OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The 1977 Kansas City Royals (a groovy do-over)

webrian · 05-15-2019, 08:24 PM

Game 71, Monday June 27, 1977 ~

At Anaheim

Royals 5, Angels 3

WP: Larry Gura (1-3, 4.08); LP: Sid Monge (2-2, 4.33); Sv: Mark Littell (4, 5.40)

This might have been our most satisfying win of the season.

George Brett, Hal McRae and John Mayberry rested, so it was a jumbled lineup that faced Angels’ starter Paul Hartzell, who came in with a 6-5 record and a respectable ERA just over 4.00. KC’s Jim Colborn (10-2) was going for his 11th win, knowing offensive support would be scarce.

Colborn left after 6 innings with the Royals trailing 3-0. He yielded 3 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks, with 1 strikeout. A comeback win would be up to a shaky bullpen and an uneven lineup missing three of its top five hitters.

Everything fell into place. Kiko Garcia and Frank White hit doubles in the seventh inning as KC rallied for 2 runs to close within 3-2. Then in the top of the ninth, the bottom of the jumbled lineup managed to work the bases loaded with one out against Angels’ left-handed reliever Sid Monge. But then up came Tom Poquette, a left-handed hitter who doesn’t hit lefties well.

He lashed a bases-clearing double all the way to the LF-CF gap — his second double of the game and 20th of the season to go with 10 triples. I don’t know where this team would be without Poquette.

In the bottom of the ninth, I had no choice but to turn to Mark Littell, whose arm was still a bit tired from the series in Oakland. He did walk a batter, but then got Jerry Remy to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

All told, relievers Larry Gura, ‘Gas Can’ Shanahan and Littell combined for 3 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks and 1 strikeout. Most importantly, 0 runs allowed.

Also, the Rangers LOST at Oakland. So we finally picked up a game; only 9 back now.

***

Game 72, Tuesday June 28, 1977 ~

At Anaheim

Royals 10, Angels 7

WP: Rich Gale (1-1, 4.18); LP: Gary Ross (6-7, 6.50); Sv: Gas Can Shanahan (3, 6.25)

The Royals’ hitters picked up the weary pitching staff.

Of Kansas City’s 10 hits, four were homers and two were doubles. Al Cowens and John Mayberry each slammed 3-run homers to make the biggest impact; it was No. 14 for Cowens and No. 16 for Mayberry. Darrell Porter hit a 435-foot solo shot to deepeest centerfield for his 15th and Hal McRae hit a 2-run jack in sixth, No. 4 on the season for him.

Steve Renko pitched on three days’ rest and would have gotten the win if his arm had lasted past the fourth inning. But after 88 pitches he was in the black and the Angels had runners at first and second with nobody out in the fifth.

Rich Gale pitched 2.2 innings to earn the win and Gas Can Shanahan went the final 2.1 innings to earn his third save, and his first since the season-opening series against Detroit. But it was shaky all the way: KC pitchers issued 8 walks and got only 2 strikeouts. The Angels hit two homers (Rance Mulliniks’ 7th & Bobby Grich’s 15th) and three doubles.

We picked up yet another game on the Rangers, who lost to Vida Blue and the A’s in Oakland. We’re now 8 games back.

***

Game 73, Wednesday June 29, 1977 ~

At Anaheim

Royals 7, Angels 5

WP: Marty Pattin (5-1, 5.11); LP: Wayne Simpson (3-2, 5.43); Sv: Larry Gura (3, 4.15)

With half the lineup weary from a long string of games with no break, the Royals managed to put together just enough timely hits and timely outs to finish off a sweep of the Angels in Anaheim.

Tom Poquette got it started with his first home run of the season, a 2-run blast over the wall in right-centerfield in the top of the third inning. He went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI to lead the offensive effort. Catcher Darrell Porter banged a 2-run double to CF but injured himself sliding into the base. His diagnosis is pending, so it looks like a fourth regular will join LHP Andy Hassler, SS Freddie Patek and RHP Doug Bird on our injured list. Yay.

Rance Mulliniks went 4-for-5 and Gil Flores had a 2-run triple for the Angels, who have dropped 7 of 10 since briefly moving into second place. They’re now 12.5 games back.

We went 16-13 in June. July begins with a continuation of the current road trip. After a travel day on Thursday June 30, we will play 3 at Cleveland and then 2 at Texas (!!!) before returning home.

CURRENT RECORD: 42-31 (2nd, 7.5 games behind Texas)
REAL-LIFE RECORD: 38-35 (3rd, 3.5 games behind Minnesota)

***

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
In the AL East, the Yankees continue to rule the roost, but they’re getting a challenge from the second-place Orioles who have awakened and surged into second place, winning 8 of their last 10 … In the West, the Rangers have cooled off just a little, but still own the best record in baseball. The Twins’ strong start is but a memory now. Injuries to their best two starting pitchers doomed them to an 8-20 June after going 16-8 in May …. Over in the National League, the Chicago Cubs (41-32) lead the East by percentage points over Pittsburgh (42-33), which is a little surprising until you realize the REAL-LIFE Cubs were 47-23 and owned an 8.5-game lead at this same juncture in 1977 … The Philadelphia Phillies have stopped screwing around and decided to join the race, winning 4 in a row to climb to 37-36, just 4 games back … And in the NL West, the L.A. Dodgers have a 4-game lead over the defending world-champion Reds, who did briefly re-take first place since my last update, but have slipped back again.

