Arizona at Kansas City

Arizona at Kansas City

This is Missed It. Arizona at Kansas City, Tuesday, September 8, 99 and clear at Kauffman Stadium, with the Diamondbacks. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a beautiful day for baseball as the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Kansas City Royals. We're on the road, looking to keep things rolling. Both teams are still searching for their first run of the day, and it's our guys who get the ball first. The stage is set, the bats are loose, and we're ready to see what this one brings.

Innings 1-3

We start this one off with a quick top of the first. Three batters come up, and we're back in the dugout just like that. No runs, no drama, just a clean inning to get things going. Score stays at zero-zero. The Royals come up for their first look, and they send four batters to the plate. But our defense holds firm. No runs cross the plate, and we're still knotted up at zero. Top of the second, and we get a little more action. Five batters step in, but we just can't push anything across. The Royals' pitcher is keeping us off balance, and we head back to the dugout with the score still zero-zero. Bottom of the second, and Kansas City gets something going. With no outs and nobody on, Michael Massey steps in and rips a sharp line drive to right field. Tim Tawa is out there chasing it down, but that ball is hit well. Massey ends up on second with a double. It's a notable play, a warning shot from the Royals. But we bear down, and we get out of the inning without any damage. Score remains zero-zero. Top of the third, and we send five more batters to the plate. Still nothing doing. We're getting looks, but we just can't find that hit to break things open. The score stays at zero. Bottom of the third, and the Royals are up again. Four batters come to the plate, and with two outs and nobody on, Vinnie Pasquantino steps in. He connects on a sharp line drive to center field, and Tommy Troy is tracking it. That ball is hit hard, and Pasquantino cruises into second with a double. Another notable play, another threat. But we slam the door, and we head to the fourth inning still tied at zero.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, and we're looking for a spark. Nolan Arenado leads things off, and he works a walk. That's a momentum swing right there, a little life in our dugout. But we can't capitalize. Three batters come up total, and we leave Arenado stranded. Score stays zero-zero. Bottom of the fourth, and the Royals go quietly. Three batters, no runs. We're still locked in this pitcher's duel. Top of the fifth, and we get five batters to the plate. But again, nothing to show for it. The zeroes just keep piling up on the board. Bottom of the fifth, and this is where things get interesting. Matthew Lugo leads off with a walk, and suddenly the Royals have something brewing. That's a momentum swing, and we can feel the tension rising. With one out and two on, Bobby Witt Jr. steps to the plate. He swings, and he lines out to Ketel Marte at second base. Big play, big out. But the Royals aren't done. With two outs and two on, Vinnie Pasquantino comes up again. He's already got a double today, and he's looking dangerous. He swings, and he lines out to Tommy Troy in center field. That's the inning. That's the escape. We get out of it, and the score remains zero-zero. Top of the sixth, and we go down in order. Three batters, no runs. Bottom of the sixth, and the Royals do the same. Three batters, no runs. We're heading to the stretch, and this game is still deadlocked at zero.

The Stretch

So here we are, six innings in the books, and it's still zero-zero. This game has been a pitcher's duel from the very first pitch. The play that defined the first half has to be that line out from Vinnie Pasquantino in the bottom of the fifth. Two outs, two on, and he just missed it. Tommy Troy tracked it down in center, and that was the moment the Royals' best chance slipped away. We've had our chances too, but we haven't been able to break through. What we need now is that one hit, that one moment, to crack this game open. We've been patient, we've been solid on defense, and now we need to find a way to push a run across.

Innings 7-9

Top of the seventh, and we're still searching. Tim Tawa leads off and he drops a single into left field, a line drive off Isaac Collins's glove. That's a momentum swing, a little life for our side. But we can't bring him home. Four batters come up, and we leave Tawa stranded. Still zero-zero. Bottom of the seventh, and the Royals go down in order. Four batters, no runs. We're heading to the eighth, and this game is still hanging in the balance. Top of the eighth, and this is where we finally break through. Ketel Marte leads off and he rips a sharp ground ball through the middle, past Kyle Isbel in center field. That's a momentum swing, and we can feel it. Then Gabriel Moreno steps in and he does the same thing, a sharp ground ball to right field off John Rave. Ketel Marte doesn't stop, he's flying around the bases, and he ends up at third. Two on, nobody out, and we've got a real chance here. Geraldo Perdomo comes up, and he lifts a sacrifice fly to right field. John Rave is out there, he makes the catch, and Ketel Marte tags up and scores. That's the run! That's the first run of the game, and it's ours. We take a one-nothing lead. Bottom of the eighth, and the Royals go quietly. Three batters, no runs. We're three outs away from a win.

