The 1977 Kansas City Royals (a groovy do-over)

[webrian]

Game 57, Monday June 13, 1977 ~

At New York

Royals 9, Yankees 5

WP: Jim Colborn (8-2, 3.84); LP: Ron Guidry (7-5, 2.27)

Sometimes the last thing you want is exactly what you need.

Al Cowens blasted a no-doubt-about-it grand slam home run (his 11th) in the top of the third inning and the reeling Royals somehow routed Ron Guidry and the 1977 Yankees in Yankee Stadium on Monday Night Baseball (anyone remember MNB?).

Jim Colborn turned in a fine outing by long-haired 1977 American League standards. He allowed 3 runs on 9 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts over eight innings. The Yankees got an oh-by-the-way 2-run homer from Reggie Jackson (his 15th) in the ninth off Greg “Gas Can” Shanahan.

Kiko Garcia went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.

***
Game 58, Tuesday June 14, 1977 ~

At New York

Yankees 4, Royals 1

WP: Ed Figueroa (9-2, 3.03); LP: Steve Renko (4-4, 5.33)

With several key players resting their tired bones, the Royals didn’t put up much of a fight in a ho-hum loss at Yankees Stadium.

George Brett, Hal McRae and Darrell Porter had the day off. Three other starters had to play anyway, though their batteries were also running low. John Mayberry cracked a solo homer (his 13th) in the top of the first inning, but KC mustered only four singles the rest of the way.

The Yankees took the lead for good when Graig Nettles yanked a 2-run homer just past the RF foul pole in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Now we get a day off to get some NYC sightseeing done. Then it’s back to the park on Thursday afternoon for the rubber game with the pinstripers.

***

Game 59, Thursday June 16, 1977 ~

At New York

Royals 11, Yankees 1

WP: Dennis Leonard (4-3, 2.49); LP: Dock Ellis (6-2, 2.59)

Shocker, right? The Royals needed a win, and once they got the lead, they went after it with gusto. But also … the Yankees played like they just didn’t care. They committed 3 fielding errors, walked 8 Royals batters and managed just 3 hits.

Leonard pitched a complete game, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits. He struck out 10 and walked none. But again, it felt like the Yankees just weren’t into it.

In the first inning, Darrell Porter scored from FIRST on a Hal McRae double to RF. It’s not hard to imagine Yankees manager Billy Martin having words for star slugger/RF'er Reggie Jackson after that. Later in the game, Reggie dropped a fly ball on the warning track, allowing another run to score. So did CF’er Mickey Rivers in an earlier inning.

Some poor NYC-area bar patron is gonna be in the wrong stool at the wrong watering hole tonight when Billy Martin comes out of the drunken stupor just long enough to realize he's been insulted by somebody, somewhere.

Al Cowens hit his 12th homer in the game. George Brett got his 9th. New York’s Reggie Jackson hit his 16th.

Now we head back to Kansas City for a 7-game homestand against Minnesota and Seattle.

CURRENT RECORD: 31-28 (4th, 10.5 games behind Texas)
REAL-LIFE RECORD: 28-31 (6th place, 7 games behind Minnesota)

AROUND THE LEAGUE:



As you can see from the insert, the New York Yankees have powered out to a 5.5-game lead in the AL East. They are claiming their destiny. Second-place Baltimore has regained its footing after a fairly lengthy slump. Further down, the Red Sox are languishing in 6th place, 14 games back … In the AL West, Texas is running away. The Rangers have the best record in baseball (41-17) and their pursuers — KC Royals included — are still spinning their wheels … Over in the NL East, the Cubs have slipped from their perch and the Pirates are now in the lead. The St. Louis Cardinals, who were one game back of the first-place Cubs in late May, have taken the dive, losing 9 of 10 and their last 5 in a row … The Phillies have yet to sort themselves out, but there’s plenty of time … In the NL West, the Dodgers are still in control, and the Atlanta Braves are still the worst team in baseball.

[webrian]

Game 60, Friday June 17, 1977 ~

Royals 11, Twins 8

WP: Paul Splittorff (4-5, 4.59); LP: Roger Erickson (2-4, 6.56)

The hitters picked Splittorff up in this one. Hal McRae went 3-for-3 with 3 doubles, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored in addition to a walk and a HBP. Amos Otis cracked a 3-run homer (his 10th) in KC’s 6-run first inning. The Royals piled up just enough runs to to survive an 18-hit onslaught by the Twins, who left 12 runners stranded.

Rod Carew went 4-for-6 with 2 runs and 3 RBI. Craig Cusick and Bob Randall had 3 hits apiece. Larry Hisle had 2 hits and 3 RBI, including a 2-run homer — No. 3 for him.

Despite the win, we fell to 11 games back of the Rangers, who swept Seattle in a doubleheader, 12-2 and then 4-3.

Tomorrow, we’ll start Jim Colborn (8-2) against a 22-year old nobody named Bill Harris (0-3, 6.17 ERA), who pitched only 8 innings in AAA before getting called up to replace one of the Twins’ two injured starters.

***

Game 61, Saturday June 18, 1977 ~

Royals 12, Twins 5

WP: Jim Colborn (9-2, 4.02); LP: Bill Harris (0-4, 6.87)

It didn’t look so good in the top of the first inning when Twins’ young catcher Butch Wynegar jacked a Colborn fastball 413 feet over the CF wall for a 3-run homer (his 3rd).

But the quivering, unprepared 22-year old LHP the Twins stuck on the mound this Saturday night couldn’t hold that lead. KC LF’er Hal McRae had a double, a triple and drove in 4 runs. SS Kiko Garcia went 3-for-4 with a 3-run HR (his 1st) and 5 RBI!

Al Cowens also had a triple and a double for KC.

***

Game 62, Sunday June 19, 1977 ~

Twins 2, Royals 0

WP: Jeff Holly (1-0, 6.85); LP: Steve Renko (4-5, 5.03); Sv: Tom Johnson (10, 1.76)

For the second game in a row, the Twins started some unkown lefty plucked from the farm system to replace injured aces Dave Goltz and Geoff Zahn. The Royals couldn’t wait to pounce.

But over the course of 2 hours and 42 minutes, KC went from licking its chops to licking its wounds. The gawky 6-5, 215-pound Holly threw 7 innings of 6-hit, shutout ball. The only extra baser he allowed was a 1-out double to Al Cowens in the second inning. Cowens tried stretching it into a triple and was thrown out by about 3 feet. The next inning, Holly picked off Amos Otis leaning off first base. Holly finished with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks.

Tom Johnson allowed just one hit over the last 2 innings to nail down his 10th save, filling the Royals with enormous envy. We don’t have a closer — and it’s killing us.

Larry Hisle and Glenn Adams had RBI singles in the first and eighth innings to account for Minnesota’s 2 runs.

***

[webrian]

Game 63, Monday June 20, 1977 ~

Royals 19, Mariners 2

WP: Marty Pattin (3-1, 5.50); LP: Vern Ruhle (3-7, 5.90)

The Mariners were already thin on pitching after playing 4 games in 3 days down in Texas. Then starter Vern Ruhle couldn’t get past the third inning, and the Royals went into burn-&-pillage mode.

