Alex Gordon hit a bases-clearing double in the first inning, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas each homered and the Kansas City Royals beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-3 on Sunday night to finish a sweep of their AL Division Series.
Back in the playoffs for the first time since 1985, the wild-card Royals will face the Orioles in the AL Championship Series beginning Friday night in Baltimore. Kansas City went 4-3 against the O’s this year.
The Royals’ James Shields allowed homers to Mike Trout and Albert Pujols over six otherwise solid innings. C.J. Wilson failed to escape the first for Los Angeles, giving up all three runs on Gordon’s tone-setting double.
The Angels are the second team in the divisional era to have the majors’ best record and get swept from the playoffs. The Yankees were also swept by the Royals in 1980 ALCS.
