Eric Hosmer stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning on Saturday night. The Royals needed a run to break a stalemate against the Minnesota Twins. They needed a victory to maintain hope in a possible last-chance run for a postseason spot.
All night, Hosmer had been locked in at the plate, spraying two hits and drawing a walk. All season — well, at least since May — he had been Kansas City’s most complete hitter. He has batted .323 and posted a career high in OPS, and in some ways, the performance has been wasted, the roster weighed down by a soft bottom of the order and an inconsistent pitching staff.