KANSAS CITY -- Eric Hosmer's three-run homer barely sneaked inside the left-field foul pole in a pivotal fourth inning of the Royals' 8-1 win over the Twins on Friday night. As the ball sailed into the seats, there was some doubt as to whether it was a fair ball.
"I wasn't really sure," Hosmer said. "I thought I had the worst angle of everybody because I'm right there in between home and first base in the line."
As Hosmer watched it travel down the left-field line, he backed toward first base and continued to hold onto his bat, unsure if he would need to use it again. But when third-base umpire Mike Everitt signaled home run, Hosmer smiled and rounded the bases as the Royals erased a 1-0 deficit en route to a pivotal five-run inning.

Before the fourth inning, the Royals hadn't registered a hit off Twins right-hander Ervin Santana. After Jorge Bonifacio's leadoff single and Lorenzo Cain reached on a costly throwing error by Santana, Hosmer sent a first-pitch two-seam fastball into the seats for his 10th home run.
Bonifacio, standing in between second and third base, thought he saw the ball curve toward the foul line before it redirected around the pole.
"It was weird," Bonifacio said.
Hosmer had glanced at Perez, who had a better angle from the on-deck circle, for any indication on where the ball would land. Perez didn't know, so he just laughed. Hosmer then had to wait through an agonizing review.
"I told [Royals hitting coach Dale Sveum], 'I can't take this, Dale. I got to know if it's fair or foul,'" Hosmer said.
Soon enough, the call was ruled to stand. The Royals tacked onto their lead with two runs in the sixth -- one on Mike Moustakas' team-leading 21st homer -- and another run in the eighth. But Hosmer's homer and the five-run surge set the tone.
"It completely changed the entire ballgame," Hosmer said.