This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: October 7

The Royals just won a thrilling race for the AL West title. So naturally, the day before the ALCS, the talk is about manager Dick Howser's postseason losing streak.

The Royals had Monday off before beginning the American League Championship Series in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

Kansas City manager Dick Howser was seeking to snap a nine-game losing streak by his teams in the postseason. His first playoff team, the 1980 Yankees, had been swept in three games in the ALCS by the Royals. Then, in 1981, the Royals dropped all three games of the Division Series to Oakland. They followed that up with a sweep at the hands of Detroit in the 1984 ALCS. Howser didn’t seem too stressed about his postseason troubles, though.

“I’m glad we’re playing a best-of-seven format this year instead of best-of-five. I need all the shots at a playoff victory I can get.”--Howser, quoted by the Associated Press, October 7, 1985

To help break his streak, Howser announced that his starting rotation in the series would be heavy on the lefthanders, as Toronto had been just 24-26 against southpaws during the season. Up first, Charlie Leibrandt, who was 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA against Toronto for the season. In Game Two, Bud Black would get the nod, following his 2-0 mark and 2.28 ERA against the Blue Jays. And in Game Four, Howser would give the ball to Danny Jackson, 1-0 with a 1.99 ERA against Toronto. Bret Saberhagen was slated to start Game Three.

Toronto planned to counter with the AL ERA leader, Dave Stieb, in Game One. Stieb had been 0-3 against the Royals despite a 2.70 ERA in those three games.

The Royals had won the season series from Toronto, 7-5, despite being outscored 46-41 in those 12 games.

1985 sports news: Lynette Woodard, who starred at Kansas, became the first woman to join the Harlem Globetrotters. Woodard beat out nine other women to earn her spot on the squad. Woodard, a Wichita native, played for Kansas from 1978-1981, setting an unofficial college scoring record of 3,549 points that lasted until Caitlin Clark broke it in 2024; Woodard actually played before the NCAA oversaw women’s sports, so her records were not officially recognized by the NCAA. Woodard had played professionally in Italy, then returned to Lawrence to serve as an assistant coach before her tryout with the Globetrotters.

Today’s birthdays: Jose Cardenal (1943), Rudy Law (1956), Enrique Burgos (1965), Kris Medlen (1985)