The baseball hung in the air, suspended like a satellite glistening in orbit, rotating high above the visitor’s bullpen in right field. For a moment, it just stayed there, and there was really only one question: Would it be far enough?
The answer was yes, Kendrys Morales’ second homer of the night landed beyond the right-field wall, 396 feet from home plate. The answer wouldn’t matter, either. Morales’ early fireworks were rendered a mere footnote in the Royals’ 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Kauffman Stadium.
On a rain-soaked Thursday night in Kansas City, Morales became the third Royals player to hit at least two home runs in a postseason game, joining Willie Aikens, who did it twice in the 1980 World Series, and George Brett, who peppered Yankee Stadium with three homers in the 1978 ALCS and Toronto with two homers in Game 3 of the 1985 ALCS here in Kansas City.