LCS Coverage
In a change that would instantly effect the outcome of the series, Major League Baseball changed the best-of-five format that the League Championship Series had used since 1969 to what is currently used, the best-of-seven format. The Royals of the late 70s through the mid-80s was a team that always got close, but could never close the deal. They made it to the World Series in 1980, only to lose to the Phillies. In 1984, the Royals were swept by the Tigers, and in ’85 they won the AL West for the sixth time in the previous 10 years.
They Royals were of course led by George Brett, with first baseman Steve Balboni providing 36 homers. Lonnie Smith, Willie Wilson, Hal McRae, and Frank White rounded out the nucleus of position players that ranked 13th in the league in runs scored and last in on-base percentage. This Royals team was anchored by their pitching staff. Kansas City finished second in the league in team ERA (3.49). Ace and eventual Cy Young Award winner Brett Saberhagen won 20 games and posted a 2.87 ERA with fellow righty Mark Gubicza and lefties Charlie Liebrandt, Danny Jackson, and Bud Black rounding out the rotation. The bullpen was led by closer Dan Quisenberry who saved 37 games that year for the Royals and would end finishing in the top 5 of Cy Young voting for the fifth time in six seasons.
The Royals would meet the AL East division winning Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays won 99 games that year also relying on their pitching, which finished first in the league in ERA (3.31 ERA), but also benefited from an offense that finished 4th in the league in runs scored. The rotation consisted of Dave Stieb, Doyle Alexander, Jim Clancy, Luis Leal, and lefty Jimmy Key. Stieb led the league in ERA (2.48), including eight complete games and two shutouts.
The Jays’ lineup was a who’s who of classic 80s baseball names: George Bell (28 HR, 95 RBI), Jesse Barfield (27, 84), Tony Fernandez, Lloyd Moseby, and Ernie Whitt.
The Jays were heavily favored in the series and if they won, it would punch their ticket to the the franchise’s first trip to the World Series.
Game 1 was held in Exhibition Stadium in Toronto and saw Toronto’s Stieb face Kansas City’s Liebrandt. Stieb was dominant over eight innings, shutting the Royals down and only allowing three hits, one walk, and striking out eight. Liebrandt was pulled with the bases loaded before an out was recorded in the third. When it was all said and done, Liebrandt was held accountable for five earned runs in the game. The Royals ending up also using Gubizca and Jackson in relief. The final score was 6-1 in Toronto’s favor.
Game 2 saw Black face off against Key. The Jays trailed early in the game 3-0, but they fought back tied it in the sixth. Toronto took the lead in the eighth off Quisenberry using small ball and the Jays sent Tom Henke out in the ninth to close the deal. Pat Sheridan hit a pinch-hit solo home run however and the game entered the tenth inning.
Controversy hit in the top of the tenth when center fielder Moseby seemed to make a shoe-string catch off a hit from Willie Wilson. It was, however, ruled a non-catch and Wilson was awarded a hit. Broadcasters Bob Costas and Tony Kubek admitted they couldn’t tell even looking at the replay. Wilson eventually scored due to a Frank White single. Much like Wednesday night, the Blue Jays were in danger of losing a game because of a controversial call.
Thankfully for them and their fans, the Blue Jays battled back. Fernandez led off with a single and eventually came around to score off a single by Moseby. Quisenberry then proceeded a pick off move to first, but Balboni missed the ball and Moseby advanced to second base. Al Oliver drove Moseby home with a single and Game 2 went to the Blue Jays as well by a 6-5 score .
Game 3, now in Kansas City, saw Saberhagen matched up against Alexander. George Brett got the Royals on the board with a homer in the first inning. In the third inning Brett, taking matters into his own hands, threw out Demasco Garcia trying to score when Moseby grounded to Brett at third. The spectacular play preserved the Royals’ 1-0 lead.
With Moseby now on first, Saberhagen ended the threat and the inning by picking him off.
Brett doubled in the fourth and eventually scored giving Kansas City a 2-0 lead. But in the fifth, Barfield tied the game with a two-run shot and later in the inning, Rance Mulliniks hit a three-run homer to give the Jays a 5-2 lead.
The Royals’ Jim Sundberg hit a solo homer in the fifth to make it 5-3 and Brett hit another homer, this time a two-run shot to tie the score at five.
Brett singled (fourth hit of the game) in the eighth and scored due to a bloop hit by Balboni.
The Royals held on to win the game 6-5. Brett (4 for 4 with a single, a double, two homers, three RBIs, four runs scored) single-handedly carried them to the win.
Game 4 was a rematch of Stieb and Liebrandt. Stieb loaded the bases with Royals in the sixth and walked in a run to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Liebrandt and Quisenberry blew the game in the ninth however, allowing three runs. The Royals were unable to score in the bottom of the inning and the Blue Jays won 3-1 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
In Game 5, the Royals turned to Danny Jackson to stave off elimination. The Blue Jays threatened multiple times, but Jackson pitched a complete game and the series moved back to Toronto with the Blue Jays up 3-2.
The Royals sent out Mark Gubizca in Game 6 against the Blue Jays’ Doyle Alexander. The game went back and forth until the top of the fifth when Brett (who else?) hit his third homer of the series. The Royals held for a 5-3 win and forced a Game 7.
The Blue Jays sent Stieb out for his third start of the series and the Royals countered with Saberhagen. The Royals got the scoring started in the second with an RBI single by Sundberg. In a bizarre incident, Saberhagen was hit by a batted ball for the second time in the series. Liebrandt took over for the ailing Saberhagen.
Sheridan homered in the fourth to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. The Blue Jays answered to cut the score to 2-1 after five innings.
The Royals loaded the base in the top of the sixth inning and Sundberg blew the game open with a triple.
That proved to be all she wrote and the Royals closed out the series to win the series after trailing 3-1. Brett, of course, was named series MVP.
The Royals would go on to meet their in-state counterpart the Cardinals in the World Series. They would win that series in 7 games as well, after being down…3-1 in the series.
Thirty years later, the same two teams are back in the ALCS. Will the same dramatics appear this year? One can only hope.
