KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Tigers and Royals played 19 games last season, 14 of them were decided by two runs or less. Both teams enhanced their rosters this year, infusing them with veteran talent and top prospects, but the intensity picked up right where it left off.
The Tigers, after having a runner thrown out at the plate in the sixth inning, broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of clutch two-out hits and beat the Royals 4-2 at Kauffman Stadium Thursday night.
“When you are trying to win games inside your division, they’re all rivalries,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said before the game. “It’s just two teams that are tired of being at the bottom of the division. Both of us are trying to re-enter the A.L. Central conversation.”
