Andrew Benintendi made dazzling game-saving catch Tuesday for Royals in 10th inning
The Royals pounded out 14 hits, including three home runs and six doubles, in a 12-11 victory Tuesday over the Angels in 11 innings.
Even with all that offensive firepower, the Royals likely would have lost the game in 10 innings were it not for a sensational defensive play by left fielder Andrew Benintendi.
The Royals had let a five-run lead slip away but then went up by three, only to watch Shohei Ohtani crush a game-tying three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. That made it a 10-10 game.
In the 10th inning, the Royals failed to score. With a runner on second, the Angels’ Max Stassi led off the bottom of the frame with a scorching shot to left field. The ball left his bat traveling 103.8 mph and had an expected batting average of .570.
But Benintendi made an incredible diving catch.
Had that ball fallen in for a hit, the runner on second, Luis Rengifo, most likely would have scored and given the Angels a walk-off 11-10 win. Instead, the Royals scored twice in the 11th inning and held on for the win.
Even if Rengifo hadn’t scored, he’d have taken third on the play. Two batters later, Juan Lagares’ 374-foot fly ball for the second out would have scored Rengifo.
The Royals go for a sweep of the Angels on Wednesday.
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 10:46 AM.
