Helped by Kansas City errors, Texas downed the Royals, 8-7. The score was 6-6 going into the sixth inning when Jim Sundberg reached first base safely on a wild throw by Royal third baseman George Brett. A sacrifice bunt moved Sundberg to second and he scored on a single by Bump Wills. Wills stole second and took third when second baseman U.L. Washington failed to handle catcher Darrell Porter's throw. Nelson Norman then delivered a perfect suicide squeeze bunt down the first base line to score Wills.

The victim of the poor infield play was reliever Steve Busby, who turned in the strongest performance on his comeback trail following his July, 1976, shoulder operation. [The Sporting News]



Texas Rangers 8, Kansas City Royals 7
Game Played on Monday, April     30, 1979 (Night game) at Royals Stadium
Rangers      1  0  5    0  0  2    0  0  0  -   8  7  0
Royals       1  0  2    1  2  0    0  0  1  -   7 13  3


Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Royals               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Sample lf             4   2   1   0     1   0   .280      Brett 3b              4   1   1   0     1   0   .250
Bell 3b               4   0   1   0     0   1   .208      McRae dh              5   0   0   1     0   1   .253
Oliver cf             3   1   1   1     1   0   .370      Otis cf               5   2   2   0     0   2   .314
Gamble dh             1   1   0   1     3   0   .316      Porter c              4   1   1   0     1   0   .366
Zisk rf               4   0   1   2     0   0   .229      Cowens rf             4   1   2   3     1   0   .325
Sundberg c            3   1   0   1     0   0   .161      LaCock 1b             3   1   2   0     1   0   .310
Jorgensen 1b          3   0   0   0     0   2   .263        Wathan ph           0   0   0   1     0   0   .333
Wills 2b              4   2   2   1     0   0   .186      Hurdle lf             3   1   2   2     1   0   .269
Norman ss             3   1   1   1     0   0   .220        White ph            1   0   0   0     0   1   .308
Jenkins p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Patek ss              3   0   1   0     0   2   .328
  Kern p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Quirk ph,ss         1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Lyle p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Washington 2b         4   0   2   0     0   0   .500
                                                          Gale p                0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Busby p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               29   8   7   7     5   3             Totals               37   7  13   7     5   6

Time of Game: 2:45   Attendance: 23,634
Left on Base: Rangers 3, Royals 9
DP: Rangers 1, Royals 3
Errors: Brett, Washington 2
Doubles: Wills (2), Bell (6), Otis (4), LaCock (6), Washington (1)
Triples: Brett (3), Cowens (3), LaCock (1)
Home Runs: Hurdle (1), Cowens (3)
Stolen Bases: Sample (4), Wills (7)
Caught Stealing: Patek (3)
Sacrifice Hits: Bell (2), Jorgensen (1), Norman (4)
Sacrifice Flies: Sundberg (3), Wathan (1)
GIDP: Gamble (1), Zisk (2)


Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Jenkins                 4.2   7   6   6   3   3   2  24   2.68
Kern W(3-0)             3.1   4   0   0   1   2   0  13   1.83
Lyle SV(3)              1     2   1   1   1   1   0   6   3.31
Totals                  9    13   7   7   5   6   2  43

Royals                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Gale                    2.1   4   6   4   3   2   0  14   7.67
Busby L(0-1)            6.2   3   2   0   2   1   0  24   0.96
Totals                  9     7   8   4   5   3   0  38

Umpires: HP - Larry Zirbel, 1B - Ted Hendry, 2B - Duane Shaw, 3B - Harold Easley


RANGERS 1ST: Sample singled to third; Sample stole second; Bell
struck out; Oliver singled to left [Sample scored]; Gamble
grounded into a double play (second to first) [Oliver out at
second]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 1, Royals 0.

ROYALS 1ST: Brett tripled to left; McRae grounded out (shortstop
to first) [Brett scored]; Otis flied out to center; Porter
grounded out (first to pitcher); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers
1, Royals 1.

