Amed Rosario became the first player on record to go 5 for 5 with five RBI, an inside-the-park homer and a drive over the fence, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Tuesday night.
Rosario had the first five RBI game of his career and matched a career high in hits. He’s the first player since at least 1920, when RBI became an official stat, to go 5 for 5 with five RBI and both types of homer in the same game, according to STATS. Zach Plesac (9-4) pitched two-hit ball over seven scoreless innings, striking out seven without a walk allowed.Plesac even shut down Salvador Perez, who had homered in his last five games. Perez was 0 for 3 in the game and dropped to 0 for 5 with three strikeouts in his career against Plesac.
Jakob Junis (2-4) allowed three runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. Rosario drove in all three runs. Rosario legged out his inside-the-parker in the first inning when his slicing drive fell just beyond the reach of right fielder Edward Olivares. Olivares stumbled to the ground as the ball caromed away, clearing the way for Rosario to get the team’s first inside-the-park homer since Jason Kipnis on Aug. 24, 2018, also at Kansas City. Rosario’s second hit came in the fifth off reliever Joel Payamps. Junis left runners on first and third with two outs before Rosario greeted Payamps with a single up the middle.
Rosario drove in his fourth and fifth runs in the seventh with a 420-foot home run to straight-away center. The Indians got their final runs in the eighth on Bobby Bradley’s two-run home run. The Royals tallied two runs in the ninth on a single by Carlos Santana and a double by Andrew Benintendi.