MESA, Ariz. -- It's a bit of a long shot for Peter O'Brien to make the Royals' Opening Day roster in two weeks. But long shots have come to be O'Brien's specialty. His game-tying homer in the ninth inning against the Indians on Saturday was his Cactus League-leading sixth, sending the game to extra innings and an eventual 4-4 draw.
It was O'Brien's second pinch-hit home run of the spring -- his first came in the Cactus League opener in February -- and for a 26-year old trying to make his first Opening Day roster, the ability to come off the bench with that kind of pop is a selling point.