KOD16 - KCR/LAA

The Kansas City Roylas and LAA Angels met for a 4-game series. These two teams always battle as if it each game was the 7^th game of the World Series.  And this series was no exception.

September 06; Royals Stadium
Royals 7, Angels 4

After exchanging leads a few times early, the game settled on a 4-4 tie after 4 innings and remained so through 7 innings.   By the 8^th inning starters Mike Jones and Marcelino Lopez had turned the game over to their bullpens.  Doug Bird took care of the Angels in order in the top of the 8^th.  But in the bottom half, Mark Quinn greeted Jose Arredondo with a solo shot to left center to put the Royals up 5-4.  Carlos Beltran followed with a single and two outs later Kevin Seitzer put the game out of reach with a 2-run blast to left.  Dan Quisenberry pitched a perfect 9^th for the save, as Kansas City took the opening game of the series. 

 

September 07; Royals Stadium
Angels 6, Royals 5

Kansas City established an early lead in the bottom of the 3^rd inning off LAA starter Jered Weaver, scoring 4 times by stringing together a double, 3 singles and a couple of walks.  George Brett's 2-run single was the big hit.  But then Weaver settled down and the Angles began to chip away at Royals starter Paul Splittorff, scoring single runs in the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th innings to make it a 1-run game after 8 innings.    

In the top of the 9^th, with Splittorff still on the mound and KC still leading 4-3, Angels pinch hitter Rick Reichardt led off with a single, and the cat-and-mouse game began.  Shaun Figgins was called on to pinch run.  The Royals responded by sending in Dan Quisenberry to face the switch-hitting Devon White, who sacrificed Figgins to 2^nd base.  Then when Garrett Anderson was announced as a pinch hitter, the Royals responded with LHP Tim Collins.  In a surprise move, LAA took the bat out of the hands of their start slugger and handed it to light-hitting RHB Dave Chalk, hoping for only a single to tie the game.  Kansas City decided to set up the double-play and promptly walked Chalk intentionally.

With 2 runners on and 1 out, up to the dish stepped David Eckstein.  Despite having closer Joakim Soria ready in the bullpen, KC decided to let Collins face Eckstein, who proceeded to shock everyone in the stadium, himself included, with a HR down the line that barely cleared the fence.  After trailing since the 3^rd inning, suddenly the Angels were on top 6-4.

The Royals made bottom of the 9^th very interesting, with 2 singles, 3 pinch runners and 4 stolen bases.  But LAA closer Bob Lee managed to allow only 1 run to score, and finally induced a groundout from Carlos Beltran to end the game with the tying run in scoring position, and preserve a 6-5 Angels win.            

 

September 08; Angel Stadium
Angels 4, Royals 2

Despite relocating the series to Southern California, the tone and tenor of the series didn't change a bit. Game 3 starters Rickey Clark and Bill (not Billy) Butler pitched well and limited the scoring to a Carlos Beltran RBI single in the 3^rd and a Jim Edmonds RBI single in the 5^th.   But LAA jumped ahead when Dallas McPherson led off the bottom of the 7^th with a HR off Doug Bird. Wally Joyner followed with a single and Mike Napoli a double.  Both ended up scoring, first on a groundout and then a sacrifice fly.

Trailing 4-1, once again the Royals refused to go quietly in the 9^th.  Lou Piniella led off with a single, and was followed by 2 walks to load the bases with no outs.   With the home crowd on the edge of their seats, Bob Lee came in from the pen and induced a groundball to Wally Joyner, who converted it into a rally-killing 3-6-3 twin-killing, as pinch runner Willie Wilson came in to score. Next batter Tom Goodwin then grounded out to earn Lee his AL leading 8th save.   

 

September 09; Angel Stadium

Angels 1, Royals 0  (12 innings)

Yet another nail-biter to finish the series.   Angels' starter Dean Chance went 8.1 innings allowing only 5 scattered singles, no walks and striking out 7.  Royals' starter Kevin Appier was nearly as good, going 8.0 innings and allowing 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.  Neither team was able to score, as the game went into extra innings.  Kansas City threatened in the in the top of the 10^th when Clint Hurdle singled and Kevin Seitzer reached on an error.  A sacrifice bunt later, the LAA strategy of bringing the infield in paid off when Angel Berroa grounded to SS, freezing the runners, and Troy Percival came on to strikeout Carlos Beltran.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the 12^th inning when Devon led off with a single and was sacrificed to 2^nd.  Following an intentional walk, Rance Mulliniks joined the ranks of unlikely Angels hero by doubling off of Royals ace Tom Terrific Gordon, easily plating Devon White with the winning run.     

--submitted by Douglas Zaner--