Yankee Bats Clobber Kansas City, 7-1

The New York Yankees followed Monday's mind-blowing 5-4 victory over the Red Sox by pummeling Kansas City pitchers for 16 hits as they downed the Royals, 7-1, to take a 1-0 lead in the American League playoffs last night in Kansas City.

Every batter in the Yankee lineup had at least one hit as the Yankees jumped on Kansas City starter Dennis Leonard (22-17) for two hits in each of the first four innings before he gave way to a series of equally ineffective relievers in the fifth.

Reggie Jackson, who hit the home run that ended the Red Sox' season on Monday, iced the victory with a three-run blast to right-center field off Royal relief ace Al Hrabosky in the eighth.

Ivy Leaguer

Rookie right-handers Jim Beattie and Ken Clay combined to totally shut down the vaunted Royals' hitting attack, allowing just two hits. Beattie (6-9), who graduated from Dartmouth just two years ago, did not allow a hit until Al Cowens led off the Kansas City fifth with a loop single to center.

Beattie, whose mound appearance in the opener had been a major source of concern for the Yanks before the game, retired the next three batters in order before George Brett led off the next inning with a bouncer up the middle that he stretched into a double when Mickey Rivers nonchalantly fielded the ball.

When Beattie walked Amos Otis and Pete LaCock to load the bases, Yankee manager Bob Lemon went to his star-studded bullpen and came up with the untested Clay. Clay allowed a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Royal designated hitter Hal McRae and then went on to no-hit the A.L. West champs for the rest of the game.

Belting Baseballs

The Yankees, meanwhile, were busy belting baseballs to every part of plush Royals Stadium. After surviving first inning singles by Thurman Munson and Jackson when Graig Nettles' 400-foot drive to deep center was caught, Leonard promptly got himself in trouble in the second by serving up a curveball that the black bat of Roy White ripped down the right field line for a double. Monday's hero, Bucky Dent, then singled White home and the Yanks were on their way.

The Yanks picked up another run in the third when Jackson delivered his second of three hits, a double, and scored when Nettles hammered a triple off the wall in the right field corner.

After New York right fielder Lou Piniella singled to open the fifth, Kansas City manager Whitey Herzog lifted Leonard in favor of Steve Mingori.

Mingori then allowed RBI singles to Chris Chambliss and Brian Doyle (filling in for the injured Willie Randolph at second base) as the New Yorkers increased tveir lead to four runs. Mingori lasted until the eighth, when a one-out single by speedy Mickey Rivers and a two-out safety by Piniella sent him to the showers.

Herzog then brought in Hrabosky, "the Mad Hungarian," who had been the ace in the K.C. bullpen since being obtained from St. Louis at the start of the season in a trade for last year's Yankee victim, Mark Littell.

Hrabosky fired one fastball past the swinging Jackson before the roof caved in. Last year's World Series hero delivered Hrabosky's second offering to the promised land just in front of the multicolored waterfalls in right-center field, scoring pinch runner Paul Blair and ex-Royal Piniella as well as himself.

It was a suitable ending for Jackson's perfect night at the plate (3 for 3, two walks). His only sour moment came in the seventh, when he got picked off second base while trying to get a good jump on a missed bunt by Chris Chambliss.