HOUSTON – Left fielder Alex Gordon drove home the go-ahead run to cap a stunning five-run, eighth-inning rally for the Kansas City Royals, who surged past the Houston Astros 9-6 on Monday at Minute Maid Park to force a decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series.
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 eighth, with center fielder Lorenzo Cain chasing Astros right-hander Will Harris with his RBI single to left field, scoring Alex Rios.
Designated hitter Kendrys Morales followed an RBI single from first baseman Eric Hosmer with a chopper through the box off left-hander Tony Sipp (0-1), with Sipp and shortstop Carlos Correa whiffing on the grounder to allow second baseman Ben Zobrist and Cain to score. Hosmer, who added a two-run homer in the ninth off right-hander Josh Fields, scored the winning run when Gordon delivered with two outs.
Royals right-hander Wade Davis slammed the door with two scoreless innings of relief, sending the series back to Kauffman Stadium with the series tied 2-2. By the end of the seventh, that scenario seemed unlikely.
The Astros scored three times in the seventh, extending their 3-2 lead with a pair of home runs. Correa, at 21 years and 20 days old, became the youngest player in American League history to record a multi-homer postseason game, adding a two-run homer off Royals right-hander Ryan Madsen (1-0) to his solo shot off right-hander Yordano Ventura in the third. Colby Rasmus followed with a solo shot, his fourth of the series, 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. His 2012 draft classmate, right-hander Lance McCullers, was sharp in his postseason debut, limiting the Royals to two runs on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. The Astros’ bullpen collapse wiped his name from the marquee.
Notes: Astros manager A.J. Hinch reaffirmed his commitment to DH Evan Gattis despite Gattis’ postseason struggles. Gattis entered is batting .188 with one RBI, five strikeouts and no walks over five games and had not recorded an extra-base hit, yet he batted fifth in the starting lineup while going 1-for-4. He struck out with two runners on base, including RF George Springer at third, with one out in the sixth inning of Game 3. … Royals manager Ned Yost opted to save RHPs Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madsen for Game 4 once the Royals fell behind Sunday. With the Royals facing elimination, Yost wanted his best relievers available to work unencumbered on Monday. … Astros CF Carlos Gomez was in the starting lineup for a second consecutive game despite reporting no improvement in his strained left intercostal. Gomez finished 1-for-4 with an RBI single in Game 3 and tracked down a deep fly ball off the bat of Royals RF Alex Rios for the first out of the ninth inning.