Star 3B George Brett swatted a pair of homers (his 10th & 11th), including a line-drive solo shot to right to snap a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the third. Three hitters later, 1B John Mayberry absolutely CRUSHED a 3-run blast (No. 14) 420 feet into the fountains to make it a 6-2 lead and send Ruhle to the showers. It got worse for Seattle after that.

The Mariners had to call on two position players — 18 year-old RF’er Dave Henderson & 23 year-old infielder Juan Bernhardt — to get them through the eighth and ninth innings.

Royals starter Marty Pattin allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits over 7 innings to nab the easiest win of his unremarkable OOTP career.

***

Game 64, Tuesday June 21, 1977 ~

Royals 4, Mariners 2

WP: Dennis Leonard (5-3, 2.43); LP: Rick Honeycutt (3-6, 4.76)

On the first official day of summer, Dennis Leonard went the distance, allowing just 2 runs on a Bill Stein single in the top of the eighth inning.

Frank White and Hal McRae went a combined 5-for-9 with a pair of runs scored at the top of the lineup, and Kiko Garcia went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored at the bottom of the lineup.

The good news: We’ve finally crawled up into second place in the AL West.

The bad news: We’re still 10 games behind those damned Texas Rangers.

***

Game 65, Wednesday June 22, 1977 ~

Royals 3, Mariners 2 (14 innings)

WP: Steve Mingori (2-2, 5.74); LP: Dick Pole (2-3, 6.00)

John Mayberry drew a full-count, bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourteenth inning to lift the Royals on a night when several starters rested — and the ones who played weren’t productive at the plate.

George Brett, Hal McRae and Mayberry went a combined 0-for-16 in the contest, but part-timers like Tom Poquette, Rico Carty and Clint Hurdle went 8-for-18.

The Mariners got a 2-run homer by Leroy Stanton (his 15th) in the first inning and couldn’t scratch even one more run across the plate after that. KC starter Paul Splittorff went seven and two-thirds, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. Then the bullpen — Doug Bird, Mark Littell, Larry Gura and Steve Mingori combined for 6.1 innings of scoreless ball — but of course it was wobby at times; the Mariners got 8 baserunners against the KC pen, but couldn’t bring them around.

Expansion teams, amirite?

***

Game 66, Thursday June 23, 1977 ~

Royals 3, Mariners 2

WP: Jim Colborn (10-2, 3.86); LP: John Montague (7-6, 3.77)

It took an outfield-assist double play in the ninth inning, but the Royals hung on.

Jim Colborn went the distance for his 10th win and sixth complete game of the season, but it wasn’t easy. The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning. John Mayberry gave the lead right back to KC with a 2-run single in the bottom of the sixth.

The Royals took a 3-1 lead to the top of the ninth, but Seattle came for it immediately. Ruppert Jones led off with a double, Bill Stein singled, and then Steve Braun bounced a single through the left side of the infield, scoring Jones as speedy Jimmy Sexton (pinch-running for Stein) went from first to third. Suddenly, KC’s lead was down to 3-2 and the Mariners had runners at the corners with nobody out.

If we had a closer, Colborn wouldn’t have come out for that ninth inning. After watching him give up three hits to three consecutive batters, I needed somebody to bring in and save this win. But I trust none of them, not with the game on the line. So Colborn would have to be his own closer.

With the infield in, Colborn got Craig Reynolds to ground out as Steve Braun moved from first to second. Sexton stayed at third.

Jose Baez came next. Colborn got him to pop a fly ball into medium center field. CF’er Amos Otis caught it and fired a laser beam to C Darrell Porter. On a bang-bang play at the plate, the Royals got the call and the win.

We went 7-1 on this homestand — and didn’t pick up a single game on Texas. Now, with no rest, we hit the road for a 12-game road trip beginning with a brutal West Coast swing; 4 games in 3 days at Oakland, then three more at California.

CURRENT RECORD: 37-29 (2nd place, 10 games behind Texas)
REAL LIFE RECORD: 33-33 (In a 3-way tie for 3rd place, 4 games behind Minnesota)

***

[webrian]

Game 67, Friday June 24, 1977 ~

At Oakland

Athletics 5, Royals 3

WP: Vida Blue (7-5, 3.57); LP: Steve Renko (4-6, 4.97); Sv: Bob Lacey (7, 5.40)

The A’s pounced on Steve “wreck it” Renko for five runs in the first two innings and LHP Vida Blue made it stand up. Because that’s what aces do.

Renko did what Renko does. In the first inning he yielded 3 walks, 2 singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. In the second, he walked the No. 9 hitter, then yielded a opposite-field 2-run homer to 18 year-old Ricky Henderson, who had walked, stolen second and scored just the inning before.

Renko settled down nicely after that, but the Royals couldn’t get out of the hole he dug.

***

Game 68, Saturday June 25, 1977 ~

At Oakland

Royals 6, Athletics 2

WP: Marty Pattin (4-1, 5.08); LP: Doc Medich (6-8, 3.52)

Marty Pattin turned in another strong start, limiting the Athletics to 2 runs on 5 hits over 6.2 innings. Relievers Mark Littell and Rich Gale took it home from there, with help from some nice late offense.

Al Cowens thwacked a solo homer (13) in the top of the sixth to snap a 1-1 tie. The Royals went on to add 4 more runs, two of them on a 2-run triple by Tom Poquette in the top of the eighth. Poquette is now batting .303 with 18 doubles, 10 triples and 30 RBI, mostly hitting in the No. 2 slot between Frank White (.328) and George Brett (.331).

This Ricky Henderson kid is a pain in the behind. He went 2-for-5 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base.

Got a doubleheader tomorrow.

***
Game 69, Sunday June 26, 1977 ~

At Oakland

Royals 4, Athletics 2

WP: Dennis Leonard (6-3, 2.41); LP: Bill Lacey (3-4, 5.73); Sv: Mark Littell (3, 6.61)

This first game of a daytime doubleheader started at 10:05 a.m. Both teams seemed groggy, but by the end, some exciting baseball took place.

The Royals scored 3 runs in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead. John Mayberry singled home Al Cowens to tie the score 2-2. Then with 2 outs, Kiko Garcia lined a 2-run double to the LF corner to put KC on top.

Of course, the bottom of the ninth brought stress. Doug Bird gave up a 4-pitch leadoff walk to Rickey Henderson, then departed with an injury, diagnosis pending. Fortunately, Mark Littell came in and got three quick outs to end it.

Frank White hit a solo home run (No. 3) to tie the score 1-1 in the top of the third.

***

Game 70, Sunday June 26, 1977 ~

At Oakland

Athletics 4, Royals 3

WP: Stan Bahnsen (3-6, 5.89); LP: Paul Splittorff (4-6, 4.43); Sv: Doug Bair (1, 6.75)

With George Brett and Hal McRae sitting this one out, the Royals couldn’t muster enough offense to beat Stan Bahnsen and his 6-plus ERA.

They almost did. Al Cowens ripped a 2-run triple in the top of the eighth inning to cut a 3-0 A’s lead to 3-2. But in the bottom of the eighth, Tony Armas banged a 1-run triple off the high wall in centerfield to make it 4-2.

John Mayberry launched a 421-foot solo homer (No. 15) to right with one out in the top of the ninth.

