DETROIT — MJ Melendez hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning to rally the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. Trailing 2-0 going into the top of the ninth, Hunter Renfroe and Freddy Fermin reached on singles with one out. Adam Frazier nearly hit a pinch-hit homer, but the ball curled foul and he flew out to center field.
Melendez then hit a 362-foot blast, his 13th of the season, to give Kansas City the lead. "I like to be in those situation — it is do or die and that's a lot of fun," Melendez said. "I'm going to be ready late in games, whether they need me to hit or play defense.
I have to stay as locked in as possible, just like I'm in the game." Tigers manager A.J.
Hinch used lefty Shelby Miller in the ninth, knowing the Royals would be sending up their left-handed hitters. "I think Shelby had given up eight hits against lefties all year going into that inning," Hinch said. "They got two, two-strike hits from Renfroe and Fermin, and then a bad splitter to a guy who can hit the ball out of the park.
" Chris Stratton (4-3) got the win with a scoreless eighth. The Royals' Hunter Harvey, who squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss on Saturday, pitched the ninth for his first save. "We acquired (Harvey) to pitch in high-leverage situations, and that was high leverage," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
"There's a reason we gave up good players to get him, so we're not going to run away from one bad o.