The Royals reduced their magic number for clinching the West Division title to two by edging the A's, 4-3. A bases-loaded single by Willie Aikens produced two runs in the third inning. The Royals added an unearned run in the fourth and then got their deciding tally when Pete LaCock hit his first homer of the season in the sixth. Dan Quisenberry notched his major league-leading 33rd save. [The Sporting News]



Kansas City Royals 4, Oakland Athletics 3
Game Played on Sunday, September 14, 1980 (Day game) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Royals       0  0  2    1  0  1    0  0  0  -   4  8  1
A's          1  1  0    0  0  0    0  1  0  -   3 11  2


Royals               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Wilson cf             5   1   0   0     0   2   .324      Henderson lf          5   2   3   0     0   1   .300
White 2b              5   0   1   0     0   1   .267      Murphy cf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .276
Wathan lf             3   0   0   0     2   0   .301      Heath dh              3   0   0   0     0   0   .231
Aikens dh             4   0   2   2     0   0   .285        Gross ph,dh         1   0   1   1     0   0   .286
  Concepcion pr,dh    0   0   0   0     0   0  1.000      Armas rf              4   0   2   1     0   1   .268
Porter c              4   0   0   0     0   0   .262      Essian c              4   0   0   0     0   0   .237
Quirk 3b              4   0   0   0     0   1   .272      Newman 1b             4   0   0   0     0   0   .225
Hurdle rf             4   1   2   0     0   0   .295      Klutts 3b             4   1   2   0     0   0   .240
LaCock 1b             3   1   2   1     1   0   .210      McKay 2b              4   0   2   0     0   0   .247
Washington ss         4   1   1   0     0   0   .272      Picciolo ss           3   0   0   0     0   0   .240
Splittorff p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Davis ph            1   0   1   0     0   0   .215
  Quisenberry p       0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Kingman p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               36   4   8   3     3   4             Totals               37   3  11   2     0   2

Time of Game: 2:20   Attendance: 10,756
Left on Base: Royals 8, A's 7
DP: Royals 0, A's 1
Errors: Hurdle, Newman, McKay
Doubles: Hurdle (28), White (19), McKay (15)
Home Runs: LaCock (1)
Stolen Bases: Wathan (15)
Caught Stealing: Henderson (22)
GIDP: Hurdle (10)


Royals                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Splittorff W(12-10)     7     7   2   1   0   1   0  27   4.16
Quisenberry SV(33)      2     4   1   1   0   1   0  10   3.19
Totals                  9    11   3   2   0   2   0  37

A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Kingman L(7-18)         9     8   4   3   3   4   1  39   3.78
Totals                  9     8   4   3   3   4   1  39

Passed Balls: Essian (3)

Umpires: HP - Jim Evans, 1B - Nick Bremigan, 2B - Jim McKean, 3B - Larry Barnett


ROYALS 1ST: Wilson lined to shortstop; White lined to center;
Wathan walked; Wathan stole second; Aikens grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Royals 0, Athletics
0.

ATHLETICS 1ST: Henderson singled to left; Murphy popped to third
in foul territory; Heath grounded out (pitcher to first)
[Henderson to second]; Armas singled to right [Henderson
scored]; Essian popped to catcher in foul territory; 1 R, 2 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Royals 0, Athletics 1.

ROYALS 2ND: Porter grounded out (first unassisted); Quirk struck
out; Hurdle flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Royals
0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Newman grounded out (shortstop to first); Klutts
singled to right; McKay doubled to right [Klutts scored (error
by Hurdle) (unearned) (no RBI)]; On a bunt Picciolo made an out
to pitcher; Henderson flied out to right; 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E,
1 LOB.  Royals 0, Athletics 2.

ROYALS 3RD: LaCock singled to left; Washington singled to center
[LaCock to second]; Wilson forced LaCock (shortstop to third)
[Washington to second]; Essian allowed a passed ball [Washington
to third, Wilson to second]; White struck out; Wathan walked;
Aikens singled to center [Washington scored, Wilson scored
(unearned), Wathan to third]; Porter grounded out (pitcher to
first); 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Royals 2, Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 3RD: Murphy flied out to left; Heath lined to third;
Armas struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Royals 2, Athletics 2.

ROYALS 4TH: Quirk grounded out (second to first); Hurdle doubled
to right; LaCock grounded out (second to first) [Hurdle to
third]; Washington reached on an error by McKay [Hurdle scored
(no RBI)]; Wilson was called out on strikes; 1 R, 1 H, 1 E, 1
LOB.  Royals 3, Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 4TH: Essian popped to shortstop; Newman grounded out
(third to first); Klutts lined to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Royals 3, Athletics 2.

ROYALS 5TH: White doubled to left; Wathan grounded out (third to
first) [White to third]; Aikens grounded out (pitcher to first);
Porter grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Royals 3, Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 5TH: McKay lined to pitcher; Picciolo flied out to
center; Henderson singled to left; Henderson was caught stealing
second (catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Royals 3,
Athletics 2.

ROYALS 6TH: Quirk reached on an error by Newman; On a bunt
Hurdle grounded into a double play (pitcher to shortstop to
second) [Quirk out at second]; LaCock homered; Washington flied
out to center; 1 R, 1 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Royals 4, Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Murphy grounded out (second to first); On a bunt
Heath grounded out (catcher to first); Armas grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Royals 4, Athletics 2.

ROYALS 7TH: Wilson struck out; White flied out to center; Wathan
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Royals
4, Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 7TH: Essian grounded out (shortstop to first); On a
bunt Newman grounded out (third to first); Klutts singled to
left; McKay singled to center [Klutts to second]; Picciolo flied
out to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Royals 4, Athletics 2.

ROYALS 8TH: Aikens singled to right; CONCEPCION RAN FOR AIKENS;
Porter forced Concepcion (first to shortstop); Quirk lined to
center; Hurdle singled to right [Porter to third, Hurdle to
second (on throw to 3b)]; LaCock walked; Washington forced
LaCock (shortstop unassisted); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Royals 4,
Athletics 2.

ATHLETICS 8TH: CONCEPCION STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING DH);
QUISENBERRY REPLACED SPLITTORFF (PITCHING); Henderson singled to
center; Murphy grounded out (third to first) [Henderson to
second]; GROSS BATTED FOR HEATH; Gross singled to right
[Henderson scored]; Armas singled to center [Gross to second];
Essian lined to center; Newman flied to right in foul territory;
1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Royals 4, Athletics 3.

ROYALS 9TH: GROSS STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING DH); Wilson flied out
to right; White flied out to right; Wathan flied out to center;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Royals 4, Athletics 3.

ATHLETICS 9TH: Klutts grounded out (shortstop to first); McKay
grounded out (second to first); DAVIS BATTED FOR PICCIOLO; Davis
singled to center; Henderson struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Royals 4, Athletics 3.