On to Anaheim to face to the Angels. We are still 10 games behind the Rangers.

Doug Bird suffered a sprained elbow. He will miss about a month. He was our only halfway consistent reliever. We called up 21 year-old outfielder Willie Wilson to fill Bird’s spot on the roster. Wilson’s got no stick and his fielding needs work, but he’s got blazing speed, so he might be a help in pinch-runner situations.

***

[webrian]

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!

***

[webrian]

Game 74, Friday July 1, 1977 ~

At Cleveland

Royals 7, Indians 3

WP: Paul Splittorff (5-6, 4.33); LP: Rick Waits (5-9, 3.56)

The Royals rode a trio of 2-run hits to their fourth straight win. Frank White whacked a 2-run triple in the third, Kiko Garcia ripped a 2-run double in the sixth, and Hal McRae rapped a 2-run single in the sixth in support of Paul Splittorff, who allowed just 2 runs over seven innings.

Paul Dade went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot for Cleveland, which actually out-hit KC 12-8, but left 10 little Indians stranded on the bases.

***

Game 75, Saturday July 2, 1977 ~

At Cleveland

Royals 4, Indians 1

WP: Jim Colborn (11-2, 3.48); LP: Pat Dobson (4-6, 5.16)

Other American League pitchers like Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Mike Flanagan and Ken Kravec have dominated the season’s sports headlines.

All the while, Jim Colborn has quietly put together a campaign as solid as any of theirs. Saturday’s start against Cleveland was typical: 9 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K. It was Colborn’s 8th complete game of the season.

The Royals broke a 1-1 tie with 2 runs in the fifth. Kiko Garcia scored on a Hal McRae groundout to make it 2-1. George Brett later followed with an RBI double.

We have Dennis Leonard on the hill Sunday night against somebody named Alan Griffin who has a 7.24 ERA.

***

Game 76, Sunday July 3, 1977 ~

At Cleveland

Royals 10, Indians 4

WP: Dennis Leonard (7-3, 2.58); LP: Alan Griffin (2-7, 7.23)

Dennis Leonard continued his rebound from an 0-3 start by winning the seventh of his past eight starts. But he got a lot of help from the bats. The Royals overwhelmed the sliding Indians with a 17-hit barrage.

Right fielder Al Cowens went 3-for-5 with a HR (No. 15) and 4 RBIs to lead the charge. But Tom Poquette (4-for-5) and reserve catcher Clint Hurdle (4-for-5, 3 RBI) also played big roles.

The Indians got home runs by Jim Norris (2) and Mike Easler (11) during a 3-run third inning to briefly take a 3-1 lead.

Despite winning 6 in a row, the Royals have lost half a game on the Rangers, who spent the weekend hammering the hapless Blue Jays in Toronto, including a doubleheader sweep. The Rangers outscored the Jays 37-9 over those four games.

We get two games with the Rangers at Arlington Stadium the next two days. We’re tired and a bit banged up, but head-to-head seems to be our only way to gain ground as long as the Rangers continue playing so well. The Royals have won 15 of their past 18 … and picked up only 2 games on Texas, which just completed a 10-6 road trip.

The Rangers will play their next 13 games at home in the run-up to the All-Star Game.

***

[webrian]

Game 77, Monday July 4, 1977 ~

!! *** HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, AMERICA *** !!

At Arlington

Rangers 4, Royals 3

WP: Adrian Devine (7-3, 2.95); LP: Rich Gale (1-2, 4.60)

Toby Harrah ripped a walk-off, RBI single off reliever Rich Gale to lift the Texas Rangers after the Royals had rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth.

Rangers starter Bert Blyleven (9-1, 3.36) held KC to just 3 hits over seven innings and turned a 3-1 lead over to closer Adrian Devine in the eighth. The Royals did nothing in the eighth, but Amos Otis led off the ninth with a solo oppo-field homer (his 11th); and then two outs later, Rico Carty (pinch-hitting for SS Kiko Garcia) drew a walk. Willie Wilson came in as a pinch-runner, stole second, and scored on Tom Poquette’s bloop single just over the shortstop’s outstretched glove.

The Royals played well regardless of the loss. Starter Steve Renko left after just 12 pitches in the first inning with a sore ankle (fortunately mild), which forced me to patch together 8 quality innings with 4 poor-quality relievers — against the Rangers’ ace, no less.

If Renko’s sore ankle isn’t better by tomorrow, we’re doomed. I had to use No. 5 starter Marty Pattin to cover 5 innings today.

***

Game 78, Tuesday July 5, 1977 ~

At Arlington

Royals 2, Rangers 1

WP: Paul Splittorff (6-6, 4.12); LP: Gaylord Perry (9-4, 2.83); Sv: Mark Littell (5, 6.49)

Renko’s ankle wasn’t up to snuff, so the Royals turned to LHP Paul Splittorff, who took the mound on three days’ rest and held the Rangers to two hits through six innings.

Mark Littell gave up a solo home run to Texas’ Mike Hargrove (No. 14) in the bottom of the ninth to ruin the shutout, but he still got the save.

The Royals also put to bed Rangers 3B Roy Howell’s 23-game hitting streak. He went 0 for 2 in this game.

George Brett gave KC a 1-0 lead with a solo shot (No. 12) that barely cleared the RF wall. In the top of the eighth, Frank White got on base, advanced to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

We leave the metroplex having neither gained nor lost ground. We play 10 of our next 12 at home — but our pitchers are worn out and we get no day off until the All Star Break.

The battle continues.

***

[webrian]

Game 79, Wednesday July 6, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 6, Brewers 4

WP: Gas Can Shanahan (3-4, 5.68); LP: Jim Slaton (7-8, 4.77); Sv: Mark Littell (6, 6.31)

Jim Colborn was slated to start this one, with all starters bumped a day early due to Steve Renko’s little ankle injury. With 12 games in 12 days, I didn’t want to stay in a vicious cycle of starters going on short rest — not with the bullpen so inconsistent. There lies the path of a 9-game losing streak. No, no, no.

So I was willing to take the ‘L’ in this one. To prove it, I decided to give Greg “Gas Can” Shanahan his first start since early May. I was gonna leave him in for at least 5 innings no matter what, damn the consequences, whatever it took to get my starters back on schedule.

Shanahan had other ideas. He held the 43-37 Brewers to 3 infield singles over seven innings. When he left the mound after the seventh inning to a standing ovation, the Royals had a 6-0 lead. And then “Gas Can” got to experience what it’s like when a bad bullpen almost ruins your work.
Rich Gale and Larry Gura sprung into action, allowing Milwaukee 4 runs in one combined inning between them. Fortunately, the slowly improving Mark Littell came on in the ninth and closed the door.

Al Cowens went 2-for-3 with a triple and his 16th homer of the year. George Brett jacked his 13th round-tripper of the year, a 2-run shot in the first inning.

***

Game 80, Thursday July 7, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Brewers 5, Royals 4

WP: Lary Sorensen (8-3, 3.39); LP: Jim Colborn (11-3, 3.58); Sv: Bill Castro (5, 4.32)

Jim Colborn threw his ninth complete game of the year, but also gave up three homers — two of them to Cecil Cooper — and the Royals couldn’t quite come back.

