CHICAGO (AP) — Michael A. Taylor scored when Garrett Crochet misplayed Andrew Benintendi’s bunt in the 10th inning, sending the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
Taylor opened the 10th on second base and advanced on Nicky Lopez’s sacrifice. After Whit Merrifield was walked intentionally, Benintendi bunted the ball right back to the mound.
It looked as if Crochet (0-1) had time to get Taylor at the plate, but he spiked his throw and catcher Zack Collins couldn’t come up with it. It was Chicago’s second error of the day and ninth overall in the first nine games.
Greg Holland (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, and Kyle Zimmer worked a perfect 10th for his first career save.
Chicago had won 17 straight games when its opponent started a left-handed pitcher, one shy of the major league record set by Atlanta from 2004-05. But it ended up on the losing end of a wild finish.
Kansas City grabbed a 2-1 lead on Benintendi’s RBI single in the eighth. But Chicago went back in front on Adam Eaton’s first career pinch-hit homer in the bottom half, a drive that hooked just inside the foul pole in right.
The Royals then tied it again when Carlos Santana led off the ninth with a drive to center off Liam Hendriks.
Merrifield also had a run-scoring single for Kansas City, which was shut out by Lance Lynn in a 6-0 loss in the series opener Thursday. Following a day off, Saturday’s matchup was rained out.
After wasting prime scoring opportunities in the second and third, Chicago jumped in front when Leury García’s liner got past leaping third baseman Hunter Dozier for a two-out RBI double in the fourth. Danny Mendick helped set up the run with a 10-pitch walk against Mike Minor.
Kansas City bounced right back in the fifth, tying it…
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