SEATTLE (AP) Hisashi Iwakuma pitched eight scoreless innings and Mike Zunino homered twice to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 6-0 win against Kansas City, ending the Royals’ playoff hopes Wednesday night.
The Royals entered Wednesday four games behind Cleveland for the second wild-card berth with five games to play.
All three teams ahead of Kansas City in the wild-card hunt Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Texas won on Wednesday, and the Royals needed a victory to keep their slim hopes alive. Iwakuma made sure they didn’t get one.
Ervin Santana matched Iwakuma and kept the Mariners scoreless for the first four innings before Seattle broke through. Santana went six innings, allowing four runs and five hits with two strikeouts and four walks.
