Carter Jensen's 2-run single caps 4-run 10th inning as Royals rally for 7-6 win over Padres

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carter Jensen hit a two-run single to cap a four-run rally in the 10th inning that gave the Kansas City Royals a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Lane Thomas homered early for the last-place Royals, who stopped a five-game losing streak. Jensen and Michael Massey each had three of Kansas City's 13 hits.

Ty France launched a solo homer for the Padres with two outs in the ninth, tying the score at 3.

The Royals had an excellent opportunity to win in the bottom half, when Jensen's double helped them load the bases with nobody out against Mason Miller. But the All-Star closer struck out the next three batters, sending the game to extra innings.

San Diego took a 6-3 lead in the top of the 10th on Miguel Andujar's RBI double, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s run-scoring single and Xander Bogaerts' sacrifice fly.

It was the third double of the night for Andujar. Tatis also finished with three hits.

Lucas Erceg (4-3) retired Manny Machado with Tatis on third to end the inning, and the Royals responded with four hits off Kyle Hart (0-2) in the bottom of the 10th.

Salvador Perez's leadoff single sent automatic runner Vinnie Pasquantino from second to third. Pasquantino scored on Massey's infield single, and Nick Loftin's bunt single loaded the bases with nobody out.

A run-scoring groundout by Isaac Collins cut it to 6-5 and left runners at second and third. Jensen then bounced a single into left field for his first career game-ending hit, giving the Royals their first walk-off win since May 8.

Leading off the second, Thomas opened the scoring with a 445-foot drive into the left-field fountains. It was the first home run allowed by Padres starter Michael King since June 10.

An error by Massey at second base helped the Padres score twice for a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Massey’s first error since Sept. 18, 2025, ended his streak of 81 games without one.

The Royals tied it in the sixth on Bogaerts’ throwing error from shortstop and regained the lead in the eighth on Massey’s two-out single.

Kansas City turned three double plays to help starter Seth Lugo escape jams. In six innings, Lugo permitted two runs — one earned — and four hits.

King yielded one run and four hits in five innings.

Padres RHP Griffin Canning (1-7, 6.47 ERA) pitches Saturday. Kansas City had not announced a scheduled starter.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Lane Thomas celebrates with third base coach Vance Wilson (17) after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Tyler Tolbert is tagged out at home by San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano as he tried to score on a fielder's choice hit into by Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Carter Jensen is doused by teammates after their baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Carter Jensen with commentator Joel Goldberg are doused by teammates after their baseball game, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

From across borders and oceans, they came to the United States to watch soccer. Along the way, they have encountered American classics: the first bites of Raising Cane's chicken, wide-eyed tours through the outsized commercial landscape that is a Buc-ee's travel plaza, and the realization that pretty much everything American is enormous.

But World Cup tourists from other lands have taken in more than just the food and the size.

Their views of the United States — in many cases forged through the sometimes distorted establishing shots presented by the news media, TikTok and fuzzy word of mouth — are now informed by what they've seen with their own eyes. And in many cases, the spectacles have contradicted — or at least augmented — what they knew when they arrived.

Many landed expecting the politically fractured country that global headlines often trumpet. Instead, they found Uber drivers brimming with recommendations and locals willing to open their homes to strangers. Even as game attendees grappled with the sticker shock of ticket prices, some Americans they met didn't even know the World Cup was going on — or didn't care.

Here's what some tourists told The Associated Press about their experience in the United States over the past few weeks — and what impressions they'll take home when they go.

From Asia and across Europe and Africa all the way to Latin America, in thousands of social media posts, most World Cup tourists have agreed on one thing: Americans are hospitable. Locals cheered alongside international fans for their teams at sports bars, parades through city streets and, of course, World Cup matches.

Sebastian Reader, a 28-year-old from London, has long been fascinated by American culture and decided to make a three-month trip out of the World Cup. He has followed the English team wherever it played and said he's experienced friendliness in bigger cities like Chicago and Boston as well as less-populated states like Arkansas.

