Star power: Dozier's slam caps KC comeback
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CLEVELAND -- Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier, an American League finalist for the starting position in the 2019 All-Star Game, continues to make his case.
Dozier blasted his first career grand slam in the ninth off Indians closer Brad Hand, who had been 22-for-22 in save opportunities. But the Royals hammered him for five runs in the ninth -- all with none out -- to win in dramatic fashion, 8-6, on Tuesday night at Progressive Field.
“It was really cool,” Dozier said. “He’s a really good pitcher. But I give credit to the guys in front of me who got on.”
• Grand slams mean 30% off pizza
“Yeah, I guess,” Dozier said, smiling and somewhat embarrassed. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Trailing, 6-3, going into the ninth, the Royals got things going with a Martin Maldonado double, and singles by Whit Merrifield, Nicky Lopez and Alex Gordon. Lopez’s infield hit scored Maldonado to make it 6-4.
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Dozier came up and went after a first-pitch slider from Hand, and Dozier belted a no-doubter to left-center field, his 13th home run this season.
“Yeah, I was looking slider and just trying to seeing him up,” Dozier said. “I got a good pitch.”
Dozier became the first in Royals history to hit a grand slam that turned a deficit into a lead in the ninth inning or later. They had been 0-42 this season when trailing after eight innings.
“It was a fun game, a fun comeback, an uplifting comeback,” manager Ned Yost said. “Coming to this place is a handful to us, always. To battle back and win it, and get a chance to win the series is great.
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“All of it was great. Hand is a tremendous closer. Hand is tough on lefties. As soon as Gordy got on, I thought we were in good shape. And Doze took care of that.
“There were a lot of huge hits -- five straight hits. Our guys continue to battle. They keep coming at you. It was fun to see.”
There was even more drama in the bottom of the ninth. With two out, Oscar Mercado singled to right off Royals closer Ian Kennedy, bringing up the dangerous Carlos Santana, also an AL All-Star finalist, representing the tying run.
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“The last thing you wanted to see is Santana come up,” Yost said.
But Kennedy struck him out with nothing but four-seamers, sealing the win.
“That was one of the cooler ones to win,” Kennedy said, “and probably off one of the best closers in the game.”
Kennedy got mound visits from catcher Maldonado and pitching coach Cal Eldred during the Santana at-bat.
“They just wanted to make sure we were on the same page,” Kennedy said. “You just want to throw quality strikes because one swing of the bat, he can tie the game.”
Royals starter Glenn Sparkman simply had trouble keeping the ball in the ballpark.
Sparkman worked with a 2-1 lead going into the fifth, but he gave up back-to-back home runs to Roberto Perez and Mike Freeman. Perez pounded a 3-2 four-seam fastball just over the fence in right field. Freeman lifted a changeup into the right-field seats and it was 3-2 Indians.
The Royals tied it in the sixth, but Sparkman got tagged again in the bottom half. After a leadoff walk, Sparkman hung a curve that was middle-middle to Tyler Naquin, who yanked it just over the fence in right for a two-run homer and it was 5-3.
“Not as sharp as I could have been,” Sparkman said. “But the fastball was just good hitting by Perez. The changeup was up, but I felt good about that curveball. He must have been sitting curveball.”
Merrifield gave the Royals a 2-1 lead with a two-run double in the fifth.