KC Royals history: 8 best games of Hall of Famer George Brett

July 24, 1983: Royals beat Yankees, 5-4

Win Probability Added: 0.780
Stats: 5 PA, 3 H, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR

I remember growing up a Royals fan with the notion that Kansas City served as the New York Yankees farm team. Not literally, but it seemed that several good Royals players would end up in pinstripes sometime in their careers. This was likely not as egregious as my juvenile mind thought, but I could not stand the Yankees growing up. I imagine that sentiment echoes older fans as well, considering how many competitive series the Royals and Yankees had in the 1980s.

Well, educated fans will know this game by the date alone: The Pine Tar Incident happened in the series-deciding game against the Royals and Yankees. Let's approach this as if Brett did not charge the field and the game actually finished nearly a month later. Considering all that, it was still an amazing game from Brett.

It was another multi-hit game from Brett, but his final one shot his WPA through the roof. The Royals had a measly 8% chance of winning when Brett came to the plate with U.L. Washington standing on first. Yankees All-Star closer Rich Gossage had two outs on the Royals, with anything but a Brett hit ending the game. In a moment many dream about as kids, Brett smashed a home run to right field, scoring him and Washington to give the Royals a 5-4 lead. We all know what happened after that home run.