Royals' starter Andy Hassler had a shutout going for four innings, but Cliff Johnson broke the drought with a home run in the fifth.
McRae, however, barreled into Randolph with a body-block, breaking up the double play attempt and enabling Patek to score the tying run.
At Kauffman Stadium, Dennis Leonard pitched a four-hit complete game to give the Royals a 2–1 series lead.
Next inning, George Brett hit a leadoff single and scored on John Mayberry's RBI double.
New York jumped out to an early 4–0 lead after 2+1⁄2 innings on RBIs by Thurman Munson, Bucky Dent, Mickey Rivers, and Lou Piniella.
The Royals clawed back in the home half of the third when Freddie Patek, having a fine series for himself, tripled and scored on a short fly ball hit by Frank White, barely beating Reggie Jackson's throw to the plate.
At this point, Yankee manager Billy Martin made a gutsy move, bringing in his ace closer and AL Cy Young Award winner, Sparky Lyle.
Given that, Yankee manager Billy Martin decided to sit out Reggie Jackson on the grounds that he was 1-for-15 so far in the series and, in his own words, "can't hit Splittorff."
With the "unhittable" Splittorff out of the game, Martin decided to send Jackson to the plate to hit for Cliff Johnson.
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.
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.
Lyle then retired the Royals in the ninth, the final outs coming when Freddie Patek hit into a double play.