The Royals completed a sweep of the Tigers with a 5-0 win in at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

Al Cowens homered with one out in the second to start the scoring for Kansas City. In the fourth inning, Hal McRae led off with a double off Tigers starter Vern Ruhle. McRae took third on a wild pitch and scored on John Mayberry’s groundout. 

Kansas City then salted the game away in the sixth. George Brett drew a leadoff walk. McRae hit a grounder to shortstop. It was not a double-play ball, and Brett, hustling on the play, reached third base on the throw to first. Mayberry punched a grounder through the drawn-in infield to score Brett, then took second on an Amos Otis groundout. Darrell Porter capped the scoring with a home run into the upper deck in right field.

Royals starter Jim Colborn took advantage of the offensive support, as he limited Detroit to five hits over six innings. Four of the hits were singles. Colborn, acquired with Porter from Milwaukee in the offseason, made a fine impression on his new team with the outing. Since it was still early in the season, manager Whitey Herzog pulled Colborn after 93 pitches and six innings. Larry Gura earned the save by holding the Tigers to one hit over the final three innings.

The Royals’ defense contributed as well, throwing out a runner trying to stretch a single into a double and adding a pickoff, a caught stealing, and a double play.

Kansas City headed home after the series for the home opener, having outscored the Tigers 28-6 in the three games.

Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET197704100.shtml

1977 sports news: Kansas City native Tom Watson captured the first Masters title of his career at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The 27-year-old outdueled Jack Nicklaus, winning by two strokes. The two golfers were tied after 70 holes, but Watson birdied the 17th while Nicklaus could only manage par. Nicklaus wound up with a bogey on the final hole, as well. Watson picked up a $40,000 check for the win, giving him a Tour-leading $175,185 in earnings for the year.

Today’s birthdays: Ryan Verdugo (1987), Chris Dwyer (1988), Scott Blewett (1996)