The Sequence

Top of the ninth, and we're looking for insurance. Tim Tawa steps to the plate, and he doesn't waste any time. He swings, and he sends a fly ball to left center field. That ball is carrying, it's carrying, and it's gone! Tim Tawa homers! That's a big play, a huge play. We take a two-nothing lead, and we're feeling good. Bottom of the ninth, and the Royals are down to their last three outs. They get a runner on, and with two outs, John Rave steps to the plate. He swings, and he sends a fly ball to right center field. That ball is gone too. John Rave homers, and Nick Loftin scores. Just like that, it's tied at two-two. The Royals have life, and we're heading to extra innings. Top of the tenth, and we're looking to answer. We get two on with two outs, and Tim Tawa steps to the plate again. He's already got a homer today, and he's seeing the ball well. He swings, and he sends a ground ball to center field. Gabriel Moreno scores, and Nolan Arenado moves to second. That's a run, and we take a three-two lead. Tim Tawa is having a game. Bottom of the tenth, and the Royals answer right back. They get two on with one out, and Vinnie Pasquantino comes up. He lifts a sacrifice fly to right field, Tim Tawa is out there, he makes the catch, and Kyle Isbel scores. It's tied again, three-three. This game is a rollercoaster. Top of the eleventh, and we're not backing down. We get four batters to the plate, and we push two runs across. The score is now five-three, and we've got a lead. Bottom of the eleventh, and the Royals get three batters. No runs. That's the ballgame.

Wrap-up

Final score, Arizona five, Kansas City three. We came out on top in a game that had everything. Extra innings, a homer from Tim Tawa, and a bullpen that held strong when it mattered most. This one means a lot. We fought, we clawed, and we came away with the win. That's all we can ask for.

Outro

That was Arizona at Kansas City, from the Diamondbacks side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Arizona at Kansas City

This is Missed It. Arizona at Kansas City, Tuesday, September 8, 99 and clear at Kauffman Stadium, with the Royals. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one here at the K, and we've got a good one on our hands. The Arizona Diamondbacks are in town, and our Kansas City Royals are looking to keep things rolling. Both teams are still searching for their first run of the day, and we've got a pitcher's duel brewing on the mound. The crowd is settling in, the sun is out, and it's time for Royals baseball. Let's get this one going.

Innings 1-3

We get through the top of the first clean, three batters, no runs. Our guy on the mound is dealing early, and the Diamondbacks can't get anything going. We come up in the bottom half, and we send four batters to the plate, but we can't push anything across either. It's a quick first inning, scoreless, and we're off and running. The second inning rolls around, and Arizona sends five batters up. They're making contact, but nothing falls. We get out of it, still zero-zero. Then we come up in the bottom of the second, and here's where things get interesting. With nobody out and nobody on, Michael Massey steps in and rips a sharp line drive to right field. Tim Tawa is out there chasing it, but it's past him. Massey is on second with a double, and the crowd is on its feet. This is the first real threat of the game. But we can't cash him in. We leave him stranded, and it's still zero-zero after two. The third inning, Arizona sends five more batters up, and again, nothing. Our pitcher is locked in, and the defense is making plays behind him. We come up in the bottom of the third, four batters, and we're looking for a spark. With two outs and nobody on, Vinnie Pasquantino steps in and he does exactly what Massey did. He smokes a line drive to center field, Tommy Troy is sprinting, but it's over his head. Pasquantino is standing on second with a double. Another chance. Another threat. But again, we can't bring him home. We leave him there, and we head to the fourth, still tied at zero.

