Kansas City Royals one game from World Series after 2-1 win
By Jake Misener
With timely hitting, sound defense and another stellar bullpen performance, the Kansas City Royals moved within one with of the World Series on Tuesday, pushing the Baltimore Orioles to the brink of elimination with a 2-1 win at Kauffman Stadium.
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Back-to-back doubles by Steve Pearce and the recently-extended J.J. Hardy against Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie put Baltimore ahead 1-0 early, but it would prove to be the only run Buck Showalter‘s team would manage on the night. Meanwhile the Kansas City right-hander pitched five solid innings of one-run ball, surrendering just three hits, while walking and striking out a pair.
The Royals offense got started in the bottom of the fourth against Baltimore southpaw Wei-Yin Chen, who pitched into the sixth before being lifted. Back-to-back one-out singles by Lorenzo Cain, who is hitting .667 in the series, and Eric Hosmer got things started, before a walk to Billy Butler loaded the bases, setting up the potential inning-ending double play. Alex Gordon followed with a ground ball in the hole between first and second, and the only play for Baltimore was to first, retiring Gordon and giving the Royals their first run of the contest.
In the bottom of the sixth, Norichika Aoki singled to lead off the frame before being lifted for pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson. Chen struck out the next batter he faced swinging, but a single by Hosmer that advanced Dyson to third with one out ended the lefty’s night. Kevin Gausman entered to face Butler, who delivered what proved to be the game-winning sacrifice fly.
Kansas City relievers Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland yet again shut the door on the Royals’ opponent, giving the club an opportunity to clinch the American League pennant in front of 40,000-plus at home on Wednesday. The save was Holland’s fourth of the postseason.
No Orioles hitter tallied more than a single hit – the team managed just three, as a whole, on the night. However, both teams left four men on base and struck out five times in a game that was dominated by pitching and defense – capped with an outstanding play by Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas in the top of the sixth inning, when he fell over the third base dugout railing to pull in a foul ball off the bat of center fielder Adam Jones.