On this day honoring the proles, the Royals labored through the first eight innings before erupting like Vesuvius in the top of the ninth. Through eight innings that vacillated between snore-inducing boredom and fits of offense, it seemed likely that the Royals would find a way to lose a game that had featured two Billy Butler bombs and a three-run first.
Felipe Paulino was, well, unsharp, walking six while striking out only four en route to six earned in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Everett Teaford came in and 2 2/3 perfect innings keeping the Royals in the game, while waiting for the offense to knot it up at six apiece when Butler stroked his second dinger of the day in the seventh. Holland pitched a cuticle-damaging but ultimately harmless eighth, maintaining the tie heading into the ninth.
Then the Royals offense strung together a five-run inning with Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera, Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas all getting in on the action before Moustakas got greedy and was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. Fortunately for Royals fans, the Royals had already turned the Coliseum into a ruined Pompeii.
Joakim Soria struck out the side, and the Royals came out victorious, thus honoring workers across the Heartland.
Butler and Hosmer each chipped in three hits, with Melky, Moustakas, and San Salvador getting two apiece. Of the Royals starters, only Johnny Giavotella failed to record a hit. Chris Getz made a pinch-running appearance and was mistake-free.