DETROIT (AP) — Nick Loftin hit a tie-breaking home run in the ninth inning as the Kansas City Royals rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
The Royals trailed 2-1 going into the seventh, when Salvador Perez hit his franchise-record 318th home run to tie the game. The homer broke the mark set by George Brett, who held the record for 40 years.
Hao-Yu Lee homered, doubled and drove in two runs for the Tigers, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games, but Detroit’s winning streak ended at three.
Neither starter was involved in the decision. Kansas City’s Michael Wacha allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings, while Casey Mize gave up one run on three hits in six innings.
The teams traded solo runs in the second. A sacrifice fly by KC’s Michael Massey scored Vinnie Pasquantino in the top of the inning before Riley Greene doubled and scored on Lee’s double in the bottom of the inning.
Lee homered in the fourth to put the Tigers ahead, but Perez led off the seventh with his 401-foot homer off Kyle Finnegan.
Perez came up again in the eighth, this time with runners on first and third with two out, but grounded into a forceout at second.
Loftin later hit his fifth homer of the season, going deep off Jacob Waguespack (0-1) with one out.
Greene led off the ninth with a single off Daniel Lynch IV (4-2), and Royals manager Matt Quatraro brought in former Tigers closer Alex Lange.
Lange struck out Lee, and after Zach McKinstry singled to right to put runners on the corners with one out, Lange struck out Matt Vierling before retiring pinch-hitter Spencer Torkelson to earn his 10th save.
Up next
The teams finish their four-game series on Sunday, with Tigers LHP Framber Valdez (5-7, 5.47 ERA) starting against a Royals opener.
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