Yuniesky Betancourt called it "destiny."
Betancourt was not even in the Royals' starting lineup Sunday, but entered in the first inning after 2B Chris Getz left with a leg injury.
Betancourt came up huge in the Royals' 5-3, 15-inning, five-hour victory over the Cardinals. He stroked a run-producing double in the 14th inning and in the 15th a two-run homer that turned out to be the difference.
"It was my opportunity to put the team ahead twice. I was just trying to do my best and it happened," Betancourt said.
Betancourt thought his double set up his home run.
"Sometimes pitchers will think they can sneak one by you, but the fact that I hit the slider for a double set him up for that fastball," Betancourt said.
The Royals have won five of their past six games.
This victory was made possible by Billy Butler's pinch home run with two outs in the ninth to tie the score. Butler went deep on an 0-2 fastball from Cardinals closer Jason Motte.
"We won, that's all I can say," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I've never been through a game like that where you don't have any players left. You don't have any pitchers left. You're just scrapping to get by and you end up winning it."
2B Chris Getz limped off the field in the first inning Sunday with a left lateral lower leg strain. Getz fell to the turf while going to his right for a Carlos Beltran hit up the middle. Yuniesky Betancourt replaced Getz.
DH-1B Billy Butler hit his first pinch home run Sunday in the ninth inning at St. Louis to tie the score at 2-2. It was also Butler's first RBI as a pinch-hitter. He is 7-for-26 as a pinch-hitter. Butler did not start in the weekend series at St. Louis as Eric Hosmer played first base. Butler, however, will start Monday at Houston against Astros LHP J.A. Happ with the left-handed hitting Hosmer being used as a hitter off the bench.
LF Alex Gordon walked five times Sunday, matching a Royals record.
Gordon was the original record-holder, drawing five walks on July 30, 2008 at Oakland.
LHP Bruce Chen was used as a pinch-hitter Sunday for LHP Tim Collins. Chen delivered a single in the 13th inning.
2B Yuniesky Betancourt snapped an 0-for-15 skid with an RBI double in the 14th and a game-winning two-run homer in the 15th at St. Louis. Betancourt missed 26 games with a high right ankle sprain before being activated June 1.
2B-SS Chris Colon, the Royals' 2010 first-round draft pick, was selected to the June 28 Texas League All-Star Game on June 28 at Tulsa. Colon, however, has a toe injury and will not be able to play. He is among seven Northwest Arkansas players selected for the game. The others are 1B John Whittleman, IF Mario Lisson, OFs Carlo Testa and Yem Prades, LHP Justin Marks and RHP Patrick Keating.
210 pitches thrown by eight Royals pitchers Sunday in a 15-inning 5-3 victory at St. Louis.
"I didn't pitch well. I pride myself on giving my team a chance to win, and I didn't do it. I'm definitely not very happy with the way I pitched." Royals LHP Bruce Chen, who was yanked after 1 2/3 innings Saturday, his shortest start since July 4, 2005, when he was with the Orioles against the Yankees.
