Royals Outlast A's To Reach ALDS

(Kansas City, MO) -- The Royals are headed to the American League Division Series. Salvador Perez singled in the winning run in the 12th inning as KC scored twice to beat the A's 9-8 in the AL Wild Card game at Kauffman Stadium. Eric Hosmer tripled and scored the tying run for KC, which plays the Angels in the ALDS starting Thursday.

Resilient is the best word to describe the Royals' comeback win over the A's. Brandon Moss homered twice to help stake Oakland to a 7-3 lead, but KC rallied for three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to force extra innings. Alberto Callaspo's single put the A's up 8-7 in the 12th before the Royals rallied to win it.

The Royals ran wild in their comeback win over the A's. They tied a single-game playoff record with seven stolen bases, with a record seven different players doing the stealing. The Royals also set a playoff record by swiping four bases in the eighth inning as they pulled to within 7-6 before tying it in the ninth.

It was 29 years in the making, but the Royals have their first postseason victory since the 1985 World Series. Kansas City ended a nearly three-decade playoff drought by capturing the top American League Wild Card and then beat the A's for their first playoff win since Game Seven against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Royals now move on to Anaheim to face the Angels in the best-of-five AL Division Series. The Halos will host the first two games Thursday and Friday before the series shifts to KC for Game Three on Sunday and Game Four on Monday, if necessary. Jered Weaver starts Game One for LA, with first pitch at 8:07 p.m.

Giants, Pirates Meet In NL Wild Card Game

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The San Francisco Giants play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card game tonight at PNC Park. The winner of the one-game, do-or-die matchup moves on to play the NL East champion Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series starting Friday in D.C. Madison Bumgarner takes the mound tonight for San Francisco.

The left-hander went 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA during the regular season. He'll be opposed by Pittsburgh's Edinson Volquez, who finished the regular season 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA. The Giants have won two World Series titles in the last five seasons, while the Pirates are looking for their first title since winning the 1979 Fall Classic. Pittsburgh took four-of-six regular-season meetings from San Francisco this year.

Cardinals Continue Prep For Dodgers

(St. Louis, MO) -- The Cardinals continue to prepare for the National League Division Series. The best-of-five matchup begins Friday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. It will be a battle of aces as 20-game winner Adam Wainwright opposes 21-game winner Clayton Kershaw. First pitch is set for 5:37 p.m.

The start time for NLDS Game Two in Los Angeles is set. The Cardinals and Dodgers will square off Saturday at 8:37 p.m. It will be on MLB Network, while all other games in the series will be on FoxSports 1. The start time for Monday's Game Three in St. Louis has not yet been announced.

Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright is the National League Pitcher of the Month for September. The right-hander went 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA in five starts, pitching 39 innings over that span. It included two complete games and a shutout. Wainwright finished the season 20-9.

Epstein Meets With Media

(Chicago, IL) -- Cubs president Theo Epstein is already thinking about 2015. He met with the media on Tuesday and said the team's goal is to win the NL Central. They were 73-89 this past season but have a plethora of young talent on the rise. Third baseman Kris Bryant is the third-ranked prospect by MLB.com. Shortstop Addison Russell is fifth after coming over from Oakland in the Jeff Samardzija trade.

Tuesday, September 30 Scoreboard

MLB Playoffs

Kansas City Royals 9, Oakland Athletics 8 (12 inn)
(American League Wild Card Game)

Wednesday, October 1 Schedule (Time Central)

MLB Playoffs

7:07 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates
(National League Wild Card Game)