The Royals erased an early deficit with a decisive fifth inning that changed everything. Kansas City scored four times in the frame to take control, turning a 1-0 hole into a 4-1 advantage on their way to an 8-6 victory over Seattle at Kauffman Stadium.
Salvador Perez anchored the comeback with a 3-for-4 night and three RBIs. The veteran catcher delivered the key blow in the fifth, singling to left to score Isbel and Massey for the first two runs of the inning. Carter Jensen followed with a double to center that scored Perez and Pasquantino, capping the four-run outburst that put Kansas City ahead for good.
Seattle had taken the early lead when Julio Rodriguez homered to left in the first inning, a 405-foot shot that gave the Mariners a 1-0 advantage. Rodriguez finished 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, adding a ninth-inning single that scored Emerson. The Mariners mounted a late rally, scoring three times in the ninth on consecutive RBI singles by Rodriguez and Josh Naylor, followed by Randy Arozarena's RBI double, but fell short of completing the comeback.
Seth Lugo worked 6.1 innings for Kansas City, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 3 strikeouts. His ERA stands at 3.74. The Royals added insurance runs in the sixth on Isbel's sacrifice fly and in the eighth when Maikel Garcia singled home two more runs.
Kansas City snapped a losing streak to improve to 21-31. Seattle fell to 25-28 after the loss.