KC 4, LAA 1: Hosmer's 2-run blast in the 11th lifts Royals to 2-0 series lead
Eric Hosmer hit a two-run home run in the top of the 11th inning and Yordano Ventura threw seven innings of one-run ball as the Kansas City Royals topped the Los Angeles Angels 4-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five American League Division Series.
One night after Mike Moustakas blasted a solo home run in the 11th inning to give the Royals a 1-0 series lead, Hosmer, who went 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, took a Kevin Jepsen fastball deep to right field with a man on to give Kansas City a 3-1 lead. Three batters later, Salvador Perez drove in Alex Gordon with an infield single to put the Royals up 4-1, setting the stage for closer Greg Holland to slam the door shut with a scoreless bottom half of the frame.
Royals manager Ned Yost masterfully managed his pitching staff without the services of the injured Kelvin Herrera, calling on Wade Davis, Jason Frasor, Brandon Finnegan, and finally Holland to effectively shut down the Angels after getting seven strong innings from rookie starter Ventura. Kansas City relievers combined for four shutout innings, yielding only one hit and one walk.
Angels starter Matt Shoemaker, making his first start since suffering an oblique injury on Sept. 15, was also solid, turning in six innings without surrendering an earned run.
Kansas City became the first team in MLB history to open the postseason with three consecutive extra-innings games.
X-factor
Jarrod Dyson came on as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth inning to play center field, a move that would make Yost look like a genius. With the game tied 1-1, Angels designated hitter C.J. Cron raked the first pitch of the inning down the left field line for a double. Angels manager Mike Scioscia elected to lift Cron from the game following the hit in favor of the much quicker Collin Cowgill. The next batter, Chris Iannetta, followed up Cron's leadoff hit with a deep fly ball to center field, setting up a game-changing event at third base. Cowgill tagged on the fly ball, but Dyson showcased his arm (see video below) by gunning him down at third to kill the Los Angeles rally.
Starting pitchers' lines
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yordano Ventura | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Matt Shoemaker | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Highlights
Dyson's outfield assist in the bottom of the eighth inning:
Hosmer's 11th-inning two-run blast:
Quote of the Night
Jarrod Dyson on his throw: "For him to be going right there, I'm assuming they said I didn't have a good arm."
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) October 4, 2014
Up Next
The Royals will have a chance to finish the Angels off at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday night when staff ace James Shields (14-8, 3.21 ERA) takes the ball opposite Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson (13-10, 4.51 ERA). Of 17 teams to lose back-to-back home games to start a division series, only two have gone on to win the series.