ROYALS OUTLAST JAYS IN 17-INNING MARATHON

Dyson's 2B Plates Escobar with Game-Winner

TORONTO, May 30 (AP) - Jarrod Dyson's double in the top of the 17th inning scored Alcides Escobar with the tie-breaking run and the Kansas City Royals went on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 at Rogers Centre in the second longest game of the major league season to date.  The Houston Astros defeated the Oakland Athletics in an 18-inning marathon at Minute Maid Park on April 25.  The contest was filled with twists and turns, but the game was tied in the bottom of the 6th inning and neither team was able to score again until Dyson's heroics, 11 frames later.

The Royals drew first blood in the top of the first with some assistance from the Jays defense, which was charged with three errors in the game.  Norichika Aoki led off the inning with a double.  Omar Infante then grounded to second baseman Steve Tolleson who threw wildly to first, allowing Aoki to score.  Toronto starter J.A. Happ avoided further damage, but Kansas City held a 1-0 lead.

The score remained unchanged until the top of the sixth when the Royals added a run when Infante led off with a double to left.  Happ fanned Eric Hosmer for the first out, then was replaced on the mound by right-hander Robby Korecky, who was making his season debut.  Billy Butler greeted Korecky with a two-bagger of his own, scoring Infante to make it 2-0.

Royals starter Jose Vargas took a one-hit shutout into the bottom of the sixth and retired Melky Cabrera on strikes to open the inning, but then walked Jose Bautista.  Edwin Encarnacion lined out to center for the second out and Vargas moved in front of Brett Lawrie 0-2.  But he then made a huge mistake, hanging a breaking ball that Lawrie deposited into the seats above the bullpen in left, tying the game.  After Dioneer Navarro followed with a base hit, Vargas was replaced on the mound by Louis Coleman, who walked Tolleson before striking out Erik Kratz to end the inning with the game now tied at two runs apiece.

Kansas City blew a golden opportunity to take the lead in the top of the eighth.  Facing reliever Bret Cecil, Aoki lined a lead-off single and was replaced by pinch runner Pedro Ciriaco, who promptly stole second.  Infante sacrificed the runner to third and Hosmer reached when Navarro interfered with his swing, putting runners on first and third with one out.  But Cecil stiffened and came through, striking out both Butler and Alex Gordon to keep the game tied.

The Jays failed to convert a great scoring opportunity of their own in the bottom of the ninth when Kevin Pillar led off with a walk off Aaron Crow.  Jose Reyes' attempted sacrifice failed and Pillar was forced out at second, but Cabrera grounded a single through the box, advancing Reyes to third.  With runners on the corners and one out, the Royals brought their infield in and called Wade Davis in from the bullpen to relieve Crow.  He came through, striking out Bautista.  Encarnacion then grounded out to first, ending the threat and sending the game to extra innings.

Things remained relatively quiet on both ends until the bottom of the 12th when Toronto had another excellent opportunity to win the game.  Kelvin Herrera was in his second inning of work for the Royals when Bautista drew a one-out walk and stole second base.  On the third pitch to Encarnacion Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez tried to pick Bautista off second but threw wildly.  The error allowed the potential winning run, in the form of Bautista, to advance to third with only one out.  Herrera walked Encarnacion intentionally, bringing up Francisco.  Herrera induced him to hit a dribbler in front of the plate which Perez handled, holding Bautista at third and throwing Francisco out at first with Encarnacion advancing to second.  Herrera then retired Navarro on a routine fly to center to end the threat.

Michael Mariot was in his second inning of relief in the bottom of the 14th when the Jays blew yet another scoring chance.  Reyes led off with a double but Cabrera then lined into a double play, first baseman Hosmer to shortstop Escobar, which all but ended the inning.  But Bautista reached on an infield single and Encarnacion drew another walk, moving the winning run into scoring position before Mariot fanned Francisco for the third out.

Incredibly, Toronto muffed another great scoring chance in the bottom of the 15th.  Mariot yielded a lead-off double to Navarro, who was replaced by pinch runner Anthony Gose.  Tolleson sacrificed Gose to third.  The Royals brought the infield in yet again and it paid off when Josh Thole rolled to Hosmer at first for the second out, with Gose holding at third.  Pillar then grounded to short to end the inning.

The Royals came up with their first really good scoring opportunity since the eighth in the top of the 17th inning and, unlike the Jays, they cashed in.  With one out, facing Steve Delabar, Escobar tripled into the right field corner.  Dyson then grounded a ball just inside the first base bag, easily scoring Escobar with the lead run, but was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple.  That appeared to hurt when Infante followed with the team's third consecutive extra base hit, tripling off the left-center field wall.  Hosmer walked, putting runners on the corners, but Delabar struck out Butler to avoid further damage.