RANGERS 2ND: Zisk grounded out (third to first); Sundberg flied
out to center; Jorgensen struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 1, Royals 1.

ROYALS 2ND: Cowens popped to first; LaCock walked; Hurdle walked
[LaCock to second]; Patek struck out; Washington forced Hurdle
(shortstop unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 1, Royals
1.

RANGERS 3RD: Wills doubled to left; Norman reached on an error
by Washington [Wills scored (no RBI)]; Sample walked [Norman to
second]; Bell out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second)
[Norman to third, Sample to second]; Oliver was walked
intentionally; Gamble walked [Norman scored (unearned), Sample
to third, Oliver to second]; Zisk singled to center [Sample
scored, Oliver scored, Gamble to third]; BUSBY REPLACED GALE
(PITCHING); Sundberg hit a sacrifice fly to center [Gamble
scored (unearned)]; Jorgensen struck out; 5 R (3 ER), 2 H, 1 E,
1 LOB.  Rangers 6, Royals 1.

ROYALS 3RD: Brett flied out to center; McRae popped to second;
Otis doubled to left; Porter walked; Cowens tripled to center
[Otis scored, Porter scored]; LaCock flied out to center; 2 R, 2
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 6, Royals 3.

RANGERS 4TH: Wills flied out to center; Norman singled to right;
Sample popped to first in foul territory; Bell grounded out
(third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 6, Royals 3.

ROYALS 4TH: Hurdle homered; Patek struck out; Washington singled
to left; Brett flied out to center; McRae flied out to left; 1
R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 6, Royals 4.

RANGERS 5TH: Oliver popped to shortstop; Gamble walked; Zisk
grounded into a double play (pitcher to second to first) [Gamble
out at second]; 14 minute rain delay at 8:30; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 6, Royals 4.

ROYALS 5TH: Otis struck out; Porter grounded out (first
unassisted); 32 minute rain delay with 1-0 count on Al
Cowens; Cowens homered; LaCock doubled to center; KERN
REPLACED JENKINS (PITCHING); Hurdle singled to left [LaCock
scored]; Patek singled to center [Hurdle to third]; Patek was
caught stealing second (catcher to second); 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Rangers 6, Royals 6.

RANGERS 6TH: Sundberg reached on an error by Brett; Jorgensen
out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to first) [Sundberg to second];
Wills singled to center [Sundberg scored (unearned)]; Wills
stole second [Wills to third (error by Washington)]; Norman out
on a sacrifice bunt (second to first) [Wills scored (unearned)];
Sample popped to first; 2 R (0 ER), 1 H, 2 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 8,
Royals 6.

ROYALS 6TH: Washington doubled to left; Brett walked; McRae
struck out; Otis struck out; Porter lined to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 8, Royals 6.

RANGERS 7TH: Bell doubled to left; Oliver grounded out (pitcher
to first) [Bell to third]; Gamble was walked intentionally; Zisk
flied into a double play (center to catcher) [Bell out at home];
0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 8, Royals 6.

ROYALS 7TH: Cowens grounded out (second to first); LaCock
tripled to right; Hurdle lined into a double play (third
unassisted) [LaCock out at third]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 8, Royals 6.

RANGERS 8TH: Sundberg grounded out (third to first); Jorgensen
grounded out (pitcher to first); Wills flied to left in foul
territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 8, Royals 6.

ROYALS 8TH: QUIRK BATTED FOR PATEK; Quirk grounded out (first to
pitcher); Washington grounded out (second to first); Brett
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 8, Royals 6.

RANGERS 9TH: QUIRK STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); Norman flied out
to center; Sample grounded out (third to first); Bell grounded
out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 8,
Royals 6.

ROYALS 9TH: LYLE REPLACED KERN (PITCHING); McRae flied out to
right; Otis singled to shortstop; Porter singled to right [Otis
to third]; Cowens walked [Porter to second]; WATHAN BATTED FOR
LACOCK; Wathan hit a sacrifice fly to left [Otis scored]; WHITE
BATTED FOR HURDLE; White struck out; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Rangers 8, Royals 7.