It had been apparent it would happen for months, but the Royals made it official as they clinched the AL West title in a doubleheader split with the Angels on a Wednesday night at Royals Stadium. Kansas City won the first game, 5-0, before dropping the second game, 7-4, but still had a raucous celebration … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 17

The Royals’ home game against California was rained out. It was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader for September 17. The cold front that brought the rain dropped low temperatures into the low 40s, a welcome feeling after a legendarily hot summer. Meanwhile, Oakland won in Texas, keeping the Royals from officially clinching the AL … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 16

The Royals had a day off as they returned home from their 10-game road trip to Cleveland and then the West Coast. Kansas City was preparing for a six-game homestand against division rivals California and Oakland. The Athletics lost in Texas, meaning the Royals needed just one win or one Oakland loss to clinch their … Continue reading This Date In Royals History-1980 Edition: September 15

Seven strong innings from Paul Splittorff and an unlikely home run from Pete LaCock moved the Royals to the verge of a division title as they earned a 4-3 victory over Oakland on a Sunday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Splittorff improved to 12-10 on the season as he held Oakland to seven hits. The … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 14

The Royals continued to struggle through September with a lackluster 6-2 loss to the A’s on a Saturday afternoon at Oakland Coliseum. Oakland started the game with a pair of two-run innings against Royals starter Larry Gura. In the first inning, Rickey Henderson led off with a walk and Dwayne Murphy homered. Two batters in, … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 13

The Royals gave up six runs in the last three innings, turning a late lead into a 9-5 loss to the Athletics on a Friday night at Oakland Coliseum. Clinging to a 4-3 lead as the bottom of the seventh began, the Royals sent Craig Chamberlain back to the mound. He had retired the last … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 12

Three unearned runs and an outstanding outing from Dennis Leonard led the Royals to a 7-2 win over the Angels on a Thursday night at Anaheim Stadium. Leonard improved to 18-9 on the season with his seventh complete game of the year. He struck out six, walked three, and held California to four hits. After … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 11

The Royals’ September slump continued with an ugly 8-3 loss to California on a Wednesday night at Anaheim Stadium. Three errors on Kansas City accounted for five unearned runs, while Royals hitters left 14 men on base. The frustration began right away for KC, as Willie Wilson started the game with a single and stopped … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 10

The Royals came up just short in a ninth-inning rally, instead dropping a 4-3 loss to the California Angels on a Tuesday night at Anaheim Stadium. Angels starter Frank Tanana had held Kansas City to seven hits through the first eight innings, and held a 4-1 lead as he returned to the mound for the … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 9

After the Royals fought back to tie the game, California scored three times in the fifth and took a 7-4 win on a Monday night at Anaheim Stadium. Kansas City was fighting uphill all night, as California got to Royals starter Larry Gura for two runs in the first inning. Carney Lansford doubled with two … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: September 8