Royals Beat Angels in Extras Again, Hold 2-0 Series Lead
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Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images(ANAHEIM, Calif.) — For the second consecutive night, the Kansas City Royals used an extra inning home run to beat Los Angeles, 4-1, in the American League Divisional Series (ALDS) on Friday night. Eric Hosmer’s two-run homer in the top of eleventh gave the Royals a 3-1 lead, taking a 2-0 series lead over the Angels.
Kansas City became the first time in Major League history to open up a postseason with three consecutive extra-inning wins, after spending 29 years without a playoff berth. They are the sixth team to win a trio of extra-inning games in one playoffs appearance. The previous five have all gone on to win the World Series.
The Royals took an early lead against Matt Shoemaker when Alex Gordon drove in Hosmer with a single in the second. Los Angeles would eventually knot the score in the sixth on an Albert Pujols single, making it a 1-1 game after six innings.
The Angels had a chance to take a lead in the bottom of the eighth. C.J. Cron doubled off reliever Wade Davis and was pinch-ran for by Collin Cowgill. Following Chris Iannetta’s fly-out to center, newly inserted Jarrod Dyson threw out Cowgill trying to advance to third.
That helped send the game into extras for the second straight night. Lorenzo Cain stretched out an infield single before Hosmer’s go-ahead blast off Kevin Jepsen. Kansas City reliever Greg Holland pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning, striking out Mike Trout to end the game.
The series now shifts to Kansas City where James Shields will take on C.J. Wilson.
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