This Date In Royals History--1984 Edition: June 30

The Royals score four times in the fourth for a win over the Yankees.

A four-run fourth inning broke the game open for the Royals, who cruised to a 6-2 win over the Yankees in a nationally-televised game on Saturday afternoon at Royals Stadium.

The game was tied at 1-1 as Kansas City came to bat in the fourth, facing Yankees starter Ron Guidry. Hal McRae walked with one out and Darryl Motley singled. With two outs, Don Slaught singled to score McRae for a 2-1 lead. Greg Pryor, filling in for the injured Frank White at second base, hit his second home run of the season, pushing the lead to 5-1. His first homer of the year was a walkoff shot while he was manning third base in place of an injured George Brett in April.

“I’ve played first, second, third, and short. It’s my fourth year of doing it. I’ve gotten used to doing it. I’m not a Frank White or a George Brett, so I can accept my role here.”--Pryor, quoted by the Associated Press, July 1, 1984

The Royals’ two other runs came on solo home runs. Steve Balboni hit his 10th of the season in the second inning, tying the game at 1-1. And Butch Davis added to the lead with his first of the season in the fifth inning.

Royals starter Mark Gubicza, while not getting the 16 runs of support his teammates provided in his previous start, still had plenty of cushion as he scattered six hits and four walks in a complete-game effort. The rookie had six strikeouts as well.

New York scored the game’s first run in the top of the second. Oscar Gamble led off with a walk and Steve Kemp singled. Gubicza induced a double play grounder from Roy Smalley, but Omar Moreno’s single scored Gamble. The Yankees did not score again until Kemp led off the seventh with a home run. Gubicza did work around a walk and a double in the ninth, thanks to the Yankees’ third double play of the game.

The Royals improved to 33-40 with the win. They ended June in sixth place in the AL West, 5.5 games behind California.

Box score and play-by-play: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198406300.shtml

Today’s birthdays: Bud Black (1957), Mark Grudzielanek (1970), Mitch Maier (1982)