I said earlier that it’s dangerous to play expansion teams early in the season because bad teams don’t know they’re bad yet. Toronto and Seattle know it now, as both have sunken like stones to the bottom of their respective divisions, though Seattle still has a somewhat decent record at 37-43.

OTHER RECENT NEWS:
• St. Louis Cardinals’ closer Al Hrabosky will miss the rest of the season due to bone chips in his elbow. He had been struggling, posting a 4-4 record with only 2 saves and a 5.04 ERA over 40.2 innings.

• Kansas City Royals’ first baseman John Mayberry was recently named Player of the Week, going 14-for-33 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI over a 7-day period. He is now slashing .291/.377/.502 with a team-leading 16 HRs and 59 RBI.

• Texas Rangers third baseman Toby Harrah was named the American League’s top hitter for June. During the month, Harrah hit .319 with 8 HRs, 34 RBI and 20 runs scored. On the season, Harrah is slashing .296/.406/.542 with 4 HRs and 65 RBI.

• Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Reggie Smith was named the National League’s top hitter for June. Smith hit .407 with 6 HRs, 16 RBI and 22 runs scored. For the season, Smith is slashing .331/.414/.509 with 12 HRs, 41 RBIs and 47 runs scored.

• Chicago White Sox southpaw Ken Kravec was named AL Pitcher of the Month for June. He went 6-0 with a 1.75 ERA in the month, helping lift the otherwise disappointing Sox out of last place. So far this season, Kravec is 10-1 with a 3.51 ERA.

• Chicago Cubs hurler Bill Bonham was named NL Pitcher of the Month for June, giving the Windy City a clean sweep on the mound. In June, Bonham went 5-1 with a 1.54 ERA, raising his overall record to 11-5, with a 3.09 ERA over 128 innings for the first-place Cubbies.

THE TOP FIVE SONGS IN THE U.S. ON JULY 1, 1977:

1. Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) — Bill Conti
2. Undercover Angel — Alan O’Day
3. I Got to Give it Up (Pt. 1) — Marvin Gaye
4. Da Doo Ron Ron — Shaun Cassidy
5. Looks Like We Made It — Barry Manilow

Ok …. Back to the action! Summer’s here and the time is right for blasting it to the seats!

