With apparently very little confidence in regular closer Mark Littell, who struggled in 1977, Royals manager Whitey Herzog sent Game 3 stopper Dennis Leonard out to preserve the lead in the ninth. Leonard, unaccustomed to short relief, yielded a bloop single to Paul Blair and walked Roy White (pinch hitting for Bucky Dent) with no outs. Herzog, going with percentages, replaced Leonard with another normal starter, left-hander Larry Gura. The strategy backfired as Gura gave up a game-tying RBI single to Mickey Rivers, with White reaching third. Herzog then brought in Littell, who retired Willie Randolph on a deep drive to center as White tagged and scored the go-ahead run. Munson was retired, but Piniella hit a grounder to third that Brett threw away at first, scoring Rivers with the final run.