This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: June 19
Hal McRae breaks a 2-2 tie with an eighth-inning home run as KC defeats Minnesota.
Hal McRae’s eighth-inning home run broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Royals a 3-2 win over Minnesota at Royals Stadium on Wednesday night.
McRae’s blast was just his second of the season. It came with one out in the eighth off Twins starter Pete Filson. It also capped the Royals’ comeback from a 2-0 deficit and marked the third straight inning the Royals had tallied one run.
“Any time I get base hits, I’m happy. But I like to get some big base hits. Tonight I had a couple of big RBI and that’s my main concern. It was a great feeling. When I’m swinging the bat good, I have to contribute. When I get in there, I have got to do something to contribute. I just can’t get a soft single to right.”--McRae, quoted by the Associated Press, June 20, 1985
The Twins took the lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings against Royals starter Danny Jackson. In the third inning, Dave Engle led off with a bunt single, reaching second on a bad throw by catcher Jim Sundberg. Jackson retired the next two batters, but Mickey Hatcher doubled to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. Kent Hrbek led off the fourth with a home run for a 2-0 lead.
Filson allowed just two hits and two walks in the first five innings. But in the sixth, the Royals’ offense stirred. With one out, Darryl Motley singled and McRae’s two-out double cut the Twins’ lead to 2-1.
A two-out rally tied the score in the seventh, as Willie Wilson singled and Lonnie Smith doubled to tie the score at 2-2.
Jackson departed the game with the lead, thanks to McRae’s home run, turning things over to closer Dan Quisenberry for the ninth. The young lefthander held Minnesota to six hits and two walks, although he only had one strikeout.
But the Twins rallied in the ninth. Quisenberry gave up a single to Hrbek to start the inning, and Roy Smalley’s double moved the tying run to third with no outs. Pinch-hitter Randy Bush hit a rocket…right at first baseman Steve Balboni for the first out. After an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Mike Stenhouse, Mark Salas grounded into a force out at home. Quisenberry ended the game by getting Kirby Puckett on a fly ball to center, earning his 13th save of the year.
“I did want to keep the guy (Bush) from hitting a line drive. What he did was hit a line drive and that turned out to be the best thing that I could have done. The worst thing I could have done turned out to be the best thing because that’s how we kept them from scoring. It was vintage Quisenberry. I should give up a lot of line drives and I guess I do. I remember the glory years when I gave up a lot of bolts. I did nothing but stand around and watch people snag them.”--Quisenberry, quoted by the Associated Press, June 20, 1985
With the win, their third in a row, the Royals climbed to 33-30. They were in third place in the AL West, 2.5 games behind Chicago.
Off the field, the Royals placed outfielder Pat Sheridan on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled right hamstring. Sheridan had suffered the injury running the bases in Seattle on Sunday. Kansas City recalled outfielder Dave Leeper from Class AAA Omaha to take his place on the active roster.
Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198506190.shtml
Today’s birthdays: Fernando Gonzalez (1950), Butch Davis (1958), Yasuhiko Yabuta (1973), Doug Mientkiewicz (1974), Bruce Chen (1977)