Royals closer Kelvin Herrera had thrown one pitch to pinch hitter Kennys Vargas. As the game hung in the balance, the Royals two outs from victory on a cool Friday night, Herrera hurled a second: A changeup.
The pitch was clocked at 92 mph. Vargas unleashed a quick swing and drove the baseball 438 feet into the upper deck, delivering a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.
In a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins, Vargas’ mammoth shot had flipped the script. As Herrera suffered his second blown save, the Royals squandered a beautiful opportunity for an important win.