World Series #1A

Justin did a great job with his top ten World Series of his lifetime, and while I’m willing to forgive the oversight of the seven-game 1987 Series in which the Twins became, arguably, the worst team to ever win the title, I’m just ticked he left off perhaps the greatest Series ever played: the 1985 I-70 Series between the Royals and the Cardinals.

It’s not his fault. He was one year old when the game was played, and he’s probably spotty on the details. But it’s telling he knows a lot about the 1986 Series, which he also likely has absolutely no memory of. But since the New York media won’t ever shut up, and the Boston media is even worse, we’re up to our eyeballs in recriminations over 1986, yet no one aside from a few Missourians have ever threatened to kill Jack Clark.

So, let’s set this one up. In 1985, the Royals were actually good. Hard to believe, I know. Here, click
here if you don’t believe me. From 1976-1985, the Royals won seven division titles and finished second the three other years. But they hadn’t won the title yet.



The Cardinals were pretty darn good themselves, and would win more pennants in the 1980s than any other team (three). And the top of their order was one of the most feared in baseball: Vince Coleman and his 110 stolen bases led off, NL batting champion Willie McGee (.353) batted second, and Jack Clark was the power hitter at #3. And some Ozzie Smith guy played shortstop.

Actually, both teams had to fight like hell to get to the Series. The Royals overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Blue Jays, and the Cardinals beat the Dodgers in 6. Dodgers closer Tom Niedenfuer lost the last two games: Game 5 when Ozzie Smith hit a game-winning homer, and a Game 6 rally in the ninth was set up by an Ozzie Smith triple. Tom Niedenfuer goes to bed at night and curses the Wizard of Oz.

Anyway, the Royals lost the first two games of the Series, both at home. And after four games, they found themselves in a rather familiar 3-1 hole. No team in baseball history had ever come back from a 3-1 deficit after losing the first two games at home. Well, until the Royals. The big win was Game 5, getting the Series back to Kansas City for the last two games. And then came perhaps the greatest Game 6 ever played. Right up there with 1975 and 1986. More ink should be spilled over this game.

Charlie Liebrandt (yes, the same one, Braves fans) of the Royals and Danny Cox of the Cardinals would not allow a single run in the first seven innings of play. With runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs in the 8th, Whitey Herzog went to his bench and called on Brian Harper to hit for the pitcher. Harper had exactly 52 AB’s on the season, but he’d come through with a single which plated a run.

Then came the ninth inning. The managers went into matchup overdrive. Howser sent up Darryl Motley to pinch hit, so Herzog went to his pen and called for Todd Worrell. Howser responded and sent up Jorge Orta instead, who would ground out to Clark. Except Don Denkinger, in what ESPN has called the worst call in sports history, called Orta safe. He wasn’t. Then Worrell got Steve Balboni, a pretty good power hitter to pop out. Except Jack Clark lost the ball in the lights and didn’t make the play. Given a second chance, Balboni hit a single. Instead of nobody on and two outs, the Royals had two runners on and nobody out.

The Royals promptly failed to advance the runners on a bunt. Catcher Darrell Porter returned the favor by allowing a passed ball, advancing the runners. Worrell would then intentionally walk McRae to get to pitcher Dan Quisenberry (who it should be pointed out, had a terrific moustache and had a funky delivery I spent a year trying to copy without any success). Dane Iorg came in as a pinch hitter, and speaking of unlikely heroes, came through with a single which scored two runs. Pinch runner Onix Concepcion just barely beat Porter’s tag (Van Slyke’s throw was in time), and the Royals had inexplicably won 2-1.


Game Seven was a formality, but Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar and Whitey Herzog were ejected for arguing balls and strikes. The home plate umpire? Don Denkinger.

Oh, and the Series gave rise to the internet theory, the Curse of Balboni. Steve Balboni hit 36 home runs in 1985, and until 2001, no team with a player who hit 36 home runs won the World Series. The 1985 Royals were a special team.

This post also demonstrates why I didn’t do this project. I’m far too long-winded. Also, disturbingly enough, I did need to check retrosheet to get a few of the names, but I was able to reconstruct the entire inning from memory. Besides, how do you forget a name like Onix Concepcion?