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 And what they did on Monday was remarkably similar as they again
overcame a four-run deficit to stave off elimination against Houston
and send the AL Division Series back to Kansas City for a decisive
fifth game.
Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon plated the go-ahead run with a
groundout to cap a stunning five-run, eighth-inning rally in the
Royals' 9-6 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
While Gordon pushed the Royals in front with his RBI groundout off
Astros closer Luke Gregerson, he merely put the bow on a
breathtaking display of plate discipline. The first five Royals
batters recorded singles in the 53-pitch eighth.
Last postseason, the Royals rallied from a four-run deficit to
eliminate the Oakland Athletics en route to the AL pennant.
Eric Hosmer, who entered the eighth batting .067 (1-for-15) in the
ALDS, added a two-run homer in the ninth off right-hander Josh
Fields.
Hosmer scored the winning run when Gordon delivered with two outs an
inning earlier and was quick to note the number of contributors in
the turnaround frame, including backup catcher Drew Butera, who
worked a 10-pitch walk off Gregerson to set the table for Gordon.
All told, six Royals came to the plate before the Astros recorded an
out.
Royals right-hander Wade Davis slammed the door with two scoreless
innings of relief.
The Astros slugged a pair of home runs to turn a 3-2 lead into a
four-run cushion in the bottom of the seventh.
Carlos Correa, at 21 years and 20 days old, became the youngest
player in American League history to record a multi-homer game in
the postseason, adding a two-run blast off Royals right-hander Ryan
Madson (1-0) to his solo shot off right-hander Yordano Ventura in
the third.
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Colby Rasmus followed with a solo shot, his fourth of the
postseason, to nudge the Astros six outs away from the AL
Championship Series.
Correa added a leadoff single in the ninth and finished 4-for-4 with
four RBIs and two runs scored.
Astros rookie right-hander Lance McCullers was sharp in his
postseason debut, limiting the Royals to two runs on two hits
(including a two-run home run by Royals catcher Salvador Perez in
the second inning) and two walks with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3
innings.
But the Astros' bullpen collapse turned the Astros from presumed
series victors to needing another road win to keep their season
alive.
"We got a pretty good team, we got a good resilient group," Astros
manager A.J. Hinch said.
"We have youth on our side, we'll have a ton of energy and we'll
show up ready to play."
Game Five is in Kansas City on Wednesday.
(Editing by Andrew Both)
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