2014 Wild Card Game

A couple of back to back nights for sports fans and the city of Kansas City. Monday Night Football they dismantled the New England Patriots and then 24 hours later they got the first playoff game in twenty nine years. Here is the royals take the field on a great night for baseball here in Kansas City by Budweiser Coco Crisp leaves it off for the age followed by Sam Fuld and left Josh Donaldson the big fat hitting third and Brandon Moss is the clean up hitter as Cal said Josh Reddick burned hot he's in the five hold and it's Jed Lowry Steven Vogt leaves first Giovanni Soto is behind the plate and Eric so guard is the second baseman to right handed hitters going up against the right hander James Shields tonight James Shields thirty two years old his career record is a hundred and fourteen and 19 his postseason mark more important seven career starts at two and four for the four point nine ADR array take a look at that Kansas City defense there your man yeah here's the guys with the gloves Gordon turn left the Gold Glove winner canes and center keys in right moving to the infield we have Eskimo on and putting up the middle Mike with stocks and the Gold Glove winner Eric Hoffman at first base behind the plate we have Salvador Perez here's the umpiring crew for this American League wild card game. Bill Miller calls the balls and strikes the career chief as Jerry Davis at first dan i Sonia had second new wealthy at Third and of course being a playoff game you add on players down the lines. James Hoy in his seventh year patrolling the left field line and Todd Kitchener download right field by there was plane flying overhead during batting practice said it's been worth the wait and this is not unlike what we encountered a year ago when we did the wild card game in the National League side in Pittsburgh and that was off the charts. Same story here at the Kay Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Now I don't know if everyone will agree that was worth the wait. But I'll tell you this crowd is as loud as it was in Pittsburgh. James Shields has the best changeup in right handed change up in baseball just as a great motion you'll see a lot of that pitch tonight. Chevrolet pitched tracks and the arsenal for James Shields those Rams said watch that change shows the fastball 60 percent of the time. That's down low and the count even the ball in a strike after seeing big game. James pitcher all these years I'd say the percentages were a little higher on that change up because when he gets in trouble that's the pitch he goes to and if you need any indication in the difference between the regular season baseball and postseason baseball is the war with every pitch well you spend your entire six months 162 games trying to be the best you can be over that time and then you get here every pitch counts every hit counts every ball clock counts. Every decision by a manager counts. The intensity is way up. I remember as an infielder you get ready every single pitch obviously during the season but it's not nearly as exhausting as you do in the playoffs. It's like you're ready to move left or right and this is your intense I imagine game time couldn't come soon enough. The Hurt Locker way through the day for this for this to happen. The hardest part was the nerves that build up before the game starts. Once you get out there once you get the first round ball once you get into the game then it becomes the same play off pitch for the A's leadoff hitter slapped in the left field and Coco Crisp is on with a single lot of these tigers as you see this high fastball from shields got into a 3 2 count. That's what this Oakland A's team does best and did best over the first four months of the season. They will work. The starting pitcher get deep into the pitch count for his pars 19 stolen bases and twenty four drives. Much has been said about the lack of offense when cesspit has got traded that big presence. But there's still a good offensive team and they start to get it going in the month of September the last two weeks in particular Sam Fuld the number two hitter took a strike 0 and 1 Bob Melvin said he was in the lineup he thought of Adam Dunn and all that power but expansive out hit field here in Kansas City. You need the defense a full they got us soon. It's gonna be a tight one run game and defense could be the difference in the game. My guys go to third base coach one of the best defensive infielders you ever saw during his time this is probably the last play Sam Fuld thought he would be. Earlier this season he began the year with the A's but only played seven games. Bill welcome. Down at third. So he began the year with Oakland and then claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins and then traded off the deadline back to Oakland. Then he finds himself in the playoffs. The pitcher's perspective. You think he went right running always hitters for second perspective. I think he kind of held up. He didn't really make an attempt and break his wrist even though the bat is out there at home plate. I still don't think that's really the indication they swung at. He held up. We got a two on one count Bob Melvin said they probably wouldn't steal a lot but they might hit and run even though he thinks it's only about a 30 percent success rate with the hit and run risk with the lead at first and fall goes the opposite way. Alex Gordon back in the converted third baseman who's won three Gold Gloves as an outfielder and made that one look easy as he had to go back. Generally speaking if a guy has a really good changeup he likes to pitch to guys that can hit the ball out of the ballpark. So they're going to start to bat earlier in the change up can fool them if you get hitters that are content with taking and hitting the ball the opposite field that change becomes less effective outfield defense. Kansas City will play a big part in this game. Kane and Gordon can go get it now. Here's Josh Donaldson leads the A's and hits home runs and runs batted in at the first pitch and fouls it away 0 and 1. This little man generates just about as much bat speed as anyone in the game he's playing with a banged up left knee that he fell on. But at this time of year Bob Melvin ran down his list of guys hurt on his team seem like the whole roster. Everybody had something at this point it's safe to assume that everybody does have something at this point. But I tell you what the playoffs the change in weather a little bit although we're not experiencing it here and the adrenaline push really takes all those things away shields jumps ahead no balls and two strikes sometimes you get ahead of the hitter 0 2 and you say advantage pitcher both those swings. Donaldson was on both of those pitches. Shields the 14 game winner delivers the 0 2 has kept it in front one in two books so Walter said about Salvador Perez. He said behind the plate and he's like a big pillow. Nothing ever gets away from him. He just forms that big body of his and gets down and just smothers the baseball and keeps it in front of him. Interesting a changeup artist normally likes to throw to 1 3 to throw to change up some different counts for big games. His changeup is a strikeout pitch took two shots at it right there as well. He's get that power change up he came from Tampa Bay. Alex Cobb has it over there with the Tampa Bay Rays Johan Santana and his day that change up that can put a hitter away righty or lefty first strikeout for shields in the second out of the year. And that was his changeup. He tried to get him to chase in the dirt on it got to account in two and two and came right back in with a crippled up one. So righty on right. Cal three change ups in a row. How many times do you see that. Very very rarely change in speed. Donaldson's better handoff back. Chris still at first here's the clean up hitter Brandon Moss. Moss would appear to be the guy most affected in the Oakland lineup by the trade of your win assessments his power numbers drop tremendously after the trade and this ball's well hit to right. And you can forget about it. He adds to the power numbers there into the seats over the bullpen and to nothing. Brandon lost just to since the trade of your win assessments and that's one of those change ups that just stay right over the middle of the plate. He's got all of it. It's like they were starting to pitch him in a cutter and try to come back with a change up. He said Oh I'm never a big believer in change ups the first time through the lineup because what are you changing off of. Nothing. Get thrown one cutter inside straight to the change up maybe a little too hard. Moss took care of it. That's very true. A HITTER then has to first respect the fastball and if he's just looking for the baseball. Sometimes the change up would be perceived as a fastball. Tape measure shot by Brandon Moss and here is Josh Reddick. I think with a big game though. Those sort of rules go out the window because his changeup is exceptional Redick got good numbers career against shields 318 with three home runs yes that will put a smile on your face your first day be post 2014 that's red x. Earlier this year to him in the same game well if they're looking for a fastball the very next time the first mission positive that went out as well. Two to two left but the Oakland A's the last team to clinch a playoff spot the first to score in this game here in the first in the U.S. the long ball Brandon Moss long gone the A's jump out to nothing. Royals coming to bat here's their batting order brought to you by Budweiser Rousey this escort bar in the leadoff spot with nary I'll be second Lorenzo Cain the speedy center fielder hits Third and Eric Hauser in the cleanup spot then it's Billy Butler Alex Gordon. That team's leader in home runs an RV eyes Salvador Perez the catcher Omar and 40 as a career high in RBI this year and the third baseman is Mike stocks. John Lester's on the Hill. What I forgot to mention about the pitchers both Lester and shields is that they are auditioning for big dollars as free agents. If you want to number one pitcher this year maybe his best this year a lot of losses but a great deal right. Lots of innings like he always has quickly. He's ahead of Escobar no balls and two strikes. Ned Yost late in the season swapped the number of 1 and 2 guys in the order. He had been the leadoff hitter predominantly this year but then he put Escobar there and it really sparked the Kansas City offense and so here in the wild card game it's Escobar who leads off Lester's fifty two starts in his major league career one hundred and sixteen wins sixty seven losses but only two and three at this ballpark. This is a team that swings out of the strikes on a lot. You don't have to throw strikes when you're ahead headed inside. Escobar wouldn't quite two balls and two strikes. The thing about Lester also after that the trade deadline deal was made his first start was against the Kansas City Royals and he beat them still to that's follow the way he had beaten them with the Red Sox in July wins in Oakland and then beat him again later in August at Kansas City. You mentioned earlier they've only beat him two times two in the regular season both wins by Jon Lester on the ground up the middle. Chad Lowry and Escobar was just a cutter outside hit hard up the middle of the plate a tough play probably has to be ruled a hit. And see them off the heel of a glove. Ned had to take an angle to that ball that he could throw out of speedy runner and that's the advantage of having speed is that you have to make that play. But it do or die since it is ruled a hit and here's how hokey and took it all and won. So interesting Ned Yost told us before the game if that's the bar he gets on the OC he's funny. I wouldn't think he would but with a 2 0 deficit or maybe still not to play his cards the way he thinks he should. Escobar at first probably Kansas City's best base runner and he's stolen 31 out of thirty seven quickly behind in the counters I hope he had no balls and two strikes you'll see a lot of swings up there that are a little unorthodox from time to time whatever it takes from a Hokie to get on occasionally that batting stance and swings seems like he is swinging in or through the strike zone but he gets it done he usually does not throw the first does not have a great move but is very quick to the plate you might have thought when this one game came up that Derek Norris would be that would be the catcher for the Oakland A's swings a good bat but has trouble throwing runners out Soto has been much better in that department and thus gets the start against the speedy royals on the ground a second so guard with the high flip but they get the Dan Sonia is the second base umpire he took a long look at it and then made their call so they get the force that he reaches on the field his choice. Well what's interesting about that play so guard isn't for his defense the high toss maybe a little nervous Nice play by Lowry but in the vicinity I guess of second base there with the force I think he got his toe on the base though here's the center fielder Lorenzo came eighth in the American League with a 3 0 on average. Another guy who can really run well here's a distinction needs to be made here. Are you trying to turn the double play or are you trying to get the force out many times you have to make that decision as a shortstop that one because the throw was off you got to make sure you get your toe in the bag and drag that to get the force out to keep the beginning from happening. In the air to right field Josh Reddick down Soto being in the game as a judge has thrown out 15 percent of the runners and has good strong arm but there's not really that many attempts. I don't think there was any attempts from the Kansas City Royals when they had were facing Jon Lester this year. So it almost seems that if it's Jon Lester on the mound and there are no attempts Why do you need somebody they could throw. Remember Lester had a great success with Oakland this year with one catch. Derrick Norris he had great success in the postseason last year with one catcher David Ross. There is a value to learning now. He came over to Oakland. They all want him really quickly. So who's to say that Soto can't learn him just as quickly but there is some little concern right now that he hasn't caught him before. Doesn't know how he thinks doesn't know what pitches he wants to throw to and maybe doesn't know how the ball actually comes up there and cuts. Eric we're waiting on a 1 0. There goes our hockey. Here's the throw to second would be actually over slip the bag just a touch. But the throw was off line. There was no chance for Lowry to apply a tag. Well you know all of their stolen base people on this team he did go past the back. He's been thrown out eight times. So he's doesn't have a great percentage. But he went on first move and he guessed right. Well runner in scoring position for the royals with two down and Lester delivers a 2 0 or was about to time was call that the very last instant. It's obvious that they're going to use their threat of speed and getting off the base to disrupt some of the timing from Jon Lester. Well Giovanni Soto was arguing with home plate umpire Miller saying hey that's way too late. You're going gonna hurt my pitcher you call time that late this offense is predicated on making things happen and that Jones is going to make sure that he doesn't bury his plan even though down to nothing in the first inning he's still got to play your game. So let him swing 3 at 0. He's going to get a fastball but him be aggressive. Interesting to see Soto out talking to Lester. What can you tell Lester about pitching in the postseason that he doesn't know because he's trying to relax his lefty. How much of this is the first time he has not caught Lester and are you totally on the same page. Well sometimes it on the same page it could be as simple as watching the catcher give those of the multitude of signs with the guy on second. Sometimes