KC Royals: Ten Greatest Moments In Royals History
By John Viril
NUMBER NINE – GEORGE BRETT: THE PINE TAR HOME RUN
In this list, I’ve pretty much focused on moments that blew out my brains with emotion, rather than franchise—or player—milestones. The Pine Tar Game sort breaks that mold a bit, since it’s there because of its now-legendary status in baseball lore.
The Pine Tar Game took place in July, during a season in which the Royals ended up winning a mere 79 games. So it lacked the gravity of October.
Yet, it was a huge moment at the time. The Royals were in New York playing their hated rival New York Yankees. For those of you too young to remember, the Royals and Yankees had squared off in four ALCS series in a period of five years.
The Yankees had won three of those series in a row, before the KC Royals finally beat them in 1980 to make the franchise’s first World Series trip.
Thus, even regular season games between the Royals and Yankees invoked memories from playoff series of the recent past. On July 24, the Royals were 44-45; but only two games out of first.
In the game itself, the Yankees led 3-2 with two outs in the 9th inning. Hal McRae was on 1st base, with George Brett at the plate and Hall-of-Fame reliever Rich “Goose” Gossage on the mound.
Brett takes Gossage deep into left field, much like a rather more famous home run he had hit in the 1980 playoffs, to put the Royals up 5-4.
What happened next is the stuff of baseball legend. Yankee manager Billy Martin challenged how high Brett had smeared Pine Tar on the bat, causing the umpires to rule Brett out and the game over.
Brett came roaring out of the dugout like a redneck who was told he couldn’t have gun racks on his truck. It was one of the great fits in baseball history.
While Brett is spraying chaw all over home plate umpire Tim McClelland, Hall-of-Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry tried to steal the bat so there would be no evidence.
The whole thing ended up with New York City cops chasing down a Royals bat boy in the clubhouse, to secure the now-famous bat.
American League president Lee MacPhail later rule that the home run was valid because Pine Tar did not make the ball fly any farther. He ordered the Royals and Yankees to complete the game at a later date, with the Royals up 5-4 in the top of the 9th.
The Pine Tar Game was circus then, and a legend today, thanks to regular replays on ESPN. It makes my list of great moments, because even as I watched it unfold live on TV, I knew it was bizarre.
Next: October 16, 1985