September 28, 1976 A’s drive in high gear, Bando and Rudi instrumental in 1-0 win over K.C. “The Oakland A’s refuse to say they’ve got the Kansas City Royals on the run. Yet. The 2 1/2-game gap between the A’s and the American League West-leading Royals is the closest the clubs have been since ‘way back on May 4.” “And, Whitey Herzog, the Kansas City manager, now says, ‘This might be the biggest collapse in history.’” “But, Joe Rudi, for one, declares, ‘We’ve still got our backs to the wall, man. We’ve got a long way to go.’” “’We’ve got to win out all five remaining games,’ Manager Chuck Tanner said after his A’s shut out the Royals, 1-0, at the Coliseum,” on this date in 1976.” “Herzog decided after the game that he will send Larry Gura (3-0) against the A’s” in the September 29 series finale. Paul Mitchell (9-6) gets the crucial Oakland assignment.” “The Royals’ manager is deeply disappointed in his troops. ‘I might make some changes in our lineup…’Herzog said. ‘It’s pathetic when you think of the lead we had,’ he added.” “Back on Aug. 7, Kansas City had a 12 ½-game lead over the A’s.” “’This thing ends when we win or don’t. We’ve still got to win the rest,’ said Sal Bando, whose seventh-inning homer, a real boomer, beat the Royals…” “When Bando came up in the seventh inning in the scoreless game, the last thing on his mind, he claimed later, was hitting a homerun. ‘All I wanted to do was get on base and get something started,’ Sal said.” Bando’s shot landed up in the 10th row of the left field bleachers. It was his 27th homer of the season and his eighth this year against the Royals.” “’That was as big a home run as I’ve hit in a long time because it won the game,’ Bando said.” “Mike Torrez pitched a two-hitter for his fourth shutout of the season. An infield hit by Hal McRae and a ground single to left by Cookie Rojas in the fifth was all Torrez gave up. He was the first to praise Bando and Rudi.” “Rudi perhaps saved the game in the third inning”….when he “ran with his back to the plate to left center to the running track, splashing in the mud, to catch Tom Paquette’s shot over his head.” “Then Rudi threw the ball on one bounce to second base to double off Fred Patek.” “’I knew I had to run like hell to get the ball,’ Rudi said. ‘So I just put down my head and ran. I stretched as far as I could. The ball was on the tip of my glove. It popped up in the air about a foot and I grabbed it.’” “(A's center fielder, Bill) North hollered, ‘second base,’ and I turned around as quick as I could and threw the ball,’” Rudi added. “’It was beautiful. Just super,’” is how Torrez described Rudi’s grab after the game. “The A’s have five games remaining and the Royals have four to play.” After the series finale between the two, the A’s “play three with California and a fourth with Chicago, if it is necessary. The Royals have three with Minnesota.” Ed Schoenfeld – Oakland Tribune