Royals Stadium was rocking on Saturday night, and for good reason — Kansas City turned Game 2 of the League Championship Series into a statement. With Barry Larkin setting the tone on both sides of the ball, the Royals dismantled the Cincinnati Reds 11–0 to take a commanding 2–0 lead in the best-of-seven showdown.
Larkin put on a clinic, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two singles, three runs scored, and three driven in. He set the table, cleared it, and locked the door behind him.
But he didn’t do it alone.
Offensive Barrage
The Royals used a relentless attack, highlighted by a six-run sixth and a three-run seventh that buried any hope of a Reds comeback. Orlando Merced delivered the dagger — a two-out, bases-clearing triple in the sixth that broke the game open. It was his lone hit of the night, but it came when it mattered most.
Jim Thome crushed a two-run homer in the seventh — his third of the postseason — while Ray Lankford added two hits, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Jeff Conine and Tim Naehring chipped in with two hits apiece.
Guthrie Goes the Distance
While the lineup shredded Reds pitching, Mark Guthrie turned in one of the most efficient performances of the playoffs. The left-hander threw a complete-game shutout, scattering six hits and striking out seven on 135 pitches. He didn’t walk a batter after the third and never allowed a runner past second base.
The Reds, meanwhile, looked lifeless at the plate. Their six hits came from six different players, and they went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Box Score Highlights
Kansas City Royals
- Barry Larkin: 3-for-4, HR (1), 3 R, 3 RBI
- Orlando Merced: 1-for-5, 3B, 3 RBI
- Jim Thome: 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI
- Ray Lankford: 2-for-3, RBI, BB, R
- Mark Guthrie: 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 7 K (Win, 1–1)
Cincinnati Reds
- Eric Davis: 2-for-3, SB
- Darrin Fletcher: 1-for-4
- David Wells: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 7 ER (Loss, 0–2)
- Reds pitching: 12 H, 11 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HR allowed
The series now shifts to Cincinnati, where the Reds will try to regroup and avoid a 3–0 hole. Game 3 is set for Monday, with Denny Neagle taking the mound for Kansas City and Mike Mussina scheduled for Cincinnat