KANSAS CITY— Chris Young pitched five innings of no-hit ball in his first start since July 28 and the Royals pecked away with run-scoring hits from Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon for a 3-0 victory over the Indians on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.

Young walked one and was lifted after throwing 68 pitches. The Royals announced after the game that Young had already left the ballpark to be with his family following the death of his father, Charles Young, on Saturday night. The combined no-hit bid was broken up in the seventh when Francisco Lindor beat out a leadoff bunt against reliever Ryan Madson.

“Chris was adamant that he wanted to pitch today,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

The Royals remain tied with Toronto for best record and home-field advantage throughout the American League postseason, but the Blue Jays have the tiebreaker advantage by virtue of a 4-3 edge in the season series. The Indians slipped four games back of the AL’s second Wild Card spot as the Astros defeated Texas.

Kansas City’s 90th victory enabled the Royals to become just the second team in Major League history to post improved records for six consecutive seasons. The Philadelphia A’s from 1919-1925 were the only other club to accomplish that feat under manager Connie Mack.

“It’s a testament to [general manager Dayton Moore] and how he has built this organization up,” Yost said. “It’s a testament to these young players, that they continue to not be satisfied. They continue to strive to do better and be better.”

Hosmer had an RBI double in the fourth and Mike Moustakas had an RBI groundout off Cleveland starter Danny Salazar. Gordon’s RBI single made it 3-0 in the seventh.