Oddly, the Royals had a day off in the middle of a two-game series in Toronto. That meant the team ended May with a 10-15 record for the month and 21-23 overall. Kansas City ended the day in a fifth-place tie in the AL West, seven games behind Minnesota. The Royals were tied with the Oakland A’s; only the expansion Seattle Mariners, 10.5 games out of first. were keeping them out of the basement. Chicago (three games out), California (5.5 games back), and Texas (six games out) stood between the Royals and first place.

1977 baseball news: Mired in last place in the NL East, the New York Mets fired manager Joe Frazier. They didn’t look far to find his replacement. The Mets named third baseman Joe Torre as player-manager, and Torre picked up a win in his first game in the role. New York downed Montreal, 6-2, although Torre didn’t play in the game. Torre was just a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday when he got the job.

Today’s birthdays: Larry Owen (1955), Dilson Torres (1970), Mac Suzuki (1975)