Royals force Game 5 after Astros squander 4-run lead
The Houston Astros were on the brink of advancing to the American League Championship Series before another improbable comeback from the Kansas City Royals squashed their hopes.
A disastrous eighth inning featured the implosion of the Astros' bullpen and a costly error from shortstop Carlos Correa, which allowed the Royals to come from behind and keep the series alive with a 9-6 victory.
For the second consecutive season, the Royals staved off elimination in a season-deciding game, having also pulled off a similar comeback against the Oakland Athletics in last season's AL wild-card game, defeating them 9-8 after trailing by four runs in the eighth.
Top Performer: Before his eighth-inning error, the 21-year-old Correa played far above his age. The Astros' budding superstar delivered a go-ahead double in the fifth inning, which followed a third-inning long ball and a beautiful defensive play at second base to prevent an overthrow in the first inning.
Correa decided all of that wasn't enough, smacking his second home run of the game in the seventh with a massive two-run shot to left field that caused video cameras to shake as the youngster rounded the bases.
Starting Pitchers: Astros rookie Lance McCullers made his postseason debut, and after hitting Alcides Escobar - the first batter he faced in the contest - shook things off and used his filthy curveball and high heat to keep the Royals offense at bay, spinning a two-hit gem that turned out to be a waste. McCullers' lone mistake came against Salvador Perez in the second inning, when the backstop took him deep to right-center field for two runs.
Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura lasted longer than his Game 1 performance thanks to better weather, but his results were similar. The young flame-thrower allowed three earned runs over five innings of work, which included solo home runs to Correa and Carlos Gomez.
| PITCHER | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCullers | 6.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Ventura | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
Turning Point: Correa's eighth-inning error was costly and kept the Royals' rally alive, on what seemed like it was a routine double-play ball. Kansas City, who at the time of the error had only plated two runs, rode the momentum to an eventual lead and Game 4 victory.
(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)
Up Next: The series returns to Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday for a deciding Game 5. Right-hander Johnny Cueto, who the Royals acquired at the trade deadline with these series-deciding games in mind, will be the home side's likely starter. The Astros announced postgame that Game 1 starter and 19-game winner Collin McHugh will get the nod in their most important contest of the season.