We’re counting down the biggest plays in Kansas City sports history: Today, Nos. 11-15
This week, The Kansas City Star is counting down the 25 biggest sports plays involving our professional, college and high school teams or individuals.
We’re unveiling five a day. These aren’t the best single-game performances or milestones — these are singular moments, the kind where you readily recall where you were and who you were with when you watched them.
Here are plays No. 11-15.
15. Absolutely perfect throw by Bo
A piece of trivia for Kansas City fans: What umpire was at home plate to call out Seattle’s Harold Reynolds after Royals left fielder Bo Jackson’s 300-foot throw to the plate?
It’s a trick question: No one.
Even the umpires didn’t expect Jackson to attempt a throw home, and all four had rotated to cover other areas. Reynolds, who was running on the pitch, seemingly should have scored on the double by Scott Bradley.
“It’s going to be up to Bo Jackson to try to stop Harold Reynolds from scoring,” the TV announcer said. “He can’t do it ... yes, he can! I don’t believe it! He made an absolutely perfect throw!”
MLB.com rated Jackson’s throw as one of the best in Major League Baseball history earlier this year.
“You know, I look back on it now,” Reynolds told the Los Angeles Times in 1994, “and it’s still hard for me to believe it happened.”
What makes the play even more amazing is when it happened. The Mariners and Royals were tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning at the Kingdome. Jackson saved the day with his throw, and the Royals would eventually win 5-3 in 13 innings.
“What he left out was how much trash he was talking, because when he was jogging off the field, he was blowing his finger like it was a gun,” Reynolds recalled in 2018. “Yeah, I got you.”
14. Montana magic ends skid at Mile High
The stage was set. Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Joe Montana and John Elway facing off with Elway never having lost to the Chiefs in Denver. Kansas City’s losing streak at Mile High Stadium was 11, and when Elway took it in himself to give the Broncos a 28-24 lead with 1:22 remaining, he looked poised to make it an even dozen.
The Chiefs were 75 yards from the end zone and needed a touchdown. They needed the type of drive Elway always seemed to produce against KC. But Montana reversed the fortune, and his 5-yard pass to Willie Davis, who tip-toed inside the front pylon with 8 seconds remaining, was the winner in a 31-28 outcome that stands among the greatest regular-season victories in team history.
“It was the best regular-season game I can remember,” announcer Al Michaels told The Star’s Randy Covitz in 2013.
13. World’s fastest human is from KC
In 1999, Kansas City’s Maurice Greene became the world’s fastest human when he covered the 100 meters in 9.79 seconds. It was the second of his three straight top finishes in the 100 at the World Championships. But Greene’s biggest moment came in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Starting from Lane 5, Greene was the favorite. Four years earlier, at the Olympics in Atlanta, he watched the 100 final from the stands, in tears, after failing to qualify. In 2000, the Olympic 100 was Greene’s to lose. He made sure that didn’t happen by accelerating in the middle and running away from Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago. The former Schlagle High star and seven-time Kansas high school individual track champion had won the race of his life.
“In Atlanta, there were tears of sadness,” Greene said after the race. “But tonight there were tears of joy, tears of just thanking God that it was all over with.”
12. That time Mahomes’ biggest play was a run
The strong and accurate right arm of Patrick Mahomes has delivered a 50-touchdown, 5,000-yard passing season and led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl comeback triumph. He can also do damage with his legs, as the Tennessee Titans learned in the AFC Championship Game.
The setup: The Chiefs trailed 17-14 when Mahomes took the snap from the Titans’ 27 with 23 seconds left in the first half. Kansas City was in field-goal range for the tie, but Mahomes had another idea. He dropped back and was flushed left. Time to run. Mahomes eluded one diving tackle attempt and head-faked his way out of the next hit.
Tight-roping down the sideline, Mahomes met his next resistance at the 5. But he power-twirled through three defenders and fell into the end zone.
The call from CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz: “Oh what a run! Out of this world!”
The Chiefs had the go-ahead score and pretty soon after that their first AFC championship.
11. Hosmer’s mad dash stuns Mets in World Series
When Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer turned to run home, he was guaranteed to be a part of World Series lore whether he was safe or out.
The Royals trailed the Mets 2-1 with one out in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, and Hosmer was at third base. Salvador Perez hit a grounder that David Wright gloved. Wright glanced at Hosmer, then turned to throw to first.
Hosmer took off for the plate and would have been out had Mets first baseman Lucas Duda made a good throw home. But bless his heart, Duda’s throw was wide of the mark and the Royals tied the game.
Instead of taking a 3-2 Series lead back to Kansas City, the Royals had stayed alive thanks to Hosmer’s daring decision and won in 12 innings, wrapping up a World Series championship.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 9:09 AM.