1976 ALCS: The Yankee-Royal Rivalry Begins

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The 1976 American League Championship Series was a study in contrasts. The New York Yankees were Major League Baseball’s most storied franchise, from the biggest market in the country. The Kansas City Royals had just been born in 1969, a small-market team from the Midwest. These unlikely sparring partners came together at the 1976 ALCS and not only played an epic series but ushered in a new era and a great October rivalry.

You can read more about the season-long journeys that the Yankees and Royals took to reach the postseason, and about their key players, at the links below. This article will focus squarely on the games of what was then a best-of-five League Championship Series.

Homefield advantage was done on a rotation basis. This year, the rotation called for the first two games to be played in Kansas City with the balance of the series being in New York. So, we were at Royals Stadium on a Saturday afternoon for Game 1.

CATFISH IN COMMAND

The Yankees sent the great Catfish Hunter to the mound to face Royal lefty Larry Gura. With considerable help from the home team, New York struck quickly.

Mickey Rivers opened the game by beating out an infield hit and then taking second on a throwing error by third baseman George Brett. Consecutive walks loaded the bases with no one out.

Gura struck out Lou Piniella and induced Chris Chambliss to hit a grounder to third. Brett took the forceout at third base, but then made his second error of the inning on the throw attempting to get the double play. Two runs scored and New York was on top.

Meanwhile, Catfish was locked in and he retired the first ten batters he faced. Brett singled in the fourth inning, but he was promptly caught stealing, so Hunter had still faced the minimum number of batters.

Gura was also locked in and the score stayed 2-0. Brett singled again in the seventh. For the first time all afternoon, Hunter had to face four batters in an inning, but the shutout stayed on the board.

In the bottom of the eighth, Al Cowens led off with a triple and then scored on an RBI groundout. Despite having been shut down all day, Kansas City was within 2-1. With two outs, speedy Freddy Patek singled. But his attempt to steal and get into scoring position was unsuccessful. The Yankees held their lead.

New York took out some insurance in the top of the ninth. Fred Stanley and Rivers both singled, and Roy White doubled both in. It was 4-1 and that’s how it ended, with Hunter putting the finishing touches on a complete-game five-hitter.

THE ROYALS STRIKE BACK

Kansas City now had to play with desperation in Sunday night’s Game 2. And they immediately got after Yankee starter Ed Figueroa. Jim Wohlford and Cowens opened the home half of the first with base hits, setting up runners on the corners with none out. Brett’s sacrifice fly produced a run, and a two-out double by Tom Poquette produced another. The Royals had staked Dennis Leonard to a 2-0 lead.

Thurman Munson had an immediate response for New York in the top of the second, lining a double down the left field line. After a walk, Oscar Gamble singled and cut the lead to 2-1. There were runners on first and second with none out. Leonard got Randolph to hit a groundball to Patek at short who turned it into a 6-6-3 double play.

But Leonard couldn’t get settled in. In the top of the third with one out, Roy White and Munson hit consecutive doubles to tie the game and Chambliss singled to put the Yanks up 3-2. With virtually no margin for error, K.C. manager Whitey Herzog showed a quick hook. He summoned lefty Paul Splitorff, normally a starter, to come out of the bullpen.

Splittorff got lefty hitters in Nettles and Gamble to end the inning and keep his team in the game. Figueroa had also settled down and the 3-2 score held until the bottom of the sixth. That’s when Brett got a rally going with a leadoff triple and quickly scored the tying run on John Mayberry’s base hit. Poquette came through with another RBI double. The Royals had a 4-3 lead, and Figueroa was gone.

Kansas City missed a chance to get some insurance in the seventh when Cowens reached on an error, stole second and took third on a throwing error. But on a ground ball to first, Chambliss cut down Cowens at the plate. New York was still very much in the game.

Not for long though. In the bottom of the eighth, Poquette worked a one-out walk. Consecutive singles by Frank White, Patek and Buck Martinez, with a throwing error mixed in, produced three runs. The Royals had broken in it open and won 7-3. Splittorff had pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball and Steve Mingori came out of the pen to close it in the ninth.

