KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nelson Cruz homered twice and drove in four runs as the Seattle Mariners built a big lead, then held off the Kansas City Royals 8-7 Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader.
Cruz, Danny Valencia and Kyle Seager homered in the first two innings, helping the Mariners take a 7-0 lead off Danny Duffy (7-7).
Cruz, who leads the American League with 84 RBIs, hit a three-run drive in a four-run second. He hit his 24th home run in the seventh off Scott Alexander, a shot estimated at 465 feet to center.