Hosmer, Royals beat White Sox 5-3 in 10 innings
CHICAGO (AP) — Eric Hosmer hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Wednesday night to clinch home-field advantage in an AL Division Series.
Ben Zobrist singled with one out, and Hosmer drove a pitch from David Robertson (6-5) into the bullpen in right field to give the Royals the lead. For Hosmer, it was his 18th homer of the season.
Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas also homered for Kansas City, which had already clinched the AL Central title. They will host the first two games of their ALDS, and a Game 5 if necessary.
Combined with Toronto splitting its doubleheader in Baltimore, the Royals pulled within a game of the Blue Jays for home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. Toronto did win the season series, giving it the tiebreaker over the Royals.
The win was a painful one for Kansas City. In the seventh, Lorenzo Cain fouled a pitch from Jose Quintana off his right knee. He remained in the game and grounded out to third but he didn't make it to first and was replaced in the bottom of the inning.
The Royals said Cain has a right knee contusion and is day-to-day.
Edinson Volquez went six innings, allowed one run and nine hits while striking out five but couldn't pick up his first win since Sept. 8. Franklin Morales (4-2) pitched a scoreless inning in relief and Wade Davis picked up his 15th save in 16 tries.
Quintana remained winless since Sept. 12 despite going nine innings while allowing three runs and five hits.
Chicago gave Quintana a 1-0 lead in the second on Adam Eaton's run-scoring single. The White Sox had three singles off Volquez in the first and three more in the second but only scored one run.
Gordon led off the third with his 13th home run over the fence in deep left-center field. Moustakas' two-run homer in the sixth gave Kansas City a 3-1 lead.
Jose Abreu hit his 30th homer in the seventh for Chicago to pull within 3-2. In the eighth, Chicago tied the game with a double by Tyler Flowers when his drive to right off Kelvin Herrera went over Paulo Orlando's head and bounced over the wall, bringing in Tyler Saladino.
Flowers had four hits to match a career high.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals: OF Jarrod Dyson replaced Cain in center field.
White Sox: INF Micah Johnson will have surgery on his left knee Thursday. Manager Robin Ventura said he didn't have a timetable for when Johnson would return to baseball activities. "It's not that big a deal but it's enough to go in and fix it," Ventura said.
UP NEXT
Kansas City RHP Kris Medlen (5-2, 4.30) faces Chicago LHP John Danks (7-14, 4.53). Medlen is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three starts and eight outings on the road in 2015.