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Reds scrap for comeback win against Royals. Here's what happened

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Cincinnati Reds host Kansas City Royals | Photos from June 2

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Dane Myers (17) catches a fly ball off the bat of Kansas City Royals designated hitter Starling Marte (0) inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The Royals led 3-0 after four innings.

(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

There wasn't much reason for it, but an atmosphere started to build around Great American Ball Park in the later innings. By game's end, there were plenty of reasons for Cincinnati Reds fans to cheer.

The Reds won 4-3 in 10 innings against the Kansas City Royals on June 2.

Starter Andrew Abbott (4-4, no decision) delivered a quality start and Cincinnati's bats came on late via Spencer Steer's second solo home run of the game in the eighth inning and Will Benson's pinch-hit, game-tying solo home run in the ninth.

By that point, the yard was really rocking.

In the 10th inning, Blake Dunn provided the game-winning hit as Steer, the so-called "ghost runner," scored from second base. That blew the proverbial top off of Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Blake Dunn (59) stands in the on-deck circle in the third inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The Royals led 3-0 after four innings.

Brock Burke earned the win for posting a scoreless inning against Kansas City in the 10th inning.

Through eight frames, the Reds hadn't given the fans much to cheer for. Their two hits against Kansas City both belonged Steer, and both were solo home runs, but the rest of the offense was stagnant. Trailing 3-2, it seemed like Cincinnati was going to squander Abbott's six-inning outing and drop a series to a Kansas City team that entered play with a 23-37 record. The Royals were also tied for the fewest wins in baseball.

Staring down the barrel of a defeat that would have been difficult to stomach, Benson made the atmosphere around the ballpark justifiable in the ninth inning with a pinch-hit, line-drive home run to knot the contest at 3-3.

The Enquirer will update this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds vs. Royals: What happened in Cincinnati's comeback win June 2

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