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Take me out to the Brawl-game: Royals edge Sox in 13

The Royals beat the White Sox 3-2 in 13 innings Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field, but that wasn't the real story.

From the first game of the season, you got the feeling the White Sox and Royals didn't care for each other too much.

The Sox opened the year at Kansas City and six batters were hit in the three-game series.

The bad blood spilled over into Thursday, where the White Sox and Royals opened a four-game set.

It started in the fourth inning when temperamental K.C. starter Yordano Ventura drilled the Sox' best hitter, Jose Abreu, above the left elbow with a 98-mph fastball.

In the fifth, White Sox starter Chris Sale hit Mike Moustakas on the right shoulder, and the Royals' third baseman temporarily laid face down in the dirt before heading to first base.

Home-plate umpire Sam Holbrook warned both benches and order was restored until the bottom of the seventh inning.

Adam Eaton bounced back to Ventura, and the two exchanged heated words before Ventura threw out Eaton at first base.

That set off a nasty brawl highlighted by Jeff Samardzija squaring off with Kansas City center fielder Lorenzo Cain.

In the season opener at Kauffman Stadium, Samardzija hit Cain with a pitch that set the tone for this instant rivalry.

Samardzija and Sale were ejected from the game from the White Sox' side, and Ventura, Cain and Edinson Volquez were ejected from the Royals' side.

As for the game, Eric Hosmer's RBI double off Jake Petricka in the 13th inning decided the outcome,

The Royals took a 2-0 lead off Sale in the first inning on Kendry Morales' 2-run single.

The White Sox cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth inning on Alexei Ramirez's RBI single and tied it in the fifth on Abreu's run-scoring double.

Kansas City swept the Sox in the season-opening series and has now won 15 of 18 dating back to last year.

As the White Sox showed in their nastiest brawl since a scrap with the Tigers in 2000, they were a little tired of being pushed around by the Royals.

“I'd like us to play better than we did the last time against them,” manager Robin Ventura said. “Statement series, that's probably a bit much, but you want to play good baseball. That's the statement you want to make. I think guys are swinging it a little better and pitchers are doing well and that's the stuff you really look for. I'd rather us play better baseball than make a statement to them. I'd rather make a statement for ourselves.”

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