Johnny Cueto pitched exactly like the ace the Kansas City Royals hoped to acquire at the non-waiver trade deadline in July, pitching his team to a 7-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 5 of their American League Division Series on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
Royals vs. Astros ALDS Game 5 results: Johnny Cueto pitches Kansas City into ALCS
The Royals are 8-3 at home in the postseason since the start of the 2014 playoffs, and start the American League Championship Series at Kauffman Stadium on Friday.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals won the series three games to two, and will advance to play the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series beginning Friday night in Kansas City.
Houston got on the board first in the second inning with a single by Evan Gattis, then a home run by Luis Valbuena, giving the Astros a 2-0 lead. The road team scored first in all five games of the series.
Those were the only two batters to reach base in eight innings against Cueto, who walked none and struck out eight in a dominating performance. He retired 24 of his 26 batters faced, including the final 19.
Kansas City cut into the lead with a single run in the fourth inning, then rallied for three in the fifth, highlighted by doubles from Alex Gordon and Alex Rios.
Kendrys Morales put the game away with a three-run home run in the eighth inning, his third long ball of the series.
Cueto, who allowed four runs in six innings in a no-decision in Game 2, was a mediocre 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts with the Royals in the regular season, after putting up a 2.51 ERA in 121 starts with the Reds since the start of the 2011 season.
But on Wednesday night, Cueto was very much the ace who will be coveted on the free agent market this winter. Now, he’ll get even more chances to pitch on the big stage with the Royals advancing.
See More:
