The Kansas City Royals scored twice before recording an out, but needed to stage a massive comeback in the fifth inning to defeat the St Louis Cardinals 10-7 on Tuesday, June 3 at Busch Stadium.
Bobby Witt Jr hit a two-run home run in the first inning to put the Royals on the board, but starter Andre Pallante then clicked into gear, retiring the next 13 batters he faced. That included designated hitter Jac Caglianone in his major league debut, who nearly had a home run in his first career at-bat to lead off the second. Pallante’s lockdown performance opened the door for the Cardinals, who went through it by way of a two-run shot to center field by Nolan Gorman that barely missed the glove of a leaping Kyle Isbel, and then five runs in the third off the bats of Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Alec Burleson. Michael Lorenzen was charged with all seven runs, getting the hook after 2.2 innings after allowing seven hits and a walk while recording two strikeouts.
The Royals would finally break Pallante in the fifth. After Caglianone hit a sharp grounder for the first out, Nick Lofton launched his first home run of the year to left field. Witt and Pasquantino would have RBI hits to tie the game, then Salvador Perez would hit the game-winning single off reliever Steven Matz. Caglianone would have a second at-bat in the fifth, but was unable to reach base, ultimately going oh-for-five in his debut. Still, the fresh bat provided a morale boost for his teammates and Royals fans, whose cheers were more audible than usual in the heart of Cardinals Nation.
The Royals completed their scoreline when Maikel Garcia singled in two runs in the sixth. KC recorded 13 hits on the night, going five-for-nine with runners in scoring position, while the Cardinals ended up three-for-12 and stranding ten base runners. Steven Cruz picked up the win for the Royals, going 1.2 innings and recording two punchouts while not allowing a hit or walk. Carlos Estévez earned his 17th save of the season.
The Royals are now 32-29, picking up a game on the Tigers to now trail Detroit by 7.5 games in the AL Central, and remain one game behind Cleveland and Seattle for the third wild card spot. The Cardinals are 33-27 and have the third wild card spot, trailing the Cubs in the NL Central by five games.
Game two of the series is Wednesday evening at 6:45 p.m., with Noah Cameron getting the start for the Royals while Miles Mikolas takes the mound for the Cardinals. Pregame coverage from the Royals Radio Network begins at 6 p.m. on KMMO-FM 102.9.