KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kyle Higashioka had a three-run double in the ninth inning after a two-out error by Vinnie Pasquantino, and the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Wyatt Langford drew a two-out walk from Sam Long (1-3) and Corey Seager was safe when Pasquantino misplayed his slow roller at first. Marcus Semien reached on an infield hit before Higashioka doubled down the left-field line.
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Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino watches his three run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Noah Cameron (65) hands the ball to manager Matt Quatraro during a pitching change in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Taylor Clarke throws during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford runs home to score on a single by Marcus Semien during the second inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Texas Rangers' Jonah Heim, left, and Kyle Higashioka celebrate after their baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Hoby Milner (2-3) got the final four outs for the win.
Mike Yastrzemski and Bobby Witt Jr. led off the first with singles off fill-in first-time starter Caleb Boushley, and Pasquantino followed with his 25th home run to put the Royals up 3-1. Witt had three hits for the Royals, including his 39th double — tops in the majors.
Boushley filled in for Jacob deGrom, who had his start skipped after he experienced arm fatigue following his last outing. Boushley pitched two scoreless innings following his 38-pitch first.
Langford hit his 18th home run to lead off the game against rookie Noah Cameron. Langford singled and scored on a two-out base hit by Semien to cut it to 3-2 in the third.
Cameron allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings as Kansas City saw a five-game win streak end.
Jonah Heim had a leadoff double off Daniel Lynch IV in the seventh before scoring on Seager's two-out single off Lucas Erceg to tie it 3-3.
Higashioka's double gave Texas its first lead since the first inning.
The Royals have hit the fewest home runs in the American League but they've outhomered the Rangers 14-3 in winning five of six matchups this season.
LHP Patrick Corbin (6-9, 4.45) was set to start Thursday as the Rangers go for a split of the four-game series opposite Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (5-8, 4.43).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino watches his three run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Noah Cameron (65) hands the ball to manager Matt Quatraro during a pitching change in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Taylor Clarke throws during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford runs home to score on a single by Marcus Semien during the second inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Texas Rangers' Jonah Heim, left, and Kyle Higashioka celebrate after their baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
AL HENAKIYAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ricky Brabec deliberately gave up his motorbike lead over Luciano Benavides in the Dakar Rally while Nasser Al-Attiyah was happy to cruise through another day closer to his sixth car title on Thursday.
Al-Attiyah started 346-kilometer stage 11 between Bisha north to Al Henakiyah with a 12-minute overall lead and let it drop to less than nine minutes over new second-placed driver Nani Roma in a Ford.
Al-Attiyah was content to let Dacia teammate Sébastien Loeb catch up and pass him to have a teammate nearby for any help and to minimize errors on the mazy, dirt track. Al-Attiyah was 17th, nearly 13 minutes behind stage winner Mattias Ekström, and said he needed to execute the same plan on Friday's last effective racing stage before the end on Saturday.
“If we lose two, three, four minutes no problem,” Al-Attiyah said. “We just need to finish this Dakar in first place.”
Honda cooked up a strategy in the Saudi desert for Adrien van Beveren to open the way and let Brabec catch up after the 190-kilometer pit stop and pick up time bonuses.
Brabec boosted his overall lead from 56 seconds to nearly four minutes just 25 kilometers from the finish. He was also within a minute of the stage lead but he slowed down so KTM rival Benavides was the new overall leader, but only by 23 seconds.
Brabec got his his wish to start Friday's stage 12 six minutes behind Benavides, so he can eye him. They head west to the rally starting point of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on 311 kilometers of gravel, some river beds with a finish in the dunes.
“A little bit of strategy today and hopefully it pays off tomorrow,” Brabec said. "I feel like its going to be a good day. We’re going back into the rocks so it will be a little bit better for us.”
Brabec is counting on his experience of winning the Dakar in 2020 and 2024 to trump Benavides, who has a best placing of fourth last year.
“I've been in this situation before,” Brabec said. “For the whole two weeks I've been just trying to stay relax, stay comfortable and just be confident, so two days more. I'm gonna do the same thing tomorrow that I've been doing every day; ride dirt bikes and have fun.”
Van Beveren helped Brabec with navigation while fighting with another teammate, Skyler Howes, the entire day for the stage win.
Howes prevailed by 21 seconds for his first career major stage in his eighth Dakar. He was third in 2023 and sixth last year. He's running fifth, 34 minutes off the pace.
Benavides was fourth in the stage and believed the race will be decided on the final 105-kilometer sprint on Saturday.
“I played no strategy like Ricky. I don't care,” Benavides said. “I'm doing what I can to control what I can control.”
Ekström won his third car stage of this Dakar, a special so fast that 12 other drivers were within 10 minutes.
Ford achieved another 1-2-3 stage. Romain Dumas, a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was a career-best second just over a minute back and Carlos Sainz was third.
Only Toyota's Henk Lategan beat Ekström to a checkpoint but Lategan's podium hopes were wrecked after 140 kilometers when a bearing broke on his rear left wheel. Lategan took four hours to get home. He was second last year and second overall overnight but plunged to 23rd.
Loeb moved up to third overall, 10 minutes behind Roma and three minutes ahead of Ekström.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Rider Daniel Sanders competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Rider Skyler Howes competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Henk Lategan, left, and co-driver Brett Cummings repair their car during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
