Royal rally in ninth throttles White Sox

Seven-run uprising sets Kansas City record

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brett Eibner wondered whether anything could surpass the Kansas City Royals’ rally Friday, when they overcome a fourrun deficit to beat the Chicago White Sox in his major league debut.

He did not have to wait long to find out.

Eibner singled to cap the biggest ninth-inning comeback in Royals history, a seven-run rally off David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle that lifted the World Series champions over the Chicago White Sox 8-7 Saturday.

“I didn’t think I could beat yesterday, and, sure enough, we come around and do this,” said Eibner, who also doubled to helped spark the inning. “It’s super fun. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that.”

Held to six hits through eight innings, the Royals doubled their total in the 32-minute bottom of the ninth and overcame a six-run deficit for the first time since June 22, 2008.

The inning included four walks, two of them intentional, and four runs scored with two outs.

“There’s no shot clock; there’s no time clock,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said after Chicago lost for the 13th time in 17 games. “If you can’t close it out, that’s what happens.”

Eibner had the second and third hits of his big league career.

The designated hitter drove in the game-ending run with a full-count single on the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Kahnle (0-1).

Eibner grounded a 98 mph fastball on the low, outside corner to the right of a diving Jose Abreu at first, and Drew Butera, who had replaced injured catcher Salvador Perez, raised an arm in triumph as he crossed the plate.

Robertson relieved with a 7-1 lead and threw a called third strike past Paulo Orlando before Cheslor Cuthbert singled and Eibner doubled on a fly that dropped behind right fielder Adam Eaton, who lost the ball in the sun.

A walk to Omar Infante loaded the bases, and Robertson forced in a run when he walked Alcides Escobar after getting ahead 1-and-2 in the count.

Whit Merrifield, who made his big league debut May 18, hit a hard grounder up the middle that deflected off Robertson’s glove and into right field for a single as two runs scored, cutting the deficit to 7-4.

Lorenzo Cain hit into a run-scoring forceout to shortstop, beating second baseman Brett Lawrie’s relay to first to avoid what would have been a game-ending double play.

Eric Hosmer followed with an RBI double to deep right-center, pulling Royals within a run.

Kahnle relieved Robertson, who threw 29 pitches, and Butera doubled on his third offering, driving the ball on one hop to the left-field wall.

Butera advanced on a wild pitch. Orlando was intentionally walked and took second on defensive indifference, and an intentional walk to pinch hitter Jarrod Dyson loaded the bases for Eibner, who fouled off three 2-and2 pitches, took a ball and fouled off another before the winning hit.