Royals Win Opening Thriller

The Royals opened up the 2004 season with quite a bang. Kansas City never led until Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Royals a 9-7 win over the White Sox. Chicago jumped all over starter Brian Anderson with four runs in the second inning. Paul Konerko drove in two with a double and Sandy Alomar Jr. added two more with a home run. Benito Santiago’s fielder’s choice put Kansas City on the board in the bottom half of the second and Santiago’s homer in the fifth made it 7-2. Fast-forward to the ninth and the Royals found themselves in a 7-3 hole. Santiago struck again with an RBI double. Moments later Mendy Lopez tied it up with a three-run home run before Beltran sent the 41,575 fans in attendance home. It was the third-largest regular season crowd in Royals history. D.J. Carrasco pitched perfect ninth inning to get the win. The Royals and White Sox take Tuesday off and will resume on Wednesday.