"I feel good right now," Escobar said. "Really good."
The shortstop became just the third Kansas City player with four hits in a playoff game, joining teammate Lorenzo Cain, who accomplished the feat last year, and Hall of Famer George Brett, who did it twice during the 1985 postseason.
A Royals team that never goes down quietly has largely relied on Escobar to keep the line moving in the later innings, as he did Monday in helping cut a seven-run deficit to three by game's end. In the fifth, his leadoff single sparked a rally that, though short-lived, resulted in two runs.