The Brewers jumped all over Colborn for 4 runs in the top of the first inning. Al Woods hit a solo homer (No. 4) and Cooper blasted an opposite-field 3-run shot to LF. Cooper added a solo bomb, his 10th, in the fifth inning to make it 5-2.

KC’s George Brett homered for the third straight game, a 2-run shot that cut the 4-0 lead to 4-2. He now has 14 for the season to go with a .321 average and 48 RBI.

The Texas Rangers trailed 4-0 against Oakland yesterday — came back to win 11-8. They trailed Oakland 5-0 today — came back to win 9-5. We now trail the Rangers by 9 games in the standings. Oakland is coming to KC for a weekend series.

The Rangers have a 30-8 record at home. Jeez.

***

[webrian]

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]

Game 84, Monday July 11, 1977 ~

At Chicago

Royals 4, White Sox 3 (10 innings)

WP: Mark Littell (3-1, 5.97); LP: Dave Hamilton (0-3, 4.88); Sv: Larry Gura (4, 3.86)

John Mayberry smacked a solo home run to right field in the top of the 10th inning, then turned in a sparkling defensive play in the bottom of the inning to lift the Royals over the surging White Sox.

Mayberry’s homer, his 17th of the year, redeemed reliever Mark Littell, who blew his sixth save opportunity of the season, then vultured the win. Larry Gura earned the save despite a shaky 10th inning. With runners on first and second and one out, White Sox pinch hitter Jim Essian shot a line drive that Mayberry speared with a nice catch, then beat the runner back to the bag for the game-ending double play!

Kiko Garcia also hit his 3rd homer since joining the team about a month ago. I’m not so sure I can put Garcia on the bench when Freddie Patek gets healthy. Garcia’s 105 rating at shortstop, his ability to get to balls Patek can’t and turn them into double plays, is more valuable than Patek’s slightly-better hitting and speed.

Marty Pattin turned in a solid start: 7-plus innings, 3 runs (all earned), 7 hits, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. He allowed only 1 run on 5 hits through 6 innings. I shouldn’t have brought him out for the seventh.

***

Game 85, Tuesday July 12, 1977 ~

At Chicago

Royals 9, White Sox 4

WP: Jim Colborn (12-3, 3.64); LP: Jack Kucek (3-2, 3.95)

Jim Colborn was cruising to his 10th complete game of the season. He didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning, but once the Sox started to touch him, they didn’t let up. I had to pull Colborn in the eighth inning or we would have lost this game.

Fortunately, the hitters brought the cavalry in the top of the eighth. Just as the Royals’ 4-0 lead was about to evaporate, Tom Poquette and Al Cowens hit triples and Frank White belted a 2-run homer to cap a 5-run outburst that provided the final margin. It was White’s 4th of the season.

The White Sox had 7 hits — all in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings — including four doubles and a triple.

John Mayberry (No. 18) and Clint Hurdle (No. 1) also homered for KC.

Now we head back to KC for 2 games against Detroit and 3 against the New York Yankees before the All-Star Break.

***

[webrian]

Game 86, Wednesday July 13, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 4, Tigers 2

WP: Dennis Leonard (8-3, 2.73); LP: Pat Underwood (0-2, 7.15); Sv: Larry Gura (5, 3.65)

The Tigers lost starter Dave Rozema for the season with a torn UCL and traded LHP Dave Roberts to the Angels, so the Royals had the fortune of facing yet another untested 20-year old plucked up from the minors to eat innings.

But with George Brett, Clint Hurdle, John Mayberry and Tom Poquette resting, young Tom Underwood was pretty darn effective. He went the distance and allowed only 5 hits. Luckily for KC, three of them were homers.

Amos Otis hit a 2-run shot, his 12th, in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score 2-2. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Kiko Garcia and third-string catcher Steve Patchin hit back-to-back solo homers to make it a 4-2 lead. It was Patchin’s first homer and Garcia’s 4th.

Dennis Leonard wasn’t his sharpest but he got the job done. Larry Gura got six easy outs in the eighth and ninth innings to notch the save.

***

Game 87, Thursday July 14, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 3, Tigers 2

WP: Steve Mingori (3-3, 5.20); LP: Mark Fidrych (9-9, 4.83); Sv: Mark Littell (7, 5.87)

Hal McRae and Clint Hurdle came through with RBI doubles in the bottom of the eighth inning to boost Kansas City.

Mark Littell got two outs in the ninth to earn the save.

The Tigers came at us again with tough pitching. Mark Fidrych is a consummate groundball pitcher and his stuff worked for most of the night. He induced three groundball double plays to get out of jams and the Tigers carried a 1-0 lead to the bottom of the eighth.

Steve Renko deserved the win, but his stamina fizzled before the clutch hits came. Renko went 7 innings, allowing just 1 unearned run on 6 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Rusty Staub hit his 13th homer of the year for the Tigers, off Steve Mingori in the top of the ninth.

The Royals have now won six in a row and are 6 games behind the Rangers.

But now here come the hated New York Yankees, who are 55-36 and tied for first place in the AL East with Baltimore.

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Philadelphia Phillies superstar third baseman Mike Schmidt, holding back tears, announced today that he will miss the remainder of the season due to persistent shoulder inflammation. He will have to be scratched from the All-Star Game too.

This is terrible news for the Phillies, who were favored to win the NL East but have languished in fourth or fifth place most of this season. They are currently 9 games back of division-leading Chicago.

Schmidt was batting .265 with 18 HRs and 49 RBIs. He had a .385 on-base percentage.

ALSO:
The Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 games behind the Cubs in the NL East, have swung a couple of interesting trades to bolster their pitching for the second half. The Bucs have sent a flurry of minor leaguers to Toronto and Cleveland in exchange for hard luck starter Jerry Garvin (2-12, 6.02 ERA with the Jays) and elite relief pitcher Dave LaRoche, who has a 2.22 ERA in 28.1 innings of work out of the pen.

***

[webrian]

Game 88, Friday July 15, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Yankees 4, Royals 0

WP: Ed Figueroa (13-4, 3.23); LP: Paul Splittorff (7-7, 3.86)

New York’s Ed Figueroa put the Royals’ bats to sleep. He went the distance, allowing just 5 hits and inducing 2 double play balls.

Paul Splittorff did the best he could, but he had bouts of wildness that gave the Yankees the openings they needed. The Yankees turned a 1-0 lead to 3-0 in the top of the sixth thanks to 2 walks, 1 hit, 1 error and 2 wild pitches from Splittorff.

Graig Nettles smacked his league-leading 29th home run to give NYY a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.

Meanwhile, the Rangers swept a doubleheader against Cleveland to go 7.5 games up on us.

***

Game 89, Saturday July 16, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Yankees 3, Royals 2

WP: Sparky Lyle (4-3, 2.93); LP: Larry Gura (1-4, 3.69)

George Brett gave Kansas City an early lead with a 2-run double to right-center field in the bottom of the third inning.

But Yankees pitching (starter Dock Ellis, then reliever Sparky Lyle) held KC down the rest of the way as New York tied it, then took the lead. Thurman Munson, pinch-hitting in the ninth inning, bounced an RBI single up the middle to break the 2-2 tie.

The Royals went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.

