Apparently the only thing that could slow down Chicago starter Britt Burns on this warm Sunday afternoon was the leg cramp that limited him to seven innings in the White Sox’ 6-1 victory over Kansas City at Royals Stadium. Burns limited the Royals to five hits over his seven innings, although he did walk four. … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: June 1

John Wathan’s inside-the-park home run put the Royals ahead for good as they took a 6-4 victory over the White Sox on a Saturday night at Royals Stadium. The Royals trailed 3-1 as they came to bat in the bottom of the sixth, having managed just five hits (all singles) against Chicago starter Steve Trout. … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 31

A day after suffering a severe allergy attack, Larry Gura recovered to keep his strong season rolling, scattering six hits in a complete game effort as the Royals downed the White Sox, 9-2, on a Friday night at Royals Stadium. Gura revealed after the game that the day before, he had started to mow his … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 30

The Royals had a day off as they traveled home from a six-game road trip on the West Coast. After a 4-2 trip, Kansas City had the AL West lead by 1 ½ games over, coincidentally, their next opponent--the Chicago White Sox. Off the field, there was some good news for the team as well … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 29

In their first year under manager Billy Martin, the Oakland A’s had a new emphasis on aggressive baserunning. Of course, having a full season of Rickey Henderson helped, but the A’s would ultimately go from 104 steals in 1979 to 175 in 1980. This new emphasis was apparent on a Wednesday afternoon at Oakland Coliseum, … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 28

In just his third game back from a finger injury, Amos Otis drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Royals to a 4-2 win over the Athletics on a Tuesday night at Oakland Coliseum. Otis ruptured a tendon in a finger on his right hand while taking batting practice near the … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 27

Oakland’s Matt Keough held the Royals to three hits, as the Athletics snapped Kansas City’s four-game winning streak with a 4-1 win on Memorial Day at the Oakland Coliseum. Just four days earlier in Kansas City, the Royals had tagged Keough for nine hits and seven runs in 3 ⅓ innings. But on this day, … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 26

It took them a little while to get going, but the Royals eventually found their offensive stride, with consecutive big innings in a 7-3 win over the California Angels on a Sunday afternoon at Anaheim Stadium. Angels starter Dave LaRoche, normally a relief pitcher but pressed into service because of a rash of injuries in … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 25

After coughing up a four-run lead (albeit with some controversy), the Royals scored in the top of the 10th to take a 6-5 win over the California Angels on a Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium. Royals starter Rich Gale took the mound for the eighth inning with a 5-1 lead. He had pitched well, holding … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: May 24