Page 10 University Daily Kansan, September 18, 1980
2071
Royals capture AL West
By MATT SEELEY Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The pennant the Kansas City Royals lost last season and the individual they have thrived on all season have returned.
The Western division crown, which eluded the Royals last season, is back in Kansas City for the fourth time in five years. Paced by the pitching of stopper Dennis Leonard, 19-0, the Royals clinched the title from the defending champion California Angels 5-0, last night.
It was the return, however, of George Brett that thrilled most of the chilled 25,000 spectators in Royals Stadium. Brett, out of the lineup since Sept. 6 with an injured hand, started the second game of the double-header and
in the division-clinching opener, Leonard, who has won 12 of 14 decisions since the All-Star break, handcuffed the team in a tiebreak. The Royal with the most wins this season.
continued his quest for a .400 batting average.
"WELL, THAT'S that," Leonard said of his clinching performance. "There wasn't't that much pressure on me, with a 17-game lead. But with the people yelling so loud I couldn't concentrate at the end. It kind of gets you nummed up."
Leonard breezed through the final five innings, retiring 18 straight batters until the final out in the ninth. With a crowd standing and roaring with every pitch, Leonard walked Jason Thompson out and Harris to ground out and end the game.
Offensively, Willie Wilson stole the spotlight. Wilson supplied the Royals
with the only runs they needed in the first when he singled and stole second. Following a walk to U.L. Washington, the pair executed perfectly a double steal. Wilson then came home on a sacrifice fry by Hal McRae.
IN THE SECOND Inning, Wilson singled home Frank White and Jose Cardinal with the second and third Royal runs. Kansas City closed out its scoring in the fifth when Willey Mays Alkens walked with one out and went to second on John Wathan's single. White drove in Alkens with a single and Clint Hurdle, batting for Cardinal, singled home Wathan.
The clubhouse celebration following the title-clincher was a dry one. A subdued happiness replaced the usual bubbles of victory champagne.
"We can't get off and go out there,"
"We've got another game,"
"We've got another game."
to play. I know it's kind of ant-climatic.
this game is over it'll be a blow out.
Probably the most elated Royal was Manager Jim Frey.
"I THOUGHT I could go through this thing blase," Frey, a rookie manager, said. "I got excited riding out to the bail yard and was disappointed we didn't play.
"I'm thankful to everybody associated with this ball club. It's the greatest thrill of my life. A lot of people I, just happen to have a good one."
Frey's employers, Owner Ewing Kaufman and General Manager Joe Burke, were the highlights of the celebration. The pair waded through a string of reporters to shake each player's hand and offer congratulations.
"IT SEEMS THE first time I come back from an injury I get a hit." Brett entered the room and proceeded to throw, it 'easier to bit on bench. There I was hitting at 600."
The Royals got behind early in the second game and were forced to play catch-up most of the game. The Angels chased Kansas City starter Larry Gura, making his fifth attempt at victory No. 19, for three runs in the first, a run in the third and more in the seventh. The Angels won a 7-4.
ROYALS NOTES—The Royals' four stole bases in the first inning of the first game set a new club record. Previously she was three, accomplished three times.
George Brett compared this year Royal's team to the 1977 and 78 clubs and said, "This is the best team since I've been here. With Willie Wilson, our coach, we've had a basic experience we have we're better. I think I'm a better player now too."
Following the not-so-festive clubhouse activities, the attention shifted to George Brett, the life of the Royal's season-long party at the top. The All-Star third baseman lined singles his first two trips to the plate, but finished the night where he began, with a .396 average.
The loudest cheer of the evening went to a spectator who burned a New York Yankee pennant between games of the double-header.
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