SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jose Iglesias tied the game with two-run, two-out, bases-loaded pinch-hit single in the seventh inning and then with a grounder in the ninth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Sunday to take two of three.
Iglesias hit a soft bouncer to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who fielded it, spun around and threw home too late to get Luis Arraez.
Arraez started the decisive rally with a single off Daniel Lynch IV (3-2) and took third on Xander Bogaerts’ double. John Schreiber came on and allowed Iglesias’ grounder.
Robert Suarez (2-3) worked the ninth. He is appealing his three-game suspension for hitting Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday night.
Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer for the Royals and phenom Jac Caglianone leaped and got his glove over the right-field wall to rob Jackson Merrill of a two-run home run in the eighth.
Seth Lugo, who pitched for the Padres in 2023, was brilliant in retiring 18 straight batters after allowing Fernando Tatis’ leadoff single.
The Padres finally broke through when Merrill, who returned from the seven-day concussion injured list, doubled into the right-field corner leading off the seventh. Lugo retired Manny Machado and made way for Angel Zerpa, who issued consecutive two-out walks.
Iglesias, pinch-hitting for left-hander Jake Cronenworth, hit an opposite-field single to right, and he tripped and fell breaking out of the box.
Perez lined a 1-0 pitch from Randy Vásquez 412 feet into the left-field stands to break a scoreless tie in the sixth.
Key moment
Kansas City’s Drew Waters was thrown out trying to score from first on Freddy Fermin’s double to center in the ninth.
Key stat
It was Iglesias’ fifth career walk-off and first since July 2, 2019, with Cincinnati.
Up next
Royals LHP Kris Bubic (6-4, 2.12 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game home series against Tampa Bay. The Padres haven’t named a starter for Monday night’s game against visiting Washington to start a three-game set.
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