St. Joseph Post
KANSAS CITY (AP) - Michael A. Taylor homered, drove in three runs and threw out two players at the plate from center field, leading the Kansas City Royals past the Texas Rangers 14-10 in a wild season opener on Thursday afternoon at Kaufmann Stadium.
The 14 runs scored on opening day are a new club record for Kansas City.
Each team scored five times in the first inning of a game that took 4 hours and 26 minutes - the longest nine inning game in Royals history.
The first seven Rangers batters reached safely on six hits and a walk, but Kansas City roared back with the help of home runs by Jorge Soler and Whit Merrifield.
Taylor, who spent his first seven seasons with Washington, had three hits and three RBIs in a do-it-all debut for the Royals.
Kyle Isbel had three hits and two RBIs in his first major league game.
The Royals have Friday off before resuming their three-game series against Texas on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. The game will be carried live on KFEQ - 680 AM and 95.3 FM in St. Joseph.