DETROIT -- The Royals endured a 10-9 walk-off loss to the Tigers on Thursday afternoon that was tough to take. It also was their third consecutive one-run loss in a series sweep by their American League Central rivals at Comerica Park.
This one was a real rollercoaster ride.
Kansas City found itself down by five runs after five innings before a six-run seventh inning put them up by two at 8-6. Catcher Salvador Perez’s two-out, three-run homer on a full-count pitch did the trick.
But then, closer Lucas Erceg, in search of his fifth save, gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Down to their last strike, the Tigers got a tying Riley Greene two-run double, and pinch-hitter Colt Keith followed with his first career walk-off hit to cap the Tigers’ comeback win and secure a perfect 6-0 homestand.
“I was a strike away,” said Erceg, referring to the 2-2 count on Greene. “We finally turn the corner, and I just come out and blow the lead like that and lose the game. So, I feel like this loss is on me. But, then again, there’s always tomorrow. And I’m going to be ready for tomorrow. I hope that I’m in the same situation tomorrow night and get back to winning.”
Perez, when asked about the energy his heroics had brought the team two innings earlier, shook his head, saying, “I felt pretty good [then], but it’s better when we win.
“There’s nothing we can do now. It’s over. We just need to concentrate on the next series.”
Kansas City begins a three-game series on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
“Keep fighting, I say,” Perez said.
Perez, who hadn’t knocked in a run in his previous 10 games, was batting .149 entering this one.
As Perez rounded the bases, heavy rain began to fall. And while he was rounding third and headed home, the grounds crew was rolling out the tarp onto the field. Perez touched home plate, clapped his hands and headed to the dugout celebration as a 46-minute rain delay commenced – the second weather-related stoppage of the series finale. First pitch was delayed by one hour, five minutes.
It also was a truly dramatic 10-pitch at-bat.
“I mean, he was down, 0-2,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “And [Tigers reliever Tyler] Holton’s extremely tough on righties and lefties. He battled. Fought off a ton of good pitches, pitcher’s pitches, and fouled them off, and just kept working and working.
“He went to a knee. It might have been a ball or strike, but Salvy’s a heck of a bad-ball hitter. And it was a huge swing for us.”
Royals starter Kris Bubic, who allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings, smiled when his batterymate’s heroics were mentioned.
“I’ve seen him come through in the clutch,” Bubic said. “I know he’s been waiting for a big hit like that. Early in the season, to see him come through in a 10-pitch at-bat, to see the power he has. That was a huge momentum boost at the time, and I’m sure he’ll have many hits like that to come.”
Perez battled his way to a full count before fouling off three consecutive pitches on three pitches -- changeup, four-seam fastball and cutter. The last two were liners pulled foul.
The 40-year-old slugger was getting his timing down and squaring up the ball. He just needed to drive one into fair territory.
Then, Perez got a low changeup that he drove a Statcast-projected 379 feet and just over the left-field wall at the back of the bullpen to score Bobby Witt Jr. (3-for-5 with three runs scored and one RBI) and Maikel Garcia ahead of him. Perez dropped down to his right knee after swinging to admire homer No. 306 of his career before jogging around the bases. He trails only Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett (317 homers) on the Royals’ all-time list.
Perez had a four-RBI game as he also knocked in Witt with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. He has 1,022 RBIs, trailing only Brett (1,596) in that franchise category.
Detroit got one run back in the bottom of the seventh, when rookie infield star Kevin McGonigle tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jahmai Jones.
However, Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino then hit his first homer in his 71st at-bat of the season -- a 412-footer at 108 mph into the seats in right -- for an insurance run.
This insurance policy didn’t end up being enough.
But can the offense the Royals provided be a much-needed positive for an offense that had scored two or fewer runs in seven of their last eight games?
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone wants to talk about positives after another loss,” Pasquantino said. “We’ve just got to do better, just keep going. We broke out in the game, which is nice to see. But we’ve just got to keep the momentum, keep pushing forward.
“So, anytime you can score nine runs you feel good about it. It wasn’t enough today, and we’ve got to get back to the drawing board.”