Watch Salvador Perez pick off Angels player at third base to clinch Royals’ victory
The Royals’ 3-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium ended with a replay challenge by Los Angeles, but it was really more of a Hail Mary.
The Angels loaded the bases against Greg Holland with two outs in the ninth inning, and right fielder Jared Walsh was at the plate.
An 0-2 pitch from Holland bounced in front of Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who blocked the ball. It caromed to Perez’s right, hit Walsh’s leg and right back to Perez. The Angels’ David Fletcher was on third base and initially thought he was going to have an opportunity to score.
Instead, Perez fired the ball to third baseman Hunter Dozier, who tagged out Fletcher to end the game. The Angels challenged the call but replay officials needed just 29 seconds to confirm the out.
“I was looking for a ball in the dirt the whole time and finally got it,” Fletcher told reporters afterward. “It hit off his chest pretty hard and I was going to score pretty easy. It hit Walsh in the knee. It was just kind of bad luck.”
Here is the play:
“I don’t know,” Royals manager Mike Matheny told reporters, “if I’ve seen a game end quite like that one.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 8:35 AM.
