View Single Post
Old 05-19-2019, 12:59 PM   #29
webrian
Minors (Triple A)
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 228
Game 81, Friday July 8, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Athletics 5, Royals 4 (10 innings)

WP: Vida Blue (9-6, 3.60); LP: Steve Mingori (2-3, 5.35)

The Oakland Athletics couldn’t protect any leads against Texas.

The Kansas City Royals couldn’t protect a lead against Oakland.

The Royals took a 3-1 lead to the top of the eighth inning, but starter Dennis Leonard couldn’t hold it. Rickey Henderson — who is 18 years old, people — clubbed his 10th homer of the year and second of the game to cut the lead to 3-2. The next three batters hit two singles and a double, bringing in the tying run.

The teams traded solo homers in the ninth. Earl Williams hit his fifth to give Oakland a 4-3 lead. Al Cowens hit his 17th to tie it again at 4-4. The A’s pushed the go-ahead run across the plate in the top of the 10th on a double-play groundout after Mitchell Page doubled and Tony Armas singled against reliever Steve Mingori.

The Royals had runners at second and third with two out when Frank White tapped an easy ground ball back to the mound.

***
Game 82, Saturday July 9, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 11, Athletics 5

WP: Steve Renko (6-6, 5.35); LP: Doc Medich (6-10, 4.09)

Ok, this time the Athletics couldn’t protect a lead. Oakland built an early 4-0 advantage against Steve “Wreck It” Renko and looked like they’d cruise. But then the Royals offense kicked on like an old gas oven on a cold Nebraska morning.

Kiko Garcia had a 2-run homer (No. 2) and a 2-run double, George Brett tripled and homered (his 15th and 4th in 5 games), and Frank White went 3-for-4 witih 3 RBIs as KC erupted for 11 runs over the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

It was so many runs in such a short time that even Renko couldn’t mess it up. Larry Gura and Rich Gale pitched the final three innings, which were pretty ho-hum no matter who was batting.

Jerry Tabb (No. 4) and Wayne Gross (10) had homers for the Athletics.

***

Game 83, Sunday July 10, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 9, Athletics 0

WP: Paul Splittorff (7-6, 3.85); LP: Craig Mitchell (0-1, 8.44)

Oakland starter Rick Langford is out for the season with bone chips in his elbow, so the Athletics called some dweeb up from AAA and he was dead on arrival.

While Paul Splittorff pitched his first complete-game shutout of the season, KC’s hitters tee’d off on this Craig Mitchell kid. Hal McRae, who currently leads the AL All-Star voting in LF, hit his 5th homer. Rico Carty, subbing at first base for a slumping John Mayberry, smacked his 6th round-tripper of the season. And Al Cowens blasted his team-leading 18th 419 feet to left-centerfield.

I pulled most of the starters after the sixth inning.

Next we travel to Chicago for a two-game set. This is a bad time. The White Sox have suddenly awoken and have won 14 of their past 18 games.

We’re playing reasonably well too.

***
webrian is offline   Reply With Quote