Pinch-runner Nate Eaton dove home with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning, enabling the visiting Kansas City Royals to rally for a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon.
The Giants led 5-2 with two outs and no one aboard in the eighth before singles by Edward Olivares and MJ Melendez off Ross Stripling gave Salvador Perez a chance to tie the score, and that he did with a three-run blast to left-center.
The homer was Perez’s second in as many days.
The Giants appeared on the verge of grabbing back the lead in the bottom of the inning when consecutive inning-opening singles by J.D. Davis, Joc Pederson and Mike Yastrzemski loaded the bases against Taylor Clarke (1-0), the Royals’ third pitcher.
But the right-hander was up to the task, striking out Thairo Estrada, Brandon Crawford and Blake Sabol in succession to send the game to the ninth knotted at 5-all.
Eaton was called upon after Vinnie Pasquantino, who homered in Friday’s series-opening win, opened the ninth with a double off Giants closer Camilo Doval (0-1).
Doval got the next two men out, but Eaton was able to take third on an infield out by Hunter Dozier, positioning himself to scamper home when Doval’s two-strike pitch to Kyle Isbel was way inside and uncatchable for Sabol.
The pitch hit the backstop with such force that it ricocheted most of the way back to Sabol, but Eaton got a big jump and beat the Giants catcher to the plate with a head-first dive.
Aroldis Chapman struck out two of the three men he faced in the ninth for his first save as a Royal.
The Giants scored four of their five runs in the fourth against Royals starter Brady Singer. LaMonte Wade Jr. ignited the uprising with a leadoff home run, his first of the season.
Pederson had a sacrifice fly and Estrada and Crawford RBI singles before the inning was over.
Bobby Witt Jr. got the Royals on the board in the sixth with a leadoff homer off Giants starter Sean Manaea, a run San Francisco got back on Crawford’s second run-scoring hit, a single in the last of the inning.
Manaea was pulled after six innings after having limited the Royals to one run and three hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
Singer also went six innings, charged with five runs on eight hits. He struck out four without walking anyone.
Franmil Reyes greeted Stripling in the seventh with his second homer of the year to get the Royals within 5-2.
–Field Level Media