Marty Pattin turned in a fine start for KC, yielding just 2 runs (1 earned) over 7 innings with 2 strikeouts and 0 walks.

***

Game 90, Sunday July 17 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 3, Yankees 2

WP: Mark Littell (4-1, 5.82); LP: Ron Guidry (11-7, 2.29)

Jim Colborn got snubbed from the All-Star Game in spite of his 12 wins and league-leading 10 complete games, so he made a statement with eight shutout innings against the Yankees on the eve of the AS break.

In my zeal to get Colborn his 11th CG, I cost him his 13th win and nearly blew it for the whole team.

The Yankees loaded the bases and pushed two runs across the plate against Colborn in the top of the ninth inning. Mark Littell came out of the bullpen and got Willie Randolph to hit a pop up to left field for the third out.

Fortunately, George Brett came in with the walk-off winning run in the bottom of the ninth after a sac fly by Rico Carty.

Hal McRae led off the bottom of the first for the Royals with his 6th homer of the season.

~ WE ARE NOW AT THE ALL-STAR BREAK ~

CURRENT RECORD: 54-36 (2nd place, 8.5 games behind Texas)
REAL-LIFE RECORD: 51-38 (2nd place, 2.5 games behind Chicago)

[webrian]

AROUND THE LEAGUE:



I want to believe that there will be three legitimate division races over the second half of the season. But the Texas Rangers have been so dominant, the Royals could match their real-life 102-wins total and still finish 6 or 7 games out. The Minnesota Twins have lost 23 of their last 27 games. They were 35-30 when SPs Dave Goltz and Geof Zahn went down with serious injuries … All three other divisions promise plenty of thrills and drama in the months ahead. In the AL East, Boston has fallen and can’t get up, despite the fact LF’er Jim Rice is baseball’s most feared hitter. Rice is batting .356 with 21 HRs and 81 RBI. He’s not leading the AL in any of those three categories, but he’s the only hitter who is so strong in all three. The Baltimore Orioles (56-38) are right on the defending AL champs’ heels after experiencing a month-long slump in May. It’s hard to tell which way the Brewers will go, though they have the AL’s most popular player in 3B Don Money (no, really) … Over in the NL East, the Chicago Cubs are still out in front, but their hold looks tenuous. The Phillies are 3-0 and still in the fight since star slugger Mike Schmidt went down with a season-ending injury, but the smart money would be on Pittsburgh at this point … In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds look like they’ll be slugging it out till the last week of September, and San Francisco’s going “Hey what about us??”

ALSO:
The Cleveland Indians have raised the white flag on their 1977 season. Nope, they’re not even waiting for the trade deadline. In the past week, Tribe management has traded away ace Jim Bibby (11-7, 2.79 ERA) to Boston, closer Dave Laroche (1-0, 5 saves, 2.22) to Pittsburgh and former Kansas City Royals ace Al Fitzmorris (5-8, 4.42) to St. Louis, all for prospects with names like Earl Bass, Larry Littleton and Joel Finch. It’s going to be a long aimless summer for the long-suffering Indians fans.

ALSO:
In more distressing news (for the Royals), the Oakland Athletics have traded two quality left arms to the Texas Rangers in return for a young backup catcher nobody has ever heard of. I get a little irked just writing about it. In the deal, the Rangers get LHP Mike Kekich (3-0, 3 saves, 2.83 ERA) and LHP Rick Honeycutt (5-7, 5.03 ERA in 107 IP). In return, Texas is shipping 28 year-old backup catcher Rick Stelmaszek, who had been filling in for regular catcher Jim Sundberg. The Rangers lost Sundberg to injury in the first week of the season. Since then, Stelmaszek has hit .247 with 1 homer and 17 RBI. So yeah, he’s definitely worth two quality left-handers. The reason he’s expendable is Sundberg is healthy now, rehabbing in AAA, and will rejoin the big league squad after the All-Star Break. It makes me sick.

AMERICAN LEAGUE INDIVIDUAL BATTING LEADERS:



AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS:




NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING LEADERS:



NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS:



This is where things stand in MLB at the All-Star Break.

[webrian]

************************************************** **
Tuesday July 19, 1977 ~

AT NEW YORK’S YANKEE STADIUM

~ The All-Star Game ~

National League 5, American League 2

Few All-Star Games match the hype surrounding them.

This one sure didn't.

George Hendrick of the San Diego freaking Padres went 3-for-5 (all singles) and reached base on an error. He scored a run. He drove in a run. He was named MVP of the …

Oh, you stopped reading already? Got it.

The NL and AL were tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning when Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager slapped a bases-loaded double down the line —

Yes, I know I know, who cares who cares but they played the game so I have to do this I’m just being professional here.

Of the 80 or 90 million TV viewers who tuned in for first pitch, maybe a third of them were still awake when the big, bloated affair concluded.

The American Leaguers managed just four hits — all of them for extra bases — against the nine different NL pitchers Sparky Anderson deployed. Baltimore’s Ken Singleton homered, so there’s that.

It is time to get back to regular baseball.

***********************************************

[webrian]

Game 91, Thursday July 21 1977 ~

At Detroit

Tigers 10, Royals 4

WP: Mark Fidrych (10-9, 4.78); LP: Paul Splittorff (7-8, 3.86)

Steve Kemp rocketed a bases-clearing double off the centerfield wall in the bottom of the eighth inning, then Jason Thompson followed with a two-run homer over the right-field wall to slam the door on our timid comeback attempt.

Detroit got an earlier homer from Willie Horton (No. 21) and led 5-1 after seven innings, but a 3-run rally in the top of the eighth, including a 2-run shot by George Brett (No. 16) pulled Kansas City to within 5-4.

But Mark Littell and Steve Mingori got up to their old tricks in the eighth. Littell gave up a single, then walked the bases full, then Mingori yielded the 3-run double to Kemp and 2-run blast to Thompson (No. 17 for him) in the bottom of the inning.

***

Game 92, Friday July 22, 1977 ~

At Detroit

Tigers 3, Royals 1

WP: Jim Crawford (7-7, 4.38); LP: Jim Colborn (12-4, 3.54); Sv: Steve Foucault (13, 2.53)

Getting our butts kicked in Detroit wasn’t how I wanted to start the second half of the season.

Colborn pitched as well as usual. He threw another complete game, but gave up a pair of damaging homers. Jason Thompson yanked a 2-run shot (No. 18) high into the RF upper deck in the bottom of the sixth.
Steve Kemp belted a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth.

KC grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Hal McRae led off with a triple, then scored on Frank White’s single. That was all the offense we mustered.

***
Game 93, Saturday July 23, 1977 ~

At Detroit

Royals 17, Tigers 0

WP: Dennis Leonard (9-3, 2.51); LP: Jack Morris (4-10)

Dennis Leonard wasn’t playing. He went the distance and allowed just five hits while striking out 10. His right arm looks charged and ready for the second half.

The hitters went nuts in this one. Kiko Garcia and Amos Otis drove in four runs apiece without hitting any homers. Hal McRae went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI, again with no homers.

Pete LaCock, who I barely played in the first half of the season, hit his first homer of the year, a 3-run shot in the top of the fifth that turned a 4-0 lead into a laugher. I wanted to get LaCock more playing time in this second half since he played a lot for the real-life 1977 Royals. This was the third game in a row he got into, and it finally paid off.

