Royals’ slugger Mike Moustakas belted home run No. 36 on Friday night, hitting a franchise record for most single-season homers since 28-year-old first baseman Steve Balboni reached the mark in 1985.
The record-tying dinger arrived in the third inning of Friday’s 7-6 squeaker over the Twins, beefing up the Royal’s five-run spread and giving them a two-run advantage Minnesota couldn’t quite shake. With two outs and two on, Moustakas muscled a 2-2 pitch from Dillon Gee, sending it an estimated 368 feet to right field, where it ricocheted off the railing and bounced back onto the field.
It’s been a banner year for the 28-year-old, who earned his second All-Star distinction and touted a .275/.313/.542 batting line and 35 home runs heading into Friday’s win. He went 1-for-4 against the Twins, putting up three RBI and collecting one strikeout in addition to his historic homer. The rest of the Royals, meanwhile, combined for another four runs, giving them just enough of an edge while Kelvin Herrera and Scott Alexander worked to shut down the Twins’ last-minute rally in the ninth.
