Kansas City Royals Tyler Tolbert runs to first base after hitting a two run ninth inning single to help defeat the Sacramento A’s at Kaufman Stadium on Tue Aug 18, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento A’s needed three outs to turn six scoreless innings and a three-run lead into a much-needed victory. Instead, the Kansas City Royals erased the entire margin in the bottom of the ninth, with Tyler Tolbert delivering a game-tying two-run single before Bobby Witt Jr. ended it with an RBI single to left for a 4-3 Royals win.

Sacramento struck first against Daniel Lynch IV, but the opening inning also offered an early hint of how precious every run would become. Zack Gelof drew a one-out walk, Jeff McNeil singled, and Jonah Heim loaded the bases with another walk. Tommy White then sent a ground-ball single into left to score Gelof. McNeil tried to score as well, but Nick Loftin’s throw reached catcher Carter Jensen in time for the out at home, limiting the Athletics to one run.

The pitching plan worked beautifully for most of the game. Brady Basso opened with 2 1/3 scoreless innings before Jack Perkins took over. Together, they held Kansas City scoreless through six on three hits. The Athletics also turned two double plays behind Perkins, while Jonah Heim and Alika Williams erased Carter Jensen on a successful challenge of a stolen-base attempt in the third. Perkins finished his work by striking out Kyle Isbel, Loftin and Witt in order in the sixth.

The A’s finally added breathing room in the top of that inning. Henry Bolte singled, Gelof drew his second walk, and McNeil lined a run-scoring single to left. After the runners advanced on a groundout, Lawrence Butler drew a walk to load the bases, and Max Muncy followed with a bases-loaded walk that scored Gelof for a 3-0 lead. McNeil’s two-hit performance continued a strong second half; he entered the game batting .373 since the All-Star break.

Kansas City began cutting into the advantage in the seventh. Jac Caglianone doubled off Drew Rom and scored when Vinnie Pasquantino doubled to right. Luis Medina stopped the inning there, then helped produce a double play in the eighth. Trouble returned with two outs when Isaac Collins and Witt drew walks and Caglianone reached on an infield single after an overturned challenge. With the bases loaded, Hogan Harris got Maikel Garcia to line out to right, preserving a 3-1 lead.

That escape only delayed the ending. Harris retired Pasquantino to begin the ninth, but Salvador Perez reached on catcher interference, Michael Massey singled, and Jensen drew a walk to load the bases. Tolbert, batting for Isbel, grounded a two-run single into left to tie the game. Elvis Alvarado replaced Harris, and manager Mark Kotsay ejected by first-base umpire Alex Tosi. Alvarado retired Collins, but Witt followed with a single to left that brought Jensen home with the winning run.

The finish landed directly on one of the Athletics’ biggest season-long problems. They entered the game with 36 losses in games they had led, tied with Kansas City for second most in the majors, and 11 losses after holding leads of three runs or more. Both totals increased by one. Harris had also saved six of the A’s previous seven wins and entered with a 1.95 road ERA, making the ninth-inning collapse especially costly.

If the current probables hold, Wednesday’s matchup will feature Athletics left-hander Gage Jump (5-7, 4.50 ERA, 85 strikeouts) against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (5-7, 4.59 ERA, 108 strikeouts), with first pitch scheduled for 4:40 p.m. Pacific.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.