these are the moments

Jarrod Dyson seized the moment on Monday night, helping Kansas City win one of those games that can define a team’s season. In the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium, with the Royals down a run and two outs, pinch-runner Dyson, the former 50th-round draft pick from Southwest Mississippi Community College, stole third base and kept going when the pitch by the Chicago White Sox’s Jake Petricka bounced past the catcher. Dyson beat the throw back to the plate. Tie game. Kansas City, which had trailed 3-0 in the seventh, won it moments later when Terrance Gore, another burner, scored from second on an infield hit. The Royals, seeking their first postseason berth since 1985, are 82-67, 1½ games back of Detroit in the American League Central and a game back of leader Oakland in the wild card standings. Dyson now has 34 steals in 41 tries and has scored 31 runs while batting .272 in his utility role. “Dice is daring,” Royals manager and former Jackson Mets catcher Ned Yost told mlb.com. “Dice has larceny in his blood.” P.S. Jonathan Papelbon, the Mississippi State product, was suspended for seven games and fined for his antics in Sunday’s game at Philadelphia (see previous post). The Phillies issued a statement supporting MLB’s action against their closer, and Papelbon, in a statement issued by his agent, apologized for his behavior and said he would not appeal.