Royals rally to defeat Chicago in 10

KC's Carlos Santa hit a tying home run to force extra innings before the Chicago White Sox misplayed a bunt in the 10th inning, leading to the Royals' 4-3 victory.

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April 12, 2021 - 9:54 AM

Kansas City Royals first baseman Carlos Santana (41) celebrates his home run against the Chicago White Sox while Sox catcher Zack Collins (21) looks on in the ninth inning Sunday. Photo by Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / TNS

CHICAGO (AP) — The Kansas City Royals could be headed for a hangover.

Manager Mike Matheny hopes so, anyway.

Michael A. Taylor scored when Garrett Crochet misplayed Andrew Benintendi’s bunt in the 10th inning, sending the Royals to a wild 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

“That’s the kind of win … that you hope kind of have a hangover effect,” Matheny said. “You have some that can negatively have that hangover, and this is going to be one of those with the positive.”

Taylor opened the 10th on second base and advanced on Nicky Lopez’s sacrifice. After Whit Merrifield was walked intentionally, Benintendi bunted the ball right back to the mound.

It looked as if Crochet (0-1) had time to get Taylor at the plate, but he spiked his throw and catcher Zack Collins couldn’t come up with it. It was Chicago’s second error of the day and ninth overall in the first nine games.

“The bunt hopped up on him,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “If it had stayed down, you practice underhanding it, but it came up, so he had to go over the top, so it was a tough play for him.”

Greg Holland (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, and Kyle Zimmer worked a perfect 10th for his first career save.

The Royals celebrated Zimmer’s achievement by showering the right-hander with beer.

“It’s another box I get to check off on my personal career,” Zimmer said. “But the win and the team just definitely comes first.”

Chicago had won 17 straight games when its opponent started a left-handed pitcher, one shy of the major league record set by Atlanta from 2004-05. But it ended up on the losing end of a roller-coaster finish.

Kansas City grabbed a 2-1 lead on Benintendi’s RBI single in the eighth. But Chicago went back in front on Adam Eaton’s first career pinch-hit homer in the bottom half, a drive that hooked just inside the foul pole in right.

The Royals then tied it again when Carlos Santana led off the ninth with a drive to center off Liam Hendriks. It was Hendriks’ first blown save since he signed a $54 million, three-year deal with Chicago in free agency.

Merrifield also had a run-scoring single for Kansas City, which was shut out by Lance Lynn in a 6-0 loss in the series opener Thursday. Following a day off, Saturday’s matchup was rained out.

The Royals had dropped six in a row against the White Sox dating to last season.

“It’s just such a special clubhouse, so anytime we can pull out one against a division rival, it’s huge,” Zimmer said.

After wasting prime scoring opportunities in the second and third, Chicago jumped in front when Leury García’s liner got past leaping third baseman Hunter Dozier for a two-out RBI double in the fourth. Danny Mendick helped set up the run with a 10-pitch walk against Mike Minor.

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