KANSAS CITY -- For a moment, it looked like Royals catcher Salvador Perez would be the hero, breaking a tie in the eighth inning with a blast that was caught at the 410-foot sign in center field.
No matter. Jorge Soler followed moments later with a home run off reliever Yusmeiro Petit, a shot to left-center that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead, an advantage that held in a victory over the A's on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
"For the first time in nine years, when Salvy hit that ball to center, I cussed the ballpark," Royals manager Ned Yost said.