Page 19 - atoday
P. 19
SPORTS A19
Tuesday 13 October 2015
Royals rally on Correa’s error, beat Astros to even ALDS
KRISTIE RIEKEN feel like that game was Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez is hit by a Houston Astros’ Lance McCullers pitch during in the
AP SPORTS WRITER closing in our favor and seventh inning of Game 4 of baseball’s American League Division Series, Monday, Oct. 12, 2015,
HOUSTON (AP) -- Almost then have it not go our in Houston.
out of time and out of the way,” Astros manager A.J.
playoffs, the Kansas City Hinch said. Associated Press
Royals realized they need- “But it’s big boy sport. We’ll
ed more than a big home adjust, and we will be game. Last year, the Royals was hit by a pitch. Rasmus, who homered in
run. ready to play,” he said. trailed Oakland 7-3 in the Plunked by Yordano Ven- the AL wild-card win over
They needed a lot of hits - a Late in the game, a tweet eighth of their AL wild-card tura his first time up, Correa the Yankees, hit his third
maybe a little help, too. from the account of Texas game before eventually answered with a solo hom- home run of the ALDS
The defending AL cham- Gov. Greg Abbott congrat- winning in the 12th. er to tie it in the third. He put when he followed Correa’s
pions saved their sea- ulated the Astros on ad- “I felt real confident that Houston on top with an RBI second shot with a home
son Monday. They took vancing to the AL Champi- we were going to make a double in the fifth and be- run off the foul pole in right
advantage when Astros onship Series. Abbott later game out of it,” manager came the youngest player field in the seventh.q
shortstop Carlos Correa tweeted for his personal Ned Yost said. “I just felt with a multihomer game
couldn’t handle a deflect- account: “No predictions. that the bats were going to in AL playoff history with a
ed grounder that might Just support.” come alive, and they really two-run shot off Ryan Mad-
have been a double-play Kansas City opened the did in the eighth inning. I son in the seventh for a 6-2
ball, rallying for five runs in eighth with five straight sin- mean really did.” lead.
the eighth inning to beat gles off relievers Will Harris At 21 years and 20 days
Houston 9-6, forcing their and Tony Sipp, with RBI hits Ryan Madson (1-0) gave old, Correa became the
playoff series to a decisive by Lorenzo Cain and Hos- up two home runs in the youngest player in fran-
Game 5. mer making it 6-4 and leav- seventh and still got the chise history to homer in
“We always feel that we’re ing the bases loaded with win. Wade Davis pitched the playoffs, the young-
still in games, and we still no outs. two scoreless innings for est shortstop to do it in
have a chance,” first base- “Obviously, we’re pretty his second save. It was the the postseason in Major
man Eric Hosmer said. late in the game right there third time he’s pitched two League history and sixth-
“That’s the mentality for this and down by four, so not innings in the postseason youngest player overall.
whole entire team. It’s nev- one guy can get us back in after also doing it twice last Salvador Perez hit a two-
er quit, and the character this game. So we got to do season. run homer in the second
we showed today. That’s whatever we can to keep Sipp took the loss. to give the Royals an early
what a championship ball- the line moving,” Hosmer Colby Rasmus homered lead. But Houston starter
club does.” said. for Houston, his fourth in Lance McCullers retired 15
Correa homered twice, Kendrys Morales followed five playoff games this Oc- of the next 18 batters, leav-
doubled, singled and with a hard, one-bouncer tober. Carlos Gomez also ing after hitting Perez with
drove in four runs in Game off Sipp’s glove. The ball connected for the Astros. a pitch with one out in the
4 of the AL Division Se- took two more hops and Correa went 4 for 4 and seventh.
ries. Houston took a 6-2 got past the top of Cor-
lead into the eighth, but a rea’s mitt, rolling into cen-
tough error charged to the ter field as two runs scored
21-year-old rookie keyed to tie it at 6.
the Royals’ comeback to “Just a weird spin on the
even the matchup at two ball and tough play,” Sipp
games apiece. said. “I’m sure it was tough-
“I missed it. That’s what er than it looked. Game of
happened,” Correa said. inches, and I barely missed
“I wish I was perfect. I wish it.”
I could do everything per- Alex Gordon’s RBI ground-
fect, but I’m not. I’m hu- out off Luke Gregerson lat-
man.” er in the inning put Kansas
Game 5 will be back in City ahead.
Kansas City on Wednes- Hosmer launched a long,
day night. Johnny Cueto two-run homer in the ninth
is set to start for the Royals for insurance.
against Collin McHugh. It was the second time in
“Everyone that watched franchise history that Kan-
that game, everybody that sas City had rallied from a
was a part of that game four-run deficit after seven
knows how difficult it is to innings to win a postseason
