Worth the wait: Royals cruise in Sparkman’s first start after two-hour delay

The wait for a spot in an MLB rotation lasted six years in the minor leagues, including stints with eight teams and a busted Rule 5 selection. So it’s only fitting that Royals right-hander Glenn Sparkman was forced to wait a couple of additional hours Thursday.

But it was worth it.

After a 2-hour, 14-minute rain delay, the Royals outlasted Toronto 6-2 in a game that started late Thursday and ended early Friday at Kauffman Stadium, backing Sparkman’s first career start with a victory.

Sparkman fell one inning shy of qualifying for the win on his record — on a pitch count, he lasted four innings — but the Royals had grabbed a 4-2 lead by the time he was replaced on the mound.

“Difficult circumstances with the long wait,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We weren’t sure if we were going to play.

“With the humidity, in the first couple innings, he was really struggling to keep his hand dry. But all in all, I think he did a nice job.”

Brian Flynn, Kevin McCarthy and Brandon Maurer preserved the lead until the ninth, and Wily Peralta closed out the win. The bullpen combined for five shutout innings. Flynn was credited with the win.

A package of storms impeded the start of the game. Sparkman didn’t throw the first pitch until 9:29 p.m.

“Felt pretty good (but) dealing with a lot of sweat — it was humid out there,” Sparkman said. “But other than that, felt pretty good.”

The offense broke out in support. Lucas Duda homered in the second inning. The Royals (37-84) synced together four consecutive two-out hits in a three-run fourth — Rosell Herrera, Jorge Bonifacio, Ryan O’Hearn and Hunter Dozier.

Herrera had three hits for the game. Dozier, Bonifacio and Whit Merrifield had two each.

“We did a good job of keeping the line moving and building off each other,” Dozier said.

Sparkman, 26, is the Royals’ 11th starting pitcher this season, a fill-in after left-hander Danny Duffy was put on the disabled list with left shoulder impingement earlier this week.

Working out of the bullpen, Sparkman threw 4 1/3 innings against the Cardinals six days earlier. He was initially sent back down the minor leagues before Duffy was injured, prompting his return to the big leagues.

“We sent him down to get his innings up (with the plan) to bring him back in September,” Yost said. “Then when Danny got hurt, we could accomplish that right here.”

The Royals drafted Sparkman in 2013. He cycled through the minor-league system before Toronto plucked him in the Rule 5 Draft ahead of the 2017 season. An injury derailed those plans, and he was eventually returned to the Royals.

Finally offered his first start, Sparkman produced a mostly positive outing Thursday, with his parents in the stands for the first time in his major-league career. The Blue Jays scored one in the second inning with the aid of Kevin Pillar’s check-swing double that blooped down the right-field line. They earned the run in the fourth with three singles.

Sparkman completed the four innings with three strikeouts, allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk.

This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 12:20 AM.