This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: August 18
The Royals mount a comeback but can't quite catch up in a loss to Toronto.
The Royals fought back from a five-run deficit, but couldn’t quite catch up to the Blue Jays. Toronto scored three late runs to salt away a 10-6 win and avoid a series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Exhibition Stadium.
Royals starter Mark Gubicza was ineffective, allowing five runs before leaving the game with two outs in the third inning. Toronto scored two runs in the first on a George Bell home run. The Blue Jays added three more in the third inning. With one out, Bell walked. Al Oliver singled, and Willie Upshaw walked to load the bases. Jesse Barfield tripled, scoring all three runners and giving Toronto a 5-0 lead. Mike Jones replaced Gubicza and got the final out of the inning.
“Today, (Gubicza) was off, but not by much. They have a strong-hitting lineup which is obvious by the amount of extra-base hits they have. Anytime you win two of three on the road, you have to be pleased. I just wish I could have thrown another lefty out there.”--Royals manager Dick Howser, quoted by the Associated Press, August 19, 1985
The Royals bounced back with two runs in the fourth off Toronto starter Tom Filer. Wilie Wilson led off with a walk, but after a Lonnie Smith fly ball, was forced out at second on a George Brett grounder. Hal McRae salvaged the inning with a home run, his 11th of the year, cutting the Blue Jays’ lead to 5-2.
But Toronto scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth off Jones. Tony Fernandez led off with a single. Lloyd Moseby doubled to score him. Rance Mulliniks singled, and Bell hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Moseby for a 7-2 lead.
John Wathan doubled with one out in the fifth and stopped at third on an Onix Concepcion single. Wilson grounded out, but Wathan scored to cut the Toronto lead to 7-3.
The Royals almost completed the comeback attempt in the sixth. Brett led off with a double and scored on a Dane Iorg double. Steve Balboni greeted reliever Dennis Lamp with a home run on the first pitch he saw, cutting the Blue Jays’ lead to 7-6. But the Royals could not draw even, as Lamp retired the next two hitters.
Toronto then picked up single runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to open up the game. Moseby led off the sixth with a walk. Steve Farr replaced Jones with one out, but Moseby stole second and moved up to third as Wathan’s throw sailed into center field. Bell hit a sacrifice fly for an 8-6 lead. Upshaw increased the lead to 9-6 with a home run leading off the seventh. Fernandez greeted Joe Beckwith with a double to start the eighth and scored when Smith dropped a fly ball in left field.
Toronto’s Tom Henke worked around a one-out single in the ninth, which happened to be the first major-league hit of outfielder Dave Leeper’s career, to finish the game.
Kansas City dropped to 63-51 with the loss. They were still in second place in the AL West, and still 2.5 games behind California.
Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR198508180.shtml
Today’s birthdays: Mike Ferraro (1944), Albie Lopez (1971), Josh Rupe (1982), Tony Cruz (1986)