Innings 4-6

The fourth inning starts, and Arizona sends three batters up. But watch this. With nobody out and nobody on, Nolan Arenado works a walk. That's a momentum swing right there. He's on first, and the Diamondbacks have a runner on for the first time in a while. But we bear down, we get the next three outs, and we escape. Still zero-zero. We come up in the bottom of the fourth, three batters, nothing doing. Quick inning. Then the fifth inning, and this one has some juice. Arizona sends five batters up, but they can't score. Then we come up, and Matthew Lugo leads off with a walk. Nobody out, runner on first. This is our chance. We get another runner on, and now we've got two on with one out. Bobby Witt Jr. steps to the plate. The crowd is buzzing. This is the moment. He swings, and he lines out to second baseman Ketel Marte. One out. Still two on. Then Vinnie Pasquantino steps in. Two outs, two on. He swings, and he lines out to center fielder Tommy Troy. Inning over. We had them right there, and we couldn't get the big hit. It's still zero-zero, and you can feel the frustration in the air. The sixth inning, Arizona sends three batters up, nothing. We come up, three batters, nothing. Six innings in the books, and we're still scoreless. This is a classic pitcher's duel, and somebody is going to have to blink first.

The Stretch

Here we are at the stretch, and it's still zero-zero. Six innings of scoreless baseball, and the tension is thick. The play that turned this half was that fifth inning, two outs, two on, and Vinnie Pasquantino lining out to center field. That was our best chance, and it slipped away. We had the Diamondbacks on the ropes, and we couldn't land the punch. Now we need to find a way to break through. We need a hit, we need a run, we need something to shift the momentum back in our favor. The pitching has been outstanding, but the bats have been quiet. We've got nine innings of work left in this one, and we need to find a way to get on the board first.

Innings 7-9

The seventh inning starts, and Arizona sends four batters up. With nobody out and nobody on, Tim Tawa singles on a line drive to left fielder Isaac Collins. That's a momentum swing. He's on first, and the Diamondbacks are threatening again. But we get the next three outs, and we escape. Still zero-zero. We come up in the bottom of the seventh, four batters, and we can't get anything going. Quick inning. Then the eighth inning, and this is where the game starts to crack open. Arizona sends five batters up. With nobody out and nobody on, Ketel Marte singles on a sharp ground ball to center fielder Kyle Isbel. Then Gabriel Moreno singles on a sharp ground ball to right fielder John Rave, and Marte moves to third. Nobody out, two on. This is trouble. Then Geraldo Perdomo steps in, and he hits a sacrifice fly to right fielder John Rave. Marte tags up and scores. The Diamondbacks take a one-nothing lead. That's the first run of the game, and it belongs to Arizona. We come up in the bottom of the eighth, three batters, and we can't answer. We head to the ninth, down one-nothing.

The Sequence

This is where the game is decided. Top of the ninth, and Arizona sends six batters up. With nobody out and nobody on, Tim Tawa steps in, and he launches one. A fly ball to left center field, and it's gone. A home run. The Diamondbacks extend their lead to two-nothing. That's a dagger. We're down two, and we've got three outs left. Bottom of the ninth. We send five batters up. We're down to our last out, and there's a runner on. John Rave steps to the plate. He swings, and he connects. A fly ball to right center field, and it's gone. A home run. Nick Loftin scores, and just like that, we're tied at two-two. The crowd erupts. We've done it. We've forced extra innings. Top of the tenth. Arizona sends five batters up. With two outs and two on, Tim Tawa singles on a ground ball to center fielder Kyle Isbel. Gabriel Moreno scores, and Nolan Arenado moves to second. The Diamondbacks take a three-two lead. We come up in the bottom of the tenth, six batters. With one out and two on, Vinnie Pasquantino steps in, and he hits a sacrifice fly to right fielder Tim Tawa. Kyle Isbel scores, and we're tied at three-three. We keep fighting. Top of the eleventh. Arizona sends four batters up, and they push two runs across. It's five-three. We come up in the bottom of the eleventh, three batters, and we can't answer. The game is over.

Wrap-up

Final score, Arizona five, Kansas City three. We fought back, we tied it twice, but we couldn't finish the job. That home run from John Rave in the ninth was the moment we'll remember, but it wasn't enough. We drop this one, and it stings. We'll get them tomorrow.

Outro

That was Arizona at Kansas City, from the Royals side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.