***

05-15-2019, 08:24 PM	#25
webrian Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 232	Game 71, Monday June 27, 1977 ~ At Anaheim Royals 5, Angels 3 WP: Larry Gura (1-3, 4.08); LP: Sid Monge (2-2, 4.33); Sv: Mark Littell (4, 5.40) This might have been our most satisfying win of the season. George Brett, Hal McRae and John Mayberry rested, so it was a jumbled lineup that faced Angels’ starter Paul Hartzell, who came in with a 6-5 record and a respectable ERA just over 4.00. KC’s Jim Colborn (10-2) was going for his 11th win, knowing offensive support would be scarce. Colborn left after 6 innings with the Royals trailing 3-0. He yielded 3 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks, with 1 strikeout. A comeback win would be up to a shaky bullpen and an uneven lineup missing three of its top five hitters. Everything fell into place. Kiko Garcia and Frank White hit doubles in the seventh inning as KC rallied for 2 runs to close within 3-2. Then in the top of the ninth, the bottom of the jumbled lineup managed to work the bases loaded with one out against Angels’ left-handed reliever Sid Monge. But then up came Tom Poquette, a left-handed hitter who doesn’t hit lefties well. He lashed a bases-clearing double all the way to the LF-CF gap — his second double of the game and 20th of the season to go with 10 triples. I don’t know where this team would be without Poquette. In the bottom of the ninth, I had no choice but to turn to Mark Littell, whose arm was still a bit tired from the series in Oakland. He did walk a batter, but then got Jerry Remy to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game. All told, relievers Larry Gura, ‘Gas Can’ Shanahan and Littell combined for 3 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks and 1 strikeout. Most importantly, 0 runs allowed. Also, the Rangers LOST at Oakland. So we finally picked up a game; only 9 back now. * Game 72, Tuesday June 28, 1977 ~ At Anaheim Royals 10, Angels 7 WP: Rich Gale (1-1, 4.18); LP: Gary Ross (6-7, 6.50); Sv: Gas Can Shanahan (3, 6.25) The Royals’ hitters picked up the weary pitching staff. Of Kansas City’s 10 hits, four were homers and two were doubles. Al Cowens and John Mayberry each slammed 3-run homers to make the biggest impact; it was No. 14 for Cowens and No. 16 for Mayberry. Darrell Porter hit a 435-foot solo shot to deepeest centerfield for his 15th and Hal McRae hit a 2-run jack in sixth, No. 4 on the season for him. Steve Renko pitched on three days’ rest and would have gotten the win if his arm had lasted past the fourth inning. But after 88 pitches he was in the black and the Angels had runners at first and second with nobody out in the fifth. Rich Gale pitched 2.2 innings to earn the win and Gas Can Shanahan went the final 2.1 innings to earn his third save, and his first since the season-opening series against Detroit. But it was shaky all the way: KC pitchers issued 8 walks and got only 2 strikeouts. The Angels hit two homers (Rance Mulliniks’ 7th & Bobby Grich’s 15th) and three doubles. We picked up yet another game on the Rangers, who lost to Vida Blue and the A’s in Oakland. We’re now 8 games back. * Game 73, Wednesday June 29, 1977 ~ At Anaheim Royals 7, Angels 5 WP: Marty Pattin (5-1, 5.11); LP: Wayne Simpson (3-2, 5.43); Sv: Larry Gura (3, 4.15) With half the lineup weary from a long string of games with no break, the Royals managed to put together just enough timely hits and timely outs to finish off a sweep of the Angels in Anaheim. Tom Poquette got it started with his first home run of the season, a 2-run blast over the wall in right-centerfield in the top of the third inning. He went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI to lead the offensive effort. Catcher Darrell Porter banged a 2-run double to CF but injured himself sliding into the base. His diagnosis is pending, so it looks like a fourth regular will join LHP Andy Hassler, SS Freddie Patek and RHP Doug Bird on our injured list. Yay. Rance Mulliniks went 4-for-5 and Gil Flores had a 2-run triple for the Angels, who have dropped 7 of 10 since briefly moving into second place. They’re now 12.5 games back. We went 16-13 in June. July begins with a continuation of the current road trip. After a travel day on Thursday June 30, we will play 3 at Cleveland and then 2 at Texas (!!!) before returning home. CURRENT RECORD: 42-31 (2nd, 7.5 games behind Texas) REAL-LIFE RECORD: 38-35 (3rd, 3.5 games behind Minnesota) * AROUND THE LEAGUE: In the AL East, the Yankees continue to rule the roost, but they’re getting a challenge from the second-place Orioles who have awakened and surged into second place, winning 8 of their last 10 … In the West, the Rangers have cooled off just a little, but still own the best record in baseball. The Twins’ strong start is but a memory now. Injuries to their best two starting pitchers doomed them to an 8-20 June after going 16-8 in May …. Over in the National League, the Chicago Cubs (41-32) lead the East by percentage points over Pittsburgh (42-33), which is a little surprising until you realize the REAL-LIFE Cubs were 47-23 and owned an 8.5-game lead at this same juncture in 1977 … The Philadelphia Phillies have stopped screwing around and decided to join the race, winning 4 in a row to climb to 37-36, just 4 games back … And in the NL West, the L.A. Dodgers have a 4-game lead over the defending world-champion Reds, who did briefly re-take first place since my last update, but have slipped back again. I said earlier that it’s dangerous to play expansion teams early in the season because bad teams don’t know they’re bad yet. Toronto and Seattle know it now, as both have sunken like stones to the bottom of their respective divisions, though Seattle still has a somewhat decent record at 37-43. OTHER RECENT NEWS: • St. Louis Cardinals’ closer Al Hrabosky will miss the rest of the season due to bone chips in his elbow. He had been struggling, posting a 4-4 record with only 2 saves and a 5.04 ERA over 40.2 innings. • Kansas City Royals’ first baseman John Mayberry was recently named Player of the Week, going 14-for-33 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI over a 7-day period. He is now slashing .291/.377/.502 with a team-leading 16 HRs and 59 RBI. • Texas Rangers third baseman Toby Harrah was named the American League’s top hitter for June. During the month, Harrah hit .319 with 8 HRs, 34 RBI and 20 runs scored. On the season, Harrah is slashing .296/.406/.542 with 4 HRs and 65 RBI. • Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Reggie Smith was named the National League’s top hitter for June. Smith hit .407 with 6 HRs, 16 RBI and 22 runs scored. For the season, Smith is slashing .331/.414/.509 with 12 HRs, 41 RBIs and 47 runs scored. • Chicago White Sox southpaw Ken Kravec was named AL Pitcher of the Month for June. He went 6-0 with a 1.75 ERA in the month, helping lift the otherwise disappointing Sox out of last place. So far this season, Kravec is 10-1 with a 3.51 ERA. • Chicago Cubs hurler Bill Bonham was named NL Pitcher of the Month for June, giving the Windy City a clean sweep on the mound. In June, Bonham went 5-1 with a 1.54 ERA, raising his overall record to 11-5, with a 3.09 ERA over 128 innings for the first-place Cubbies. THE TOP FIVE SONGS IN THE U.S. ON JULY 1, 1977:** 1. Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) — Bill Conti 2. Undercover Angel — Alan O’Day 3. I Got to Give it Up (Pt. 1) — Marvin Gaye 4. Da Doo Ron Ron — Shaun Cassidy 5. Looks Like We Made It — Barry Manilow Ok …. Back to the action! Summer’s here and the time is right for blasting it to the seats! *** Last edited by webrian; 05-15-2019 at 08:47 PM.