Oberkfell’s Single Beats Royals in 11th Inning

Ken Oberkfell’s one-out single to left field in the 11th inning Monday scored Chad Curtis with the winning run as the Angels defeated the Kansas City Royals, 6-5, before 19,916 at Anaheim Stadium.

Curtis left off the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second base. The Royals walked Hubie Brooks intentionally to bring up Tim Salmon, who foiled that strategy by also walking. Oberkfell then lined a 1-and-1 pitch by Steve Shifflett (1-4) to score Curtis and end a slump that had seen the Angels lose five of their previous six games.

Scott Lewis (3-0) was the winning pitcher for the Angels.

Former Angel Wally Joyner had doubled home two runs and Gregg Jefferies’ two-run home run in the fifth inning had put Kansas City ahead, 4-3.

Mike Macfarlane’s eighth-inning homer off Jim Abbott provided the Royals’ fifth run, but Jeff Montgomery couldn’t hold the lead.

The Angels tied it in the eighth inning against Montgomery, the Royals’ All-Star representative. Oberkfell led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Luis Sojo. Oberkfell scored on Gary DiSarcina’s line-drive single to left.

Pinch-hitter Lee Stevens struck out, but Luis Polonia kept the inning alive with a single to left field, moving DiSarcina to second. Curtis then singled up the middle on an 0-and-2 pitch, tying the game.

Abbott hadn’t given up two home runs in a home game since June 8, 1991. The Royals changed that with Jefferies, on a 1-and-1 pitch with two out in the fifth inning, and Macfarlane, on a one-out drive in the eighth.

Abbott’s earned-run average rose to 2.77 from 2.66, dropping him to fifth in the AL in that category.

Salmon broke out of a two-for-24 slump with a single and a walk and scored the third Angel run.

Angel Notes

Before the game, the Angels unveiled a new logo, returning to the letter C intersecting with the A, with a silver halo. The logo is similar to one the Angels had from 1965-70. It’s the sixth logo change since the Angels started in 1961 and the first change since 1973.