BASEBALL: Reds rally late, walk off with 10-inning win over Royals

Blake Dunn's RBI single in the 10th inning completed a thrilling comeback, lifting the host Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

Spencer Steer slugged two home runs and scored the game-winning run as the automatic runner in the 10th for the Reds, who snapped a skid to win for just the second time in their last six games.

Late-Inning Heroics

The Reds' comeback began in earnest in the late innings:

The Eighth Inning: Steer cut the deficit to 3-2 with his second home run of the night, an opposite-field drive into the right-center field stands off the Royals' bullpen. It was his ninth home run of the season.

The Ninth Inning: Down to their final three outs, pinch-hitter Will Benson launched a leadoff home run to right field off Royals closer Lucas Erceg, tying the game at 3-3 and forcing extra innings.

The Tenth Inning: After Brock Burke (2-2) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th to earn the win, Dunn delivered the game-winning hit off John Schreiber (0-3). Remarkably, Dunn's walk-off single was the only hit by the Reds all night that was not a home run.

Cameron's Masterclass Spoiled

The heartbreaking loss spoiled a brilliant outing by Royals starter Noah Cameron, who retired 20 of the 21 batters he faced. Cameron allowed just one hit—Steer's first home run—while striking out eight and issuing zero walks. With the defeat, Kansas City has now lost seven of its past eight games.

Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott turned in a solid performance of his own, weathering early trouble to allow three runs on five hits across six innings. He walked four and struck out five.

How It Happened

The Royals built an early 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Jac Caglianone drove in the first run on a fielder's choice groundout. Moments later, Michael Massey delivered a clutch, two-out, two-run single to break the game open.

The Reds finally broke through against Cameron with one out in the fifth inning when Steer crushed a solo shot to left-center. Prior to that swing, Cameron had retired the first 13 Cincinnati batters in order.

Defensive Highlights

The matchup also featured spectacular defense from both clubs:

In the third inning, Cameron made a dazzling play on Dunn’s bunt single attempt. Dunn bunted the ball between the mound and first base, prompting Cameron to make a backhanded scoop and flip the ball directly out of his glove to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino in one fluid motion.

Later in the fifth, Reds center fielder Dane Myers robbed Starling Marte of extra bases with a spectacular leaping catch at the wall.

—Field Level Media/Reuters