(Story & Photo by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Kansas City evens ALDS vs. Houston with small win
Nederlands
 KANSAS CITY, Missouri (USA) -
The Kansas City Royals came back from a 4-1 deficit on Friday (October 9) in Game 2 of the best-of-five American League Division Series vs. Houston Astros.
The Royals won 5-4 to even the series, which resumes on Sunday in Houston.
On Thursday, the Astros won the first game with a 5-2 score.
With that, the Astros won their second consecutive postseason-game after winning vs. the New York Yankees in the Wild Card-game on Tuesday.
It marked the second time that the Astros opened a postseason with two wins.
The only other time was in 1981.
Earlier on Friday, the Texas Rangers took a 2-0 lead in their ALDS vs. Toronto Blue Jays.
The Rangers won 6-4 in a 14-inning marathon that lasted almost five hours.
The series continues on Sunday in Arlington with the Rangers now being one win away from advancing to the AL Championship Series.
Recap Rangers vs. Blue Jays
Later on Friday, the two National League Division Series went underway in respectively St. Louis and Los Angeles.
Initially, it appeared that the Astros were en route to another victory, as they led 3-0 in the second inning.
Houston opened the score with one run in the first at bat.
With one out, George Springer walked, who then scored on a 2-out double by Colby Rasmus.
With that, Rasmus set a new record, as he became the first player in history to have hit an extra-basehit in his first six career postseason-games.
Before today, he was tied with Pepper Martin (1931), Greg Luzinski (1976-1977), Nomar Garciaparra (1998-1999) and Nelson Cruz (2010).
The Astros added two runs in the second inning off of righthander Johnny Cueto, who was 11-13 this season and started for the Royals.
Cueto came to the Royals on July 26 in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds.
In the second, Chris Carter led off with a single, then Jason Castro walked.
The bases got loaded when Jake Marisnick also singled.
After a flyout, the first two runners scored on a single by George Springer to make it a 3-0 score.
...Veteran umpire Ángel Hernández was behind...
...the plate in this game...
...Here, Hernández enters the field at Shea Stadium...
...for the New York Mets Opening Day-game in 1993...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Behind the plate in this game was veteran umpire Ángel Hernández, who works in the Major League since 1991.
The Cuban-born Hernández is participating in his eighth League Division Series.
He already has officiated in six League Championship Series, two World Series and two All Star Games.
On August 7, 2001, Hernández was the Home Plate Umpire at Wrigley Field in Chicago for the game between the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies.
At Wrigley Field, it is custom that 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game' in the seventh inning is sung by a guest singer.
On that date, it was former Chicago Bears-player (American Football) Steve McMichael.
After completing the song, McMichael made a remark over the PA-system, criticizing a call made by Hernández.
The umpire didn't liked that and ejected McMichael, who had to be removed from the press box.
Lefthander Scott Kazmir, who was 7-11, was the starter for the Astros and like Cueto, he also was acquired in a trade.
Kazmir came to Houston in a trade with Oakland A's on July 23.
In the bottom of the second inning, Kazmir gave up a 2-out homerun to catcher Salvador Perez.
However, Houston got the run back immediately when Colby Rasmus led off the third inning with a homerun, his third in three consecutive games.
Moments later, the Royals narrowed the deficit again to 4-2 in the bottom of the third inning.
Álex Ríos led off with a double, then moved on a bunt-single by Alcides Escobar, who reached first base on a close play.
Escobar was initially called out, but that was reversed after a challenge.
Ríos then scored when Ben Zobrist grounded into a double play.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Royals started to turn the game its way by coming alongside.
With one out, Lorenzo Cain doubled, which led to a pitching change.
Oliver Perez took over for Kazmir, but was greeted with a runscoring single by Eric Hosmer that made it a 4-3 score.
The bases then got loaded when Kendrys Morales singled and Mike Moustakis walked.
On Thursday, Morales became the third different player of the Royals to hit two homeruns in one postseason-game.
The last Royal-player to accomplish the feat was wellknown George Brett, who did it in Game 3 of the 1985 ALCS.
Brett had hit three homeruns in a game during the 1978 ALCS.
The other Royal-player with two homeruns in one postseason-game is Willie Aikens, who did it twice during the 1980 World Series.
With the bases loaded, another pitching change followed.
Josh Fields took over, but he walked Salvador Perez, resulting in a tie score.
Three runners then were left behind, as Fields struckout the next two batters.
The Royals took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the seventh inning off of new pitcher Will Harris.
Alcides Escobar led off with a triple, then scored the go-ahead run on a following single by Ben Zobrist, making it a 5-4 score.
In the top of the eighth, reliever Ryan Madson retired three Astros-batters in order.
But in the top of the ninth, the Astros got another baserunner.
New pitcher Wade Davis began with a strikeout, but then walked pinch-hitter Preston Tucker.
He was replaced by pinch-runner Carlos Gomez, who then initially was ruled safe on a pick-off at first base.
Another challenge followed and the Royals again were successful, as the call was overturned after watching the videos.
With that, Gomez was called out and there were now two outs and no baserunners.
A grounder by José Altuve followed to end the game.
With that, the Royals became the first home team to win a game during this postseason.
The five earlier games were all won by the visiting teams.
(October 9)
|
