K.C. Holds Off M’S To Post 10-9 Victory Goodwin’s Single In Ninth Thwarts Seattle Comebacks

Tom Goodwin’s RBI single in the ninth inning gave the Kansas City Royals a 10-9 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night after they blew two seven-run leads.

Seattle’s Ron Villone (0-2) walked Chris Stynes to open the ninth, and he was safe at second when catcher Chad Kreuter’s throw pulled second baseman Joey Cora off the bag on Brent Mayne’s sacrifice. Goodwin then hit a ground ball sharply up the middle.

Rusty Meacham (2-2) got the victory after allowing the Mariners three runs, two of them unearned, on his throwing error in the eighth.

Jeff Montgomery pitched the ninth for his ninth save.

The Mariners, who trailed 7-0 and 8-1, tied the score 9-9 in the eighth.

After Alex Rodriguez and Joey Cora opened the eighth with singles off Meacham, Alex Diaz sacrificed, but Meacham fielded the ball and threw wildly to third, allowing Rodriguez and Cora to score and Diaz to get to third. Edgar Martinez’s groundout scored Diaz.

The Royals scored seven runs in the first inning as Jon Nunnally singled in two and Edgar Caceres doubled in two more, but the lead didn’t hold up.

Tino Martinez drove in four runs and hit his 10th homer, and Rodriguez hit his first major-league homer to get the Mariners close.

The Royals sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning as Mariners starter Chris Bosio made 37 pitches, giving up six hits and two walks.

Vince Coleman and Goodwin singled, Wally Joyner had an RBI single and Gary Gaetti hit a sacrifice fly. After Bosio walked Greg Gagne and Jeff Grotewold, Nunnally singled, Caceres doubled and Mayne added an RBI single for a 7-0 K.C. lead with only one out. Mayne was thrown out at second for the second out of the inning.

Bosio lasted only 11%3 innings before home-plate umpire John Shulock ejected him for arguing.

After Seattle scored in the bottom of the first inning, Gaetti made it 8-1 with an RBI double immediately after Bosio was replaced by Rafael Carmona.

After Seattle closed to 8-5, Joyner hit his third homer of the season to lead off the sixth.

Seattle’s three pitchers - Bosio, Carmona and Villone - walked 12 Royals to keep the bases occupied.