it takes them longer than the catcher you work with. Normally it's little things like that that can change the tempo. He is a tempo pitcher was one of the most popular guys wearing in the Kansas City uniform it's Billy Butler. Up high. Two balls and no strikes in the plate jumping a little bit for Lester here in the first left to pitching on five days last. That's an extra day. You never know for a lot of pitchers even the great ones a little strong in that first inning. And Butler didn't think much of it did not like that call by Bill Miller. What do you think Cal. It's a 2 0 cutter so it's got a little room and it's right on the edge. You know for all good hitters when they're facing good pitchers but pitchers close they say don't help him. He doesn't need any help. It's more basic that's going to score alone and it's going to put runners it's obvious that he's coming back inside again this time. Butler's looking for a good swing on his line drive. Maybe lucky it's just a single. Well that's why Sam fooled us in their one great hitting by Butler being ready for that pitch in full gear so quick he's able to keep that ball in play keep Butler first keep the force at second. Here's Alex Gordon the royals leader in home runs with 19 RB eyes with 74 runs have come with two out just another example of royals baseball they've been playing behind a lot this year they still stay to their game. You fake the fun at his first pitch that he saw in the post he stole a base to set up scoring a run on products and there is Billy Butler caught between first and second now Hodgman edging away a third and now they're going to throw to the plate and Hausmann is out Billy Butler wandered off first and it resulted in the third out Butler knocks in Iran and then Carson Palmer no chance it's two to 1 Chevy Silverado top of the second Jed Lowry leads it off open leading to one bizarre ending to the bottom of the first inning for the Kansas City Royals as Billy Butler was picked off and caught between first and second here's what do you make of this. Well I don't think there was a play on because neither has more a butler can run I think Butler is talking to Coons saying hey if they're playing behind me should I steal so they steal we never looked at Lester Lester just stepped off and they made the play the simplest of plays that maybe worked in high school certainly not supposed to work at this level and the put out was made at the plate and you saw Rusty Coombs the first base coach and Billy Butler everybody trying to explain exactly what happened. Well you definitely don't do something that you don't do normally normally in the regular season in the playoffs but there are times when a first and third left handed play will work. I stole my first base in the big leagues on a left handed play of holding against John Matlock when he takes his eye off of you. You start to run at third and then he runs over there at first but on a play where you're just trying to get run down. You better have some really fast guys that you're going to be able to do that at the big league club level where you can execute and steal a right. That wasn't the right situation just to getting a run down and then try to score a run along little league took the bad out of the hands of your leading home run hitter an RBI guy and Alex scored him with runners at first and third. Who was your MVP of the season. We showed the graphic of what he hits with two outs from runners in scoring position. Everything he does and Fontaine hitting him on the head like well you give him a hard time belly button or explaining that at the coffee shop to Mark I think the logical explanation is that you got to play behind him. He doesn't throw over here let's just get a running lead and go. But again asking him to do that when he hasn't done that you know during the course of the season that's a risk. Two balls two strikes to Jed LOWRY No it's certainly not a lot of pitches have been thrown that inside fastball to left these that shields usually just excels at. He has not gotten one call or not made one pitch inside yet 3 2. Why would he turn on that walkout when those line drives foul that you hope everybody's paying attention down there. Both pitchers have hit ninety five or eight. I know how you like the 90 but it's not me it looks to see that ninety five flash up there to the board to look at their control and the type of pitches they throw you forget and shields made a nice pitch at first one down fourth member of our group is Matt Weiner who's got the best seat in the House Matt what you got. That's a pretty good one here in the royal suite where they are hanging on every pitch including George Brett who signed with this organization two years after it was born and he's been here ever ever since. As a Hall of Fame player as a pivotal piece of that 85 championship team as an executive as a coach et cetera. You've been a part of this rebuilding process as well. How gratifying is this scene tonight. It's pretty special for a town to wait twenty nine years and when I first signed with the royals in 71 and then we made the playoffs and Mike Well I came up in 73 74 bidding my first year. You make the playoffs seven out of 10 years you think that's gonna happen all the time and it hasn't happened since 85. So very happy for Dayton moore very happy ending for Ned Yost and the rest of the coaching staff and especially all the players down and down on the field because they've really worked their tails off and and developed into a really good ballclub win in this development process. Did you think you had a team that could reach this level. I think last year in the second half of the season the way they played they were always kind of just you know they had a tough time getting the 500 for a long time and once they got over 500 they got on a pretty good streak and all of a sudden last year at the end of the season I'm saying you know these guys aren't that far away. And it was a good experience for them last year two to play exciting you know pennant contending baseball they're in it to the last week of the season and unfortunately Detroit beat us and we lost out in the wildcard. But I think last year was the first year I really saw the these guys. I thought these guys were ready to play. And the organization took a calculated risk in trading prospects to bring back James Shields between the innings the wins and his presence in the clubhouse. What is he meant the last two years. Well you can ask Danny Duffy and Ventura about that. He's mentored those guys. And don't forget they've got Wade Davis in that deal also who had the most incredible year as a reliever I've ever seen. I think he's given up for extra base hits all year. He already won just been the eighth inning specialist of all time. But James and Wade brought over a looseness a confidence about about them and it's really rubbed off on the young guys. By the way our bosses would be very happy to hear that George spends many of his afternoons watching what network TV has maybe because it's yes because it's it's very funny girl. There you go. There you have it down earlier. I'm just kind of stunned me by trying to let it lead him right into it. His friends and Seinfeld. There you have it up such up such moments promos are made like a George like Matt Steven Vogt draws the one out walk. And here's Giovanni Soto two close plays now that have gone against the royals on the Czech swing thing going against the royals but a play that's been asked the first baseman wants third but third base umpire once both against the Royals strike one and one. Soto started the year with the Texas Rangers played 10 games and then was sold to the A's. Near the end of August two sixty two didn't hit a home run knocked in eight runs but it's his work behind the plate clock. Nine out of 17 runners attempting to steal that got him the start. Tonight Soto is active behind the plate gets down low on one knee and also has a little bump on his back to back in 2008. Soto was the rookie of the year in the National League with the Chicago Cubs. Really thought he was gonna be a fixture for those cubs for years to come. He had a tough year too tough the next couple of years both with a lead at first. Looked like a fastball away subtle thought it was down our pitch tracks had it down also Bill Miller rang him up to down definitely was down on the special here's the number nine hitter Eric's so guard many everyday players anymore you see wearing the glasses during a game you become kind of his you know that's who we are. Yeah trademark right voted first with virtually no lead vote is one of those guys that suffering from a banged up ankle and toe Bob Melvin say look it's not how you got here. It's that you did get here and it's a fresh start. One ball and two strikes ten and sixteen September for the Oakland Athletics and it was touch and go down the stretch because Seattle after losing five in a row got hot and Oakland able to hold them off Sonny Gray came up big on the last day of the season and here they are both pitchers are all horses give you a lot of innings puts you deep in the ball games for both of them getting up for the pitch count there early on in this game Melvin said Lester hundred and twenty five to 130 I would say the same except for the great bullpen and fan city for Shields fouled into the middle of Salvador Perez second strike on the third of the game for shields we go to the bottom half of the second where will you be the next time. History is made be there for all the action in 2015 go to MLB dot com slash season tickets to reserve your seat today Gordon leading off here in the bottom half of the second. He was at the plate with the Billy Butler episode happened in the bottom half of the first inning which resulted in Eric Hauser being thrown out of the plate. Still trying to absorb that appear to count his account where you take a chance on doing something. Facts are that I'm got a good chance to get a hit off Lester fly ball in left field and Sam Ford makes the play for the first out take a quick trip to Atlanta check in with Casey Stern this I can see a Yale man Ron Darling analyzing what you just gave us and the look on his face right now is his blank is mine. It was the first stage inducted into the nation. That's why they would be the first state to talk about the royals and the A's. There you go. Somehow a new sorry case would have to answer. All in a strike to Salvador Perez Jon Lester. You get into the statistic of quality starts. That's a couple of miles high. Right behind short Jed Lowry squeezes it two up and two down goes six innings you allow three or four runs or less predator with a quality start. Jon Lester made eleven starts for the A's eleven quality starts quality starters is an interesting stat because if you take it all the way out over nine innings Germany of 4.5 0 Jon Lester would not be happy with the array of four and a half he's a two and a half kind of guy that the number about a quality start does show though there is some consistency there that every time he's out there he's going six you know he's giving up a little bit of damage not a lot but mixed in quality starts are shut out here in there and eight innings of shutout Paul it seems like if you look at that and say you know what he's going to keep you in a game it was a foregone conclusion years ago that if you logged a lot of innings you had a lot of quality starts they wouldn't keep you in there and weren't doing the job. Interesting to see a shift put on with online font day. I always think of as a guy who sprays the ball all over the ballpark second baseman so guard almost behind the base to the polls side as Lowry can go to and he literally goes down swinging three up three down. We head to the third we move to the top half of the third and then the bottom half of the third. Pretty good chance you're gonna see a different battery for the Oakland A's. Let's take a look at tonight's forecast represented by voice financial. Seventy five percent chance the A's will win when they score first 57 and 19 in the regular season. Coco Crisp leads it off here in the third. The reason we say that is between innings. We could look in the dugout and see that. GIOVANNI Soto while taking the gear off and was talking to the trainer walked out of the dugout and you saw Derek Norris saddle up beside John Lester So here was Soto and accompanied by Nick rest of the Oakland trainer and their own horse who's got the gear on doing whatever it takes to get loose there that change again and crisp way out in front. A ball and two strikes at the time a train changing catches and a postseason game might benefit the starting pitcher Lester for his single to left his first time came around to score in front of Brandon Moss on the two run bond just reached out on the hand and slapped at the first those three one in the books and it looked like shields for a second might have gotten nipped by Chris. But the bag got out of Matt Weiner Matt Birney Giovanni Soto who is brought in for defensive purposes to start this game is done for the night he is injured the left thumb of course that's his catching hand he did it on the tag at home plate I spoke to him a few moments ago he said he heard something pop asked him if he'd broken and he said I don't know but I can't receive the ball all right thank you very much mezzo Derek Norris we'll get the call in the bottom half of the third inning that finger will blow up I've had that myself call the game keeper's thumb it's where your thumb is bent back and the pain is pretty bad so trying to catch that cutter for the rest of the game it's not going to happen for Giovanni Soto who was in those breaks the same for gamekeeper Jim keep his thumb I don't know why it's called up you know what's interesting about today's game because of the replay that's a game where it almost would have been a phantom tag Well I want to just catch you on the hip maybe but now when you want to make sure that you apply the tag. He really caught him right in the midsection took the complete blow from Hausmann Jonny Gomes finds himself in the postseason again watching on sport pumps it up behind the plate because the Rams have a play he doesn't miss to play a role as has been one of their Venezuelan Warriors this season he played in one hundred and forty six games that's better than the record Darrell Porter held at one hundred forty five never misses an inning it seems also their shortstop from Venezuela I've seen as Escobar played 162 games this season Well the guy sitting in between us Cal Ripken didn't bat an eye when that stat was magic toward right softly and it will fall in front of our Oki for a one out single third hit allowed by James Shields as he works here in the third for Ned Yost it's also the first time he's managed a postseason game and has been nothing but confident going in thinking that these royals with the way they've picked up offensively to go with their great starting and relief pitching could be poised for a deep run but there's Josh Donaldson who singles two left there at first and second picking James so far has not put it on and I'm not going to say the third inning he's giving up a couple of runs he's only given up four hits but the swings from the earliest hitters have been locked on so far the shields he is not as they say in the baseball parlance it's not really fallen anybody so far and he certainly did not fool Brandon Moss in the first no doubt or into the seats in the right over the Oakland bullpen has been fighting with his control got into some hitters counts you're right the swings have been really strong foul balls have been good swings some of the outs have been hard outs Warner's lead from first and second one out here in the third and Moss at the plate line drive slide down by half is moving towards the second to complete the double play. We've had bad based running on the Kansas City side and now Sam gets off second on the stop line drive two halves look