We started pulling starters in the sixth inning, but the hits kept coming anyway. After Morris was knocked out of the game, the Tigers burned the last five innings with a pair of expendable, anonymous relievers who weren’t any good. One was 19 years old, the other was 24.

Now we’re off to New York for a weird Sunday-Monday set with the Yankees.

Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers just swept the Orioles in Baltimore and have won seven in a row. We now lag them by 10 games.

***

[webrian]

***

AROUND THE LEAGUE:

ST. LOUIS: — The scuffling St. Louis Cardinals (47-48) didn’t need more bad news but they got it anyway. Starting pitcher John Denny tore a back muscle (probably from trying to carry this team) and will miss the rest of the season. Then again, it could be addition by subtraction: Denny was 5-11 with a 4.64 ERA.

CHICAGO — The White Sox have lost patience with their 1977 chances and with LHP Ken Brett (5-11, 6.28), who is NOT the George Brett of left-handed pitchers it turns out. The Sox have shipped the lefty to Montreal for a trio of minor leaguers you’ve never heard of in your life. // The Sox also shipped right-handed reliever Bart Johnson (0-2, 5 saves, 3.13) to the New York Yankees for a 22-year old kid named Doug Heinhold.

DETROIT — The Tigers also went prospect shopping. They traded switch-hitting 2B’man Tito Fuentes to the Oakland A’s in exchange for a minor league catcher and a younger switch-hitting 2B’man named Larry Murray.

TORONTO — Who says a first-year organization can’t make rookie mistakes? The Toronto Blue Jays just got hornswoggled in a deal with the Texas Rangers. They sent past legend Ron Fairly and future legend Jesse Barfield (he’s 17, people) to the Rangers for three minor leaguers, including 22 year-old David Clyde and his shattered right arm. Fairly is batting .282 with 14 HRs. Said Toronto GM Garrett McLaren of the deal: “We have gone back to the drawing board five or six times in the past few weeks. I’m glad we finally got the deal done. I think it is a good deal for both teams.”

Note to Toronto owners: Fire Garrett McLaren right now.

Ok, folks. Back to the action on the field!

***

Game 94, Sunday July 24, 1977 ~

At New York

Royals 5, Yankees 4

WP: Steve Renko (6-6, 4.84 ERA); LP: Dock Ellis (9-4, 2.84); Sv: Mark Littell (8, 6.59)

The Royals jumped on Dock Ellis for five runs in the first inning, then nervously held on as the Bronx Bombers chipped away.

Amos Otis’ 2-run triple in the first was the big blow for KC. It looked like the Yanks would have no choice but to get Ellis out of there. But no. They left him in, he settled down and the Yankees almost came back to win it.

Steve “Wreck It” Renko allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits over seven innings. Mark Littell got the two-inning save, but not before giving up a 2-run HR to Graig Nettles (his league-leading 32nd) in the ninth. Bucky Dent hit his 11th homer of the season off of Renko in the third inning.

Yankees’ RF’er Reggie Jackson missed the game with a strained hamstring. His status is doubtful for Monday’s game as well.

***

Game 95, Monday July 25, 1977 ~

At New York

Yankees 5, Royals 3

WP: Don Gullett (9-6, 3.81); LP: Marty Pattin (5-2, 4.22); Sv: Bart Johnson (2, 0.00*)

* Since joining Yankees

Mickey Rivers and Graig Nettles hit two doubles apiece and Don Gullett allowed just 4 hits over 7.1 innings of work to lift the Yankees in this one.

George Brett also banged a couple of doubles, including a 2-run double in the fourth inning, but it just wasn’t enough. With the addition of Bart Johnson, the Yankees have an embarrassment of riches in their bullpen. Kansas City only has an embarrassment.

KC led 2-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, but then Piniella and Nettles rapped back-to-back RBI doubles off SP Marty Pattin, who pitched well otherwise.

We did catch a minor break. Texas lost 8-1 at Cleveland, ending its 8-game winning streak, so we’re still 10 games back. *Sigh*

NOTE: In another AL game, the Boston Red Sox MURDERED the White Sox, 21-6, in a game at Fenway. Jim Rice went 4-for-6 with a double, a homer and 6 RBI. Carlton Fisk went 3-for-5 with 2 homers and 5 RBI. Rice now has 93 RBI and it’s not even August yet.

NOTE 2: In the NL, New York Mets’ pitchers Jerry Koosman and Neil Allen threw a combined no-hitter against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Koosman improved to 12-5 with a 2.66 ERA with six innings of work, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.

Both NL races are so close right now. Have a look:

[webrian]

***
OFF DAY, Tuesday July 26, 1977 ~

Left-handed catcher Darrell Porter comes off the injured list.

We ship reserve catcher Steve Patchin back to the minors where he belongs, put 19 year-old Clint Hurdle back on the bench where he belongs, and activate Porter, who was hitting .290 with 15 HRs and 43 RBIs when he went on DL back in June. He will be a big help.

This will be a big week for getting healthy. Shortstop Freddie Patek, out since late May, will be eligible to come off the IL on Thursday, July 28. He was hitting .277 with 3 HR and 17 RBI and 10 stolen bases when he went down. Not sure how I’ll make room for him, since Kiko Garcia has been an overall plus at SS, especially defensively. And at last, LHP Andy Hassler, out since early April (he threw only 10 pitches!) will be eligible to return early next week, around Aug. 1 or Aug. 2. Hassler was 5-6 with a 2.99 ERA for the Royals in 1976, in 99 innings pitched. We could use that right now.

Relief pitcher Doug Bird (5-2, 2 saves, 2.78 ERA) should have come off the IL a week or so ago, but his elbow is still bothering him and his return date is still unknown.

***

Game 96, Wednesday July 27, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 5, Indians 4

WP: Paul Splittorff (8-8, 3.87); LP: Rick Waits (5-13, 4.37); Sv: Mark Littell (9, 6.43)

For the first time in this alternate Royals SIM history, speedy young Willie Wilson was penciled into the starting lineup, at the leadoff spot.

He went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, an RBI and two runs scored.

Paul Splittorff got through 6.2 innings, then faded rapidly. Fortunately, three wobbly relievers (Gura, Shanahan, Littell) managed to get us across the finish line.

Catcher Darrell Porter returned to the lineup, but went 0-for-4. He doesn’t hit lefties well, and Cleveland started a lefty (Waits).

***

Game 97, Thursday July 28, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 4, Indians 2

WP: Jim Colborn (13-4, 3.48); LP: Earl Bass (0-1, 9.00*); Sv: Mark Littell (10, 6.28)

Al Cowens broke out of a two-week slump with a 2-run INSIDE-THE-PARK home run in the bottom of the first inning, and George Brett hit a tie-breaking RBI double in the bottom of the eighth as Jim Colborn notched his 13th win.

Freddy Patek played his first game since late May. He started at shortstop and went 0 for 3. In the eighth, with the score tied 2-2, I substituted Kiko Garcia for Patek, and then Garcia dropped a two-out infield pop up in the ninth inning.

Fortunately, Mark Littell got the next batter and earned his third save in as many chances, a season high.

Colborn allowed 2 runs on 4 hits through eight innings. He walked 3 and struck out 8.

