**Writer's Note: Since watching the 2016 version of the Toronto Blue Jays is so frustrating right now, and it's hard to watch them plummet down the standings, let's look back and remember some happier moments and get back to our best games in franchise history.**
#10: Jays walk off Royals in 10 innings, 1985
Kansas City Royals (5) at Toronto
Blue Jays (6)
Wednesday, October 9, 1985
ALCS Game 2
Exhibition Stadium
 |
| Jays' left fielder, George Bell |
In
their first postseason series in franchise history, the Toronto Blue Jays were
seeking to take a two games to none lead over Kansas City after having won the
opener, 6-1, behind the solid starting pitching of Dave Stieb. With Games 3-5
of the series scheduled for Kansas City, it was important for Toronto to take
the series lead to enemy territory.
The
game took place in front of 34,029 at Exhibition Stadium on a cloudy mid-week
afternoon. The Blue Jays had Jimmy Key starting on the hill while the Royals
countered with Bud Black. Key surrendered two singles in the first but didn’t
allow the Royals to plate a runner, then got the Royals’ batters one-two-three
in the second. Black was perfect through the first two innings, with two
strikeouts.
Kansas
City would dent the dish twice in the top of the third. Light-hitting
shortstop, Buddy Biancalana, singled to lead off the inning, then moved to
second on a ground out. Next up was Willie Wilson, who wasn’t much of a power
threat (he hit four home runs all year) but managed to deposit one of Key’s
offerings over the fence to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. The Royals would add to
the lead in the fourth when Jim Sundberg doubled in Darrell Motley to make the
score 3-0 and knocking Key out of the game.
The
Jays would get one back in their half of the fourth. After left-fielder George
Bell reached base on an error by Kansas City third baseman, George Brett,
designated Cliff Johnson doubled him home to close the gap to two.
Toronto
would then put another rally together in the sixth. With two out, Bell was hit
by a pitch. Johnson followed with a single, and both runners moved up on a wild
pitch by Black. The batter was right-fielder Jesse Barfield and he singled to
centre-field scoring Bell and Lou Thornton, who had come in as a pinch-runner
for Johnson. The game was tied at three.
After
a scoreless seventh, the Jays came to bat in the bottom of the eighth looking
to take the lead. But they would have to do so against Kansas City’s All-Star
closer, Dan Quisenberry. With one out, centre-fielder Lloyd Moseby singled. He
then stole second and moved to third when catcher Jim Sundberg threw the ball
away trying to get Moseby at second. Bell then lofted a flyball to right field
for a sacrifice fly. Toronto had the lead 4-3.
And
they had closer Tom Henke on to finish the game. Henke had pitched the eighth
and was looking to shut down the Royals in the ninth. But Kansas City pinch
hitter Pat Sheridan slugged a home run over the right field fence to tie the
game and when the Jays failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, the game
proceeded to extra innings.
In
the tenth, with Henke still pitching, Wilson singled. Two strikeouts later,
Wilson was on second after stealing the bag. Then Frank White hit a ball to
centre field that was sinking fast. Moseby closed in on the ball, stuck out his
glove and appeared to have snagged the ball before it hit the turf. But second
base umpire, Ted Hendry, said the ball hit the turf before it landed in
Moseby’s glove. Despite Moseby’s—and manager Billy Cox’s—protests, the Royals
had taken a 5-4 lead.
To
the bottom of the inning, and Quisenberry was out for his third inning of work,
trying to nail down a Royals’ victory to tie the series. Shortstop Tony
Fernandez led off with a single, then moved to second on a ground out. Moseby
then singled to right field, scoring Fernandez and tying the game.
Quisenberry
attempted to pick Moseby off of first, but first baseman Steve Balboni missed
the ball and Moseby made it to second safely. After Bell flew out, Al Oliver
delivered the game-winning hit when he singled to left. Moseby scored easily
and the Jays had come back to take Game 2 by a 6-5 score. They now led the
series by two games and were off to Kansas City.
Unfortunately,
we know how it ended up. After splitting the next two games, Kansas City proceeded
to win the final three of the series and come back from a three-games-to-one
deficit and win the American League pennant. They would go on to defeat the St.
Louis Cardinals in seven games to capture their first World Series crown.
It
was the first in a string of disappointments the Blue Jays and their fans would
suffer before finally tasting victory in 1992.
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