BROADWAY LIGHTS

Game 3 marked the return of postseason baseball to the Bronx for the first time since the 1964 World Series, a dry spell that seemed like an eternity for a franchise accustomed to success. Dock Ellis would pitch this pivotal game for New York, facing Kansas City lefty Andy Hassler.

If the Royals were intimidated by the bright lights of Broadway, it didn’t show. Wohlford started the game with a single, then stole second and then scored on Brett’s one-out base hit. Mayberry singled, moving Brett to third, where he scored on Hal McRae’s sac fly. After a passed ball, Poquette had another big two-out extra base hit, doubling in Mayberry for a quick 3-0 lead.

Hassler cruised through three innings, got the first two outs in the bottom of the fourth, and then ran into trouble. Pinella doubled. Then Chambliss began putting his imprint on this series, hitting a home run that cut the lead to 3-2.

Ellis was settled in, and that score held to the bottom of the sixth. Roy White worked a leadoff walk and moved to third when Munson followed him with a double. With the go-ahead run now in scoring position, Herzog removed Hassler for Marty Pattin. It was an interesting decision, because Pattin was only in the game long enough to issue an intention walk, at which point Tom Hall came in.

Chambliss hit a ground ball to second. Kansas City got a force out at second, but the tying run came in and there were still runners on first and third. Nettles dumped a single to left-center that put New York in the lead. Herzog tried another pitcher, this time bringing in Mingori. No luck. Elliot Maddox doubled to make it 5-3. Whitey again emerged from the dugout, this time summoning Mark Littell.

Littell, the fourth Kansas City pitcher of the inning, held the Yankees there and kept it a game. But it was too late. After his first inning troubles, Ellis completely settled down and rolled through eight innings. Sparky Lyle closed it out. With the 5-3 win, the Yankees were on the verge of a pennant.

K.C. HOOKS CATFISH

A late afternoon Game 4 was a rematch between Catfish and Gura, with pitching on three days’ rest (including the travel day between Games 2 & 3) considered the norm in this era, particularly at this time of year.

With their season on the line, the Royals again struck early. In the top of the second, Mayberry drew a leadoff walk. With two outs, Cookie Rojas kept the inning alive with a base hit. Patek doubled to score both runs, and the scored in a single from Buck Martinez. Kansas City gave themselves some early breathing room with a 3-zip lead.

Yankee power quickly got some of that back. Chambliss and Nettles homered in the bottom of the second to make it 3-2. With one out, Randolph and Fred Stanley singled. Gura bore down and got Rivers and Roy White to end the inning. But when the bottom of the third began with a leadoff walk to Munson there was no more rope left for the Royal starter. Doug Bird came out of the bullpen and retained the 3-2 lead.

Catfish didn’t last much longer. After his Game 1 dominance, Kansas City had his number here. McRae led off the top of the fourth with a double and Quirk tripled. It was 4-2 and Yankee manager Billy Martin called for Dick Tidrow. Rojas’ sac fly picked up Quirk and it was 5-2.

McRae continued to hit in the sixth, ripping a one-out triple and scoring on a sac fly to extend the lead to 6-2. In the top of the seventh, New York helped start a Kansas City rally when Tidrow, and then reliever Grant Jackson, combined to issue three straight walks with two outs. But Jackson got Mayberry to pop up and end the inning.

The Yankees tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh. With out, Gamble doubled. After an errant pickoff throw moved him to third, Gamble scored on an RBI groundout by Randolph. With two outs, Elrod Hendricks and Rivers singled. It was 6-3, and the tying run was at the plate. Bird, having given 4 2/3 innings of strong work with his team’s season in the balance gave way to Mingori, who got Roy White to fly out.

Kansas City added a run with two outs in the eighth, as Rojas singled and then scored on a Patek double. In the bottom of the ninth, Nettles hit his second home run of the game. But the Royals had the 7-4 win. Thursday night would be a winner-take-all Game 5 in the Bronx.

