Kansas City - Dayton Moore has worked eight years at that time, eight years care franchises proud but worn their roots for a child. Moore, general manager of the Kansas City Royals finally built a playoff team this season, and during the hours preceding the wildcard game against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, there was little to do but worry.
"I'm nervous," Moore said. "Not much we can do at this time try to enjoy it, but I have butterflies go -. You have every day - .. And I want to see our guys do well Want to see win This is why we do this. "
Do it for nights like this, when all seems lost, the season five outs to finish, four races to dominate the baseball postseason. The Royals were in that hole against John Lester, at the risk of the first postseason experience in the 29 years ending even before the calendar turned to October
But the live experience after winning 9-8 in 12 exciting roles gasped at Kauffman Stadium. Royals overcome 2-0 deficit 7.3 and 8.7, and winning two outs, a line drive down the line left by Salvador Perez and progress to face the Los Angeles Angels in the Division Series begins Thursday.
"We knew it would be difficult," said Alex Gordon, a Royal since 2007, "This is the playoffs. Was not easy.'ve Fought back and never stop fighting."
Royals pulled within 7-6 in the eighth assault, lots of Leicester and Luke Gregerson style with a small ball: There were three singles, two walks and two stolen bases in the paper. (The Royals had seven steals total, tying the record for playoff game.)
Sean Doolittle faced in the ninth, the Royals pulled even on a sacrifice fly by Nuri Ok, and turned to Brandon Finnegan, a tough lefty throwing the season began at Texas Christian University.
"Phenomenal," said the director of the Royals, "Ned Yost, and there is no arguing the point. Beaten Finnegan three innings in two goals, but at 12, a group walk, sacrifice bunt and wild pitch Jason Frasor until the green light and a single by Alberto Callaspo.
And until the last two outs in the bottom of the inning, lifting Eric Hosmer driving deep left center. A feared the worst.
"Honestly, my head down," said Josh Reddick, right fielder and Auckland. "I thought he was gone."
Sam Fuld and Johnny Gomez converged on the warning track - but these are the thousand and in the playoffs, which seems strange always plays to torment them. They both jumped on the ball but could not corral it, and Hosmer moved to third with a triple, and punches in the air. He slid headfirst into home to tie the game in the infield Christian helicopter colon.
After two decades of batters, Jason Hamel, Peres arrived and took the ball past the diving Josh Donaldson collapse, triggering the first victory party postseason Bret Saberhagen here since the closure of the St. Louis Cardinals win the game 7 of the World Series in 1985.
"Not going to leave," Hosmer, who reached base five times said. "There was no quit in the crowd, there was no quit in the team. To lose a large deficit that way, it's easy really for people who are comfortable in their seats and just watch the rest of the game.'ll See across the field, each time hit, and everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs. "
Brandon Moss homered twice for the second coming of Arabian Yordano Ventura, who had been brought in to face him in relief of James Shields, suddenly pulled after only 88 degrees. Ventura rookie Mark Yost, usually at the beginning, the best option at this stage of anyone in their narrow means, and cost the Royals lead.
By then it was clear that the pitchers duel did not materialize, although a great duel between No. (1) for beginners acquired especially for the game as well. An agreement on the cleanup hitter, and Yoenis Cespedes to Boston to Leicester in July. Royals traded rookie of the year in the future, and the Defender Phil Myers, Tampa Bay before last season in a trade for the armor.
"All these guys paid tonight will be the starting free agency class this winter," said Royals Billy Butler before the game. "They both deserve it, and of course, everyone knows what kind of pitchers who both are. For this reason, it would be a very good game tonight."
It was, but not in the expected form of Butler. Shields allowed four runs and did not come out in sixth place. Lester lasted seven innings and the third, but gave up six runs.
"I felt like I threw better than what he described as the result line ball," Lester said. "But when all is said and done, is what it is., I can say it was the best of things appeared, but I will not do anything. Loss is a loss."
The Royals beat Leicester three times in the first five of his starts after the All-Star Game, and one with Boston and two with Oakland. He entered the game with a 1.84 earned run average against the royal family, and best of any pitcher with at least 75 innings against Kansas City.
A. gave him 2-0 in the first round on a homer Moss, who had fought in the second half with a hip condition that required surgery in the offseason. He drove in Coco Crisp, who will leave later because of a hamstring injury (which does not help the development of the fault A when Gomez and Fuld to catch Hosmer tripled in the 12).
Leicester lost the lead in the third, when the Royals took a 3-2 lead on a two-out double by Lorenzo Cain, and after five innings, and Shields had retired seven in a row. Broken bat single by Fuld and a distance of Donaldson started sixth.
According to the criterion Shields, was just the beginning. He had overcome the 88 stages in each of his last 113 starts, including playoffs, dating back to July 2011, with rays. But Moss had already homered off him, and averages 97 mph Fastball Ventura, harder than the employee in the majors this season, according to FanGraphs.
"We got to the point where I just wanted to take the gas," Yost, Ventura said and what he did. In his second career relief appearance - after calibrating the day before the All-Star Game - Ventura Moss threw only heat.
It started with two balls in 99 and 98 mph. Moss then discharged to the Master of Public Health last straight 98 bombing runs in the bottom of the midfield three operating Homer.
They came four singles, out of Ventura and Kelvin Herrera. A knocked around on paper, taking 7-3 lead and implementation of Leicester.
But it was almost automatic from there, and fans, mostly in blue stood and cried and confessed. Royals answered his call, and that has echoed for nearly three decades, with a game that will remain in the mind long.
"Oh man," Yost said. "This is the most amazing game I've ever been a part of it."
