This Date In Royals History--1969 Edition: July 6
Baltimore scores seven runs in the fifth for a win over the Royals.
Fred Lynn’s grand slam capped a seven-run fifth inning and led Baltimore to an 8-3 win over the Royals on Saturday afternoon at Royals Stadium.
The Orioles held a 1-0 lead when they came to bat in the fifth against Royals starter Danny Jackson. Mike Young led off with a single, and Rick Dempsey followed with a double. Rich Dauer singled to drive in two runs. Alan Wiggins tried a bunt; it paid off when Jackson bobbled the ball, allowing Dauer to reach second while Wiggins was safe at first. John Shelby singled, scoring Dauer and making the score 4-0. Reliever Joe Beckwith took over for Jackson. Wiggins stole third, but got caught in a rundown on Cal Ripken Jr.’s grounder. Wiggins stayed in the rundown long enough for Shelby to reach third and Ripken to take second, so the Royals intentionally walked Eddie Murray. Lynn lofted a fly ball into deep left field, and on a hot and humid day, it kept carrying, landing in the front row of the general admission seats.
“He didn’t swing well. The ball seemed to carry, carry. It’s one of those things that happen. It was probably the key play of the game. It’s easier to come back when it’s 4-0, not 6-0 or 8-1.”--Beckwith, quoted by Gary Bedore, Lawrence Journal-World, July 7, 1985
Staked to an 8-0 lead, Baltimore starter Scott McGregor simply had to throw strikes and let his defense work. Lynn wound up recording seven putouts in center field, while left fielder Gary Roenicke had three and Shelby had two in right field. McGregor pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three walks while striking out two.
“Lynn will probably have to rest tomorrow. He got two days (worth) of running in center field.”--Royals manager Dick Howser, quoted by Gary Bedore, Lawrence Journal-World, July 7, 1985
The Royals scored single runs in the fifth, eighth, and ninth innings after the game was all but over. In the fifth, Steve Balboni led off with a double and scored on an Onix Concepcion single. In the eighth, Willie Wilson walked with one out and scored on Lonnie Smith’s double. And in the ninth, Balboni doubled with one out and scored on Jorge Orta’s pinch-hit single.
The loss meant the Royals had dropped four of their last six games and were 39-39 on the season. They were now in fifth place in the AL West, 5.5 games behind California.
Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198507060.shtml
1985 sports news: At Wimbledon, Martina Navratilova captured her fourth straight women’s title, defeating her long-time rival Chris Evert Lloyd, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. The head-to-head record for the two greats was now 34-32 in favor of Navratilova. It was Navratilova’s sixth overall singles title at Wimbledon and 12th singles title in a major. In an unusual move, the seeding committee had awarded both players #1 seeds, with no #2 seed. Evert Lloyd was the top-ranked player in the world, and of course Navratilova had three straight wins at the event.
Today’s birthdays: Lance Clemons (1947), Andrew Benintendi (1994)