Game #839 - Kansas City Royals, 5 @ Oakland A's, 7
If anybody is actually reading this...hello! It's been almost a full calendar year since I last flipped a Fast Action Card for this 1984 season. There are two main culprits. First, I'm in the middle of a doctoral program, with about a year still to go. Second, I've been seeing somebody else. And by somebody else, I mean a different baseball simulator! (My wife and I are about to celebrate 18 years of marriage!) Last summer I purchased Out of the Park Baseball...and oh man, that thing is addictive. I took my Orioles to three World Series championships over the span of thirty years. But today...I got the itch to return to my first favorite.
I still love you Statis Pro!
Let's jump into the action. In the top of the first the Royals jumped on Oakland starter Steve McCatty for two runs, including an RBI double from Darryl Motley and an RBI triple from Jorge Orta. The A's cut the lead by one in their half of the inning when Dwayne Murphy singled home Rickey Henderson.
It was still a 2-1 game in the top of the fifth when George Brett launched a solo homer to pad the K.C. lead. But in the bottom of the seventh, with one out, Dave Kingman cranked a double off starter Larry Gura. Three batters later he scored on a Bill Almon single.
It was still 3-2 in favor of the Royals in the bottom of the eighth. Gura was pitching on fumes, and with two outs and runners on second and third, K.C. finally went to the bullpen. Dan Quisenberry was unavailable, so it was up to Joe Beckwith. He promptly gave up a go-ahead home run to Dave Kingman!!!
The Royals went from up one to down two as they headed into the top of the ninth. Steve McCatty was still chugging along, but he gave up two runs on a Hal McRae pinch-hit triple and a Willie Wilson single before finally getting yanked. Chris Codiroli got Motley to ground out.
The game was now tied in the bottom of the ninth, and Beckwith was looking to get three quick outs after his offense bailed him out from the previous blunder. But Tony Phillips led off with a single. Beckwith retired the next two batters, so with two outs Rickey Henderson stepped up to the plate...and blasted a walk-off homer!!! Oakland wins!!!
Winning Pitcher - Chris Codiroli
Losing Pitcher - Joe Beckwith
Player of the Game - Rickey Henderson, 3-5, HR, 2RBI, 2R's
Hall of Famers in the Game - George Brett, Rickey Henderson
I'm going to try and crank out a couple of games a month in what little free time I have right now. The next post will be an update for all the 1984 players who have passed in the last year. Thanks for reading!