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Kansas City Royals run wild in first postseason game since 1985

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

The Kansas City Royals led the Major Leagues with 153 stolen bases in 2014, rallying around the mantra “That’s what speed do” as they worked to secure a Wild Card berth. The Oakland A’s started backup catcher Geovany Soto on Tuesday to better suppress the Royals’ running game, but after Soto left the game with a thumb injury, Kansas City ran wild on replacement Derek Norris.

The Royals stole seven bases in their 9-8, 12-inning win over the A’s: One each by Nori Aoki, Lorenzo Cain, Christian Colon, Jarrod Dyson, Alcides Escobar, Alex Gordon and Terrance Gore. Well-timed steals helped key the eighth- and ninth-inning rallies that evened the Royals with the A’s and forced the Wild Card game to extra innings. And Colon came around to score the winning run after stealing second in the bottom of the 12th.

According to baseball-reference.com, the Royals tied a Major League record by stealing seven bases in a postseason game.

The record was first set by the Chicago Cubs in the 1907 World Series, and later tied by the 1975 Cincinnati Reds in an NLCS game.

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