|
 Catcher Salvador Perez belted a solo home run and four pitchers
combined to outfox the potent Blue Jays batters in front of a
delighted Kauffman Stadium crowd as the home team drew first blood
in the best-of-seven series.
Kansas City starter Edinson Volquez pitched six strong innings,
relying primarily on a two-seam fastball to strike out five, while
giving up two hits and four walks in 111 pitches before handing over
to the bullpen to close it out.
Dominican Republic native Volquez earned his first postseason win,
after entering the game 0-3.
The Blue Jays were by far the best offensive team in the majors in
the regular season, averaging more than five runs per game and were
shut out just five times in 162 contests.
However, they were unable to counter some excellent Kansas City
pitching on Friday, with nobody managing more than one hit.
"My fastball was good, outside part of the plate," Volquez said in
an on-field interview.
"I changed my game plan against them. Last time I faced them I threw
a lot of pitches inside and tonight I was able to command my
fastball down and away."
Volquez was described as "superb" by Kansas City manager Ned Yost.
"He had everything going, great fastball... on the attack from the
first inning on."
Not that Yost was comfortable with an early three-run lead after
four innings, which the Royals padded with two more in the eighth.
"Even though you have a two or three-run cushion, that club has the
ability to put two or three runs up on the board in a heartbeat, so
you’re never comfortable," he said.
[to top of second column] |
Lead-off batter Alcides Escobar (2-for-3 with one RBI) set the tone
for the Royals by smacking a double off the first pitch he faced
from Toronto starter Marco Estrada, who took the loss despite a
solid 5 1/3 innings.
Toronto manager John Gibbons refused to blame the Mexican pitcher,
instead lamenting an off night by his offense.
"He (Estrada) knows how to survive and he kept us in the game but we
just got shut out," Gibbons said.
The victory did not come without a potential cost for the Royals,
however, as Perez suffered an injured left middle finger when he was
struck by Josh Donaldson's bat on the Toronto third baseman's follow
through in the eighth inning.
Perez opted to remain behind the plate but will be assessed ahead of
Game Two in Kansas City on Saturday
The Royals are seeking a quick return to the World Series after
losing to the San Francisco Giants in seven games last season.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Peter
Rutherford/John O'Brien)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
