CHICAGO — Offseason acquisitions Carlos Santana and Andrew Benintendi provided a much-needed combination of small ball and the long ball in clutch situations on Sunday afternoon to guide the Kansas City Royals to an extra-inning win and a series split in Chicago.
Benintendi registered his first RBI as a Royal, while Santana recorded his first homer in blue. The duo played a part in driving in three of the team’s four runs as the Royals earned a series split with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox in 10 innings in front of an announced 7,695 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Whit Merrifield went 2 for 4 with an RBI and walk, while Santana went 1 for 4 with a walk. Benintendi also went 1 for 4 with a walk and an RBI. Benintendi also had a stolen base. Rookie outfielder Kyle Isbel also collected two hits.
Royals reliever Kyle Zimmer pitched a scoreless 10th inning and collected his first save.
Santana homered in the ninth, tying the score at 3-3. Benintendi’s bunt back to the pitcher’s mound in the 10th scored the go-ahead run.
UP NEXT
The Royals begin a stretch of 10 consecutive home games on Monday with their first night game of the season, the opening game of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Right-hander Brady Singer will start the opener for the Royals, while right-hander Dylan Bundy will start for the Angels.
Danny Duffy and Brad Keller, respectively, will start the second and third games of the series. The Royals will host the Toronto Blue Jays for four games and the Tampa Bay Rays for three more following the Angels series.
