4/20/84: And your early front-runner for AL MVP is...

There's an early front-runner for MVP in the American League and his name is... 

Steve Balboni.

The Kansas City first baseman continued his excellent start to the season by going 3-4 with a double, single and his 7th homer of the year in a 10-5 KC victory over the Indians in front of the usual sparse crowd at Cleveland Stadium. 

The Royals started impressively in the 1st off Neal Heaton on a single/stolen base by Onix Concepion. After advancing to 3rd on a fly out by Darryl Motley, Concepion walked home on the front end of back-to-back home runs by Frank White. Hal McRae supplied the back end and Balboni nearly made it back-to-back-to-back on a double that just hit the base of the wall. Leon Roberts, making a rare start, got Balboni home with a triple, capping off the 4-run 1st.

The Tribe got on the warpath in the 3rd off Larry Gura on a leadoff single by Ron Hassey, who then advanced to 2nd on an error by Concepion at short, George Vukovich reaching. After Otis Nixon reached on a FC to 3rd, Hassey advancing to 3rd. Brett Butler doubled home Hassey, Nixon to 3rd. Tony Bernazard then blasted a 3-run homer, tying the score at 4.

The Royals regained the lead in the 5th on a leadoff single by Frank White who stole 2nd and scored on a Hal McRae single. Steve Balboni singled McRae to 3rd, McRae then scoring on a Leon Roberts DP to short. The Indians pulled to within 1 in their half of the inning on a leadoff walk by Brett Butler, who stole 2nd and scored on a double by Julio Franco.

Greg Pryor chased Heaton with a solo homer in the top of the 6th, extending the Royals lead to 7-5. Then in the 7th, back-to-back singles by White and McRae leading off the inning turned into the type of thing that usually fuels early MVP races: A 3-run Bye-Bye by Balboni, making the remaining 40 fans leave the stadium. Royals 10, Indians 5.

Balboni: .327 (17-52) 7 homers, 15 RBI, 6 doubles.

KCR 10-17-2 CLE 5-9-0 WP-Gura LP-Heaton HR-White, McRae, Bernazard, Balboni KCR 10-3 CLE 4-8

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