Lewis Brinson’s 3-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th inning gave the Rangers a 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals in the opener of the Big League Weekend series at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Friday night. Texas trailed, 5-4 entering the 9th before a single by Jose Trevino and a walk to Jared Hoying put two on with two out. Brinson’s blast came off loser John Lannan (0-1).
Kansas City opened the scoring with back-to-back homers by Salvador Perez and Paulo Orlando in the 2nd inning and took a 3-0 lead on Eric Hosmer’s RBI single in the 3rd. The Rangers scored twice in the bottom of the 3rd inning before the Royals added a 4th run in the 4th.
Texas tied the game at 4-4 on Hoying’s 2-run homer in the 7th but Kansas City took a 5-4 lead on Whit Merrifield’s solo homer off Sam Dyson in the 9th. Despite allowing that blast, Dyson earned the win. Texas starter Derek Holland issued 7 hits and 4 runs in 3.1 innings. Phil Klein worked 3.0 hitless innings.
Hanser Alberto was the only Ranger with a pair of hits.
