Kansas City, MO – Jose Iglesias proved to be the hero for the San Diego Padres on Sunday, delivering a two-out, bases-loaded pinch-hit single in the seventh inning to tie the game and then driving in the winning run in the ninth, as the Padres defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-2, taking two of three in the series.
With the game knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Luis Arraez ignited the decisive rally with a single off Royals reliever Daniel Lynch IV (3-2). Xander Bogaerts followed with a double, advancing Arraez to third. John Schreiber was brought in to face Iglesias, who hit a soft grounder to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Witt fielded the ball, spun, and threw home, but his throw was too late to catch Arraez, giving the Padres the walk-off victory. This marked Iglesias’ fifth career walk-off hit and his first since July 2, 2019.
The Royals had initially taken the lead in the sixth inning when Salvador Perez launched a two-run homer, a 412-foot shot off Padres starter Randy Vásquez, breaking a scoreless tie.
San Diego’s comeback began in the seventh. Jackson Merrill, returning from the seven-day concussion injured list, doubled into the right-field corner to lead off the inning. Former Padre Seth Lugo, who had been brilliant in retiring 18 consecutive batters after allowing Fernando Tatis’ leadoff single, retired Manny Machado before being replaced by Angel Zerpa. Zerpa then issued two consecutive two-out walks, setting the stage for Iglesias, who was pinch-hitting for Jake Cronenworth. Iglesias hit an opposite-field single to right field, tying the game at 2-2, though he tripped and fell breaking out of the box.
The Royals had a chance to extend their lead in the ninth, but Drew Waters was thrown out trying to score from first on Freddy Fermin’s double to center.
On the defensive side, Royals phenom Jac Caglianone made a highlight-reel play in the eighth, leaping and getting his glove over the right-field wall to rob Jackson Merrill of a two-run home run.
Robert Suarez (2-3) pitched the ninth inning for the Padres to earn the win. Suarez is currently appealing a three-game suspension for hitting Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday night.
The Kansas City Royals will have Monday off before hosting the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium, beginning on Tuesday. Pregame coverage Tuesday on SuperStar 102.5 FM & 1530 AM KQNK starts at 6:00 p.m. with first pitch at 6:40 p.m.
