Cameraman: “Let me take this picture from down here so that I can get a clear shot up your nostrils. Perfect!”
Yount’s Homers Not Enough
Royals 6, Brewers 4
Brewers now 55-39 (1st)
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KANSAS CITY — Royals starting pitcher Larry Gura had a dream last night. “I had a no-hitter through eight innings,” he told the Milwaukee Sentinel after the game. “I told my wife I didn’t know what happened in the ninth.”
Well, Robin Yount put an end to that dream quickly with a home run in the first inning, but Gura did a good job of holding the Brewers’ bats down all game long in a 6-4 Royals win.
In fact, other than the first inning home run and a second Yount homer in the fourth, Gura was perfect through the first 6 1/3 innings. He was so frustrated with Yount that in the sixth inning he told catcher Don Slaught to let Robin know what pitch was coming next. Slaught declined and Yount grounded out to third.
Gura should not be ashamed considering Yount is 14-for-23 (.609) on this road trip, and is now hitting .337 overall, only eight points behind the league leader, Royal Willie Wilson.
Trailing 6-2 in the seventh, the Brewers did manage to make the game interesting. With one out, Ted Simmons doubled off of the wall in right center and Gura then walked both Gorman Thomas and Ben Oglivie to load the bases. Don Money then hit a two-run single to end Gura’s night and Mike Armstrong relieved him. Jim Gantner then hit a liner to center that Willie Wilson misjudged, only to recover and make a spectacular running catch. If not for his speed, the Brewers would have likely tied the game there if not taken the lead.
Armstrong would allow only a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings for his third save, giving the Royals the series win.
Unfortunately for the Brewers, the Boston Red Sox beat the Twins to pull back to within a half game of first place. But if you ask Harvey Kuenn, Boston may not be the team the Brewers should be worrying about.
Every morning, he opens the sports section to check the AL East standings. He starts with the Brewers and then scrolls down to find out where the Orioles are, the team he fears the most in the division.
Game Notes: The Brewers have a .681 winning percentage since Harvey Kuenn took over.
Vuckovich Returns, Brewers Win
Brewers 7, Royals 4
Brewers now 55-38 (1st)
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KANSAS CITY — After missing some time with an injured hand, ace Pete Vuckovich returned to the mound today against the Royals. It didn’t start out pretty for Vuke, but then again his starts rarely are a thing of beauty. He just wins.
The Brewers took a first inning lead on a two-run home run by Cecil Cooper, his 20th of the season. Vuckovich gave a run back in the first following a leadoff triple by Willie Wilson and a sacrifice fly by UL Washington. The Brewers extended their lead to 4-1 in the 2nd after a series of singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. But the Royals tied it back up when they scored three more runs on Vuke on four hits, a walk and an error.
Cecil Cooper made it 5-4 in the third on a comebacker to the mound that scored Yount, and then both offenses remained silent until the ninth. At that point, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount took matters into their own hands, knocking in two more runs to give Vuke a little more cushion.
Vuckovich won, pitching a complete game and allowing three earned runs on 10 hits. He improved to 11-4 on the season.
Game Notes: The Red Sox lost, thereby increasing the Brewers’ lead in the AL East to a game and a half. … Robin Yount lined a single off of rookie pitcher Derek Botelho in the third, knocking him from the game. … Brewers hitters are hot. During the last 19 games, Robin Yount is hitting .430; Jim Gantner is hitting .549 over his last 17 games; Ted Simmons is hitting .408 over his last 12 games; and Don Money is hitting .464 over his last eight games.
Card of the Day: 1982 Donruss Ted Simmons
After a rough start to his time in Milwaukee, Simmons has emerged as a leader, both in the clubhouse and at the plate.
Closers Fall, Brewers Lose in 9th
Royals 4, Brewers 3
Brewers now 54-38 (1st)
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KANSAS CITY — Through eight full innings, neither the high powered Brewers nor the Royals could score a run. Starters Bob McClure and Paul Splittorff did all they could do, but neither pitcher would earn a decision.
The game fell on the two preeminent closers in the game, Dan Quisenberry of the Royals and Rollie Fingers of the Brewers. Things changed in a hurry.
Quisenberry took the mound after Splittorff allowed a leadoff single to Ted Simmons in the ninth. Gorman Thomas deposited an 0-2 fastball into the left field bleachers to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. On the very next pitch, Ben Oglivie made it 3-0 with a home run of his own.
You’d think that would be more than enough to win. Whether or not McClure would remain flawless, the Brewers have Rollie Fingers as back-up. Surely, he wouldn’t fail like Quisenberry, right?
Unfortunately, wrong. McClure allowed a leadoff single to UL Washington and George Brett connected on the first well-hit ball off of McCLure on the evening, a two run home run. Rollie Fingers took the mound and allowed three singles that tied the game before Frank White laid down a successful suicide squeeze to win the game.
Kuenn said it was the hardest defeat in his 45 games as the team’s manager. It may be Brewers’ fans hardest defeat of the season.
Card of the Day: 1982 Donruss Ed Romero
In his fourth season, Romero continues to wait patiently behind mainstays Robin Yount at shortstop and Jim Gantner at second. Will he get a chance to play full-time?