This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: October 12
Failure to capitalize on scoring chances sends the Royals to the brink of elimination in ALCS Game Four.
The Royals were given plenty of chances to score runs and break the game open. But they couldn’t take advantage, and ultimately coughed up a 1-0 lead to drop a 3-1 loss to Toronto in Game Four of the ALCS on Saturday night at Royals Stadium.
Blue Jays starter Dave Stieb had dominated the Royals in Game One, limiting Kansas City to three hits and no walks in eight innings. Coming back on three days’ rest, he was not as sharp. Stieb held the Royals to two hits in 6 2/3 innings, but he walked seven while striking out six. Lonnie Smith drew one of those walks to start the first inning, and Willie Wilson bunted him to second. Stieb intentionally walked George Brett, then got Hal McRae (who had been battling a pulled muscle in his ribcage) to ground out, moving the runners to second and third. Pat Sheridan flied out to end the inning.
Stieb settled in, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters, with an infield single from Wilson the Royals’ only offense in that span. But the Royals finally broke through in the sixth inning, with the score still 0-0. Smith led off with a walk and Wilson singled. The Blue Jays, determined not to let Brett beat them as he had the previous night, issued another intentional walk to the Royals’ star. That loaded the bases with no outs. McRae worked a walk, forcing in the first run of the game. But the Royals could not add to their lead. Sheridan popped up, and Frank White grounded into an inning-ending double play.
“We had a chance to break the game open. We didn’t. That’s baseball. Frank did a good job, but he hit it right to the shortstop.”--Royals manager Dick Howser, quoted by Gary Bedore, Lawrence Journal-World, October 13, 1985
Perhaps tiring a bit, Stieb walked Buddy Biancalana and Smith with two outs in the seventh, but was able to retire Wilson this time, with a harmless fly ball ending the inning and the Royals still clinging to their 1-0 lead.
Royals starter Charlie Leibrandt made that lone run stand up through eight innings. He had surrendered just four hits and a walk in that time, and the Royals were three outs away from tying the series at two games apiece. But Leibrandt walked Damaso Garcia to start the ninth. He fell behind Lloyd Moseby 3-0, and Moseby ripped a line drive double to right, tying the score. Manager Dick Howser summoned closer Dan Quisenberry from the bullpen, but he could not stop the bleeding. George Bell singled, and for the second time in the series, Al Oliver delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit off Quisenberry. This one was a pinch-hit double into the right-field corner. Both runners scored, and Toronto had a 3-1 lead. Quisenberry got the next three batters, but the damage was done.
“I threw a changeup. I thought on 2-0, he’d come out of his shoes swinging. I was wrong.”--Quisenberry, quoted by Gary Bedore, Lawrence Journal-World, October 13, 1985
Toronto closer Tom Henke, who cruised through the heart of the Kansas City order in the eighth after taking over for Stieb, made a mess of his own in the ninth. With one out, Steve Balboni walked. Jorge Orta hit a fly ball to deep center, but Moseby tracked it down. Dane Iorg walked, bringing the winning run to the plate. Pinch-hitter Jamie Quirk popped up, and the game was over.
The win gave Toronto a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series (1985 was the first year the League Championship Series were best of seven, meaning in previous years the series would already be over). They would send Jimmy Key to the mound in an attempt to finish off the series in Game Five in Kansas City, while the Royals would try to stay alive with Danny Jackson on the mound.
“All it means is we’re going to have to take it to the seventh game. We’ve had our backs to the wall the entire season.”--Howser, quoted by Gary Bedore, Lawrence Journal-World, October 13, 1985
Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198510120.shtml
1985 baseball news: On the other side of Missouri, the St. Louis Cardinals climbed back into the NLCS with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of that series. The Cardinals’ speed finally made a difference, as Vince Coleman led off the first with a walk, stole second, and scored on pitcher Bob Welch’s errant pickoff throw, St. Louis added another run in the inning, then scored two more in the second (with Coleman again scoring after a wild pickoff throw). Cardinals starter Danny Cox and three relievers combined to make those runs stand up. Los Angeles now had a 2-1 lead in the series.
1985 sports news: The college football blues continued for most Kansas City-area fans. Kansas went on the road and lost 22-21 to Iowa State, falling to 4-2 on the year. Colorado blasted Missouri 38-7 in Boulder, keeping the Tigers winless at 0-5. Kansas State, also with an 0-5 mark, enjoyed a merciful bye week. Elsewhere in the Big 8, ninth-ranked Nebraska won at fifth-ranked Oklahoma State, 34-24 and number two Oklahoma took a 14-7 win over 17th-ranked Texas in the Red River Shootout in Dallas.
Today’s birthdays: Jorge Pedre (1966), Francisco Pena (1989)