BALTIMORE (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. made the most of his long-awaited playoff debut, driving in the only run Tuesday to back up Cole Ragans’ six solid innings and help the Kansas City Royals return from a nine-year absence in the postseason with a 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of their American League Wild Card Series.
Witt, the 24-year-old shortstop who led the majors with 211 hits and a .332 batting average this season, singled to left field on a 95 mph cutter on the NL Cy Young Award winner’s first pitch. of 2021, Corbin Burnes, with two outs. in the sixth. Maikel García scored again after drawing a walk, stealing second (Burnes allowed runners to steal 41 bases, the most in the Major Leagues this season) and moving to third on a groundout.
Just after Witt turned, Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted on social media: “Come on!! Keep it up!!! @Reales”
They couldn’t continue to increase their lead, but that didn’t matter, thanks to Ragans, who was as good, if not better, than Burnes before leaving after 80 pitches due to a left calf cramp, plus a bullpen. That was KC’s weakness during the regular season, but it was more than fine Tuesday.
Sam Long, Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg, who made the save, shut down the Orioles the rest of the way.
The Royals lost 106 games last season, but a 30-win improvement has them back in October for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series.
Now they can end this best-of-three series and advance to an American League Division Series against the New York Yankees by winning Game 2 in Baltimore on Wednesday, when KC will send All-Star Seth Lugo to the mound. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he wouldn’t announce his starter until after Tuesday’s game, although it was expected to be Zach Elfin.
Baltimore has lost its last nine postseason games, a streak that dates back to 2014.
Ragans, an All-Star lefty acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers last season, was fantastic, mixing a 98 mph fastball with a variety of off-speed offerings while allowing just four hits and striking out eight.
Burnes looked exactly like the ace Baltimore hoped to have when it acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers in February. The American League All-Star Game starter this season emerged to a standing ovation from the orange-clad fans at Camden Yards after allowing a single leading off the ninth. He allowed one run, five hits and that key walk.
The right-hander became the first starter to throw a pitch in the ninth inning of a postseason game since Washington ace Stephen Strasburg in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series against Houston.
But Baltimore’s sluggers (the team’s 232 home runs trailed only the Yankees in 2024) couldn’t come through in the crunch.
The Orioles got a runner to third in the third, but Jordan Westburg flied out to the warning track in left. The hosts then put men on the corners with one out in the fifth, but Ragans struck out James McCann and 2023 American League Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson to end that threat.
And in the eighth, with a pair in and two out, Erceg replaced Bubic and got Anthony Santander to hit a fielder’s choice grounder.
Coach’s room
Royals: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino He came off the injured list for this series after being out since August 29 with a broken right thumb, and was in his usual No. 3 spot in the starting lineup as a designated hitter. He wouldn’t be able to play on the field for another two or three weeks, if KC remains in the postseason. Pasquantino went 0-for-3 on Tuesday.
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Lugo (16-9, 3.00 ERA) will make the first postseason start of his career. “Something I’ve been waiting for for a long time,” he said.
Eflin was 10-9 with a combined 3.59 ERA for Tampa Bay and Baltimore in 2024.