ahead to the bottom of the third thanks for tuning in here on TV as we move to the bottom half of the third inning in a 2 1 game. Jon Lester in the A's on top is the number nine hitter takes a strike leading off here in the third. You see the shift here. This is where most of the balls that Mr. Hausmann hits go to some stocks up at the plate and he spoils the shift goes the other way. Sam full hustle that won in leadoff single here in the third for Kansas City. Dale Swaim since he became the hitting coach in late May has been trying to get most Optus to go to left field more. He says yes you've got power to hit 20 to 30 home runs but instead of hitting just barely over 200 hit the ball to left field perfect display there. It's also a classic case is the infield can play him to pull the outfield did not play him before Sam made a nice play over there but he was playing and more true that way. The outfield was not shifted to It's 74 hits this year from center to right field and only 20 to left big one there. Here is Al Qaeda's Escobar. Donaldson on the grass at third and they lay it down. Donaldson makes the goods the runner over into scoring position with one down as we talked about him the top half of the unit. Derek Norris replacing Giovanni Soto behind the plate for Oakland Escobar with a sacrifice bunt puts most stock at second for Norio Aoki that was one of those bonds that was kind of a sacrifice bunt but also take a chance on getting a hit. You don't want to give up a run but you also want to advance in the second. So you didn't give it away too early but it did just a little too hard for. Time called hit Bob Melvin right now hands out my come on. Bill Miller you kidding me. Let's go. That's two times now one the best pitchers in the game and he's halfway in throwing the baseball and two time outs will us was dancing off the bag at second now. He asked for time and it was granted with Lester basically end of the line. He doesn't believe that that strategic goal dancing off second base and also asking for time out. The Royals said before the game that they are going to try to somehow mess with the tempo of Jon Lester. They think it would mean a run maybe even two by making sure he doesn't throw the ball when he's ready to throw it one ball no strikes two out okey or something. I don't know though I would be like the boy who cried wolf the next guy wants time I might not be so ready to give it up but he's in a world uniform. Well if he wants time again he reached on a fielder's choice his first time stole second and has scored the only Kansas City ruling. Billy Butler's line drive single the old fly in the eye. They've been using that forever. Right through their 3 1 1 Kansas City team that tries to manufacture runs last in baseball with ninety five home runs only team to not hit 100. It's interesting with that flat kind of swing of Aoki. He kind of stays in that strikes on a long time batting 360 through he's against left handed pitching. Kind of tells you when that breaking ball doesn't have that good curve on it if it's going across the strike so he's going to stay with it. He has a great ability to keep his hands inside the ball and he waits a long time and he stays in there are lefties two to the Royals last in home runs lasting in blocks drawn and had the fewest strikeouts and when you're talking about teams who make the postseason with the fewest walks in the fewest home runs has never happened in modern baseball history. Throws across for the second out the stock has moves to third. When you look at that royals offense it's almost exactly the opposite of what Oakland is trying to do. They want to walk a lot. They want to hit the ball out of the ballpark. That's all they care about. And just the opposite for the Royals fans going all Biblical here with the pain is able sign as Lorenzo steps in here in the third with two down and the tie run 90 feet away. It's like no stock is flight out for right his first time and he Kansas City some really good numbers against Jon Lester. Some of the best numbers and he wasn't waiting around. He was able and with his speed turned it into a double gold plated well in the corner. But the go ahead run his in scoring position with two out for Eric Posner that's such a big run in a playoff game. It's easier to play when you're even it's even easier to play when you're up one run when you're down you start to get a little more tight as Mr. Ball off the end of the bat putter that he gets just enough on goes perfectly placed Luke hits a night for clutch hitting all five runs in this game coming with two out and here's Billy Butler swinging at the first pitch he knocked in the first Kansas City run with a line shot in the first watching Lester in this game. Two things come to mind. He is not using the outside corner to the right in hitters at all. Middle of the plate and with that clutter and he's seen a curve ball yet. I don't know if I have. That's one of his better pitches. Breaking pitch straight open away. That was your first curve ball. Maybe that's why. Not even close. You can fall in love with a cutter inside all the time especially if you're having success with it. But one of Lester's real successes is that he also has a ninety five mile an hour Faustino and he can drop that on the outside corner or pitch up in the strike zone. If you forget about that just fall into the gutter. Basically you can start to cheat on it rounded the short Lowry will go the short shortwave for the force of the Kansas City Royals take him a lead over John Lester in the games. This goal to win the third it's 3 to get exclusive behind the scenes access and expert opinions from the biggest names in sports check out behind the mike powered by Ford on Bleacher Report dot.com flash behind the mike American League wild card game here in Kansas City at the Kay Kauffman Stadium and removed at the top half of the fourth and Josh Redick takes. Ball 1 Redick flied to Alex Gordon and left his first time now we see how James Shields reacts pitching with a lead in this game Ron you saw the graphic 2.0 to E.R. and shutdown innings the only issue he's having in this game is that the Oakland A's are not going out of the strike zone first pitch was a breaking ball taken by Redick change up him by Redick now fastball down also taken was Oakland A's team you're going to have to come in the strike zone at some point Perez is urging his pitcher on and it's a little bit of both it's his control is not an pinpoint but also the Oakland A's do not swing in bad pitches form three you know now three and two. Interesting watching shield almost like he's got three different fastballs that 95 rider a little cutter that's 91 or 92 they need also to see what away that was a little clutter in the middle of the plate that Redick missed was a big battle back from 3 0 to make a pitch on 3 two to get that out to express how important it feels as a pitcher you get three on a hitter and you come back you get that first out of the inning huge out there for the royals and shields here's the shortstop Jed Lowry. The first is first time since like that strike zone for Bill Miller is opening up just a little bit for Shields here in the fourth in the air right center field that guy has big long strides in his graceful and covers ground like there's nothing to it in this ballpark you've got speedy outfielders it's pretty much a necessity it's interesting two outs here in the fourth means that we talked about the open James Shields has to get seven outs and not give up a run to get Kansas City to the way they played all season long for that Hydra bullpen of Herrera Davis and Holland those three have absolutely been lights out and a big reason that when they lead after eight they're seventy nine and one what they say in Baltimore give that fan a contract for Houston they used to say that the intensity ramped up here in Kansas City. Because after a twenty nine years round the royals lead a playoff game. It's the wild card on TV TBN bottom four in Kansas City Royals leading three to Alex Gordon moves at all. Gordon flushed out the left as first time breaking pitch 0 and 2 lets see adjustment that he has to make normally he does. You want to mix in that Curveball because it has the spin of a cutter but it also changes speeds hardest part for a pitcher in these games is your adrenaline. Sometimes works against you. You end up throwing the ball Harden and you have all year and you forget about all those little touch pitches which are so important to your success on and off speed one down here in the fourth. Moments ago we spoke with the A's pitching coach Curt Curt. How do you assess you've seen Jon Lester at his best obviously. How do you assess what you've seen tonight. Well he he he he he does well. I mean he's always gonna pitch ahead in the count and he's going to attack the strike zone. He's not one of those guys that you have to tell to do that. So you know they're they're looking to hit the ball early. They're looking to get a good pitch early to hit. So he knows that. And it's all about location early on for him. They can't see any problem with Soto now out of the game with the bat. And Norris in catching Lester. Well basically this was Soto's first time catching him this year Dino's been his catcher all the starts and he's been here. So they're real comfortable together. They worked very well together. Our thanks to her young for his time in between innings Salvador Perez faces Jon Lester again when to call a breaking ball could be one of those issues. Soto catch him for the first time for a second on this Royals team and home runs and RBI eyes behind in the count one and two steps out. So the increase in curveballs thrown by last year that was the first fastball away thrown by luster with a new catch. MORRISON There their Norris with the nickname Dino with the Duck Dynasty haircut and fingernails were all painted so Lester can see the sign doesn't seem to all go together. Got him to wave at it for the second out records and milestones presented by Jim Beam and you see Jon Lester Sterling earned run average coming into this game in the postseason of two point one 1 trailing only Kristi Matheson and Wade boy Curt Schilling on that list and Kenny Holtzman to help them two down here in the fourth and in forty rounds to Lowry. That's a quick one two three heading for Jon Lester four innings in the books wild card on CBS world champions in nineteen eighty five last time the Kansas City Royals were in the postseason they won it and seven over the Cardinals and we welcome you back to what is essentially a game seven atmosphere and the wild card game one and done Jared Weaver and the angels waiting for the winner of this game the loser goes home Derek Norris leads it off here in the fifth he came on when Giovanni Soto had to leave the game with a thumb injury early so Ronny if you're Jared Weaver you're watching this game like a hawk Oh big time big time just just trying to find out any little nuance from either team that's going to help you in your start you know which which would hit or takes a first pitch curve ball which hitter when those guys on base swings at the first pitch. Those are the little things you want to know one ball two strikes moments ago we spoke with Royals manager Ned Yost they kind of came out and punched me in the mouth in the first inning but this is your team the way they fight back. You wanted to lead against Leicester but you had to come from behind to do it and right now you've got it. Wait did you know Moss had a change up off of Lego there in the first to put us down too but you know our focus was to try to create havoc on the base pass trying to you know but trying to hit and run trying to get guys in scoring position and see if we can make something happen then. So far it's been good for us creating havoc. Oh you almost took it to another level with Billy Butler. What happened on that play. Well that play broke down on both ends. You know Billy left too soon. He was supposed to wait till last year threw the ball home break down and take the second break it down and then Haas was gonna come to the plate. If we grant other than that it was perfect for us. Well what's interesting is Susan Schlosser who follows the A's and writes for the A's said that the angels successfully did this against Leicester last week but that was run so poorly by Kansas City that could have been defense by the 12 year old Cal Ripken travel could have gotten it out there. Two up and two down here in the top half of the fifth back to the top of the Oakland order in Poco parish. Think about this Ernie. The collateral damage of that is husband knocks Sordo out of the game with the tag he's thrown out at the plate and then the thumb injury knocks Soto out to try and get Billy at the fence after the game. Billy knocked in Iran and then gave a run away potentially with the strike zone by Miller. The team that takes a lot of pitches think they know the strike zone. Miller has opened up the bottom of that strike zone to first pitch strikes from shield. That's definitely beneficial. The shields when he opens up the lower part it sets up his change up sets up that low fastball that you can't then lay off of that change up down below the line. Yeah as opposed to the royals who flew the fewest walks Oakland through the most. Five hundred and eighty six first in baseball. Someone with a good slider slider that goes down or some other really good change up that low fastball strike is something that sets up that three of the last four strikeouts. By James Shields have been pitchers taken by the Oakland Athletics was the change up right down in the dirt wall too far down to get him to fish taking that pitch almost like they know it's coming. Shields has gotten his control back. He's making those pitches those fastball pitches. Meadows said before the game we give James Shields the lead. He will hold it. That's the kind of pitcher he is looking for a second straight. One two three inning response time and step back backdoor slider he wants a pitch that he can throw for a strike that appears to be a ball so he can get pissed looking red. He also doesn't agree. I've been watching games all season the checks thing has been one of the biggest differences in the game. It has been called early and often but not here by wealthy shields. One is delivery girl just drop his head away. Jeremy Guthrie for the Royals also does that. Almost like they drop it towards first base to clear that shoulder to release the baseball don't miss the action tomorrow night in the NL wild card game as the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates battle it out. Tune in to ESPN at 8 o'clock Eastern Time. First pitch around 8 0 7 Mike move stock takes a breaking ball over for a strike move stocks again the shift but he beat the shift his first time singling the left that's a shift we're talking about seventy four of his hits the center or right. Only 20 left. But first time up tonight. Yeah look at the outfielders here left fielder Sam Pollard might be a little bit pinch in the line but everybody else is definitely straight away in the outfield. Went the other way again fold retreating think sometimes it must be boring for Sam Fuld when it's just a routine play this is a guy who's filled up the highlight reels in the course of his career he won't even get in the top 25 tonight unless something happens and he paid the price earlier this year he for the first time in his career because he's run into a lot of walls but when he was playing with Minnesota crashed into the wall and missed about 30 games with a concussion talking about that yesterday because you're seeing players all the time with the concussion like symptoms and he said No I knew right away said the headache and the accompanying symptoms and then all you can do is wait for them to go away. Thirty two games Westerners definitely found his curveball using that very effectively now. Sometimes all it takes is a catcher who knows you