Unlikely hero Escobar ignites Royals power surge in victory over Orioles

The pitch came in at the thighs, a 90 mph fastball that stayed over the middle part of the plate. Even for Alcides Escobar, it was an offering he couldn’t miss.

He didn’t.

“I know the ball is gone,” Escobar would say.

It was the third inning of a scoreless game here on Friday. On a 2-0 pitch from Orioles starter Chris Tillman, Escobar barreled up the fastball and deposited a solo homer into the seats in left field at Camden Yards. Yes, this American League Championship Series was supposed to be a clash of styles — the Orioles’ blunt power versus the Royals’ unyielding speed and athleticism.

OK, maybe not.

On a wet and chilly night in Baltimore, it was the Royals putting on the power display in an 8-6 victory over the Orioles in Game 1. Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas followed Escobar’s lead, blasting decisive blows in the top of the 10th inning. But the surge began with Escobar, an unlikely protagonist in a game won with the long ball.

“I’m not trying to look for a homer,” Escobar would say, looking up from the celebratory messages on his Instagram page. “I’m trying to hit the ball right. I hit that one on the crown, and the ball is gone.”

Before Friday night, Escobar had homered just one time since June 1. His solo blast ignited a four-run deluge for the Royals — and kicked off another goosebump-inducing night of baseball off Eutaw Street in Baltimore. After 29 years away from the postseason, the Royals keep playing baseball games deep into the night. They keep crushing homers, too.

“We hit three tonight,” designated hitter Billy Butler said. “And they were all big.”

For the last two weeks, the Royals haven’t played baseball games as much as they’ve embarked on one weird, ulcerous journey into baseball’s postseason. A four-run lead vanishing? Check. A bases-loaded opportunity coming up empty in the top of the ninth? Check. Mother Nature belching another driving rainstorm? Yes. Some genuine baseball devil magic? Maybe.

When the regular season ended Sept. 28, the Royals had finished last in the majors with just 95 homers. The Orioles, meanwhile, had hit 107 of their major league-leading 211 homers at Camden Yards. So when Escobar went deep, it was quite clear: This series was not going to be easy to explain.

Escobar’s homer — and the rally that followed — helped the Royals chase Tillman with one out in the fifth inning. Tillman, who had allowed two runs over five innings in his first postseason start against Detroit, yielded five earned runs in 41/3 innings, including a bases-clearing double from Gordon in the third.

When Gordon and Moustakas silenced Camden Yards with homers in the top of the 10th inning, the Royals had their sixth and seventh homers in five postseason games.

“Alex Gordon, he can hit homers,” Escobar said. “Moose, he can hit homers, too.”

Nearly 45 minutes later, Moustakas stood a few feet away from Escobar in the visitors clubhouse. He had just hit his third homer of the postseason, and this wild, inexplicable run was moving forward for another night. So the question was posed:

Small ball or long ball?

“I prefer winning,” Moustakas said.

A few feet away, veteran Josh Willingham piped up.

“Good answer,” he said.

This story was originally published October 11, 2014 at 1:03 AM with the headline "Unlikely hero Escobar ignites Royals power surge in victory over Orioles."