Powered by a walk-off single from first baseman Eric Hosmer, the Kansas City Royals pulled off a thrilling 10-inning victory over Tampa Bay Tuesday night in game two of the series.
The 22-year-old Hosmer, buried in the No. 8 spot in the order due to his .235 average entering the day, was the only player on either side to finish with multiple hits. He also swiped his 12th base of the season off Tampa left-hander David Price early in the game, and proceeded to hand Rays reliever Joel Peralta his fifth loss with his game-winning hit to break the scoreless tie in the 10th.
Unfortunate to leave the stadium with a no-decision, Royals starter Luke Hochevar was downright masterful on a day when he may have featured the best pure stuff of his career. Hochevar yielded just one hit to Tampa hitters through eight innings of shutout ball, and fanned 10 batters with only three walks.
With the series knotted at one win apiece, the Royals will look to right-hander Luis Mendoza (7-8, 4.26 ERA) for Wednesday's third and final game.
Be sure to visit Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball news, and head over to DRays Bay for more on the Rays. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.