This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: October 1
The Angels score three runs in the fifth inning for a win over the Royals, retaking first place in the AL West.
California regained sole possession of first place in the AL West, thanks to a three-run fifth inning in their 4-2 win over Kansas City at Royals Stadium on Tuesday night, in the second game of the teams’ four-game showdown.
Royals starter Charlie Leibrandt held California to four hits in the first four innings. However, one of them was a Bobby Grich home run with one out in the second, giving California a 1-0 lead.
Angels starter Mike Witt retired the first 10 Royals he faced. Willie Wilson broke that string with a single in the fourth. George Brett followed with a walk, but Jorge Orta flied out and Frank White struck out to end the inning.
The Angels then smacked four hits and took advantage of two Royals errors in their big fifth inning. Dick Schofield led off with a single. Gary Pettis put down a bunt. Leibrandt grabbed it but made a low throw to first. White, covering the base, couldn’t corral the throw. Somehow White was charged with the error, but the Angels had runners at first and second with no outs. Brian Downing doubled to drive in one run. Rod Carew’s single knocked in another for a 3-0 lead. One out later, Doug DeCinces hit a grounder to third, but Brett threw wildly to first, allowing another run to score. Steve Farr got the Royals out of the inning with a double play, but the damage was done.
Staked to a 4-0 lead, Witt retired seven of the next eight hitters before Pat Sheridan picked up a pinch-hit single with one out in the eighth. Lonnie Smith grounded into a force out, but Wilson tripled to drive in the Royals’ first run. Brett singled, cutting the lead to 4-2.
But Angels closer Donnie Moore got Jorge Orta to line out to end the inning, then worked a perfect ninth for the save.
“Witt was throwing strikes, and when he throws strikes he’s tough. Witt did his job and Moore finished us off.”--Royals manager Dick Howser, quoted by the Associated Press, October 2, 1985
The win lifted California one game ahead of the Royals in the AL West standings. The teams had five games left, including two more in this series.
Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198510010.shtml
1985 news: Author E.B. White, most famous for the children’s book Charlotte’s Web, died at his home in Maine after a battle with Alzheimer’s. White was 86. He also wrote for The New Yorker magazine and wrote other classic children’s literature, such as Stuart Little. For my fellow English majors, he edited and updated William Strunk’s handbook, The Elements of Style. And for a baseball connection, White’s stepson was the tremendous baseball writer (and exceptional writer all-around), Roger Angell.
Today’s birthdays: John Schuerholz (1943), John Thomson (1973)