***

[webrian]

Game 98, Friday July 29, 1977 ~

At Chicago

White Sox 7, Royals 4

WP: Ken Kravec (12-3, 3.96); LP: Dennis Leonard (9-4, 2.77)

Freddie Patek’s shoddy defense cost us in only his second game back from injury. But a bad start from Dennis Leonard, after a long string of good ones, probably cost us more.

Patek booted a double-play ball in the first inning, allowing the Sox to load the bases. The next batter up, Chicago SS Alan Bannister hit a bases-clearing triple to the RF-CF gap, giving the Sox a 4-1 lead.

Leonard didn’t have it. He yielded 7 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits in just 2.1 innings or work.

It wasn’t all bad. KC got homers from Darrell Porter (No. 16) and Hal McRae (No. 7). Willie Wilson led off again and went 3-for-5 with 2 stolen bases. And relievers Rich Gale and Steve Mingori combined on 5.2 innings of scoreless ball. That might be a season record for this bullpen.

Hate to do it to Patek, but Kiko Garcia is our starting shortstop. We can’t afford to blow games with poor fielding, not when we’re 10 games back and more than half the season is over. Patek will spend the rest of this season as a backup, a situational pinch hitter and pinch runner.

***

Game 99, Saturday July 30, 1977 ~

At Chicago

Royals 12, White Sox 1

WP: Steve Renko (7-6, 4.56); LP: Wilbur Wood (8-9, 4.63)

The White Sox committed five errors and Wilbur Wood didn’t bring anything to the mound with him. It was a reversal of fortune from the previous game, except the Sox got it even worse.

Frank White hit a 3-run homer during a 5-run third inning. Willie Wilson doubled and tripled, and Al Cowens went 4-for-5, raising his season average to .337.

Steve Renko went the distance! He allowed just 1 run on 2 hits. He still walked five batters, but he struck out six. It was his first CG of the season.

Renko is the pitcher most likely to lose his spot in the rotation — and perhaps even get demoted to AAA — when LHP Andy Hassler returns in a couple of days.

We have a doubleheader on Sunday.

***

Game 100, Sunday July 31, 1977 ~

At Chicago

White Sox 9, Royals 0

WP: Francisco Barrios (9-7, 3.72); LP: Marty Pattin (5-3, 4.61)

We couldn’t touch Francisco Barrios in this one. He didn’t strike out anybody. He didn’t walk anybody. He threw it where we could hit it and we hit it wherever Barrios wanted us to hit it.

Eric Soderholm hit his 18th homer for the White Sox. KC pitchers walked 8 and struck out 2.

***

Game 101, Sunday July 31, 1977 ~

At Chicago

White Sox 11, Royals 10

WP: Dave Frost (2-1, 5.85); LP: Mark Littell (4-2, 6.50, BS 7)

It took a late-night intervention by the coaching staff to keep me from leaping out the hotel room window after this one.

The Royals blew two 4-run leads. We led 6-2 after three innings, couldn’t hold it. We led 10-6 after batting in the seventh, couldn’t hold that one either. Paul Splittorff struggled, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits with 3 walks and just 1 strikeout over six innings. That was bad enough.

The bullpen was worse. In just 2.1 innings of work, Doug Bird, Mark Littell and Larry Gura yielded 5 runs on 7 hits with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts — all of it AFTER we got up 10-6.

All three pitchers the Sox used in this game — 23-year-old Chris Knapp, 22-year-old LaMarr Hoyt, and 24-year-old Dave Frost — were recent minor-league call ups. They STILL beat the four veterans we threw at them.

Oscar Gamble jacked his 18th HR of the year in the fifth. It was a game-tying 3-run shot. John Hanley, a 19-year old catcher playing his FIRST major league game, smacked a bases-clearing, 3-run double off Doug Bird in the bottom of the seventh, cutting our lead to 10-9.

We still had that lead going into the bottom of the ninth. It evaporated quickly as the Sox won it on four singles and a throwing error from the outfield to home plate.

The Rangers won again. They’re now 70-30 after 100 games. We’ve fallen into third place.

Next we head to Minnesota. The Twins have lost six straight and are playing terrible baseball. But they can hit. And right now, our pitching is in free fall.

CURRENT RECORD: 59-42 (3rd place, 11.5 games behind Texas)
REAL LIFE RECORD: 56-43 (2nd place, 5.5 games behind Chicago)

AROUND THE LEAGUE:



The AL East has become a two-team race between the defending AL champion Yankees and the tenacious Orioles …. There is no race in the AL West where the Rangers show no signs of easing off the throttle. The California Angels have won 7 in a row to make the battle for second place interesting … The real drama is over on the Senior Circuit. In the NL East, this joke about the Chicago Cubs possibly winning the division isn’t so funny anymore to the Pirates and Mets, who still can’t catch them … And in the NL West, hey, look at the San Francisco Giants! The Dodgers and Reds have stumbled a bit (they’re probably just taking a mid-summer breather) and all of a sudden, the Giants have the best record in the NL. Will it last? Probably not.

THE TOP FIVE SONGS IN THE USA ON AUG. 1, 1977:

1. I Just Want To Be Your Everything — Andy Gibb
2. I’m In You — Peter Frampton
3. Looks Like We Made It — Barry Manilow
4. My Heart Belongs To Me — Barbra Streisand
5. Da Doo Ron Ron — Shaun Cassidy

Back to the action! The “dog days” of the long season are here.

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[webrian]

Game 102, Monday August 1, 1977 ~

At Minnesota

Twins 11, Royals 3

WP: Dave Goltz (3-1, 3.69); LP: Jim Colborn (13-5, 3.62)

We just can’t catch a break right now. Twins ace Dave Goltz returned from injury and made his first start in three months. He was sharp. Jim Colborn was not.

Colborn extended our string of bad pitching. I had to keep him on the mound because our entire staff was still beaten down from playing four games in three days at Chicago. But after six innings, Colborn’s endurance was gone — and so was mine.

Colborn allowed 7 runs (5 earned) on 9 hits with 3 walks, 2 hit batsmen, 2 wild pitches and a balk. He covered the whole bingo card of bad pitching.

Goltz scattered 10 KC hits over 8 innings. He walked 2 and struck out 3, helping the Twins snap their 6-game skid.

Frank White hit HR No. 6 for KC. Larry Hisle hit his 23rd for Minnesota.

***

Game 103, Tuesday August 2, 1977 ~

At Minnesota

Royals 4, Twins 2

WP: Dennis Leonard (10-4, 2.76); LP: Roger Erickson (3-7, 6.19); Sv: Rich Gale (1, 3.92)

Pete LaCock hit a pinch-hit, bases-clearing double in the top of the seventh inning to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 Royals lead. This time we hung on.

Dennis Leonard struck out 6 over 7 innings.

Minnesota’s Rod Carew went 3-for-4, raising his season average to .360.

Now we head back home to host Toronto for a pair. This is an excellent chance to get things going back in the right direction.

***

Game 104, Wednesday August 3, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Blue Jays 2, Royals 1

WP: Dave Lemanczyk (6-13, 5.58); LP: Rich Gale (1-3, 3.74); Sv: Pete Vuckovich (7, 6.46)

Somehow, the Royals and Blue Jays managed to shut each other out for eight innings. Then a Rico Carty error at first base opened the door for the Jays to score a pair of unearned runs in the top of the ninth.

