KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ For so many years, the sight of Greg Holland emerging from a bullpen here at Kauffman Stadium meant victory.
It did on Wednesday night, too, in a whole different way.
Eric Hosmer smashed a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, recording a walk-off blast against his former teammate and lifting the Royals to a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Hosmer had never hit a walk-off homer in his career. The thrilling win secured a series victory entering the finale on Thursday afternoon.
The ninth inning began with Holland walking Alex Gordon before recording two outs. Melky Cabrera extended the inning with a single before Hosmer stepped to the plate.
On the final pitch of the night, Hosmer unloaded on an 85-mph slider, crushing a 398-foot blast into the seats in right field.
As the first-base dugout emptied, Kauffman Stadium reveled in the moment. Holland has now blown three saves in his last six appearances.
Royals rookie starter Jakob Junis will match up against Colorado's German Marquez on Thursday. The Royals will attempt to sustain the momentum after improving to 9-12 since the start of the month.
Before the late drama, starter Ian Kennedy continued a frustrating August, one defined by short outings and inconsistent stuff. He lasted just 42/3 innings, allowing three runs. In five starts, he has surrendered 21 earned runs across 232/3 innings. He has logged 7 1/3 total innings in his last two appearances. He has just one win since July 4.
On Wednesday, Kennedy spent much of the night starting fires and then attempting to put out the flames. He allowed a solo homer to Nolan Arenado in the first inning before elevating an 0-1 slider to Charlie Blackmon in the third. Blackmon lifted the pitch into the bullpen in right for his 30th homer and a 2-1 lead.
Kennedy allowed two more base runners in the inning before escaping with a double play. He twice loaded the bases in the fifth before Royals manager Ned Yost emerged from the dugout and summoned reliever Ryan Buchter. In the end, Kennedy's final line could have been worse. Buchter escaped the jam and Kansas City remained in the game.
The Royals, meanwhile, took turns taking shots at Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela, a 22-year-old rookie from Venezuela. The offense collected nine hits in the opening five innings, but inflicted just two runs of damage. Senzatela kept ducking blows, while the Royals could not secure a clutch hit.
Three singles put Senzatela on the defensive in the first, yet a double-play ball hit by Lorenzo Cain ruined the rally. Four innings later, Cain ripped an RBI double to left field, scoring Whit Merrifield with nobody out. But the trio of Cabrera, Hosmer and Salvador Perez stranded Cain, keeping the deficit at 3-2.
The Royals tied the score at 1-1 in the second when Merrifield hit a chopper to shortstop with two outs and a runner at third. Colorado shortstop Trevor Story threw wildly to first base; Merrifield was credited with an infield single.
The Rockies stretched the lead to 4-2 in the sixth. The Royals responded with a run on a two-out RBI from Hosmer in the seventh.
Then Hosmer delivered once more in the ninth.
