Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain drove in ninth-inning runs to lift Kansas City over Baltimore 6-4 on Saturday, giving the Royals command of their Major League Baseball playoff series.
The visiting Royals moved halfway to their first World Series since 1985, seizing a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven American League final, which shifts to Kansas City for game three on Monday.
The Orioles, in the league final for the first time since 1997, seek their first World Series berth since winning the 1983 title while the Royals, who this year ended a 29-year playoff drought, seek their first World Series since taking the 1985 title.
The Royals won the opener 8-6 in 10 innings on Friday, becoming the first team in major league history with four extra-inning playoff wins in one year.
But deadlocked into the ninth inning for the second night in a row, the Royals didn't need to go past regulation play to defeat Baltimore again.
Omar Infante opened the ninth with an infield single, took second on a sacrifice bunt by Mike Moustakas and scored on Escobar's double down the right-field line to give the Royals a 5-4 lead.
A fielding error by Orioles third baseman Ryan Flaherty allowed Jarrod Dyson to reach first and Escobar to take third and Cain followed with a single to left to plate Escobar and give the Royals an insurance run.
A two-out single by Nelson Cruz brought the tying run to the plate for the Orioles in the bottom of the ninth, but Steve Pearce struck out to end the final Baltimore threat.
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