COMMENTARY

Royals win by playing it Hillman’s way

DETROIT | The first second-guessable decision of Trey Hillman’s major-league career happened in the eighth inning on opening day. The Royals were up one run in Detroit against the team many believe to be the best in baseball. Hillman sent Brett Tomko back out to the mound.

Understand: Brett Tomko has played for seven teams the last nine years (and the San Diego Padres twice). Brett Tomko was released in the middle of last season, in no small part because his record was 2-11, and his ERA was 5.80. Brett Tomko this spring had a 7.23 ERA, which is what can happen when you give up 31 hits in 18 2/3 innings.

Brett Tomko gave up the game-tying home run in that eighth inning.

“We really wanted someone out there with experience,” Hillman would say. Any manager would have said the same. The difference was that Hillman had this sly little smile when he said it.

That smile was good to see. To me, the smile said: “Hey, I’m going to do what I believe.” The smile said, “You know what? I’m going to be wrong a whole lot in my life.” The smile said, “I believe in Brett Tomko; he’s my pitcher.”

Hillman seems to get it. He will make many, many decisions like this during his managing career, decisions that (when they fail) will spur talk-show hosts to screeching and send fans with their forehead veins popping to the chat boards and cause newspaper columnists to hit computer keyboards so hard that letters pop out. That’s part of the manager’s job.

But there’s also this: Despite what some like to think, decisions like this will not make or break Trey Hillman as the Royals’ manager. He was not hired to outsmart Detroit’s Jim Leyland and Boston’s Terry Francona and Cleveland’s Eric Wedge. He was not hired because he has some sort of innate baseball wisdom that will prevent him from making baseball moves that fail.

No. The Royals won the game Monday 5-4. They won in 11 innings, their first opening day extra-innings win in 36 years. And though it’s only one game, you could see in just the one game what Trey Hillman brings.

The Royals won because, even down three runs early to Detroit’s ace Justin Verlander, the hitters kept battling. Alex Gordon hit a monster two-run homer that got the Royals back into it. A bloop single in the 11th inning by Tony Peña scored the winning run.

“We’re going to keep scrapping,” Hillman would say.

The Royals won the game because of three fabulous defensive plays — a great throw by right fielder Jose Guillen (nailed Magglio Ordoñez at the plate), a terrific catch of a line drive by second baseman Mark Grudzielanek (even though his hand had been hit by a pitch and it hurt so much he could barely close the glove) and a diving play to finish things off by third baseman Alex Gordon.

“Great defense is at the center of what we’re trying to do,” Hillman would say.

The Royals won the game because of a solid performance by starter Gil Meche. They call six innings, three runs a “quality start” in today’s baseball world, and while old-timers who grew up watching war horses like Juan Marichal and Robin Roberts may mock that, the truth is that is a quality start against a lineup as good as Detroit’s.

They won the game because of five excellent innings of bullpen work, two of those innings by Tomko (the homer was the only run he allowed), two scoreless innings by Leo Nuñez, and the save by Joakim Soria.

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To reach Joe Posnanski, call 816-234-4361 or send e-mail to jposnanski@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.