This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: June 22

Bret Saberhagen takes a perfect game into the eighth...and loses.

Bret Saberhagen kept Royals fans in suspense, as he took a perfect game into the eighth inning. But the perfect night quickly turned sour, and the Mariners escaped with a 2-1 win at Royals Stadium on Saturday night.

Saberhagen retired the first 21 hitters, seven of them by strikeout, as he pitched seven perfect innings. However, in the eighth, Gorman Thomas ended the drama with a leadoff single. Ivan Calderon followed with a single. After a sacrifice bunt, the Royals intentionally walked Jim Presley to load the bases. With pinch-hitter Ken Phelps at the plate, Saberhagen committed a balk, forcing in the first run of the game.

“(Catcher) Jim Sundberg had called a changeup, and by the time I decided I didn’t want to throw a changeup, it was a little late, and I went into a stretch, and they called a balk.”--Saberhagen, quoted by Bill Woodard, Lawrence Journal-World, June 23, 1985

Phelps ultimately walked, reloading the bases. Dan Quisenberry entered the game in relief of Saberhagen, but former Royal Al Cowens reached on an infield single to give Seattle a 2-0 lead before Quisenberry got an inning-ending double play.

“The no-hitter, the perfect game is a one-in-a-million thing, you know, but I would have been happy even to get a shutout. It was fun while it lasted. The thought of throwing a perfect game was great enough. I came back in here to change my shirt in the seventh inning, and I thought about getting through seven innings perfectly. But, you know, I had a perfect game going, then a couple of hits, a walk or two later, and the next thing you know, you’re out.”--Saberhagen, quoted by Bill Woodard, Lawrence Journal-World, June 23, 1985

Seattle starter Bill Swift matched Saberhagen with eight scoreless innings, although the Royals did manage four hits and a walk through the first seven innings. Kansas City missed two excellent scoring chances. In the third, Buddy Biancalana became the game’s first baserunner with a two-out double. Willie Wilson followed with a walk, but Lonnie Smith grounded out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth. Steve Balboni and Sundberg started the inning with singles. But Biancalana’s bunt attempt turned into a force out at third, and Wilson grounded into a force out at second. Wilson stole second to put the tying run in scoring position, but Smith struck out.

At last, the Royals got on the board in the ninth. George Brett led off with a double. Ed Vande Berg replaced Swift on the mound. Hal McRae flied out, with Brett moving to third. Frank White’s groundout scored Brett, but Ed Nunez struck out Darryl Motley to end the game.

“Saberhagen pitched a hell of a game. It’s tough to get beat on a balk and an infield hit. But that’s baseball–when you get shut down anything can happen. That’s as fine of a pitched game as you want to see on both sides. Swift showed me something. We didn’t hit many balls hard.”--Royals manager Dick Howser, quoted by Bill Woodard, Lawrence Journal-World, June 23, 1985

Kansas City dropped to 33-32 with the loss, which was their third straight 2-1 defeat by the Mariners. The Royals were in fourth place in the AL West as Oakland won, vaulting into third place. Kansas City was 3.5 games behind California.

Off the field, at least one Royal had a good day, as pitcher Charlie Leibrandt’s wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter.

Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198506220.shtml

Today’s birthdays: None