Kansas City trailed by four runs and looked headed for another loss. Then the eighth inning happened. The Royals scored four times in the frame, John Rave's line-drive double down the right-field line the blow that turned the game, and Kansas City survived a late Oakland flurry to win 9-7.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | X | 9 |
Vinnie Pasquantino was at the center of everything. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and a walk, scoring three runs himself. His solo homer in the sixth cut into Oakland's lead, and two innings later his RBI single started the decisive eighth-inning sequence that pulled Kansas City back into the game.
The Royals' eighth began with Pasquantino singling home Maikel Garcia, then Kyle Isbel singled in Pasquantino, and Isaac Collins tied the game at 5-5 with a sacrifice fly that scored Salvador Perez. That set up Rave, whose double to right field scored Tyler Tolbert, Kyle Isbel and Bobby Witt to put Kansas City ahead 8-5 in a play that gave the Royals a lead they would not relinquish. Maikel Garcia added another run with a single later in the inning, making it 9-5.
Oakland had built its early lead through a heavy top of the order. Jeff McNeil doubled home Henry Bolte and Zack Gelof singled home McNeil in the first inning, then a three-run fifth featuring RBI hits from Bolte, McNeil and a Gelof groundout pushed the Athletics ahead 5-1. Drew Rom took the loss after allowing 4 runs on 3 hits in just 1.0 inning of relief, and starter Jeffrey Springs worked 5.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 3 walks. Oakland got within two in the ninth when Max Muncy homered with Donovan Walton aboard, but it wasn't enough.
Seth Lugo started for Kansas City and worked 6.0 innings, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits with 3 strikeouts and no walks. The Royals' bullpen covered three innings behind him, allowing 2 runs, with Craig Kimbrel earning the win after a scoreless inning. Kansas City extended its winning streak to four games, improving to 54-74, while Oakland dropped to 49-78 with its third straight loss.