and sees from the bench that you're not throwing some of the pitches that he is accustomed to calling when he's in high chopping up the middle Lowry's got to hurry and he gets us guitar by a step down the way they run. Don't you feel like the royals are just tailgating you at all times you're the guy right behind you in the car objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear. Follow the postseason with MLB dot com at bat. The number one app for live baseball highlights scores of live radio broadcast replay reviews and more get the At Bat app Lori O'Keefe reached on a fielder's choice in the first stole the base and scored a run Gano Venturi is in the pen. He's a starting pitcher on this roster for moments like this getting ready in case needed in the sixth inning. I think what he's up for is that I don't think they'd bring him him because he's a starting pitcher middle of an inning they've now decided that they've gotten far enough that a guy like Ventura who's gonna start at some point if they move past here and win is just getting some throwing in as they probably told him today to not throw just stay in the bullpen and once we get past the fifth then he can go and get loose a little bit. I don't think he's gonna give you getting ready to come in the ballgame not the way shields throwing. I talked to Ned Yost about him being on the roster the other day and he said look we only threw in for Sunday. And as soon as we knew where we were going to go which is home to host this game if we need him we'll put him there. But to your point you're the guy who's been out there. He could be the X-Factor for Ned Yost if they do move on because of his stuff close to 100 mile an hour fastball Lester misses again two balls and two strikes you know all the ins and outs of pitching but I'm watching him out there. When you throw in the side you work at a frantic pace. Because it seems like he's trying to get loose and trying to get ready. I definitely could be wrong. Just the way that Shields is throwing three outs gets to that magic point you want with a three headed bullpen that you have but you're right. Maybe if something happens where they need a rare to come in and just throw that good fastball for one hour why not take the chance just a little No over there toward third and Josh Donaldson put that in his pocket. We are five and the wild card game on CBS has got on the board and the first with two. The Royals have answered with 3 1 in the first 2 and the third and James Shields goes to work and the top half of the sixth inning. He has set down the last seven A's he's spaced Sam Ford leads it off he can handle the bat in just on the grass at third. It's almost like Shields has decided you're not going to swing in anything close. Okay here it comes. I'm starting to throw strikes. Be ready shattered his bat and the bloopers going to fall lead off single four fold here in the six. Let's go down to Matt Weiner. Hey Ernie there are thousands of fans here who have never seen a postgame Post series game in Kansas City before some of whom weren't alive the last time the royals played a playoff game. Rich Burstein is not one of those folks but it has been a long drought more than a third of his eighty seven years since there was last a postseason game here in Kansas City city. He's a season ticket holder since the franchise began back in 1969. What has kept you coming back all these years. The love of baseball and the love of the team here. I really do love it. I'm a baseball fan. Over nearly three decades of drought here with the playoffs. Did you think you'd see this day. Yes. Why are you so sure. Oh I was bound to happen. Bound to happen. There were times when I fell down about it. But it was bound that they were too hard on this team. What does this day mean to you and everybody else here. This game. Just the reemergence of the royals. We're back. Back for good. I would think so. It's not it's not a one time thing. Enjoy it Rich. Oh I very very much. Send it back up T.J. All right thank you very much Matt. Spot in this game in the top half of the sixth inning leadoff hitter gets on for Oakland and Josh Donaldson twenty nine home runs ninety eight runs batted in one of Bob Melvin's hunches is paid off. Two hits for Sam Fuld now and one misses two balls and one strike is the biggest pitch of the game. You're facing the best hitter that the Oakland Athletics have to one count guy with the best power on the team other than Adam Dunn. Well they acquired in late August going back to the kind of I thought he'd go change up here huge cut from Donaldson folded back two balls and two strikes and Salvador Perez wants a word with his pitcher got three shot of Bob Melvin Mike diagonal and Josh Donaldson It's interesting if you listen to a lot of people around the American League Salvador Perez is emerging as the yardage Molina here in the American League and only way coach calls pitches his durability but also his way of controlling pitchers Donaldson struck out his first time singled in the third because that play now and the third anyone else lined out the first into a double play he's had a flooding rally a matter of there goes the runner. Last pitch was away. Sometimes the catcher will steal it from the umpire because they get up to make that throw the second but good call by home plate by Zell Miller. Ned Yost is going to the bullpen James Shields walks into the sixth inning the flame thrower and Jordana open to a coming on James Shields departs here in the sixth with the royals leading the A's three to two but Oakland has runners at first and second and they are the responsibility of James Shields and you two were right I was completely wrong. They're bringing in the young Ventura and looked like shields or Ned Yost did not want shields to face Moss who's hit a home run off in the force in the first inning of this game or Redick who has been red hot against them in the month of August. Brandon lost two run homer in the first mind into a double play in the third faces the rookie Jordana Ventura ninety nine miles an hour 31 games for Ventura 30 of those year starts it can be wild sixty nine walks is the most on the staff. That's why I thought it'd be hard to bring him into this situation. All the talent in the world a feisty personality can't get better stuffed and young Ventura. But the walks are a problem in this inning Kelvin Herrera part of that shut him down triumvirate that includes Wade Davis Greg Holland. But right now it's all on the shoulders of twenty three year old Ventura in the hair to center field and pretty well hit Lorenzo Cain is back and has no chance Brandon Moss has done it again. Straight away center field three run shot and the A's have believed depleted he knows it's come and they follow it up a notch. He's got all kinds of power to center to left center field to right. He just squares it up and sends it out of center field really quickly. So these kind of games where managers get out of their blocks and do things that they haven't done all season long and you expect the players to excel in a place they haven't all year long venture relieved once right before the All-Star break in the sixth inning situation but that's certainly not here on September 30 the reaction from the Oakland dugout for James Shields 3 2 lead becomes a 5 3 deficit. And the jurors been rattled by the Oakland three run homer and behind 2 1 0 to Redick in his postseason debut Brandon Moss has personally quieted this crowd twice. Had three good at bats today and obviously the two homers. He's also lined out the first so. You would you had counted it down. In the innings leading up to this here's here's where shields here's where the royals are need this many outs to get it to the shut shutdown guys in the seventh eighth and ninth but the sixth has been a trouble spot Redick singling that's three hits and a walk here in the six then a long ball by Brandon Moss. Dave Ireland is the royals pitching coach Jeff Somalia. He's having a nice smile now seeing that home run by Moss and what part he'll play for the athletics one of their four great starters Sonny Gray and Scott Caswell. Shields almost beside himself Ventura had only allowed one home run in his last 10 starts and that came in the season finale against the White Sox. Marcus Simeon took him deep and then this by Brandon Moss two home runs five runs batted in here in the wild card game that ball goes all the way to the screen you know you're just asking and that's in my opinion now you're asking a young man to do something that he's never done. And on this stage it's very difficult to have success that way. If you're going to go with the three guys that we talked to for Herrera Davis and Holland somehow get those outs from that those three guys because they've been there they're used to pitch in with men on base. They're used to the big stage maybe not the postseason stage but they're used to the big stage two balls on a strike to Jed Lowry in the air to write playable for all. There's the tag it's second and sliding and the third is Josh Reddick but not a Matt Weiner. Well Ernie there's a lot of baseball to go here this wild card game. But if this result were to hold up the image of James Shields walking off the mound is very likely the last you'll see of him in a Kansas City Royals uniform royals knew that shields would become a free agent at the end of this season when they acquired him last year. Today date more the general manager of the Kansas City Royals was asked about the possibility of keeping him he said. Winning is attractive yes but quote We're not going to be big players in the free agent market. In other words they're likely to be much bigger offers awaiting shields when the season ends. All right thank you very much man. Ventura has electric stuff. Jones just pulled the plug. We'll be back this copyright telecast is presented by authority of the Office of the commissioner of baseball and may not be reproduced or re transmitted in any form and the accounts and descriptions of this game may not be disseminated without express written consent top half of the sixth inning continuing here in Kansas City and then a pivotal ending for the Oakland A's. They've played it three and have another one 90 feet away and Kelvin Herrera enters the game for Kansas City he faces Steven vote in field in the Kansas City Royals are down two and trying to keep the deficit right there. Only 100 miles an hour on that first pitch from Herrera Bode has walked and been called out on strikes. This is the situation if you're open you could take a chance on a contact play with the infield in. But watching the lead Donaldson does not look like the contact plays on. They're going to allow the next two hitters to have a chance to drive the run in. Well Bob Melvin told us he would use a contact play only if he had a runner on that if the runner on third was caught had enough speed to get the second base back in scoring position. Vote is not that man. I in a way and threw balls and one strike. So James Shields works into the six allows a hit in the walk and Ned Yost went with Ventura. Normally a starter out of the pan in the sixth and he couldn't get it done. Three one Homer he allowed that Brandon Moss and Redick with a single wild pitch got him to second fly ball got him to third and that's where we stand five three A's it needs a strike out here popped up over there behind third and it's going to play well that's one of those Khalifi an infield you catch in 1 out your backs to the play as you stop. This was and I'm not even sure if she should you make that play it's ready for the tied up tacked up sorry to tag up on all foul balls period and then watch the play pretty intently because you can fall into the stands get caught up down the line or be moving away from home plate gives you a chance to score runs. Good battle going on here between vote and Herrera as he falls off at ninety nine mile an hour fastball votes a guy who came up with Tampa Bay and when he was called up when 0 4 twenty five with a race didn't get his first hit in the big leagues he went to Oakland he makes the play Big out threw down Moreira didn't try anything fancy he just kept everything from the letters up on vote at that at bat it's a big out right there you have to keep it within two runs right here and a long half inning here with Oakland batting and Jon Lester stay on the loose in the A's dugout Here's Derek Norris. Norris has been one of the more clutch players for the athletics all year 330 hitter with runners in scoring position rounded up the middle and through and another run for the Oakland A's. Driven in by Derek Norris big two out hit scoring Josh Reddick and now with his 6 to 3 but a huge gap back Cal went up there likes to swing at the fastball has a nice short quick swing right on the ground right up the middle of four runs sixth inning as Oakland on top 6 three and I'll tell you this two guys we've we've given a lot of attention to how strong that Kansas City bullpen is down the stretch seven eight nine. Oakland ain't shabby and you got Jon Lester still on incontrol ready to go out for the bottom of the six. Well I think we talked about the Royals bullpen because it was a three headed monster that could come in shut it down. But the thing about the A's bullpen is we concentrate on Lester because less this kind of guy can go seven or eight innings can go one hundred twenty five hundred thirty pitches he might get it the baseball right to do little up the middle again. Escobar can't get the ball out of his glove in there at first and second tremendous stop by the royals shortstop but could not get the Force Number One those Top Spin ballS up the middle he shows his great range by getting two but just can't get it out of his glove to make that counter flip. The second and they knew once the first time he couldn't get his hand on the baseball correctly he knew he was not going to have a play so so guard reaches with his first hit of the night. NORRIS Is it second and here is Coco Crisp top of the Oakland order. As the A's have batted around here in the six and there's a shot to center and that's going to score another run here comes is he'll score easily standing up and it is seven to three spinners been waiting two months to see this ball club. This is the ball club that they saw early in the year the first half when they would just bunch hit after hit after hit and they were considered one of the top offenses for the first half which got them out there to their best record. They just keep coming at you and they can hit the fastball Sam fold to the plate tenth a to hit in the inning. He led it off with a single and scored a run on that three run homer by Brandon Moss 0 and 2 for the A's left fielder. The 90 mile an hour change up there from Calvin Herrera without let go of the bat runners were in motion on the 0 2 pitch well ball Melvin and the Oakland Athletics playing a little Kansas City Royals baseball sometimes lost in this ending with the big home run by Moss is that when Sam fold after he had the head he was running on that three pitch feet to pitch to Donaldson that was called the ball outside of the zone can be called a strike he would've been thrown out on Second and this ending would have been over that was a risk I thought that was a risk at the time let fowl pass first. Shields could either throw the change up or fastball could get to a strikeout count and then you run yourself out of an inning. But that's the way Oakland A's plays aggressive baseball. They'll take the stolen base when it's there they'll put their guys in the position and they have the confidence that if it's not a strike they'll take the walk. As Chip hailed Bob Melvin's left his right hand man another old to the fold. Herrera blows him away. But here in the six living Brandon ball struck again and he went to straight away center the game 7 3 Jon Lester now working with a 4 1 lead 7 to 3 goes to work here in the bottom half of the sixth in Kansas City zone