This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: July 12
The Royals' three-run rally in the ninth goes for naught as Cleveland wins in walkoff fashion.
The Royals scored three runs in the ninth to tie the game, but ultimately dropped a 5-4 loss to the Indians on Friday night at Cleveland Stadium.
Kansas City trailed 4-1 when they came to bat in the ninth. Indians starter Ramon Romero was still in the game, having allowed just four hits and one walk in the first eight innings while striking out six. Lonnie Smith and George Brett began the inning with singles. One out later, Darryl Motley singled to drive in Smith. Frank White greeted reliever Jeff Barkley with a double for one run. The Indians intentionally walked Steve Balboni to load the bases. But Jim Sundberg hit a fly ball to right deep enough to score Motley, and the game was tied. Pinch-hitter Greg Pryor popped up to end the inning.
Dan Quisenberry worked a scoreless 10th inning, and retired the first two batters in the 11th. But the Indians strung together three straight singles, by George Vukovich, Mike Hargrove, and Brett Butler. The last one brought home the winning run, the second time in three nights Quisenberry had allowed a walkoff single.
“It’s obviously not my turn to do well this year. I’m not saying that anybody owes me anything, or that I should get every ball hit right at people, but I can’t understand why I lost the last two games. Other than the pitch to Hargrove, which I got up a little, I felt like I made every other pitch where I wanted.”--Quisenberry, quoted by the Associated Press, July 13, 1985
The Royals scored first, when White belted a solo home run with one out in the second inning. But Romero retired 11 of the next 12 hitters, settling down after that homer and a first-inning threat that was defused when Willie Wilson was thrown out at home trying to score on a Brett fly ball.
Royals starter Charlie Leibrandt allowed a run in the bottom of the second, as Pat Tabler singled and took second on a wild pitch, then scored on a Joe Carter double. But Leibrandt would keep the score tied at 1-1 into the sixth. With two outs in that inning, Brook Jacoby singled and Tabler homered. Carmelo Castillo led off the seventh with a home run, giving Cleveland a 4-1 lead.
The Royals fell to 42-42 with the loss. They were in third place in the AL West, 7.5 games behind California.
Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE198507120.shtml
Today’s birthdays: Dan Reichert (1976), Logan Porter (1995)