HOUSTON – Four runs down in the eighth inning of an elimination game? Why, the Kansas City Royals know all about thriving in that situation. The Houston Astros, on the other hand, are just now finding out what the playoffs are all about.
Last year’s Royals were this season’s equivalent of the Astros, a young, mostly homegrown club trying to prove it belonged on the big stage. Kansas City overcame a 7-3 deficit in the eighth inning of the 2014 wild-card game, eventually prevailing in 12 to launch a record-setting eight-game winning streak that culminated with its first World Series appearance in 29 years.
The Royals drew on that experience Monday when, trailing 6-2 and six outs away from elimination, they turned the game around with a five-run eighth that propelled them to a 9-6 victory over the Astros, tying this American League Division Series at 2-2.
“It was very similar to last year’s wild-card game, coming from behind to win,’’ shortstop Alcides Escobar said of that classic game against the Oakland Athletics. “When (Alex) Rios led off with a hit, I got a hit, then (Ben) Zobrist got a hit, bases loaded with no outs, I knew we were going to score at least two or three runs, and thankfully we scored enough.’’
Game 5 of what has been a highly entertaining series despite the lack of controversial slides will take place Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, with Royals right-hander Johnny Cueto opposing 19-game winner Collin McHugh.
A return trip to Kansas City seemed highly unlikely after the Astros broke out for three runs in the seventh, riding Carlos Correa’s second homer of the game and Colby Rasmus’ fourth of the postseason to a seemingly comfortable four-run lead.
Correa’s heroics – he became the youngest player in AL history with a multihomer game in the postseason and finished with four RBI – were the perfect symbol for the revival of a franchise that had fallen to almost unfathomable depths since its last playoff appearance in 2005. The rookie shortstop, 21, was picked No. 1 overall in the 2012 draft as a cornerstone of Houston’s rebuilding project.
The Astros had six consecutive losing seasons, including three last-place finishes in a row, before unexpectedly earning a wild-card spot this year. A decade’s worth of frustrations fueled the energy of a rabid crowd that burst into deafening noise in the seventh when Correa belted a two-run shot that increased Houston’s lead to 5-2.
Kansas City’s five-run eighth – aided by a Correa error – silenced that crowd and canceled many a celebration.
“Everybody that watched that game, everybody that was a part of that game knows how difficult it is to feel that game was closing in our favor, and then have it not go our way,’’ Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “But it’s a big-boy sport. We’ll adjust and we will be ready to play.’’
The day off will give the Astros a chance to regroup, but it won’t change the reality that they’re at a distinct disadvantage in the matchup of bullpens. The Royals’ relievers led the AL with a 2.72 ERA, and even after losing Greg Holland, they have a formidable closer in Wade Davis, who threw two scoreless innings for the save Monday.
Houston’s bullpen struggled down the stretch, and its main trio of Will Harris, Tony Sipp and Luke Gregerson was unable to stem the bleeding in the critical eighth. As opposed to Davis and Co., they don’t instill a sense of impending doom on opponents.
When the Royals returned to the dugout after their deficit grew to four runs, third baseman Mike Moustakas – one of several players still around from last year’s epic comeback against the A’s – rallied the troops.
“Moustakas came in after the seventh and fired up everybody,’’ said pitcher Edinson Volquez, the Game 3 starter. “‘Hey, listen, we’re not done yet! It’s not over yet! Let’s do something!’’
They did right away. The Royals opened the inning with five consecutive singles off Harris and Sipp to trim the margin to 6-4. Kendrys Morales then hit a chopper down the middle deflected by Sipp, and Correa, in his haste to start a double play, had it bounce off his glove as two runs came in to tie the game.
Alex Gordon’s RBI grounder against Gregerson – a ball caught by diving second baseman Jose Altuve before it rolled into right field – capped the rally and put Kansas City ahead 7-6. Eric Hosmer’s two-run homer off Josh Fields in the ninth gave the visitors some breathing room.
The task of winning a playoff series for the first time in a decade becomes much tougher now for the Astros, whose 33-48 road record during the season was the AL’s worst. They did win the wild-card game at Yankee Stadium and split this series’ first two at Kauffman Stadium, though.
“We have a lot of confidence going into Kansas City,’’ said Correa, who went 4-for-4 despite getting hit by a pitch in the left elbow in the first inning. “We already won a game there, and we know we can do it again. We’ve won several times on the road recently, so we’ll be going into that game with a lot of confidence and energy.’’