Royals Win Game 162; Secure Home-Field Advantage
It took all season to figure out who would claim home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for the American League. But once the final game of the regular season actually started, it didn’t take long before the outcome was determined. The Royals went up in the second inning over the Twins while the Rays went up big over the Blue Jays in the first inning of their game and things were set.
The Royals scored in the second inning when Christian Colon led off with a walk. Salvador Perez followed up with a single before Alex Gordon hit an RBI double to plate the first run. Alex Rios then stepped to the plate and hit a double of his own to score both Perez and Gordon and give the Royals an early 3-0 lead.
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In the third inning, Kendrys Morales drew a one-out walk. After a Mike Moustakas strikeout, Sal Perez hit his 21st home run of the year to establish himself as the single-season record holder for Royals catchers as well as give the Royals a 5-0 lead.
The Twins managed a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Eduardo Nunez led off with a walk before Eric Fryer managed a one-out single. Danny Santana singled to score Nunez and make the score 5-1.
The Royals picked up their sixth and final run in the eighth inning when Jarrod Dyson walked and then moved to third on Francisco Pena’s first big league hit, a soft flare over the head of the second baseman. Ben Zobrist hit a sacrifice fly to left to give the Royals a five-run lead once again.
And that was it. The Royals secured the #1 seed in the A.L. with their 6-1 victory and will face the winner of the wild-card game between the Astros and the Yankees. Game 1 of the A.L. Divisional Series will be played this Thursday.
Let’s start the road to the World Series!