October 16, 1985: Sundberg’s triple ends Toronto’s first postseason

Jim Sundberg’s drive reached the top of Exhibition Stadium’s right-field fence and stayed in play. By the time Toronto could return the ball, three Kansas City runners had scored and the Royals were close to finishing a comeback that the old playoff format would never have allowed.

On October 16, 1985, Kansas City beat the Blue Jays 6-2 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Sundberg drove in four runs, and the Royals completed three consecutive victories after falling behind three games to one.¹

Toronto had won 99 regular-season games and reached the postseason for the first time. The championship series had expanded from best-of-five to best-of-seven that year. The Blue Jays’ third victory left them one win short of the pennant; under the previous rules, it would have ended the series.²

The setting was Exhibition Stadium, the Blue Jays’ home before their 1989 move to SkyDome. Canada had hosted postseason baseball when Montreal reached the playoffs in 1981, but Toronto was seeking its own first pennant. Bobby Cox, who became Blue Jays manager in 1982, had brought the club to a division title with a core that included Stieb and outfielders Jesse Barfield and George Bell.²

Dave Stieb started the deciding game for Toronto on three days’ rest. Kansas City countered with Bret Saberhagen, but a first-inning comebacker struck Saberhagen’s pitching hand. He completed three scoreless innings before Charlie Leibrandt took over to begin the fourth.³

Pat Sheridan had already helped Kansas City build a lead. He bunted for a second-inning single, advanced on Steve Balboni’s groundout and scored when Sundberg singled. Sheridan then homered with two outs in the fourth, making it 2-0. Those were his two hits of the night, and he would finish with three runs scored.¹

Willie Upshaw’s fifth-inning double brought Toronto within a run. The sixth began with Kansas City ahead 2-1, close enough for one more Blue Jays rally to change the game. After Willie Wilson flied out, George Brett walked and Hal McRae was hit by a pitch.

Sheridan’s grounder forced Brett at third for the second out. Stieb then walked Balboni, loading the bases for Sundberg. The catcher drove the ball toward right, where the wind helped carry it beyond Jesse Barfield’s reach. It struck the fence and came back onto the field for a triple. McRae and Sheridan scored, followed by Balboni. Kansas City led 5-1.³

Bobby Cox brought in Jim Acker, and Frank White singled Sundberg home. The Royals had turned an inning containing two hits into four runs. Stieb was charged with six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. Acker allowed no further scoring over the remaining 3 1/3.¹

Leibrandt carried Kansas City into the ninth before Dan Quisenberry recorded the last two outs. Toronto scored once in that inning but finished with nine runners left on base. The Blue Jays and Royals each had eight hits; Kansas City had made its biggest opportunity count.

Brett received the ALCS Most Valuable Player award after batting .348 with three home runs. His decisive Game 3 had included four hits, two of them homers, when the Royals were already trailing two games to none. In Game 7 he went hitless in three at-bats with a walk, while Sundberg supplied the scoring that settled the pennant. The catcher finished the series with six RBI despite batting .167.⁴

Kansas City’s second American League championship sent the Royals into a World Series against St. Louis. Toronto’s first postseason ended at home, after a third victory had placed the franchise within one game of taking the World Series into Canada.⁵