and falls behind 0 1 2. In case you're wondering in his career when he's given a three run lead three runs or more. Jon Lester eighty five and one that number provided to us by our ace statistician Howard D'Alema the best in the business go at the seven runs does it. You can't really slug your way back and they don't have the homerun power. We still have to somehow manufacture runs but they can't take a bunch of chances either now they've got they've got to pick away though if they can all run here run there maybe get to the bullpen but it's gonna be tough off Lester Lester's legacy just keeps growing and growing doesn't it. AX asked about pitching a postseason game said it's no big deal. Like any other game. Well I guess it is to him was reading what he had to say going into this game and it speaks volumes to the focus that you need in postseason baseball because he wasn't looking big picture if I can get through this part is this. I want to win this pitch. I want to win this inning with Kane on the ground and a short one down that was pitched a pitch hitter to hitter into it. It is golf's most exclusive event the 2014 PGA Grand Slam of Golf it all starts Tuesday October 14th at 4:00 o'clock Eastern and Pacific on TNT. On darling who shot up 74 the other day at but they can only have four there as the major champion. Well that's a nine hole record as an attorney. But here's Eric Hauser right at the Sudan two up and two down is Jon Lester settled in. What you think back to last year's post season he was 4 and one in five starts VRA of a buck and a half and won two games in the world series they are as tenacious as tough as they come in a guy who lives for a stage like this. And even though Kansas City got to him early his teammates picked him up with that huge sixth inning and now he has settled into a groove. Discovering his curveball has been a good thing for him mixes his pitches and also mixes in the cutter and also the foreseen fastball. There is another example of that right there. Occasionally when Jon Lester gets into this groove it's almost like he's a petrol has the ball on a string. I mean that's what it makes it look like. Billy Butler waiting on an O to use the four seamer away while he's up there a lot of players around baseball will say he's got the presence of a Felix Hernandez Kershaw. All of those guys big game pitchers strikes out Butler and has set down the last 10 royals he's faced six innings in the books and the A's 9 outs away. Let's take a look at tonight's playmakers presented by the all new Chrysler 200 no question. Brandon Moss did a couple of balls about a mile and a half to home runs five runs batted in on the night he will come to the plate Second in listening and Josh Donaldson takes a strike from Kelvin Herrera they had a machine to gauge that speed Donaldson's got to be up there isn't he. Pound for pound generates about as much bat speed as anyone in the game. Turns out Lucy didn't get treated just the guys playing on a bad knee. Yesterday's workout for the team trying to find out where he was he'll be in the trainers room most of the day today and tomorrow to get ready for the night. The Oakland A's who was touch and go down the stretch at one point in August 28 games over 500. And then things started unraveling where the month of September became very interesting. They went from six games up on the Los Angeles Angels to 12 games down at some point trying to stay in the groove going to Nick Punto yesterday after his workout and he just said you know what. It's really two words your season. And that's and that's the mindset you have to have it doesn't matter how you got there you're there. And now everybody starts fresh. He would know every time we come to the postseason Nick puntos in it he might be with another team but he's in it. He was with the Dodgers last year and Cardinals a couple of years ago. Twins before that 2 and two terrorist strikes are out to begin with seven if you're a Kansas City fan. Here comes public enemy number one we have talked about Brandon Moss after before and after the trade of your win assessments before the All-Star break 21 homers and 66 runs batted in after the assessment Austrade which was right at the deadline at the end of July. Two home runs in nine runs batted in those home runs coming in consecutive games September 14th and 16th he seemed to be the guy most affected by the trade of cesspit. But here it's a new season. You wipe the slate clean day off and go get them he changes the whole equation for the Oakland Athletics. He's hitting the way he did in the first half. Public enemy number one. He won't be out to stay on the Missouri side of the Missouri now you have to stay on the Kansas side when they come into play. First Days player with five but he did his damage earlier that's for sure. Two outs here in the seventh. You know what makes you feel old. Two guys Brandon Moss used to watch Brandon Moss play little league ball in Logan ville Georgia. My son's team would play his son's team and luckily he never hit a ball that hard off my kid. He said almost 900 feet of home runs in this game. Josh Reddick and Brandon Moss another contingent on this Oakland team from Boston both signed by the same scout Rob English. Here's Josh Reddick Redick Moss Lowry Lester on and on for Beal athletics Red Sox connection Coco of course still right. I don't think people of all of us thinking about the trade that it would have that much of an effect on the offense but it would actually make them go into that much of a collapse. I'm sure Billy Beane didn't think that either and or Bob Mitchell. When I heard about it it was I thought I was the greatest thing ever. Because you are building you know for the postseason but you're also strengthening your team with that front line starting with the dynamic of having someone with presence in that third spot or the third or fourth spot where it puts everybody else in their slots. It is quite possible when you lose that that everybody else feels that they have to do more. They got a little harder. They swing a little harder. You think they have to hit more home runs and then they get themselves into a rut. Bounced up the middle and off but love of Omar Infante and Redick is on a two out single. So in a strange way. CAL Maybe that trade you're talking about made the Oakland Athletics a little weak. Grove the hundred and sixty two game schedule which they proved over the last two months would have made them dynamite if they can get through here and onto the angels. I think that's probably the logic. Instead how do we give ourselves a better chance to go further in the playoffs. And there are tight types of pitchers that you want to ride when you get to the playoffs. Ones that can take it into their own hands and continue to pitch under the pressure. And Lester is the marquee player for that Jed Lowry checked his swing and some want to know Lester Jonny Gomes coming to the A's and says this is the only kind of player that the Red Sox are going to take to give up a guy like Lester postseason hero from last year. Jonny Gomez what you have Sunny great pitch last game of the year this year throws in nine innings shut out. You got Jeff Somalia who got from the Cubs who was number one number one a kind of pitcher but doesn't that postseason experience so it's gonna be interesting to see how he adapts this man's adapted nicely his entire career Ferrara came on in the sixth in relief of your Donovan Shura who had come on and relief of James Shields and THE GAME imploded how they made they set a record for the noise made at Arrowhead last night and they take a real uprising there K we'll welcome you back. The FLDS on TV is presented by T-Mobile right now its scenario two that would apply if the A's win its tigers and Orioles and 6 A's and angels at nine thirty royals come back. You saw the start times for that Alex Gordon leads it off in the bottom half of the seventh and there's a lot of work for the Kansas City Royals to do now it's comes out swinging. There's no sense in taking fall behind 0 1 0 2. You're gonna have to hit yourself back in this game. And tune in from Lester who has retired the last 10 royals he's faced. They got to him for a run in the first two and the third is a straight three Paul Gordon strikes out for the second time tonight and his old for three So fellows we talk about the two runs in the third. But since then it's been nothing doing against Jon Lester and or the Oakland bats. Just when you needed it most. In a very critical inning the sixth before Kansas City could load up their big three seventh eighth and ninth. They blew this game open but while to me that two swings Brandon Moss has changed his game. The Oakland Athletics are a team that can take a lot of pitches which pushed the pitch kind of shields up then they're going to hit try to hit balls out of the ballpark. Brandon Moss have done. And at some point the trade they made this summer that we talked about for Jon Lester he would pitch their most important game after final two months that were tough. Yeah the royals couldn't get past that bridge inning that would have almost guaranteed them a win. And on the other side of that Lester struggled a little bit for him but then found it with his off speed Curveball and then he's been spot on after that we talked before that for the Royals to win this game. Shields had to get it to the big three in the bullpen. He couldn't. Ned Yost chose to go with the starting pitcher all season Jordana over Ventura and he could see when Ventura came in that you know like most young pitchers you want to come in and throw a thousand he got behind and all and Moss made him pay a ball and two strikes to the Royals catcher Salvador Perez at the corner and missed out even. It's always much easier to talk about a decision after it's happened. But you look at it you think OK a couple choices you'll go with James Shields to get you there. Or maybe you expand the role of the big three out there to ask him to get one more out than they normally do. Josh Donaldson made a nice play on a tricky hop and threw out Perez for the second out. Well Lester early on did not have his good stuff. I think he was trying to get a lot of the hitters to chase bad pitches but after that he found breaking ball. And things have completely changed. I don't know if it's because so got hurt and Derek Norris had to come in his almost like personal catcher that changed Lester around. I'm sure John who did most of it but it doesn't hurt to have a guy whose coach all year and understands what you're about law and flaunt a shortened up as if to bunt and Donaldson did run his play in well back. Well look look at this stretch Ronnie where Lester is retort retired 12 in a row for those by strikeouts lots of ground balls had a soft liner to third and really nothing hard hit. Well you had two different kind of personality a pitchers coming in a big game James Shields who talked about being adrenaline junkie loving to be in certain moments loving to try to aspire to those great moments. And Jon Lester who said just about nothing and said I'm just going to concentrate on every pitch concentrate on every area and just try to get the most outside Ken a bushel of outs behind the mound fill that basket. He's doing pretty well so far in front a bunch back toward the mound and Lester may have hit him far here or maybe it was just a problem with the folks tried to catch that and we'll see if he was in line in the lane or if he was running on the infield grass. We'll get a good look. Usually when a hit or bunch here Cal he'll be on the grass for the most part but you see in fourth day at the very end seems to get as close as you can get that runners Lane. He's all kidding all right. For sure on that. I mean when you do leave an angle from the right hand is batter's box. You do have to get in that lane and then that lane is on the line. And so he was directly coming to first base. He was well within you'll see a lot of runners intentionally go into the grass and get in the way. But clearly he made the right attempt that the base runner and he was just on the line which he's entitled to it's a hit for Infante Forte here in the seventh with two out here's moose Dorcas the royals said that the bond was going to be a big play for them in this ballgame. First one comes in the seventh early on had the luxury of playing for one more maybe two runs. Now they find themselves down for Woodstock to lift and fold puts it away and that'll do it for Kansas City in the seventh. Got a runner on move in don't miss the action tomorrow night in the NL wild card game as the Giants and pirates battle it out at PNC. Tune into ESPN 8 0 7 p.m. Eastern Time. And I'm certain that the atmosphere in Pittsburgh will be just like it was a year ago when the end of the long drought. Great place for him to watch a ballgame in that setting it was just tremendous. It was exciting it was exciting here so early on. The crowd is totally taken out of game Wade Davis on the pitch and coaches had lazy fly ball out of Stephen vote for the first round. This is not the. These are not the circumstances that Ned Yost wanted to see. It'll be Herrera and Wade Davis working under. What was interesting to see Wade Davis's numbers had one of the best seasons of George Brett told Matt Weiner earlier in Nathan and guys had in the history the game just crazy numbers 5 to 1 on strikeouts to walked but run right now that decision to go out and take shields out. It's almost like he almost asked shields if he was all right. But the right arm came up quick for Ventura Here's Derek Norris. You look at some of the deals the royals that made me ahead of the date more. He's made some good. He's made some good deals you make you swing that. And people looked at the Will Meyers deals at Boy how can you give up this guy. Look at the potential he has. You get James Shields back. You get Wade Davis back. That'll be easy for Escobar Jack drinky so a lot of the guys you see who have put this team into the postseason with some pretty shrewd deals with some big names involved. And this team's on the map for a while even with James Shields might not come back because of impending free agency. You've got a kid Maria. You've got Finnegan who's on the roster here who's gonna be someone that's gonna pitch and start for this royals ballclub Danny Duffy who had a nice year. They're here to stay good young ballclub good defense. Tons of speed. Then you build up from within. And they've done it the right way and all come together. Then you have something to build around. And so when you lose a piece down now and then you can replace that piece no balls in a strike to Erik so guard the Oakland second baseman. There's a guy who's hit two home runs. Brandon Moss right now on the mound for Kansas City a guy who hasn't given up a home run in ages and Wade Davis in back to the 2013 season and the strikeout so guard gives way. Davis a one two three in the middle of the eight play postseason showdown throughout October simply picked the winners of head to head player matchups between say Detroit and Baltimore. For your chance to win a pair of 2015 season tickets for your favorite team good deal for the MLB dot com slash showdown to play right now bottom half of the eighth inning top of the Kansas City order a tough task in front of them. They're down 7 to 3 to Jon Lester I mean I know this might sound boring to some people as the rally caps have come out but your job is especially a starting pitcher reliever to at some point you get your mechanics to a point where you become almost like the mechanical man and that's what Jon Lester is when he's got it going rounded up the middle and under the Lowry and in the center field when fielders crossed there and neither could plummet and lead off single. We're all serious ask Saskia ball and if you're the royals you're thinking you gotta start somewhere. Here's a chopper over the mound here and the speed of Escobar again forces that