Orioles struck first when Don Buford singled to lead off the first, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then to third on a fly out before scoring on Boog Powell's single. The left-hander departed with two on and none out in the third after yielding six hits. Andy Etchebarren's fielder's choice off of Bert Blyleven aided by an error allowed one to score. After a force out, Palmer's RBI double and Buford's sacrifice fly made it 5–0 Orioles. The Orioles got one more run in the seventh on Davey Johnson's home run off of Jim Perry. By that time the trend of the game had been established and three successors, while more effective, were helpless to change the outcome, the Birds cruising to an easy victory and the AL pennant. The Orioles played flawless defense in the series, handling 110 total chances (81 putouts, 29 assists) perfectly. Composite line score 1970 ALCS (3–0): Baltimore Orioles over Minnesota Twins Aftermath The Orioles, who had made it to the inaugural ALCS held the previous year, would continue their run the following year to mark three consecutive ALCS appearances on their way to what ultimately became five appearances in six seasons (1969–71, 1973–74), with Baltimore winning three in a row (which was tied by threeteam before being surpassed by the 1998-2001 New York Yankees). For all of their promising talent (having won the pennant in 1965 to go with two further playoff appearances, which came despite having seen three managers fired in three years), this was the second straight loss in the ALCS for the Twins. They soon went into a tailspin that clouded them for a decade until they returned to the ALCS 17 years