In Dallas, a person he met in a Mexican restaurant showed him his truck and revved the engine for him. Another local he met at a bar invited him and his friend over to his front porch, where they talked about movies and sports until 2 a.m.

“That felt like a proper American experience in Dallas,” Reader said. “He had, I would call it like a proper American setup, like a TV outside, a beer fridge, massive fly zappers, and then massive fans as well.”

Harry Gunns, 30, also of London, visited Texas and California in the past year. But he said visiting for the World Cup was the first time he experienced “hospitality in its absolute abundance,” from Uber drivers to hotel staff. On his posts online, Americans have responded with tons of recommendations for places to visit and where to eat, and some have even invited him over for a homecooked meal.

“It almost feels like you’re home straight away, is the best way I can describe it,” Gunns said. “Because in the U.K. specifically, it takes a while for people to warm up to you, but over here you get that immediately.”

Many locals he spoke to didn’t know the U.S. was hosting the World Cup, but Gunns hopes the influx of tourists opened up Americans to the beloved sport.

Zineb Benlamlih, a 28-year-old from Morocco, visited New York for the World Cup and found herself salsa dancing with a group of 50-year-olds in Central Park. “It’s so nice being able to talk to anyone, like a stranger would be your family,” she said.

Victoria Phillips-Hunter from Carlisle, England, raved about the hospitality staff, having worked in hospitality herself.

“Honestly I completely understand why the staff in America work and survive off the tips because they absolutely deserve the tips,” said Phillips-Hunter, 34. “And they make you want to be there and you know they put 100% effort into looking after you.”

Tourists blamed news coverage for the sense that American politics is divisive but said the reality on the ground felt different.

Phillips-Hunter had been nervous before her trip because of videos she had seen on social media of people who had been dragged out of cars or shot by Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers.

“All of that was portrayed on videos on social media, it came across that it can happen absolutely anywhere. So you always have to have your wits about you and just be a bit wary,” she said. But she added that her experience in the U.S. was so positive that she hopes to do a longer trip.

Gunns believes some have boycotted visiting the U.S. because of President Donald Trump.

“I think in the media we get an impression that (Americans) are very proud Americans, and Texans are very proud Texans, which is brilliant but oftentimes that gets portrayed as they don’t like anyone else or maybe (are) not as accepting about everyone else," he said. "But that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Benlamlih had friends from Chad and Somalia eager to attend the Cup, but they were unable to enter because of U.S. travel restrictions.

“You have this aspect of, ‘Oh my God, I want to go to the World Cup,’ which for Morocco is such an amazing experience,” she said. “And on the other side, you have such a bad global image of the U.S. at the moment, like obviously from a political point of view.”

Rafal Kolankowski, originally from Poland, said that despite the reputation of the U.S. in other countries, “there’s a reason why so many people want to move here.”

“Obviously, you have propaganda in other countries. ‘USA this, USA that.’ They come to the U.S., and they have a positive opinion on how the U.S. is," said Kolankowski, who now coaches varsity boys' soccer at Plum High School outside Pittsburgh.

Reader said that though he came in expecting to see political polarization, he found Americans to be friendly throughout the republic.

“There’s an impression of what’s going on here that is, I guess, quite divided,” he said. Americans were curious to know what he thinks of Trump, or America's robust car culture as opposed to London’s public transit.

He solved one problem with a simple decision that he has stuck to: Avoid conversations about politics. That's something many Americans can understand, too.

Associated Press writer Will Graves contributed from Pittsburgh.

Spain fan reacts after the team scored their first goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Spain and France at a watch party at the Rockefeller Center fan village, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

England fans react after England's Anthony Gordon scored the opening goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

England soccer fans celebrate during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina at The Clock pub in Hebburn, England, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

A French fan shields themselves from the sun during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Spain and France at a watch party at the Rockefeller Center fan village, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Fans of Argentina celebrate after they defeated England in their World Cup semifinal soccer match in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)