shallow angle. May be a desperate attempt to play the ball in the run ball stays down. They gave him an error on that play and I don't blame him even if he loves it with let's skip our speed I don't know if they throw him out yet. I disagree with the ball. I think the guy in charge of making these calls he's got his barber down here in Kansas City. You know as I watch Lester if you can't help it remind me of Andy Pettitte. Andy Pettitte establishes his cutter inside but also has a good fastball and also Mixon is breaking ball which we always thought made him much more effective. And it's the same kind of mentality on the mound. Also I hope you had a good heart followed it straight back. Both those two guys the rocks on the mound. They don't get flustered and they don't have it. They find it so rigorous and get a. I was just about to make the point as the inning began that I saw movement in the Oakland dugout an open bullpen somebody across the legs. That's all we have seen but now somebody is open getting loose and it's Greg Olsen is the of goes basketball had to make sure he held the bag stolen base here in the where the walls were saying before the game. Jon Lester doesn't sold a four run lead probably can even guess now a better chance of guessing that he's not coming over again. Another runner past the base and having the reach back old infielders in baseball in today's game. Stay with the tag was to take him out of his temple by creating havoc on the base pass even down 73 to second. So guard nice backhand throws him out Escobar moves on to third but if you have a guy like Lester on the mound Cal I think that you don't your temperature doesn't go up you don't even pay attention to ask the bar get a 7 3 lead here I'm going to get hitters out and he gets a low key out there I mean no big deal ask to walk and dance as much as he wants. Now the game tied a whole different case is the first time the Royals have had a runner in scoring position since the third inning. It was in the third that Kansas City took a 3 2 lead in this game after falling behind to 1 0 5 1 6 as good in Oakland the lead being in the eighth inning was for Jon Lester for toughening in twenty three after that. More Lester like Lester has made thirty two stars between Boston and Oakland and there's a basic back to lester in those starts thirty two between the two teams combined and at twenty seven of those he's thrown at least one hundred pitches right here just a simple fastball away he stays true up to big part of the field proved he could hit that cutter down the third baseline early in the game. Lester makes the adjustment so as he has gotten three balls hit on the ground two have been hits here for the Royals here's Eric Hausmann who has a home run in his career half of Lester the base was eleven for eleven from the summer thinning on Cain the same 16 of 18 from the seventh inning on stealing a base Cain's getting off bigger and bigger on his lead almost daring him to throw rounded foul pass first ball in a strike Bylsma walked his first time single in the third to knock in a room rounded out the second in the six he was thrown out of the plate and he wasted scoring opportunity in the first inning by the royals runner going grounded the and Jerry Davis standing right on the line made the call. Where the ball is does it go over the bag inside the bag. Jerry Davis has 31 years. This is his hundred and twenty third game in the postseason. The problem you have it looks like it could have been fair. But Steven Volpe does not move on first base. So when he got off that bag he gets off only inches away. So when he thought of almost half of his body was in foul territory and that play is not reviewable being in front of the base correct is not reviewable. And it's the right call. I mean almost the whole body of vote is in foul territory. Yes he did get his glove on it to the fans. I'm sure it looks like a fair ball because he touched it. That's a deceiving angle though on the replay like to see one looking down the first base line. Down low with the 1 2 pitch in the county then there's a lot of hope and wishful thinking on that ball. Well when you're down like this against a good pitcher you need a break. Steals the base McCown foothold. Eric Hoffman you can't really blame Derek Norris that's the jump and the lead by Kane. It's just so large there's no chance for him even with a perfect throw like this to get Kane to gap a little. They steal third base and bunches through the Kansas City Royals being on third with one out. There's a whole different that bad for. Around 7 3 when the getting started. They have played aggressive Ball here in the eight Bazemore just to stay alive. Stole the base and scored a run. Kane has stolen second over twenty nine steals the third which led the majors this Royals team part of their DNA then their toughness and resiliency third first and second with one out and one in. And Billy Butler coming to the plate. And the big guy will represent the tying run doesn't look like Jon Lester will have a chance to pitch to him. And that'll be it seven and a third he leaves with the lead and he leads with the royals trying to rally John Lester's night as through he leaves with a 7 to 4 lead with a couple of guys on here's another look at that ball that Passmore hit down the line was through a foul ball it's impossible for us to tell. I was saying that because of the way vote does not get off first that his body is inside the zone. But you remember the first base umpire usually to call the home plate off hour before first. But it seemed like Jerry Davis made the call. And if he did they stand right on the line and they can see the ball as if it to their left in the middle of their body or to their right. And again to the point when you get into a situation like that you're looking at the ball in relation to the bag you're not looking at the field they're still big and he's still in fair territory and touching when they touch the it was foul as Jerry Davis saw and that's the ball. He made another fine season for Luke Rogerson their right handed reliever. You'll see mostly cutters and sliders six home runs. He's given up this season and those seventy two plus in well the tying run is at the plate in the person of Billy Butler. Predominantly a soccer ball comes out with a slider on the first pitch. Jon Lester hoping the bullpen can bail him out of this jam into right center field that's going to be down for a hit and it's going to score and it's a 75 game really. Butler's knocked in a couple of runs tonight. Nice fit left Greg Olsen. You're going to see mostly cutters and sliders. If you're right handed hitter Hardy a defeat that hit the ball to the right side. Beautiful hitting by Billy Butler. One of the fastest guys in baseball has been called on to pinch runner after knocking in two runs takes his seat and there's Terrance for Joe Boras at first Gordon at the plate more standing on third. The royals are within two it's taken seven innings for the Kansas City speed game to come into play in this game and they're right back in it. Still early in the year he said myself and God speed it do what we do. Gordon's the royals leader in RB eyes and there are two guys out there for him. Possible play for Derek Norris to make that slider slurs a great lesson bounces almost before the play just past it. And the seventh Wild Pitch by Greg Olsen this season I think when you have Gore on third base to try to contact play he's got the best speed in baseball. We came to the bottom of the eight in a seven to three game with Jon Lester on the mound my how things have changed. Now Ronnie the contact plays a risky play because you're officially going on contact with the guy hits a line drive in one of the positions you run yourself out of the inning. Normally you do that when you're up or maybe you take a chance when you're in a tie game. Very rarely do you do that even with this kind of speed. The guy on third base you have two shots to drive him in right now. You do an they've been so great. Less than two outs. Guy from third there second in baseball the second American League of Toronto driving and the runner from third less than two outs. But we're talking Washington almost at third base. I'm not saying it's not the play that he reads off of it with full blown contact play that's him moving in the direction on the swing almost. The risk is that you can get doubled off and you don't have that other level you never intentionally want to put the winning run on. But he was not giving it to Gordon in that situation. He's done a runner. It's got to be hitter up Perez. He's the guy that can hit the ball in the ballpark had a tremendous first half as he was an all star but also a guy who get into a double play and saw you see Lowry and so guard at double play depth here the middle infielders you're thinking Okay let's turn any ground ball into a double play not a whole lot of speed at home plate for Josh Donaldson down a third I got to make a decision the ball comes to me quickly I still get a double play or do I need to take the out of home plate. Perez 22 crowded into double plays this year he's behind no balls and two strikes Danny Otero Sean Doolittle loosening in the Oakland bullpen this is the situation I know the game has changed and the strikeout doesn't matter as much as an out but it does here you need to put the ball in play give yourself a chance to score this run Gordon going strike three two outs Gordon steals second standing up but a chance with a fly ball of any depth there would have scored terror and score well I think Carl described it right. I don't think Salvador Perez cut down on his swing at all. He had one swing he wanted to try to hit the ball in the gap or out of the ballpark and Greg was not going to give him anything to hit well here's Omar Infante. Runners are at second and third in a 1 1 game and funny at 66 RBI is a career high in the regular season. For stolen bases by the Warriors this setting to get back to it. Of the three outfielders Sam fold and left Josh Reddick in right tremendous arms hopeful crisp accurate but doesn't have the same arm as those two outfielder all on a strike for the Royals second baseman Josh radical on the right considered to maybe have one of the best times in baseball Poco has been around forever an accurate arm and Sam Fuld known although with his two hits tonight known mostly for his defensive prowess and Josh can sneak in a little bit a little bit closer being on the offside in right field almost anticipate if he gets a base and who have a shot at going out running play Rogerson ahead all in two strikes there's some pitchers that set up their pitches move the ball in and up up and down Luke Roberson does one thing he does as well he throws it up pitch that looks like a fastball and it cuts or slides on the outside part to the right end of it based on the swing so far you have to get another breaking ball here and you have to hit the ball two up the middle or to the right side of Greg missing well that's of your approach hit the ball at the end of the bat in the school. He needs to make the adjustment to protect against the breaking ball struck him out. And Forte goes down swinging back to back Strikeouts for Gregson. The Royals scored three but leave the tying run 90 feet away. We had them tonight well the eighth inning changed a walk in this game. Seven to three game became a seven to six game as we move to the ninth and Greg Holland on for the Royals placing the top of the open in order Coco Crisp ran up the ball and missed it and Warren Hollins numbers unbelievable I told you. 40 plus saves two years in a row. Last person to do that was Dan quizzing Gary in the early 80s. Right now the Oakland A's especially with crisp and fold are going to try to play for a run for the blunt by Chris and try to get on if he does football sacrifice him over play for run crisp single and scored in the first also singled in the sixth not been a run as a you scored five runs raised a 3 2 deficit and has that unusual style when he gets in the stretch he'll time to take the ball out of the glove and show you almost like a magician. See what I've got in my hand and then it disappears. Nothing up my sleeve. The crystal ball two strikes down and made your team when they score four more runs this season. Sixty nine and 14. This should be one of the gate games they're skating on not so far brisket goes down swinging to start the night the NBA on TNT returns with an opening night a double header when they champions the San Antonio Spurs take on the Dallas Mavericks followed by the Houston Rockets and the L.A. Lakers it all begins Tuesday October twenty eighth only on TNT will be opening night of the NBA season this is opening night of baseball's postseason if we pull ourselves up dandy here in the night Sam fold has a couple of hits scored a run what has happened with the second wildcard it's done exactly what baseballs wanted it to do it's made the division so paramount paramount to winning got to win the division. The only problem you have for these wild card games these games Sevens is that whoever loses this game it almost feels like you're worn in the postseason. You didn't get a chance to play in the series. You played the game I can see that but I could also see the last month of the season as your playoffs. And they that's created a lot of excitement a lot of opportunity. You've you've almost extended your playoff baseball to include September and we'll set to one game 163. Didn't happen but almost the home team as Ford pulls that one away far away the home team in the wild card game in the American League has never won. We were there a couple years ago when Texas lost at home to Baltimore. Last year Cleveland lost at home shut out by Tampa Bay. And tonight Kansas City trailing Oakland. Kauffman Kaufman another win in the dirt two balls and two strikes like the only team the only home team to win the wildcard game was the pirates last year the Pittsburgh fans who tell you just by chanting kwaito they changed the outcome of that game. This belief column before they walked in Sam hold on for the third time tonight column 1 of this pitch fastball away. There's a kid the corner pit strike says no there's Josh Donaldson well a hit to left. Gordon has plenty of room and makes the play for the second. Here's the guy who's done most of the damage Brandon Moss to run homer in the first three run homer in the six he got two options here for Sam for Brandon Moss having the Reggie Jackson night or should you steal a base twenty one stolen bases this year and get in scoring position. Moss has been in scoring position in the batter's box tonight. I think I would go with a cold. Hold your ground. Open in and off the middle. PEREZ That puts an insurance run at second Perez charged with a pass Ball Well I didn't think of option number three for fall. That was a pass ball or wild pitch. Pollin had nine of them this year but that ball right out of the glove of Perez and gets pulled into scoring position and that might effectively take the bat out of his hands right now. You can pitch careful with first base being open three balls and no strikes and they will go ahead and put him on some runners at first and second think that Greg Holland can keep this a one run game going to the bottom half of the ninth inning and give the royals one more chance to advance small sample but it is off a close and one of the best in baseball team four for Redick off Greg Holland. Sam Fuld is at second. He walked with one out and passed a second on a pass ball and set up the intentional pass to Moss who leads from First this one game is kind of like a snapshot of the last few weeks in the American League who's going to get in who's going to get knocked out. It seems like so many are deserving but not everyone can go and especially for Oakland would look like a walk through the postseason and then head to scratch and claw their way into this game and it looked back way in