Thursday 30 October 2014 07:43, UK
Kansas City Royals forced the World Series to a decisive seventh game with a 10-0 thrashing of San Francisco Giants.
The Major League Baseball championship will come down to one game after Kansas City exploded into life in the second innings, scoring seven runs on eight hits to tie the series at 3-3.
Entering the game without a run in 15 innings, the Royals soon ended this drought as every member of the starting line-up had at least one hit before the end of the third inning.
Mike Moustakas sparked the second inning burst with a sharply hit double down the right field line that cashed in Alex Gordon with the game's first run.
With the bases loaded Nori Aoki singled to left driving in a second run to signal the withdrawal of Giants starter Jake Peavy after just 1-1/3 innings, with the right-hander surrendering five runs on six hits.
The pitching change did nothing to slow down the rampaging Royals, Lorenzo Cain welcoming Yusmeiro Petit to the game with a bases-loaded looper to centre field that scored two more runs.
Eric Hosmer added to the assault with a two-run double before Billy Butler capped off the big inning with an RBI double to whip the capacity crowd into a frenzy.
The Giants looked poised to hit back in the third after loading the bases only to watch Buster Posey hit into double play to end the threat.
Kansas City were far from done, Cain adding an RBI double in the bottom of the third and Alcides Escobar cracking another run scoring double in the fifth followed a by Moustakas solo home run in the seventh.
Royals rookie Yordano Ventura played his part in seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out four with five walks.
"Guys stepped up in a big way tonight. We felt we just had to get it done, find any way possible to get on base and drive in runs," said Cain.
