Royals rally past ChiSox to clinch at least a tie for second wild-card spot
CHICAGO -- Baseball season in Kansas City will not end this Sunday.
With a 6-3 win over the White Sox on Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field, the Royals reduced their magic number for clinching the second wild-card spot to one.
That means the best the Mariners can do is tie the Royals, which would force game 163 in Seattle on Monday. But either one more loss by Seattle or one more win by Kansas City over the next three days would clinch the playoff spot for the Royals.
More good news: Oakland's loss Thursday pushed the Royals into the top wild-card spot by one game, meaning the Royals are inching closer to having a home playoff game Tuesday.
"I'm anxious," manager Ned Yost said. "I was really excited today. Probably the most excited I've been in a long, long time with the possibility of (clinching) it tonight. But Seattle won ... but that just means we come back tomorrow and get another win."
Meanwhile, the Tigers' win Thursday reduced their magic number to win the AL Central to two.
The Royals came back from a 3-1 deficit Thursday and eventually went ahead in the eighth under rather unlikely circumstances. With runners on first and third and one out in a 3-3 game, Billy Butler hit a routine double-play ball to shortstop, seemingly killing the rally.
But the relay throw from White Sox second baseman Marcus Semien was in the dirt and scooted away from first baseman Jose Abreu -- reminiscent of Jose Reyes' error in Toronto months ago that launched a winning stretch.
Lorenzo Cain scored for a 4-3 lead.
What was Yost thinking when Butler hit the two-hopper to shortstop?
"Well, I don't think I can say it on the air," Yost said. "I was already flushing it. I was thinking, 'We'll have to get it next inning.'
"Hey, we just got lucky."
Terrance Gore pinch ran for Butler, stole second and scored on Alex Gordon's single to make it 5-3.
James Shields threw 112 pitches and labored through six innings. He did turn in a quality start, giving up five hits and three runs. He struck out four and walked two.
"I just never got in a rhythm, and I probably didn't until my last inning," Shields said.
3 UP
-- The Esky clutch hit. After his teammates had failed to bring in Sal Perez, who had tripled with none out, Alcides Escobar stroked a two-out single to right field, scoring Perez in the fifth. Escobar went with a slider by Jose Quintana instead of trying to pull it (what a concept!), and hit a clean liner to right. Big-time hit that drew the Royals within 3-2. "That was just huge by Esky," Yost said. "Really picked everyone up."
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-- Hoz's bat heating up. Eric Hosmer continued his hot streak. He has hit in seven straight and is 13 for 28 over that span. On Thursday, Hosmer singled in the Royals' first run. Then he reached down for a slider from Quintana and hit a 3-iron over the right-field fence for his ninth homer of the season. Hosmer also drilled a single to center in the eighth. "We just keep battling every night, it seems," Hosmer said. "We keep getting closer (to the playoffs). It's nice knowing it's in our own hands and we don't have to sit around and wait for what other teams are doing."
-- LoCain's shots. Cain has been the king of the infield hit and the doinker into the outfield all season. But Thursday, Cain absolutely smashed the ball three times. He doubled in the first, a shot to the 400-foot sign in center. He lined a double to right-center in the fourth. And he sizzled a liner up the middle for a single in the eighth. He did roll a soft single to center in the ninth, but that scored a run.
3 DOWN
-- Bad situational hitting, part I. Cain led off the fourth with a double and the Royals trailing 2-1, but that's where he stayed. Hosmer, who had such a great night, went hacking at the first pitch and flied to short center. Butler then struck out. And Gordon grounded out.
-- Bad situational hitting, part II. After Perez tripled to lead off the fifth, Omar Infante, with the infield back, struck out. Then Mike Moustakas, with the infield still back conceding the run, also struck out. But Esky saved both of them with his clutch hit.
-- Infante's error. After Wade Davis retired the first two White Sox hitters in the eighth by blowing strikes past both, he induced a routine grounder to second and it looked like the Royals had an easy eighth. But Infante booted the ball -- he simply took his eyes off it. A single followed, and suddenly the Royals' 5-3 lead looked in jeopardy as Josh Phegley, who had homered earlier, stepped to the plate. Fortunately for Infante, Davis got Phegley to fly out. But no one really needed the drama.
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