this game as well. Balls in the dirt. Perez made the stop at Lester on the mound with a 7 3 lead in the eighth inning well if they hadn't given up those Moss had not had such a big day. That speed of the Kansas City Royals would have played its plenty huge role in this game even despite being behind a run Dave Ireland the pitching coach going to come out to calm down Harlan. I'm not used to pitching in these situations at home. Used to pitching in a lot of type games were very rarely coming in with his team behind Jed Lowry is over for but he stands in here in the ninth with the bases loaded and two out in the air right field. I hope he is escape of bases loaded jam they're worn down going to the bottom of the ninth. We'll be back official Bureau of Major League Baseball and presenting sponsor at tonight's American League wild card game. Great times in waiting grab some bugs. Tonight's pivotal moment in and back to back strikeouts with the tying run at third in the bottom half of the eight pivotal moment come up grabs great pitching by Greg Olsen half of the night. Josh Willingham bottom of the ninth. Josh really had to pinch hit for Mike who stocks Sean Doolittle close a result. Well he's certainly gonna be on the line with your third baseman but certainly a shift here against Willingham second baseman. So guard will move up the middle. Put the shorts up. Moving over to the whole this just seems like a normal shading aside the your shift. Is everyone staying home except the left side of the infield so they must have some information. The ball to look to the left side. But he's still young still playing. True and the rest of the all and two strikes. Willingham started the season with the Minnesota Twins late 68 games Little's numbers 10 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio can't see worlds that get him to do one thing hit the ball out of the ballpark it go before he falls for a hit and the tying one is on the bottom half of the nine good piece of hitting fighting off the fastball make sure you make contact good things can happen thought it might go for a double at first baseball game for the Royals his turned half baseball game half track and field meet and we're about to watch the 90 foot dash vice and nine for 10 of left handed pitchers stealing the season and took a strike on one and Dyson also is still one of the toughest bases to steal the seventh inning all he's got twenty two stolen bases which leads the major league a lot of people can pile up stolen bases and they get him when they don't count Dyson gets them when they count throws thirty six bags the bump basketball right back to the mound do a little more first and the tying run moves up 93 a base hit and two sacrifices on the card for Escobar as he gets the job done have easy to do a little at 94 plus even though it's fun back to the pitcher you don't have a flake as Tyson has too much speed you have much more margin for error with the speed on first so it doesn't have to be a perfect bunt just get it on the ground three straight years of at least 30 stolen bases first world 10 steals the third by Dyson this year very difficult to do though with a LT hit a rough or more difficult to do why the catchers got a free run no one blocking this vision to make that throw to Donaldson Kansas City fans having flashbacks and nightmares of a night when Joe Nathan pick Dyson off a second in a game down the stretch third base coach of the Kansas City Royals. This is his first year in the big leagues. And he's in a playoff game coaching third. He played nine hundred ninety nine games in the minors and managed more than 2000. And now he's in the bigs and you talk about a big moment here in Kansas City in 162 games the practice I'm sure with Dyson on second and a base it is usually waiving that left arm we talked about disrupting the tempo of Leicester right now and closer likes to pick his leg up especially a power arm and throw that ball. He's very his motion the home plate which does affect your release point in your tempo well usually doesn't match up with Favre do little but oh key this season 363 off left handed pitching although that ball a little too firm and fast for him to catch up on the issue you have here is that so far the second baseman has to keep the runner Dyson so close that there is a huge hole between vote and so far between first and second any kind of dribbling is a base and there goes Dyson throw a third he'll say gets a good jump picks the right pitch he just did the inside move and could see the signal that Tyson could also see from second base he was pretty confident it wasn't coming as inside he was moving so fast he could start his slide about 20 feet from the bag got a reaction from that bench straight back at bat by Yogi Tyson with the big steel who said stolen bases on a big part of today's game well the winner of this game gets the angels and we don't know yet who that's going to be you see the starting times on TV yes for the Tigers and Orioles whoever plays the Angels fan alive what a game loses best whoever does win it Ernie is gonna have earned it that's for sure changes defensively for the Kansas City Royals as we move to the. Lorenzo Cain has moved from center to right Jarod Dyson scored the tying run is now in center field Jason Nicks is a third Brandon Finnegan is the new pitcher the six used by Ned Yost tonight he's just a kid and he throws a straight to Nate Freiman James of the major leagues after 13 outings 13 in the minor leagues he was Kansas City's first round pick this June. Just this past June. Pitched in the College World Series for T.C. you from here he is in the playoffs. That's the fast track. Topped off behind second who launched. This place is buzzing again. It got a little bit quiet around the seventh inning stretch but an eighth inning rally got him interested again and then tied the game in the ninth as everybody on their feet hears Derek Norris Finnegan had 10 strikeouts in one walk in his seven innings of hits sharply but he came into this game talking about Jon Lester and James Shields. Neither is going to be a factor in this game. It's been opens power against Kansas City speed and we're all tied up so I think it's ironic. They started Giovanni Soto to control the running game. He gets hurt. Derrick Rose comes in and then running the running is rampant here in the last couple innings. The reason they won the wildcard. No one can control their running game. Rick Trujillo pinch hitting here in the Tampa what it meant said Finnegan Finnegan's not scared he doesn't appear to be scared right now. It doesn't seem like he can get enough Aaron but it doesn't really matter because he's still following strikes he'd stick right now if he could. He almost made the comparison and we talked about this in the regular season of another pretty good left hander fairly fresh out of college and David Price back in 2008 came up late in the year and figured into the playoffs for Tampa Bay. We talked a little small ball right here you get a runner on your bottom over to second base and the guys on second base when we take third base we set up an easier RBI. And here's a sacrifice fly Kansas City used to play out. That's their style of play great execution. Just amazing at that. But I'll just the two a foot against Doolittle on the toughest reliever game. Hit that ball to the warning track. He was a star in Japan. We want a batting title go wrong. He's played in a lot of big games and he had what it took. And that at bat made fun and at first Nick Punto at Second the defensive changes for the A's as we move to the bottom half of the 10 0 cause more than Sean Doolittle rounded up the middle no no. Choppers right in the middle. Hasbro smells and got in and it used to be a head for a small slide would maybe steal a call but there's no such thing as steal a call. He just wanted to get there. Here's Christian cologne. Now a guy fresh off the disabled list. And he will square and lay it down the second overall pick in the June draft in 2006 the college player of the year in Nebraska came in talking about twenty nine years without being to the postseason or outscoring has been their best player through a lot of that and here got a chance to put them into the division series Passmore back Bob Melvin's team had a 7 to 3 lead going to the bottom of the 8 now it's 7 7 bottom 10 winning run at second Gordon was intentionally walked in the eighth workout a couple of times tonight and fly out to LA grounder to short will throw him out Passmore advances to Third and here's Salvador Perez looking for redemption. He's over for with a couple of strikeouts and that second one was huge in the eighth inning tying run was a third and he couldn't put the ball in play a little better chance here though for her as Greg Woodson had a lot of those sliders working away from him he doesn't get a lot of hard stuff and do little Torres led the team with twenty seven two out RBI IVs and that is gonna send us to the eleven thirty round down to Pluto Ms the threat looks to get any closer than the game we have right now seven runs 11 hits no errors for each side as we head to the eleven thirty we kind of figured with the pitching matchup tonight Jon Lester Big Game James Shields This is gonna be a maybe a one run games gonna be a very tight WELL IT'S TIGHT AT SEVEN SEVEN how did this happen. Well I mean I was expecting a 2 to 1 1 nothing game and they would be out there the whole time. But the excitement generated by this Kansas City team stealing bases got me excited. I mean six stolen bases power against speed three sacrifice bunt small ball like Kansas City to get back in this ball game Brandon Finnegan out there for his second inning of work and Coco Crisp takes a strike risk to switch shooting lead off hitter turns around the batter right handed against the young lefty Coco has a couple of hits has scored a run struck out twice breaking pitch foul all the way want him to we've seen all three pitches Finnegan so far that good fastball ninety two plus he threw on one at ninety six Curveball and change up poised young man I'd love to see you there was Kansas City's first round pick a number 17 overall in June we're talking before the game and wonder I wonder if anybody's ever pitched in the College World Series and the Big League World Series in the same year doesn't seem likely does it this was the foul ball previous pitch crisp kind of fell over grabbed his leg lucky kind of strain something set a bad neck a lot of these A's players have been playing hurt for the last couple of months of the year Sam Ford lays down a buck right back at Finnegan small ball only works if you wear the color blue tonight for Nick and makes a play that some pitchers find very difficult and he makes it with these I was just trying to think about the likelihood of someone pitching in the world series College World Series and the Big League World Series in the same year nobody gets to the big leagues that fast so therefore torrential is not Elias working on that right now just past midnight in the east one on one on the Donaldson even with Moss's big day still to me the biggest threat in this lineup well hit to left Gordon on the run can not make the play and Donaldson for a big turn will stay at first rookie there was Gordon keeping the ball in front line drive he thinks he's going to have a chance to get to it does a nice job of keeping in front we always think of Gold Gloves as making the impossible plays sometimes with these little players and making sure he gets some leather on it keep him on Randy Moss steps in to run homer in the first off the shields. Three run shot off Ventura in the six. Now facing Finnegan in the eleven Ronnie you're gonna like the boys of this kid. Boys come up the guts the insides. I mean he's been watching this game. He's seen this guy go deep two times tonight. We head to the bottom of the eleven in the wild stock wild card games. Bottom half of the 11th inning we showed you in the top half of Coco Crisp. Head grab that would appear to be in the area of his hamstring and went out on the field and then trotted back in so Jonny Gomes has gone out to left field Sam fold goes from left and goes to centerfield to replace Chris Forte where lead it off in the bottom half of the eleven So this is what you have to protect yourself against when you're picking your roster in this one game with this you've got to protect yourself against this going deep in extra innings so you do have to take a little bit more pitchers than you think and you can't use your guys up so fast. I was asking both Melvin and Ned Yost about this scenario if it went into extra innings. They both both looked at me cross-eyed but sometimes it happens au pair with 72 appearances out of the Oakland pen this year VRA of two point two wait he was and to Guy was come back from Tommy John surgery on his career work for a leadoff single pair of the eleven in between innings Brandon Finnegan and tonight starter James Shields My advice Don't tell him anything just keep going don't change a thing oh here's Jarrod Dyson came on as a pinch runner stole a base scored the tying run tried to bunt pulled it back on Josh Donaldson is in so close almost trying to take it off his bat of course in fact that second like Germany having the yellow Jarod Dyson to get his attention. Yeah look for the sign each time something happens or throw over you have an opportunity to change your decision. Take the one off hit and run or put the butt back on again. Creeping in again as Dyson takes inside Mike Jeffery this is playoff baseball. Two balls and one strike. Interesting with hitters that have great speed sometimes they have a real hard time sacrificing themselves because they've been taught their entire career through the minor leagues in the Major League to work on funding for a base hit. This box is not for Dyson. This bond is for his team gets this one down. The only players the first winning run is at second Matt Weiner what you got. Well AJ Coco Crisp understandably frustrated by the injury had nothing to say as he walked past me behind the A's dugout. Eric Salgado confirmed that it is his hamstring bothering him although he described it not as a ball but as a friend. In any case as you saw he tried to give it a go and in center field and pulled himself out here late in the wildcard Kansas City trainer Nick Kenny is on his way out to second base along with Ned Yost to talk to Omar Infante to see if anything happened on that play on the sacrifices he moved to second. I didn't see anything on the fourth day but Allen Fontaine is going to stay in their here's Escobar throws him out the tying run again 90 feet away. Meant to say the winning run obviously 90 feet away they ahead of there in the tenth as well. Then it was Hausmann. Here's Jason Nix how well travelled has he been this season. Jan signed by Tampa Bay purchased by the Phillies in March free agent in May signed by Tampa Bay again signed by the pirates swings and misses waived by Pittsburgh chosen off waivers by Kansas City on Aug. 28. And he has a chance to win the wild card game Jason nicks and eight at bats does not have a hit and a Royals uniform. That is behind no balls and two strikes Omar Infante the winning run at third let off the 11th with a single San Francisco and Pittsburgh beat this tomorrow one wild pitch for Tarot. All season long usually impeccable control threefold in the 11 seven seven. We head to the 12th you would have thought that after four hours and change we would have the answer to this question but we still don't clear these scenarios if the Royals win this wild card game or if the A's do the Tigers and the Orioles and the winner of this game taking on the Angels the LDS on CBS Brian Anderson and Joe Simpson and the devil ready to call that other series what a ball game here tonight folks. Top half of the 12th Brandon Finnegan is still on their Josh Reddick takes a ball one to know bad inside and miss he wanted it thirty seven thousand