After homer in the 9th, World Series tied at 4 in 15th inning

After homer in the 9th, World Series tied at 4 in 15th inning

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Gordon homered off Mets closer Jeurys Familia with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Kansas City Royals into a 4-4 tie with the New York Mets in the World Series opener on Tuesday night.

Familia had not blown a save since July 30 before Gordon sent a 97 mph pitch to straightaway center.

New York had taken a 4-3 lead when Gold Glove first baseman Eric Hosmer let Wilmer Flores’ grounder bounce past him for an error in the eighth inning that allowed Juan Lagares to score from second.

Alcides Escobar hit an inside-the-park home run on Matt Harvey’s first pitch, but the Mets pulled ahead 3-1, helped by Curtis Granderson’s tiebreaking home run off Edinson Volquez.

After Kansas City tied it in the sixth, New York went ahead with two outs in the eighth when Lagares singled in a nine-pitch at-bat against Kelvin Herrera, stole second and came around on Flores’ grounder.

The game was tied, 4-4 still at 12:10 a.m., presstime. For an updated story and score, check tomorrow’s Charles City Press.