Royals win on homer by Mike Moustakas (VIDEO)

A game decided by the slimmest of margins came down to this: An 85-mph fastball destined for the heart of the plate. The barrel of Mike Moustakas’ bat slicing through the strike zone. A parabola that barely scraped the wall high above right field, high enough and deep enough to let the Royals escape with a 3-2 victory in 11 innings over the Angels in the first game of the American League Division Series.

As the clock struck midnight back in Kansas City, Moustakas unleashed the drive of his life. His solo shot off Anaheim reliever Fernando Salas broke a five-inning stretch without a KC hit and broke the backs of the high-powered Angels. The Royals kept their hard-charging hosts, the best team in the American League, at bay all evening. Then they pounced with one swing by Moustakas.

The final three outs belonged to closer Greg Holland, who flew from Asheville, N.C. earlier in the day. He had spent the previous day with his wife Lacey for the birth of their son, Nash Gregory. Then he traversed the country to complete the final stages of yet another epic Royals victory.

On Tuesday against Oakland, Kansas City exhibited their desperate best. Two days later they conducted a clinic in their brand of nail-biting baseball: A commendable effort from the starting pitcher, outstanding protection from the defense and a mostly pitiable output from their hitters.

The offense supplied a few spurts of early-game life, and then disappeared. The club could not put a runner on base during the final four innings of regulation. They managed only four hits in all.

Yet their fielding defense was sleek and superb – and saved them on numerous occasions. Lorenzo Cain scraped the outfield wall to steal one out and laid out in the grass to snag another. Omar Infante scooped grounders with his bare hand. In the sixth inning, as Ned Yost gambled on a fading Jason Vargas, Nori Aoki erased a potential extra-base hit from Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick.

The next move appeared automatic. Yost zagged when he was expected to zig. He left Vargas on the mound to Howie Kendrick, a right-handed batter. Kendrick crushed a drive to the right-field wall, where Aoki snatched the baseball just before his right cheek smashed into the wall.

Yost inserted Herrera into the seventh. His outing lasted five pitches, a leadoff walk to third baseman David Freese that spirited Yost and trainer Nick Kenney out of the dugout. Herrera left due to tightness in his right forearm. In came 21-year-old rookie Brandon Finnegan, who picked up two outs, then ceded the stage to relief ace Wade Davis.

It was the second time all season Davis pitched in the seventh. He made it memorable. C.J. Cron hammered a first-pitch fastball into right field, where Aoki took another circuitous route. He twisted and turned before catching the baseball as he hit the ground.

Aoki came up smiling. His dugout roared their approval, leaning over the railing to salute the comic stylings and clutch defense of their right fielder. He tipped his cap. As the Angels fans hurled jeers at him, Aoki tossed the ball into the stands and jogged off the field. Nothing to it.

The gems allowed a pitchers duel to stay deadlocked. Davis walked a pair in a fright-inducing eighth. Tim Collins grazed the shoelaces of backup infielder Gordon Beckham to start the ninth, but Collins and Jason Frasor combined to keep Angels off the board. Danny Duffy conquered shaky hands and the heart of the Anaheim order in the 10th.

The bullpen protected the deadlock on an evening when the Royals could not have been happier with the performance of their starter.

During the past few days, pitching coach Dave Eiland counseled Vargas about keeping his balance on the mound and not putting excessive effort in his throws. These are subtle clues, simple keys, the tell-tale signs a pitcher requires to maintain his delivery. It is also advice Vargas did not follow all September.

The Royals could not afford Vargas to pitch as he did last month, when he bumbled his way to a 9.00 ERA in his last four starts and a 5.89 ERA in his last seven. They opted for Vargas for the first game anyway. Team officials favored his experience over fellow southpaw Duffy, and preferred him starting on the road over fellow veteran Jeremy Guthrie.

On tirst pitch from Vargas, Calhoun jumped an 86-mph fastball and boomed a shot to the wall in center field. Cain scaled the wall and flung his arm skyward, making the catch.

This story was originally published October 3, 2014 at 12:31 AM with the headline "Royals win on homer by Mike Moustakas (VIDEO)."