wanted it Miller said No no three balls and no strikes is Soto's thumb already wrapped up with a brace on it lead off walkin the 12th for Josh Redick that'll bring up Jed Lowry the switch hitting shortstop who was 0 for 5 you think thinking may be playing some small ball here after you go to the first dinner on gets it down next throws him out. Go ahead roll on that second wall holding up for just a second. Well that that didn't surprise us. I think Nick's had the plate kind of back just in case they weren't bonding. If he knew it was a definite blunt attempt he would have been in a little more aggressive and would have thought that ball in the air. I was a little surprised that they weren't anticipating one Sergio's going to the pan Finnegan and hears it from the fans here in Kansas City. What a start to the postseason in 2014 and here on TV ads in the A.L. wild card game where in the top of the 12th identical line scores for the A's and the royals and Jason Frazier comes on. That's a nice work 61 game split 38 with Texas 23 with the royals he's been in Toronto Chicago White Sox he has appeared in six hundred and forty seven games. Was with the Blue Jays for a good chunk of time 2004 to 2011 then traded to the White Sox comes on every lead now with Finnegan. Alberto ASCO has a bat and will hit for Nate Freiman six hundred forty seven games for Frazier first one in the postseason one of six switch hitters on the Oakland roster for this game of November Ned Yost can change their roster for the FLDS beginning Thursday. Once a fast ball to occur here now's not the time to get crossed up. Want to make sure you know you're on the same page. Take time out and go out there and make sure the sequence is right. Ball gets away and the winner moves up to third. That is huge. FRAZIER With a wild pitch that Perez got a piece of but a tear on the way for wild pitches three in Texas one with Kansas City. Now this is his fifth time everything else went out a suicide squeeze. Reddick is the runner at third. But go ahead Ron popped up by Kyle Haskell top of the dugout is only 5 9 throws dwarfing him as the talk going back toward the mound dwarfing going on at third base to go yeah go and Redick has played with the royals from 2008 to 2010. The further you get in the more evenly spaced you are slapped into left field and the A's have believed Alberto class ball delivers in the 12th and it's eight to seven a nice piece of hitting Cal one of the most unlikely guys to get a hit for the Oakland A's struggle down the stretch over his last fourteen big time to get a hit but four for his last 50 guys he was due. What did we say. New season. Wipe the slate clean. And he comes up huge here in the 12th. Now here's Derek Norris athletics except been 0 for the last 16 in this game with runners in scoring position not one for 17. NORRIS Did not start this game behind the plate. Giovanni Soto did and Soto hurt his left thumb had to leave the game and n entered Soto again by mistake chaos. Ball had been old for his last 16 with runners in scoring position not the ace of course one and two a fastball away just dance on that outside corner pitch tracks says it's outside the Dale Miller's been calling it all night long was the Punto position players that have not been used by Bob Melvin and Andy Perino and Billy burns and Adam Dunn who has played 2001 regular season games but never in the postseason he hasn't had a chance in this game yet. A lead leadoff war has cost the royals here in the twelve he walked he was sacrificed a second offense the third on a wild pitch and scored on by Astros one scoring since Passmore over there I did talk to that'll do it for the age but they break the tie ticket eight separately to the bottom of the 12 as we head to the bottom of the 12th and the wild card game. The Angels patiently waiting for the winner of this one in the American League Division Series and fellows we've gotten our money's worth tonight out of this one and done game to begin the postseason for Casey just giving up a run in might take the air out of your sails a little bit but you've got to say we had to score one anyway so we'll get one. Let's get to seems a lot less daunting than coming back. Four runs down with Joe with Lester on the Lorenzo Cain will lead it off Eric Passmore is on deck as they face Danno Terrell and just in case you're wondering will the bond yes is on the Kansas City roster for this game he has a knack for some October magic all on the strike Broncos and the catcher cracks the only ones left bats is a right handed hitter he just played a little ditty that they will play at ballparks Everybody clap your hands I would say What do you think they've been doing for four plus hours I know it's been said a lot and a lot of times it's maybe overused but nobody's left this place even when it was 7 3 rounder wide and first I asked Bill made the play in the throat or Tyrone on down six stolen bases by the Kansas City Royals incredible magic forget the game tied you've got eight runs one more body athletics with 15 strikeouts in this game and five of those six stolen bases coming in the eighth and the ninth with the royals behind and trying somehow to scrape their way back in and they did trying it at the bottom of the ninth here's how mesmer went to strike. Where got Poppy hit nine home runs this year knocked in 58 runs has scored a run tonight not on him somebodies bubble is going to burst tonight one hundred and sixty two becomes one sometimes Christian cologne waiting on deck hold off right at the plate and it stays two to homes is back and so fouls off tough tough pitch after a tough pitch drives the ball to left center field never I see a ball drop in the air when it's in the left center I figure Sam Foles gonna make this play one great hitting my husband great at bat has shown great power but no to high off the wall behind the fold or going to make a play Great hustle by gongs husband good to one all the way around for that ball just barely missed getting out of here he was displaying his power that way during batting practice today working on staying inside the ball did a lot of here's alone with the tying run at third you wouldn't put the squeeze out the equation right here either flushing of Cologne has a look for the signs until right now. Now he's stepping out of the box you have two chances here that cologne and you got Gordon on deck this is just an excellent read by Harper sees it right away breaks Josh Donaldson has no chance tries to bare handed but even then couldn't make it throw Alex Gordon coming to the plate flashing back to August 26. Melbourne has gone to the open bullpen and brought on the left hander Fernando Abad good numbers with inherited runners stranded. He came into this season with a career record of 11 and 14 with an array of about four and a half and a 13 game Alex Gordon wakes Josh Donaldson makes the play two down there at Cosmo's one out triple and Christian clones high shopper have tied the game Bob did his job and Drew Pomeranz makes his way it won't be Pomerantz but Jason Hamill who comes on here in the bottom half of the 12th or the man on to out in a game that now stands 8 8 you know we spent a lot of time talking about the left to trade being the big difference maker but they traded earlier in the year Addison Russell who's their shortstop seen prospect over the Chicago Cubs they got some margin and Jason Hammel and now Jason Hamill has been put on the roster because he's one of those guys that is the starter by trade only one relief appearance broken and he can pitch multiple innings if you need it you've seen a lot of things in your career. Iron Man this one is. This one's got a rank up there going back and forth in my own experience I was thinking about our series against Cleveland in 97 and felt like every play we were in extra innings every play was magnified but I've never seen anything like this cologne has two stolen bases right hander might allow him to steal Salvador Perez at the plate Hamill throws over Perez looking for his first hit of the night he's 0 for 5 he's struck out in a big spot in the 8 rounded out to end the 10 with a runner at third with defense thing I noticed no doubles defense in the outfield they're about as deep as in the way this ball for Hamels trying to keep cologne close but he's run into such a call about a 15 times stealing against Tamil waiting on a 1 0 tapped fowl. Right there at the plate. The reason you play so deep is you have a better angle. Cutting the ball off no doubles till the run can't score from first base here. That required two hits when their defensive position. They're not playing title on the line though they're pinching a line down a third feeding Torres steady diet of breaking balls. You're jumpy at all at the plate and want to hit bad. You want to drive and runs. You just can't seem to wait on the breaking ball. Natives took the lead in the top half the royals with a triple high off the wall and left center field and had an infield chopper have tied at close play their first base Kristen cologne fracture of the middle finger of his right hand. That's why he has a protective sleeve on kiddingly always call it an urban myth. That's what it looks like to me but protects your hand as you slide back into the base. The chance you're gonna get to break a ball with two strikes might be worth the chance. There he goes knew it was coming. He would know better than the catcher Bob Melvin to see with the eyes if Norris were not on the baseball watching it into the glove. Were on cologne. He was running the second base. That's a lot of this. The winning run. There's a second in a roster of twenty five seven different royals have stolen the base the team that love baseball and stolen bases and using it to their greatest advantage tonight to the glove of Charles Donaldson another breaking ball hits this in a little over the plate red just gets enough of it stays back just enough and strong enough to hit the ball down the line. One day night here in Kansas City baseball's version of highway robbery by the Kansas City Royals seven different royals still seven bases five of them scored the legend George Brett. I think everything in this town is named for him. Close to five hours of game time tonight. Even when they were down 7 3 no matter they'd battled back to win it in 12. Matt Weiner on the water there been a long game a long time coming for this Kansas City Royals team over five when you stepped to the plate. Take me through that he's got plenty of water. I never do. What were you thinking when you stepped up there Thursday night now. I got one up in 50 and they got to the futile. You know nobody move the ball. You got a back down my guys that I got over my old game. You know I thought you were to do right now. I up you told me it's like if you leave out last night here in the Bronx seven stolen bases for you guys. What kind of a weapon is that for this team. We've got a lot of guys you know like to run and they don't know. You know the if you do that the way that I went to get them back. They're trying to get a tackle. They're not young. You got to bring in you ready for more of this go. Who's your hero. Salvador Perez Brett all the way to 29 years with postseason baseball to return to this city and they waited another almost five hours for a playoff win. And it came with that swing of the bat by Salvador Perez. He played at one hundred and forty six games a franchise record. He squatted for over 5000 pitches and he had enough still left among the guys who made it happen for Kansas City tonight. Brandon Finnigan is with me. Thank you T.J. Brandon Finnegan you were pitching college but just a few months ago. This is just a little different right. Stop it. I mean it's been five years since I got from WLS about matches going off. What were the emotions like when you were called upon in this kind of atmosphere. I mean I said to me back in the College World Series and in big stadium big crowd you know I talk a bit I've had situations like this before so I mean that's how I took it. I mean you got to go out there and do my job. It's been a battle for this team to get here over the years you were a part of all that you get to battle a little more now. Yeah I mean hopefully we go on and take it to him. I mean we got keep playing our type of baseball. How about the stolen bases for this team tonight it's been a weapon all season long seven of them. How effective how much pressure does it put on the guys on the mound upset you. Oh that's tough. I mean that just shows what kind of team we all were very aggressive with baseball having a lot of guys like and still backs I mean it's awesome. But when you're a pitcher that deficit puts a lot a lot of a lot of you know stuff. So it's hard to try to get through that especially when a guy doesn't take over. I mean we have we face a good pitcher tonight and luckily we got him. We'll see in Anaheim. Awesome sounds great. Twenty one years old Brandon Finnegan. All I could think of us like the College World Series just a little bigger and I guess bad one and busy man down there. I think everybody is wearing a Royals uniform would like to talk to Matt. Eric Houseman standing by with it. He's one of the men Costner had the big hit to set up the game winning one triple two left field. What did you see what did you hit the fastball two strikes and he's trying to battle you know we're about our season at that point so I'm just trying to get a good pitch but a good swinging ball of all time and you know I just missed going out but luckily no other trouble and since he came up with the big guy that obviously I'm playing a postseason game like this before. Have you played any game in any at any level with all the ups and downs with the pressure going on here. No. This is this we're going on is the craziest game ever played. You know this is a team so a lot of character you know no one believed this before the game no one believed this before the season but you know we're not boring and we are going to go into our last outing. Nobody really showed a lot of character tonight. We saw a lot of fight in this team. Obviously this team has done a home run team yet to generate runs and the guys with the legs were able to do it over and over again tonight. Yeah. We had a game plan before the game. We stuck to it. You know that's one thing we've done all year everybody. You know we've got our game plans all year. We stuck to it tonight. You know we want to use our leg athletic team so you know we did a good job of that tonight. We've got some key heads and like I said we just never quit. This good doesn't quit. We're not gonna go home until someone tells us congratulations to CNN. Thank you very much. Next up you agent the toughest of losses for the Oakland A's the most exhilarating of victories for the Kansas City Royals nine to eight. Now they fly to Anaheim I understand they might need a plane for Ron Darling and Cal Ripken and Matt Weiner the rest of our crew. This is Ernie Johnson giving you a good night from McKay in Kansas City. CBS is your home for the American League post season following quick break. Stay tuned for the postseason show on TV as presented by Exxon and Mobile. One night we're going to need to win eleven more games sort vote for 10 more days to win this thing. So our new taxes won't stop playing the game for the next 11 games. It's good to have a vote on the prize. And when we would all love it but we're no going back on somebody's boat to claim the title or first hand we're going to sell it for.

Channel: Kansas City Royals

Views: 48,384

Rating: 4.8848166 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: YlzJwgzJ4do

Length: 232min 45sec (13965 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 03 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/LochRaven]

Shit. Three run shot. Down 5-3. I’m worried guys.

[u/utahphil]

Again, Omar Infante.

[u/utahphil]

Omar Infante.

[u/gravycanecrunch]

Oh dang A's have the lead again