CHAMBLISS, BRETT & CHAOS

Leonard and Figueroa rematched for the decisive game, but it was both offenses making early statements. For the fourth straight game, Kansas City went to a quick lead. Brett doubled with two outs in the top of the first, Mayberry homered and it was 2-zip. But in the bottom of the frame, Rivers led off with a triple and scored on Roy White’s single. White stole second and moved to third when Munson singled to left and took second on the throw to third.

Herzog had already seen enough. He came out of the dugout and summoned Splittorff. Before getting an out, Leonard would get a shower. Chambliss was able to tie the game with a sac fly, but Splittorff halted the damage there. And Kansas City reclaimed the lead right back in the top of the second when Rojas singled with one out, stole second and scored on a two-out hit by Buck Martinez.

Fast early action continued in the bottom of the third. In short order, Rivers singled, Roy White walked, and Munson singled. It was 3-3, there were runners on the corners, and none were out. Chambliss picked up the go-ahead run with an RBI groundball to give New York a 4-3 lead.

The Yankees threatened to blow it open in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs. Pattin came out of the K.C. bullpen and got Munson to fly to left. Another New York chance was missed in the fifth. Now facing Hassler, Chambliss doubled. Carlos May and Nettles couldn’t move him up. Two walks again loaded the bases. Fred Stanley hit a line drive—that went at Frank White. The Royals were flirting with danger, but still only trailed 4-3 after five.

But New York kept the pressure on. Rivers dropped down a bunt to open the sixth and beat it out. Roy White bunted him up to second. Munson’s single pushed the lead to 5-3, even though Thurman would be thrown out trying to take second. Chambliss promptly singled and stole second. Brett made his third costly error of the series to allow the run. It was 6-3, Figueroa was settled in, and the Yankees could taste the champagne.

In the top of the eighth, Cowens led off with a single. Martin called for Grant Jackson out of the bullpen. Wohlford singled. Brett came to the plate. In a curious decision, Martin let Jackson, an inferior reliever to both Tidrow and fellow lefthander Lyle, pitch to Brett. The decision didn’t work. Brett unloaded a massive three-run blast that stunned the crowd and tied the game 6-6.

Neither team scored their next time at bat, and it was still at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth. We had reached that point of October baseball where every pitch seems like history waiting to happen. Littell, who had come on with two outs in the seventh, was pitching for Kansas City. Chambliss came to the plate.

The Yankee first baseman delivered a moment for the ages. He launched a home run to right-centerfield. The crowd stormed the field. The lasting image of the game was Chambliss fighting his way to round the bases through the mob. New York’s 7-6 win sent them to the World Series.

THE HEROES

There was no ALCS MVP award officially given out until 1980, but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out who would have won it. Chambliss’ blast concluded a series where he batted 11-for-21, drove in eight runs and stole two bases. Other Yankee heroes included Munson, who had ten hits over the five games and Rivers, who had eight. The top of the New York lineup was constantly creating action throughout this series.

Kansas City had their own heroes. Brett had eight hits and a home run that remains memorable, even if it didn’t ultimately lead to victory. Patek had seven hits and was a consistent contributor. Splittorff’s two appearances in long relief resulted in 9 1/3 innings and just two runs allowed.

A RIVALRY BEGINS

The Yankee magic of 1976 ended here. Cincinnati’s great Big Red Machine was too good, and the Reds swept the Yanks out of the World Series.

But New York would be back. And so would Kansas City. This was the first of four ALCS meetings these two franchises would have over the next five years. And it was the first of two ultra-dramatic Game 5s. The Yankees got another ninth-inning win in the decisive game of the 1977 ALCS, going on to win the World Series. A tense four-game affair in 1978 ended with another New York pennant and later, World Series crown. In 1980, it was Kansas City’s turn, as the Royals reached their first Fall Class.

The Yankees and Royals made a lot of lasting memories for baseball fans in the late 1970s, and it began with the events of the 1976 ALCS.