KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) In the span of just a few hours on a hot Tuesday afternoon, Terrance Gore drove from Arkansas to Kansas City, moved into a locker deep within Kauffman Stadium, slid into a starched white Royals jersey and took some bunting practice on the field.

By nightfall, he was standing on second base in the middle of a pennant race.

These are heady times for the Royals, a franchise that hasn't been to the postseason in nearly 30 years. They were clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central as they took Thursday off and prepared for a road trip that takes them through the wild card-contending Yankees before a crucial three-game series against the Tigers at Comerica Park.