HOUSTON -- The Royals finally began looking like the Royals during Friday night's 5-1 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Known as one of the best defensive teams in baseball, the Royals got some huge leather from center fielder Lorenzo Cain in the eighth when he leaped to the top of the center-field wall to snare a long drive by the Astros' George Springer, who led off the inning.
The catch kept the momentum on the side of the Royals, who had just rallied for three runs in the top of the inning to take a 5-1 lead.
"That had to be a 5-star catch," Royals manager Ned Yost said, referring to the new Statcast™ defensive metric. "I didn't know what that was until a couple days ago."
Springer could only look out at center field and tip his cap to Cain as he held up his sprint toward second base.
"I saw that," Cain said, smiling. "I appreciate that. I was just trying to make a play to help our pitchers. I don't know if it would have gone out -- maybe off the top of the wall."
Added Springer, "I watched him track it, and I watched him make a tremendous play."