Watch: Kendrys Morales homers off Keuchel, seals Royals win
Kendrys Morales gave the Royals a 7–2 lead and sealed the game with a three-run homer off Astros ace Dallas Keuchel in the bottom of the 8th inning during Wednesday's ALDS Game 5.
With two outs and two on, Morales came up clutch for Kansas City, driving the ball deep to centerfield off of Keuchel, who had entered in relief on two days' rest with the Astros down 4–2 to try and quell Kansas City’s bats and give his team one last chance to win.
Yunel Escobar led off the inning with a double, and Keuchel coaxed a lineout from Ben Zobrist, then intentionally walked Lorenzo Cain to face Eric Hosmer. The gamble worked for one batter after Hosmer popped out into foul territory, but backfired when Morales’s stroke gave the Royals a five-run lead that would prove insurmountable.
The Royals sealed the game after Wade Davis relieved starter Johnny Cueto and threw a 1-2-3 inning to quickly end the Astros’ hopes.
Kansas City will face Toronto in the American League Championship Series.
You can watch Morales’s game-sealing shot below.
- Jeremy Woo
