KANSAS CITY -- Perhaps the most famous call in Royals broadcasting history wasn¡¯t the slight bit planned.
The scene was Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, and the Royals were about to close out a dramatic comeback from being down three games to one to the Cardinals. The Royals had just erupted for six runs in the fifth inning, taking a commanding 11-0 lead.
With the game¡¯s outcome virtually decided, along with the Royals¡¯ first World Series title, there was nothing left to do but wait. And count the outs remaining.
That¡¯s exactly what Hall of Fame Royals broadcaster Denny Matthews did: He simply counted the outs on air.
In the ninth inning, as Bret Saberhagen was finishing off a five-hit shutout, Matthews went from ¡°two outs to go¡± to ¡°one out to go¡± to finally ¡°[Darryl] Motley going back, to the track. No outs to go! The Royals have won the 1985 World Series!¡±
And Matthews remembers starting the out progression several innings earlier.
¡°It was probably about the seventh inning,¡± he said. ¡°I remember saying ¡®eight outs to go¡¯ and ¡®seven outs to go¡¯ and so on.¡±
Matthews said he had never done an outs countdown before, nor did he ever do it afterward.
¡°It¡¯s not something you think about the night before,¡± he said, "but the thing is, everybody was trying to run out the clock and get on with the party.
¡°The game lacked drama because of the big lead. There was no suspense. There was just that buildup, that anticipation of counting down the outs until everyone could celebrate.¡±
Little did Matthews know that ¡°No outs to go!¡± became synonymous and then synced with every highlight associated with that championship.
¡°I didn¡¯t know anything about that call until I heard it while watching a highlight on the stadium scoreboard when I got here in ¡¯99,¡± broadcasting partner Ryan Lefebvre said. ¡°That¡¯s how I knew about it. And, of course, Royals fans have heard it so many times over the years.¡±
Matthews and Lefebvre were involved in the next great call in Royals history, the one that capped the 2015 World Series-clinching Game 5 win over the Mets.
The backstory on it: Because the game went into extra innings, Matthews and Lefebvre traded innings after the ninth. In the fateful 12th inning, it was Lefebvre¡¯s turn for the play-by-play.
But after the Royals scored five in the top of the inning, Lefebvre wondered if Matthews would want to call the final three outs -- a nice, sentimental bookend to the 1985 call. Lefebvre looked over toward Matthews for any kind of a sign.
¡°Denny was just scribbling notes on his scorecard,¡± Lefebvre recalled.
Lefebvre leaned over and whispered, ¡°Denny, are you OK if I call the final three outs?¡±
Matthews, somewhat puzzled by the query, replied, ¡°Of course. It¡¯s your inning. That¡¯s the way we¡¯ve always done it.¡±
¡°And then he went on scribbling notes on his scorecard, like it was no big deal,¡± Lefebvre said, laughing.
Several minutes later, closer Wade Davis pumped a fastball past Wilmer Flores, and Lefebvre blared, ¡°Strike three called! It¡¯s over! They¡¯ve done it! The Royals are World Series champions!¡±