ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Kansas City Royals have figured it out — winning baseball is all about pitching, defense, speed and the 11th-inning home run.
One night after Mike Moustakas’ 11th-inning home run gave the Royals a Game 1 victory, Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer Friday night in the 11th to lift the Royals to a 4-1 win and a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the best-of-five American League Division Series.
The series moves to Kansas City for Game 3 on Sunday, when the Royals will have an opportunity to close out the series and advance to the A.L. Championship Series.
Hosmer’s home run came on a 95-mph fastball from Angels right-hander Kevin Jepsen with one out and right fielder Lorenzo Cain on first base. The Royals tacked on a run in that inning on an RBI single by catcher Salvador Perez.
Though Hosmer was touted as the hero, the Royals pitching staff deserves much of the credit, shutting down the Angels offense for the second night in a row.
Royals starter Yordano Ventura gave up one run and five hits in seven innings, allowing only an RBI single by first baseman Albert Pujols in the sixth. Relievers Wade Davis, Jason Frasor, Brandon Finnegan, who got the win, and Greg Holland, who recorded the save, shut out the Angels for the final four innings. The Royals bullpen has now thrown nine scoreless innings in the series.
For the second night in a row, both starting pitchers pitched well but did not figure in the decision. Angels starter Matt Shoemaker matched Ventura inning for inning, giving up one unearned run and five hits in six innings.
The Angels, though, came up empty in run-scoring situations. They appeared poised to take a lead in the bottom of the eighth inning after Ventura was finished for the night. Davis came in and his first pitch was hit into the left-field corner for a double by designated hitter C.J. Cron.
With the Royals defense pinching at the corners, Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided against the bunt with catcher Chris Iannetta batting. Iannetta, who did not have a sacrifice bunt all season, hit the ball hard to medium left-center, where center fielder Jarrod Dyson made the catch.
Dyson — who entered the game to start the inning, moving Cain to right field — fired a one-hop throw to the third baseman Moustakas, who tagged out pinch runner Collin Cowgill to take the air out of the Angels’ threat.
Angels closer Huston Street also survived a threat, as the Royals had two on with two outs, but a nice backhanded pick by third baseman David Freese on a chopper by Perez ended the inning.
Ventura sailed through the early innings, and it looked as though the one run the Royals scored for him in the second inning might stand up. In fact, the Angels failed to get a baserunner as far as second base until the fifth. But the Angels finally broke through in the sixth.
With two outs and nobody on, right fielder Kole Calhoun singled and center fielder Mike Trout walked. Pujols followed with a line drive to right field on a 100-mph fastball, scoring Calhoun to tie the game at 1-1.
The rally ended there, but the Angels finally had their first hit of the series with a runner in scoring position. They were 0-for-9 with in that situation before Pujols’ game-tying single.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead against Shoemaker in the second inning after Hosmer singled near the line in right field. Angels right fielder Calhoun raced to cut the ball off but booted it for an error, allowing Hosmer to take second.
One out later, left fielder Alex Gordon singled to center, scoring Hosmer to give Kansas City and early lead.
Ventura made it stand up in the early innings. Calhoun led off the Angels’ first with a single, Trout forced Calhoun at second.
Trout was out trying to steal on a perfect throw from catcher Perez, and the Angels didn’t put another runner on base until second baseman Howie Kendrick singled to lead off the fifth.
Shortstop Erick Aybar followed Kendrick with a single, and the Angels finally had something going. But the rally soon was snuffed out when Freese grounded into a double play and left fielder Josh Hamilton flied out.
Before his fly ball ended the inning, Hamilton dazed catcher Perez. Hamilton swung and missed a pitch but his follow-through hit Perez on the head. Perez returned to start the sixth.