Lorenzo Cain and Nori Aoki did a lot of the heavy lifting Thursday.
Mike Moustakas’ 11th-inning home run lifted the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Cain and Aoki ensured the game made it to that point by putting on a show defensively.
Cain made a pair of terrific grabs in the first two innings with the game still scoreless. His first catch — the better of the two — robbed Angels leadoff hitter Kole Calhoun of extra bases, as the Royals center fielder timed his jump perfectly and make a leaping catch before banging into the wall. The second catch featured Cain storming in to snag a sinking line drive struck by Erick Aybar.
Cain’s impressive defense was an appetizer. The main course was served up by Aoki, who made two clutch catches with the score tied 2-2.
First, Aoki bailed out the Royals in the sixth inning, when Howie Kendrick drilled a ball to the wall with runners at first and second and two outs. Then, Aoki helped preserve the tie with another interesting catch on the warning track in the seventh inning with a runner on third base.
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