Royals Score Six in Ninth to Win

The first game-winning home run on opening day in Kansas City Royal history will forever be etched in the mind of the man who hit it.

“This I’m going to remember for the rest of my life,” Carlos Beltran said. “I’m going to live with this. Opening day. A walk-off home run. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Trailing, 7-3, to start the bottom of the ninth, the Royals tied the score on Mendy Lopez’s three-run pinch homer off Damaso Marte.

Then after Angel Berroa singled, Beltran hit Marte’s 2-and-2 pitch over the wall in left-center, giving the Royals a 9-7 victory in front of 41,575 fans, Kansas City’s largest opening-day crowd since becoming a major league town with the arrival of the Athletics in 1955.

Detroit 7, Toronto 0 -- Ivan Rodriguez, Rondell White and Jason Johnson made sure the Tigers had a different start in 2004.

Rodriguez and White homered in their first game for Detroit, backing Johnson at Toronto.

Roy Halladay, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, was knocked around for seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. Last year, Detroit began 0-9 and set a league record with 119 losses.

Minnesota 7, Cleveland 4 -- Shannon Stewart hit a three-run homer with two out in the 11th inning, giving the Twins a comeback victory at Minneapolis. Cleveland got 17 hits and blew a 4-0 eighth-inning lead against two-time defending AL Central champion Minnesota.

Oakland 5, Texas 4 -- Eric Byrnes’ two-run double in the eighth was the difference at Oakland. New A’s closer Arthur Rhodes earned his first save.