KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Billy Butler and Alcides Escobar had run-scoring hits off Jake Peavy, and the Kansas City Royals took a 2-1 lead over San Francisco after three innings Wednesday night as they tried to even the World Series at a game apiece.
Gregor Blanco started the game with a home run for the Giants off hard-throwing rookie Yordano Ventura, but the Royals came back with runs in the first and second innings to take their first lead of the Series.
After the ceremonial first pitch from retired Royals star George Brett, Blanco drove Ventura’s eighth pitch, a 98 mph fastball, into the Kansas City bullpen for his first home run since Sept. 22. It was the 10th home run by the opening batter of a Series game, the first since Boston’s Johnny Damon in 2004.
Escobar reached on an infield hit leading off the bottom half, a hard one-hopper that popped out of the glove of shortstop Brandon Crawford, who tried for a backhand stop.
Escobar was caught stealing second by catcher Buster Posey, but Lorenzo Cain doubled with two outs, Eric Hosmer walked and Butler bounced a single past the outstretched glove of a diving Crawford, ending Kansas City’s 0-for-17 slide with runners in scoring position dating to Game 2 of the AL Championship Series against Boston.