This Date In Royals History--1984 Edition: June 7

The Royals pull off an incredible comeback win over Seattle.

The Royals recovered from an early 7-0 deficit, staging an incredible comeback for a 9-8 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night at Royals Stadium.

Seattle jumped on Kansas City starter Larry Gura for three runs in the first inning. Larry Milbourne led off with a walk and, with one out, Alvin Davis homered for a quick 2-0 lead. Al Cowens doubled and Steve Henderson walked. The Royals caught a break when the Mariners tried a double steal and catcher John Wathan threw out Cowens at third. That meant Barry Bonnell’s double only drove in one run.

The visitors put together another threat in the second, as Bob Kearney led off with a double and Spike Owen walked. The Mariners tried another double steal, with an even worse ending as Milbourne struck out and Kearney was cut down at third on the same pitch. Gura then struck out Phil Bradley to end the inning.

But in the third, the Mariners were back at it. With one out, Cowens singled and Henderson walked, ending Gura’s evening. Reliever Danny Jackson fared little better. Bonnell greeted him with a double for two runs. Darnell Coles drew a walk, and with two outs, Jackson hit Owen with a pitch. Milbourne followed with a two-run single, pushing the Seattle lead to 7-0. Jackson walked Bradley to load the bases but escaped when Davis grounded back to the mound.

Mariners starter Matt Young was hardly dominating the Royals, escaping a jam in the first and working around leadoff singles the next two innings. Finally, in the fifth, the Royals broke through. Steve Balboni started the rally with a single, followed by a Wathan walk. U L Washington’s single brought Balboni home. Willie Wilson doubled for another run. Butch Davis hit a sacrifice fly, and George Brett singled to drive in Wilson. After a Hal McRae single, Paul Mirabella replaced Young and retired the final two hitters, although Darryl Motley’s groundout scored a fifth run in the inning. While they hadn’t completely caught up, the Royals were back in the game.

However, Seattle got one run back in the top of the sixth. After Jackson struck out two to start the inning, Henderson and Bonnell each singled. A wild pitch allowed Henderson to score for an 8-5 lead before Jackson struck out Coles to end the inning.

The Royals did nothing in the sixth, but Wilson tripled to start the seventh and scored on a Davis groundout. Mirabella walked Brett and McRae singled, with an error by Bradley allowing the runners to reach second and third. Dave Beard replaced Mirabella and got Motley on a popup, but Frank White hit a 1-2 pitch into the bullpen in left field to give the Royals a 9-8 lead.

Of course, this game was not over. Dan Quisenberry took over on the mound for the eighth inning and retired five straight batters, but Putnam kept Seattle alive with a double. Kearney singled, with Putnam stopping at third. Owen hit a grounder up the middle, but White snagged it and flipped to Washington at second for the game-ending forceout.

“Tomorrow is another day, but this was a big win. These are the kind of victories you don’t forget. These are the kind of victories that, later down the road when you’re behind early, you remember and think to yourself, ‘We can come back and win.’”--Royals manager Dick Howser, quoted by the Associated Press, June 8, 1984

With the win, the Royals improved to 26-27. They were tied for second in the AL West with Chicago, with both teams 1.5 games behind California. In fact, the White Sox staged their own comeback from a 7-0 deficit, rallying to defeat the Angels by an 11-10 count.

Box score and play-by-play: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198406070.shtml

Today’s birthdays: Roger Nelson (1944), Luke Farrell (1991)