The Royals had nothing going for eight innings. Then the ninth arrived, and everything changed in a hurry. Kansas City scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Athletics 4-3, turning a quiet night at Kauffman Stadium into a walk-off celebration.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
Oakland's bullpen had done its job for most of the evening. Jack Perkins worked 3.2 innings of relief, allowing just 1 hit with 4 strikeouts and no runs, and was named the game's top performer for his effort. But the Athletics couldn't hold the door shut in the ninth, and the Royals made them pay.
Tyler Tolbert opened the ninth-inning rally with a single to left that scored both Michael Massey and John Rave, pulling Kansas City even at 3-3. Bobby Witt then delivered the game-winner, singling to left to bring home Carter Jensen and send Tolbert to second. The single capped a three-run ninth that turned a two-run deficit into a walk-off win.
Oakland had built its lead methodically. Tyler White's first-inning single scored Zack Gelof to put the Athletics ahead 1-0, and a sixth-inning burst pushed the margin to 3-0 when Jeff McNeil's single drove in Henry Bolte and Max Muncy walked with the bases loaded to bring home Gelof. Hogan Harris took the loss after allowing 3 runs (2 earned) in just 0.2 innings, unable to close out the ninth. Vinnie Pasquantino's seventh-inning double had trimmed the deficit to 3-1, scoring Jac Caglianone, but the Royals still needed the ninth-inning surge to complete the comeback.
The win was Kansas City's third straight, improving the Royals to 53-74. Oakland, which had dropped two in a row entering the day, fell to 49-77.