Kansas City Royals: WATCH: Royals' MJ Melendez makes acrobatic leap over Guardians catcher Bo Naylor to reach home

The Kansas City Royals emerged victorious 4-3 in Thursday's game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. This win tied the series for the Royals following their 5-8 defeat on Tuesday.

The Royals faced tough opposition throughout the game as the Guardians held a 3-1 lead for five innings. However, in the sixth inning, the Royals managed to even the score by adding two runs, ultimately securing the win.

A highlight of the game was when the Royals' left fielder, MJ Melendez, made a bold play in the sixth inning, avoiding the Guardians' catcher Bo Naylor's tag to score the game-tying run.

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The dramatic game-tying run occurred in the sixth inning when Hunter Renfroe's RBI double advanced Melendez to third base. With a 2-3 count and one out, Melendez made the bold decision to run for home on Adam Frazier's grounder.

Naylor guarded the home plate diligently, seemingly preventing Melendez from scoring. However, Melendez had other plans and executed a daring move. He slowed down near the plate, leaped over Naylor, and touched the plate.

Initially, the home plate umpire called Melendez out, indicating that Naylor had tagged him before he touched the home plate. Melendez requested a play review. The review overturned the on-field umpire's decision, granting the Royals a crucial run.

Kyle Isbel shares his mentality on scoring Royals' leading run in the late-inning vs Guardians

Despite MJ Melendez's efforts, the game was tied 3-3 until the eighth inning, when Royals' centerfielder Kyle Isbel scored the deciding run that gave his team the lead.

In the eighth inning, Hunter Gaddis took over for the Guardians, replacing Cade Smith on the mound. With two outs, Adam Frazier got on base, and Isbel, with his only hit of the day, scored an RBI single, bringing the score to 4-3 in favor of the Royals.

"Just drive him in. I've got a chance late in the game to take the lead, and that's what I was thinking," Isbel said (via BallySportsKC on X).

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This season, Isbel has 15 RBI, 21 runs and four home runs in 51 games, with a slash line of .209/.258/.327 and a .585 OPS. A few days ago, he suffered an injury after taking a foul ball to the face from Tampa Bay Rays' reliever Garrett Cleavinger, but he seems to be recovering well since then.

The Royals will next face the AL West topper Seattle Mariners (36-28) in a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

About the author

Sayan has been a Major League Baseball journalist at Sportskeeda since 2023. A geography graduate, Sayan discovered America's favorite pastime through anime during his high school days. The excitement of every home run and strikeout ignited a passion within him for the diamond, and he started playing the MLB's Android games, further enhancing his interest.

While the New York Yankees were the first MLB team Sayan was introduced to, it's the LA Dodgers that hold a special place in his heart. They were the first team he saw lift the World Series (2020) when he began following the sport. Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw are some of Sayan's favorite MLB players, while Dusty Baker is his favorite manager.

Sayan's main strength is in-depth analysis of stats and reporting from a neutral point of view. To ensure accuracy in his articles, he only refers to MLB insiders and experts for information.

When not watching baseball, Sayan likes to relax by watching anime. He also loves following the NBA, NFL and international Chess events during his free time, and is always eager to discuss sports with like-minded enthusiasts.

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Edited by Ribin Peter