The Royals took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the inning and sent Greg Holland to the mound to close out the game.  Holland responded with aplomb, fanning Encarnacion, Francisco and Ryan Goins to earn his 17th save of the year.

The two teams combined to strike out 35 times in the contest, easily the most in a single game this year.  The aforementioned A's-Astros tilt on April 25 saw 29 strikeouts, the second largest total this season.

5/30/2014, KC14-Tor14, Rogers Centre

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12

2014 Royals            1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0

2014 Blue Jays         0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0

                      13 14 15 16 17     R  H  E   LOB DP

2014 Royals            0  0  0  0  1     3 12  1    13  1

2014 Blue Jays         0  0  0  0  0     2 11  3    16  4

Royals               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Blue Jays            AB  R  H BI   AVG

Aoki              rf  3  1  3  0  .291    Reyes             ss  7  0  2  0  .223

 Ciriaco          pr  0  0  0  0  .314    Cabrera,Me        lf  7  0  1  0  .355

 Dyson,J          cf  4  0  1  1  .277    Bautista          rf  6  1  1  0  .220

Infante           2b  7  1  2  0  .303    Encarnacion       1b  6  0  0  0  .212

Hosmer            1b  5  0  0  0  .205    Lawrie            3b  3  1  2  2  .268

Butler,B          dh  7  0  1  1  .222     Francisco,J      ph  5  0  1  0  .267

Gordon,A          lf  6  0  0  0  .209    Navarro,D         dh  7  0  2  0  .312

Perez,S           c   7  0  0  0  .312     Gose             pr  1  0  0  0  .213

Cain,L            cf  7  0  3  0  .315    Tolleson,St       2b  4  0  2  0  .236

Valencia          3b  6  0  1  0  .271    Kratz             c   3  0  0  0  .108

Escobar,A         ss  6  1  1  0  .313     Lind             ph  1  0  0  0  .417

                     58  3 12  2           Thole            c   3  0  0  0  .306

                                          Pillar            cf  6  0  0  0  .270

                                                               59  2 11  2

Royals                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Vargas,J                         5.2  6  2  2  2  5  96  64  2.92

Coleman,L                        1.1  0  0  0  2  2  31  16  5.73

Crow                             0.2  1  0  0  1  1  15   7  6.43

Collins,Ti                       0.2  1  0  0  1  1  15   8  2.25

Davis,W                          1.2  0  0  0  0  3  25  15  0.00

Herrera,K                        2.0  0  0  0  2  2  28  14  1.38

Mariot           W 5-1           4.0  3  0  0  1  2  43  29  1.32

Holland,G        S 17            1.0  0  0  0  0  3  16  10  0.76

                                17.0 11  2  2  9 19 269 163

Blue Jays                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Happ                             5.1  3  2  1  3  6  90  55  4.50

Korecky                          1.2  2  0  0  0  0  18  13  0.00

Cecil                            1.0  1  0  0  0  2  15  11  3.00

McGowan                          2.0  1  0  0  1  0  27  16  2.59

Redmond                          3.2  2  0  0  1  3  55  32  2.25

Loup                             2.1  0  0  0  0  4  25  16  1.52

Delabar          L 1-2           1.0  3  1  1  1  1  33  18  3.79

                                17.0 12  3  2  6 16 263 161

KC : Ciriaco ran for Aoki in the 8th

     Dyson,J inserted at cf in the 8th

     Cain,L moved to rf in the 8th

Tor: Francisco,J batted for Lawrie in the 8th

     Lind batted for Kratz in the 8th

     Francisco,J moved to 3b in the 9th

     Thole inserted at c in the 9th

     Gose ran for Navarro,D in the 15th

E-Perez,S, Encarnacion, Tolleson,St, Kratz. 2B-Aoki(8), Infante(10),

Butler,B(8), Dyson,J(2), Reyes(9), Navarro,D(8), Tolleson,St(3).

3B-Infante(2), Escobar,A(3). HR-Lawrie(10). RBI-Butler,B(28), Dyson,J(8),

Lawrie 2(39). SB-Cain,L(7), Ciriaco(3), Bautista(2). CS-Aoki. K-Infante 2,

Hosmer 3, Butler,B 3, Gordon,A, Cain,L 2, Valencia 3, Escobar,A, Dyson,J,

Reyes, Cabrera,Me 2, Bautista 3, Encarnacion 2, Navarro,D, Tolleson,St 2,

Kratz 2, Pillar, Francisco,J 3, Lind, Gose. BB-Aoki, Hosmer 2, Butler,B,

Gordon,A, Valencia, Reyes, Cabrera,Me, Bautista 2, Encarnacion 2,

Tolleson,St 2, Pillar. SH-Infante, Tolleson,St. HBP-Escobar,A. CI-Hosmer.

HB-Redmond.

GWRBI: Dyson,J

Temperature: 65, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 10 MPH.

Attendance: 33,621

Game Time: 5:44