It was all set up for the Royals. They took a 3-2 lead to the top of the ninth in Game Five of the World Series. They had the American League saves leader, Dan Quisenberry on the mound. If they could get three outs, they would head back to Philadelphia in command in the Series, needing just one win in two games there to earn their first World Series title.
But baseball proved it is a game of inches, as two close calls helped the Phillies score two runs in the ninth inning and pick up a 4-3 win on a Sunday afternoon at Royals Stadium.
The inning started with Mike Schmidt sending a hard grounder down the third-base line. Earlier in the Series, Schmidt, the National League’s home run leader, had attempted a couple of bunts. As a result, third baseman George Brett was playing about even with the bag and didn’t have the extra second of reaction time he would have had playing at a normal depth. Brett dove to his left but the ball glanced off his glove and Schmidt was safe with a single. Pinch-hitter Del Unser doubled into the right-field corner, with Schmidt scoring to tie the game. Keith Moreland bunted Unser to third. Quisenberry got Garry Maddox to ground out, with Unser holding at third. Manny Trillo hit a line drive back up the middle that bounced off Quisenberry’s glove and away from the pitcher. Brett scooped it up but his throw to first was late and the go-ahead run scored.
The Royals did not go quietly in their half of the ninth. Phillies closer Tug McGraw returned to the mound for his third inning of work. Frank White led off with a walk. McGraw struck out Brett, but Willie Aikens also drew a walk. Hal McRae grounded into a forceout at second, but Amos Otis walked to load the bases. With right-handed John Wathan available to pinch-hit, Royals manager Jim Frey stuck with left-handed right-handed hitter Jose Cardenal to face the southpaw McGraw. Frey’s rationale was that Cardenal, a long-time National Leaguer, was more familiar with McGraw than Wathan was. But the move didn’t work, as McGraw struck out Cardenal to end the game.
Royals starter Larry Gura deserved better. He held the Phillies to four hits and one walk in 6 ⅓ innings, and one of Philadelphia’s two runs was unearned. That came in the fourth, when the visitors broke a scoreless tie. With one out, Bake McBride tried for a bunt single. Gura pounced on the ball and his throw to first was good, but Aikens simply missed touching the base with his foot. Schmidt then homered just over the center-field fence, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
Kansas City had two men on base in the third and fourth innings but could not score. It wasn’t until the fifth that the home team broke through. Facing Phillies starter Marty Bystrom, U L Washington and Willie Wilson started the inning with singles. White bunted the runners over, and Brett’s grounder scored Washington. But the Royals could not add to their total, giving them seven runners left on base in the first five innings.
However, Otis homered to lead off the sixth, tying the game at 2-2. Clint Hurdle and Darrell Porter followed with singles. Ron Reed replaced Bystrom, but Washington hit a sacrifice fly to put the Royals in front. Kansas City could possibly have had more runs, though. Wilson doubled off the bullpen fence in right field, and McBride and Trillo combined on a great relay throw to cut down Porter at the plate. White popped up to end the inning, leaving Brett on deck; he would have had a chance to bat with a runner at third had Porter been held.
Still, the Royals had the lead. After a walk and single in the seventh, Quisenberry took over and got two grounders to end the inning, then worked around an error in the eighth. That put the Royals on the verge of their third straight win and a chance to clinch the title in Philadelphia. Instead, Kansas City faced the prospect of needing to win two games on the road, and defeating Steve Carlton in one of them, to win it all.
Box score and play-by-play: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198010190.shtml
Bonus YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvPznX8K6dM. Apologies if you enjoy the pregame chatter; this version begins with Gura winding up to throw the first pitch.
1980 sports news: Probably unnoticed, the Chiefs picked up their third straight win. This time, they overcame a 14-3 deficit to beat the Broncos in Denver, 23-17. Quarterback Steve Fuller threw two touchdown passes, with a 46-yarder to Henry Marshall putting Kansas City on top for good. The win snapped Denver’s eight-game winning streak against the Chiefs and left both teams with 3-4 records.
Today’s birthdays: German Barranca (1956), Mark Davis (1960), Tim Belcher (1961), Mike Perez (1964), Joe McEwing (1972), Jeff Austin (1976), Jose Bautista (1980)
U.L.'s Toothpick 
Jose Cardinal batted righty.
LikeLike
Thank you! I have given my editor a stern lecture on this.
LikeLike
Fun article.
You should have been playing the Astros. That was the season JR Richard was nearly unhittable until a stroke hit him, paralyzing half his body.
Had we had him in 2 games against the Phillies, there’s no way they could have beaten Houston. JR had finished in the top 5 in Cy Young voting the 2 previous seasons, leading the NL in ERA in 1979, and in K’s in ’78 and ’79. He was on his way to the Cy in 1980… Check out his game log:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=richaj.01&t=p&year=1980
He had 2 games in which he struck out 13 without walking anyone. In 34 starts, he was 10-4 with a 1.90 ERA. He pitched the first 2 innings of the all-star game, striking out 3 – Reggie, Fisk and Steve Stone.
Houston/KC would have been a great series. We lost the best pitcher in baseball and still almost beat Philadelphia in the NLCS. That was Houston’s first ever trip to the playoffs. We had Richard, Nolan Ryan, 20 game winner Joe Niekro, and Ken Forsch, a terrific 4 man rotation. Joe Sambito and Dave Smith were our version of the Quiz, with Joaquin Andujar, as well.
Jose Cruz and Cesar Cedeno had great seasons, and Joe Morgan gave us a boost, though not the same player he was in Cincinnati. Other notables: a young Jeffrey Leonard, Terry Puhl, Alan Ashby and Bruce Bochy, Art Howe, and guys like Denny Walling and Dave Bergman on the bench. They didn’t have a HOF hitter in his prime like Brett, but they were a balanced offense that scored 7 runs in game 5 of the NLCS. No one can convince me that J.R. wouldn’t have held the Phillies to 6 or less in that game…
Sigh.
LikeLike
Thank you, Andy! Given how closely contested the NLCS was, Richard very easily could have put Houston over the top. I feel like the Royals might have had a tougher time against the Astros, actually–with Richard, I think Houston had better pitching than Philly (the Phillies basically won the Series by overcoming early deficits). Brett against Richard would have been fantastic baseball theater.
LikeLike