World Series GAME 1 - "A Gr8 Tart to it all" - Royals 8, Giants 7

10/20

GAME 1 – Royals Stadium

G.Perry vs Saberhagen

Royals 8, Giants 7

Opening night jitters had a profound effect on both Perry and Sabes as both were victimized for 7 runs and neither made it out of the 5^th inning.  Larry Gura (3.1 IP / 0 R) was the unsung hero for the Royals bailing out Sabes and giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks during his scoreless stint.  The Jints struck early when the Say Hey kid blasted a one out 2 run shot in the top of the first.  KC answered back with a pair of RBI singles in the bottom of the second.  San Fran almost scored another in the second when Bonds sliced a double down the RF line, but Al Cowens hit Frank White with a strike and White one hopped one home to Darrell Porter, who blocked the plate and swiped the tag on Tito Fuentes to end the inning.  This run would loom large as the game went on.  San Fran posted a 3 spot in the 3^rd to go up 5-2, but the Royals answered back with a huge 5 run 5^th that involved a lot of small ball.  Cowens’ 2 run single was the biggest hit in an inning that saw 5 singles, 2 walks a wild pitch and 2 SB’s.  Lots of moving parts and when the dust cleared the home team was up 7-5, but that wasn’t destined to last long.  In the top of the 6^th Jim Ray Hart singled home Dick Dietz, then scored on a Bobby Bonds knock to tie the game at 7 apiece.  By this time both starters were lathering up the Dial soap.  Neither gave their team anything close to a quality outing.  Thankfully for KC Larry Gura was now on the bump to stop the bleeding.  San Fran got a solid inning and a third from McCormick and a scoreless 8^th from Randy Moffitt.  The Jints threatened in the top of the 9^th with runners on 1^st and 2^nd, but Gura was able to worm his way out of it by getting Fuentes to pop up to Porter behind the dish.  Big John Mayberry led off the bottom of the 9^th with a walk.  Moffitt fanned Cowens for the first out of the inning, which turned out to be the only out of the inning as Danny Tartabull lined a double off the left center wall and Mayberry, who was on the move, raced around the bases to score one step ahead of the relay throw.

Royals lead series 1-0