Kansas City has beaten the Baltimore Orioles 8-6 in the first game of their best-of seven American League playoff series, thanks to late home runs from Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas.
Gordon was hit in the neck by a pitch in the eighth inning but stayed in the game to become the first Royal in 29 years to knock in four runs in a playoff game.
"It was frightening," said Gordon. "Saw it coming at my head and just for a second turned the back of my head. Luckily it got most of my helmet so it stung a little bit but nothing serious."
Alcides Escobar added a solo homer to help the Royals down the Orioles, who boasted the most homers in the major leagues this season.
"This is a park that's a lot more conducive to hitting home runs than our ballpark," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Put our club in this ballpark, we would have hit a lot more home runs. It showed tonight."
Baltimore will again host game two on Saturday before the scene shifts to Kansas City. The series winner will face either St. Louis or San Francisco in the World Series.
The Royals, who ended a 29-year playoff drought this season, seek their first World Series berth since winning the 1985 title while the Orioles, in the league final for the first time since 1997, seek their first World Series berth since winning the crown in 1983.
Baltimore had battled back from a four-run deficit to pull level at 5-5 and escaped trouble in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and none out.
"I'm proud of the way our guys battled back," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "We had a lot of good things. We won't forget that."
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