A grand night for Cam Gallagher results in 6-2 Royals victory over A’s

One rookie won a fan $25,000. The other could be the solution to the hole at the back end of the rotation. This was the promise of a Monday night at Oakland Coliseum.

In a 6-2 victory, the Royals rode the combination of catcher Cam Gallagher and starting pitcher Jakob Junis, two young rookies and former minor-league teammates. Gallagher yanked a grand slam down the left-field line in the top of the sixth inning, collecting his first career homer and activating the top prize in the club’s longtime Sonic Slam promotion. Junis yielded just two runs in six innings, backing up a spectacular performance in his last appearance.

And when it was over, and AC/DC had blared in the clubhouse, and the Royals had won for a third straight day, and Salvador Perez had presented Gallagher with his first home-run ball, and Drew Butera had taught him the basics of the Sonic Slam contest, Gallagher retreated to a corner of the visitors clubhouse, looked at a group of reporters and nodded his head.

“I don’t even think it’s really sunk in yet,” he said. “I know when I get back tonight and lay in my hotel bed, I’m gonna start thinking about it.”

For the second time in six days, Gallagher crouched behind the plate while Junis twirled on the mound. The chemistry of the longtime teammates was present and potent as the Royals (60-58) moved two games above .500 and gained ground in the American League wild card race.

On Aug. 6, Junis tossed eight innings, allowing just one run in a victory over the Seattle Mariners. On that day, Gallagher notched his first career major-league hit. On Monday in Oakland, the sequel was even better.

Junis returned to the majors, replaced the injured Trevor Cahill in the rotation and scattered four hits across six innings, utilizing just 83 pitches to safely navigate the A’s lineup.

The only nervous moments came during a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, in the aftermath of Gallagher’s grand slam. Junis used his two-seam fastball to escape the inning and offered a slight confession in the dugout afterward: Gallagher’s grand slam had left him too amped.

“It was a big point in the game,” Junis said.

Indeed. The Royals led just 2-1 entering the sixth inning before loading the bases with one out. Alex Gordon popped out, and the task fell to Gallagher, a 24-year-old rookie making just his third career start.

“I was just hoping for a walk,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

And then Gallagher offered one of the most unlikely and thrilling moments of this wild, unpredictable 2017 season. He dug in at the plate with the bases loaded. He peered out at Oakland starter Jharel Cotton and cradled his bat in his hands. He took three straight pitches as the count went to 3-0.

“I was kind of looking for a walk,” Gallagher said. “I know my timing hasn’t been very good the last few days, the last few games. My first two at-bats, I was late.”

Moments later, Cotton battled back to 3-2 after throwing one fastball for a strike and using another to induce a foul ball. On the 3-1 pitch, Junis watched from the dugout and knew something special was about to happen.

“He took a hack,” Junis said. “He was ready.”

On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Cotton hurled a fastball toward the inner half of the plate. Gallagher turned on the pitch and hooked it in the air and down the line. Inside the dugout, Yost tracked it with his eyes and hoped it would stay fair. It landed just 10 feet or so inside the left-field pole.

The baseball splashed into the empty seats at the Oakland Coliseum, 347 feet from home plate. Gallagher trotted around the bases as a collection of Royals fans came to their feet, their voices echoing around the confines of the empty stadium.

Gallagher formed a heart with his hands, mimicking shortstop Alcides Escobar’s trademark gesture — a symbol that has taken root in the clubhouse in recent days, thanks to Melky Cabrera and Eric Hosmer and story that remained a team secret on Monday night.

He also joined former Royals catcher Paul Phillips as the only players in franchise history to hit a grand slam for their first career homer. His timing was impeccable. The blast earned $25,000 for a man named Tim Brown, the night’s contestant in the Sonic Slam contest.

“I came off the field playing defense the next inning and Drew came in and he told me that I won some guy 25 grand,” Gallagher said of Butera. “I thought he was joking.”

Gallagher finished the night 2 for 3 with four RBIs. Escobar maintained a momentary hot stretch, collecting another two hits and extending his hitting streak to six games.

The Royals finished the night a half game back of the second American League wild card spot. They trailed only the idle Los Angeles Angels (61-58) while pulling even with the Minnesota Twins (59-57), who were also off Monday. The Royals remained five games behind the first-place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

“I feel like we’re back on track,” Yost said.

In the moments after a third straight victory, one could squint their eyes and dream a little bigger. Perhaps Junis can lock down the No. 5 spot in the rotation after consecutive efficient outings. Maybe Gallagher and Butera, who had four hits on Sunday, can hold the fort until Perez returns. Maybe the Royals are on the verge of another torrid streak.

“I’m definitely gonna cherish that,” Gallagher said, reflecting on a grand slam and a victory and a baseball that will go in his trophy case. “It’s definitely going to have a lot of meaning.”

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 11:54 PM with the headline "A grand night for Cam Gallagher results in 6-2 Royals victory over A’s."