KC Royals: Five Most Painful Losses In Royals History

3. October 19, 1980: World Series Game 5, Phillies vs. Royals

The KC Royals finally slew the Yankee dragon in 1980 to reach the World Series after failing three straight ALCS showdowns between 1976-78. This time, the Royals swept the Yankees with George Brett nailing a critical three-run home run to give the victory in New York.

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They opened the 1980 World Series dropping the first two games to the Phillies in Philadelphia, but came roaring back to take the next two in Kansas City. The KC Royals were poised to take a 3-2 lead in the series in Game 5 holding a one-run lead going into the seventh inning.

This time,however, the Kansas City Royals had a bona-fide bullpen ace in Dan Quisenberry—who led the AL in saves with 33 that season with his unusual “submarine” style that induced grounder after grounder.

Kansas City’s new manager Jim Frey—who had taken over after Whitey Herzog got fired following the 1979 season—brought Quisenberry into the game in the 7th to hold the lead. As odd as that tactic would appear today, asking Quisenberry for a three-inning save wasn’t at all unusual. Quisenberry averaged more than 130 innings pitched per year every full season between 1980 and 1985.

Quisenberry did the job through the eighth inning, but stumbled in the ninth. He allowed the Phillies to score the tying run on a single by third baseman Mike Schmidt, and a double by pinch hitter Del Unser,

Designated hitter Keith Moreland bunted Unser to third for the inning’s first out, but center fielder Garry Maddox hit a weak grounder to third that failed to bring Unser home. But then Manny Trillo lined a single off Quisenberry to score the lead run.

The KC Royals failed to score in the ninth and lost the game. It was Quisenberry’s third blown save in the World Series, which proved to be Kansas City’s undoing when they dropped Game 6 in Philadelphia to lose to the underdog Phillies.

Next: October 25, 2014