I've edited this recap so many times that I don't have an amusing introductory hook. I don't have anything cute to say. I'll just start with "that was an amazing game."
The Royals were down by two runs, then they led by two runs, and then they trailed by two runs again. After an enormous ninth-inning rally, they wound up winning by...two runs.
Mike Moustakas went 3-5 with three extra base hits, driving in four runs and delivering in the clutch time after time for the Royals on Sunday afternoon. Down to their last out, Kansas City plated four runs to surge past Boston and steal an 8-6 win.
It was as good of a win as we've seen all season, and that's saying a ton.
Edinson Volquez handed the Red Sox a quick 2-0 lead when Jackie Bradley and Josh Rutledge collected run-plating hits. He then settled into a groove, getting through innings three, four and five without allowing a hit.
While Volquez was settling in, the Royals' offense began to pick him up at the plate. Alex Rios and Omar Infante opened top of the third with hits (no seriously, it really happened), and after being bunted over by Drew Butera, Rios scored on Alcides Escobar's sac fly.
The next inning, the Royals tied the game on what appeared to ben inning-ending double play off the bat of Kendrys Morales. Instead, two errors allowed Eric Hosmer to score from first base, and Morales would score on Mike Moustakas' double to give Kansas City a 3-2 lead. In the sixth, Moustakas hit an opposite-field home run over the green monster to double the lead to 4-2. It was his 13th homer of the season, and considering how well Volquez was pitching, it seemed that the Royals would glide to an easy victory.
In the bottom of the sixth, Volquez began to unravel. Boston tied the game after hitting him hard all inning; he surrendered three hits in the frame to cough up the lead. After the Royals stranded runners on the corners in their half of the seventh, Volquez was oddly thrown back out to pitch the bottom of the inning. Predictably, the Red Sox needed just two batters to take the lead while the Royals bullpen sat and watched.
When Ned Yost finally summoned a reliever, things got worse. With a runner on third and two outs, Pablo Sandoval just knicked a slow roller down the right field line. Franklin Morales charged to grab the ball, only to fire it down the line and into right field. By that point, the lead was 6-4, and the Royals appeared dead in the water.
Then came the ninth inning. Probably the craziest ninth frame of any Royals game all season.
Omar Infante hit a leadoff triple off the monster. Mike Jirschele waved him home. He was thrown out at the plate. Down by two runs. With nobody out. Royals fans were appalled.
After that, Butera singled, Escobar singled, Zobrist lined out to a leaping Xander Boegarts, and Cain singled to load the bases with two outs. Hosmer stepped in and punched a single to the opposite field, plating two runs and tying the game at six. Red Sox fans were so disappointed that they immediately began to chant "Free Tom Brady."
Morales then walked to re-load the bases for Moustakas, who put together an incredible 10-pitch at bat. The ending result was a double into the right-center gap, plating two runs and ending the inning when Morales was thrown out at home. Red Sox closer Junichi Tazawa needed 30 pitches to get through a four-run ninth frame. His three outs: throwout at home, lineout, throwout at home.
Moustakas' four RBI's are a season-high.
Volquez was on the hook the loss until the last possible minute, allowing six earned runs on nine hits in 6.2 innings. He didn't walk a batter but was hit hard all day, and in the sixth and seventh innings, it just caught up to him. He struck out five batters. Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez was also on the hook for the loss at one point before his offense rescued him. He allowed four runs, two of which were earned, in six frames.
Chris Young, of all people, earned the win to improve to 9-6. He got the last out of the eighth inning. Wade Davis worked through the ninth to pick up his 11th save of the year, spotting Greg Holland, who had the day off.
Have you ever been so happy to pick up a split? The Royals have been slapped around by the Red Sox since the beginning of last year. Before yesterday, Kansas City was 2-9 against Boston in the last two seasons. It changed that by dealing a pair gut-wrenching losses to the Red Sox to leave town at 27 games over .500.
The Royals are 75-48 on the season. They concluded the road trip with a 4-2 record.
Next: a four-game set with the Orioles at home. Kris Medlen will make his first Royals start. The Orioles have been in a tailspin recently, and the Royals seem to have all the momentum they need right now.
What a game, seriously. If you're going to make me blow up my recap for something, I'd rather it be like that.