Kansas City Royals walk-off in marathon Wild Card contest

And just like that, postseason baseball is back. And it’s nothing short of spectacular.

With the winning run on second base in the bottom of the 12th inning, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who was 0-for-5 on the night, lined a sharp ground ball down the third base line, just inches from the glove of diving Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson, propelling the home team to an unthinkable 9-8 come-from-behind win in the organization’s first postseason action in 29 years.

Eric Hosmer, who was once regarded as the face of the Kansas City franchise, got things rolling in the inning with a one-out triple that dropped between Sam Fuld and Jonny Gomes in left-center field. Christian Colon followed with a game-tying chopper to third, pulling the Royals (1-0) back from the brink of elimination. Two batters later, Perez delivered, extending the Athletics’ streak of losses in do-or-die postseason action, which dates back to Game 7 of the 1973 World Series against the New York Mets.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, and on a night when starting pitching was supposed to dominate – both clubs’ offenses were on full display.

Brandon Moss backed Oakland starter Jon Lester before he even set foot on the hill, clubbing a two-out, two-run shot to right field. Kansas City answered in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Billy Butler, putting runners at the corners. Butler then coincidentally ended the inning by leading off first just a little too far, which started a rundown that ultimately concluded with Hosmer being thrown out at the plate, preserving a 2-1 Oakland advantage.

Heading into the bottom of the third, Derek Norris replaced Geovany Soto who left the game with a reported left thumb injury. Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain tied the game with an RBI double down the third base line, scoring Mike Moustakas. Hosmer then singled on a soft fly ball to left, scoring Cain and pulling the Royals ahead, 3-2.

In the top of the sixth, things got interesting. After a Fuld single and walk to Donaldson, Kansas City skipper Ned Yost decided to pull the plug on starter James Shields, bringing in Yordano Ventura – a move that proved costly. Moss stepped up to the plate and took Ventura way back with a three-run homer to dead center, making it a 5-3 Athletics lead. A pair of RBI singles – one off the bat of Josh Reddick and the other off the bat of leadoff man Coco Crisp – added two more runs in the inning, extending the Oakland advantage to 7-3.

Shields was charged with four earned on five hits in just five innings of work. He issued a pair of walks and struck out six in his first postseason start as a member of the Royals. His career postseason earned run average is now at 5.29. His counterpart, Lester, was hit even harder, for six runs on eight hits, while striking out five and walking two in 7 1/3 innings.