The Royals got one run back on a one-out RBI triple by Al Cowens, but Toronto brought in Pete Vuckovich to put out the fire, and he did. (This is the only time in your life you’ll ever read about Pete Vuckovich coming in to put out a fire, btw)

Steve Renko started for KC. He allowed 0 runs over 6 innings, with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.

***

Game 105, Thursday August 4, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 5, Blue Jays 3

WP: Steve Mingori (4-3, 5.27); LP: Jesse Jefferson (6-11, 6.14); Sv: Mark Littell (11, 6.31)

Frank White singled, stole second base, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored the tie-breaking run on a Tom Poquette sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.

George Brett added the insurance, his 17th home run of the season, in the bottom of the eighth to make it 5-3.

Blue Jays back-up catcher Milt May, recently acquired from Detroit and batting just .133 on the season, hit a 2-run double off LHP Paul Splittorff in the top of the first inning. But KC’s backup catcher Clint Hurdle crushed a 3-run homer in the bottom of the first.

Toronto tied it 3-3 on Doug Ault’s RBI double in the top of the third.

Splittorff lasted just five innings and got no decision. Steve Mingori and Mark Littell combined on four innings of shutout, 2-hit ball to notch the win and save, respectively.

***

Game 106, Friday August 5, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 3, White Sox 2 (10 innings)

WP: Larry Gura (2-4, 4.71); LP: Dave Giusti (0-2, 2.25)

George Brett led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his 18th round-tripper of the season to walk this one off for the Royals.

Chicago’s Francisco Barrios and KC’s Marty Pattin waged an epic pitcher’s duel in this one. Barrios allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 10 hits over eight innings. Pattin allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits, with 0 strikeouts and 4 walks over 9.1 innings of work. Tough for him to not get a decision.

Brett and Al Cowens each went 3-for-4 to raise their season averages to .329 and .345, respectively.

***

Game 107, Saturday August 6, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 12, White Sox 6

WP: Jim Colborn (14-5, 3.66); LP: Rudy May (1-1*, 5.59)

It didn’t look good in the top of the second when the White Sox came up with a couple of triples and took a 3-1 lead. But RHP Jim Colborn settled down from there, and the Royals brought enough offense to get over some mediocre pitching.

George Brett and Al Cowens had 3 hits apiece for the second game in a row, Kiko Garcia belted TWO homers (wut??) and KC smacked out 15 hits in total.

Colborn threw 134 pitches over eight innings, so Rich Gale pitched the ninth. It was a good thing we had a big lead. Gale allowed 2 runs on 3 walks, 1 hit and a balk. Jeeesh.

We need to bring it on Sunday afternoon. The Sox will have LHP Ken Kravec (12-3) on the hill.

*Rudy May is 1-1 with the White Sox. He was 8-9 with a 4.89 ERA with Baltimore before being traded to the Sox.

***

Game 108, Sunday August 7, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 12, White Sox 3

WP: Dennis Leonard (11-4, 2.78); LP: Ken Kravec (12-4, 4.26)

Ken Kravec didn’t have our number this time. In fact, he didn’t anything.

The Royals’ John Mayberry hit a two-out, 3-run, oppo-field home run (his 19th) in the bottom of the first to make it 3-0. Then we jumped all over Kravec and the Sox for 7 more runs in the second inning to go up 10-0. We cruised to our fourth straight win from there.

Dennis Leonard made up for his terrible previous outing against the Sox. He went the distance, allowed just 5 hits, walked 4 and struck out 6.

Catcher Darrell Porter hit his 17th and 18th homers of the year in this game. He’s now hitting .285 with 18 homers and 49 RBI. Where might his stats be if he hadn’t missed a month of the season? Tom Poquette went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. He’s now batting .298 with 48 RBI.

What makes this win even more notable is we had to rest the middle of our lineup: George Brett, Amos Otis and Al Cowens. All three were tired and we have a doubleheader with the California Angels on Monday. We are currently tied with the Angels for second place, 64-44 and 8.5 games behind behind the Rangers — who have lost two straight.

Richie Zisk hit his 18th homer of the season and Eric Soderholm crushed his 20th for Chicago.

***

[webrian]

Game 109, Monday August 8, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Royals 2, Angels 1

WP: Steve Renko (9-6, 4.16); LP: Paul Hartzell (9-7, 4.30); Sv: Mark Littell (12, 6.17)

Pete LaCock, not known for his speed (or anything, really) scooted home on a Tom Poquette sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead. Somehow the Royals held on.

A huge defensive play in the top of the eighth helped. With two outs, a runner on first and Bobby Bonds (28 HR, 87 RBI) crouched menacingly at the plate, Darrell Porter caught Rance Mulliniks leaning off first and picked him off to end the threat.

Mark Littell worked around a two-out walk in the ninth to nail down the save. Steve Renko allowed 5 hits and 2 walks over eight innings. He struck out two.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when catcher Joe Ferguson scored on a wild throw to third from CF’er Amos Otis. The Royals got it back on a George Brett solo homer (No. 20) in the bottom of the fourth.

California’s Paul Hartzell allowed 2 runs on 8 hits over 7.2 innings.

***

Game 110, Monday August 8, 1977 ~

At Kansas City

Angels 6, Royals 1 (5 innings)

WP: Gary Ross (10-9, 5.23); LP: Paul Splittorff (8-9, 4.29)

This time, Bobby Bonds got us.

We were already trailing 2-1 when Paul Splittorff walked the first two batters of the third inning, then grooved one in there for Bonds, who crushed a 435-foot moonshot to left-CF for his 29th homer of the season and a 5-1 Angels lead.

The game was called in the top of the sixth on account of rain.

Splittorff continues to struggle. He has lost three of his past four decisions (with two no-decisions mixed in) while his ERA has ballooned from 3.85 to 4.29. In this one, he gave up 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in just over five innings of work.

We split with the Angels, who we are still tied with in second place. The Rangers, meanwhile, split a home doubleheader with Oakland.

We continue to trail by 8.5 games.

We get an off day on Tuesday, then on Wednesday we begin a nine-game road trip in Texas. We’ll play two against the Rangers before heading off to Toronto, Boston and then Cleveland.

CURRENT RECORD: 65-45 (tied for 2nd, 8.5 games behind Texas)
REAL-LIFE RECORD: 61-47 (4th, 3 games behind Chicago)

AROUND THE LEAGUE:


The Milwaukee Brewers can’t seem to figure out if they want to be a part of the race in the AL East or not. Right now, they’re definitely all in, having won 11 in a row … Texas still has a pretty comfy lead in the AL West, but we’re approaching the point in the season when the real-life Royals suddenly got white hot. They had a 10-game winning streak in mid-August, then started September by winning 24 out of 25 games. Then again, we get only four more head-to-head chances against the Rangers, including the two coming up next …. The Cubs are still doing it in the NL East. They’re not as hot as they were in May and June, but their pursuers can’t quite get their acts together … And in the NL West, the Reds have won six in a row to overtake the Giants for first place. The reeling Dodgers have slipped to 4 games back.

Ok. Time to hit the road!

**********