Mondesi does it again: Royals shortstop’s blast propels win over Cleveland
The call came on June 17, a franchise buried in the standings turning toward its future. The Royals summoned shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, the jewel of its farm system and the centerpiece of a renovation.
What’s resulted is this: A 23-year-old man who did not play the first two-plus months of the season is the second most adept home-run hitter on the current roster. He has provided an interruption to the frustrations of a 100-loss seasons.
One of his biggest came Saturday.
Mondesi barreled a three-run homer off Cleveland’s top reliever, the deciding blow in a 9-4 Royals victory in front of a crowd of 23,324 at Kauffman Stadium.
“He’s the most dynamic player I’ve ever seen,” Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield said, later adding, “It’s kind of what he’s been doing lately. That’s a big progression with him in his game right now, and it’s exciting to see.”
The Royals (58-103) will close out their season Sunday. When they look back on 2018, they will point toward Mondesi’s progression as a top development. After a shaky start at the plate, he has found a groove, the hits arriving with power. Mondesi has 14 home runs, the second most of any player currently on the Royals roster. Salvador Perez leads with 27, though 11 of those were before Mondesi reached the big leagues on June 17.
The three-run jack Saturday broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning, and it came against left-handed reliever Andrew Miller, flipping Mondesi to the right side of the plate.
“That was a big hit for Mondi — the last six weeks for him have been really special (with) what he’s accomplishing in all phases of the game,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
The home-run ball came off his bat at 102.8 miles per hour and traveled 427 feet, according to Statcast, scoring Alcides Escobar and Whit Merrifield, who frequented the base paths. As did the entire roster — the Royals finished with 16 hits, at least one from every player in the starting lineup.
It started with Merrifield. He led off the game with a single, extending his hitting streak to 19 games, tying a career best. He promptly stole second base and then swiped third without a throw. Heading into the final day of the season, Merrifield leads the majors in steals (44) and is tied for first in hits (191). He has essentially clinched the American League crowns in both.
“That would be pretty exciting for me,” Merrifield said. “To do it in the whole league, that would be a thrill.”
His second hit Saturday changed the momentum of the game, and was a gift from Cleveland right fielder Melky Cabrera, a former Royal. Cabrera misjudged a ball hit directly at him, yet still got his glove to it and then dropped the ball. The play was scored a two-run double.
That inflated the line of Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, a 20-game winner who lands in the thick of the American League Cy Young race. In his final tuneup for the postseason, which Cleveland will embark on next week, Kluber threw five innings, allowing three runs and seven hits. Escobar and Royals rookie catcher Meibrys Viloria had three hits.
Royals starter Jakob Junis allowed three runs over six innings and picked up the win after the Mondesi broke the tie in the bottom half of the sixth. He will finish the season with a 9-12 record and 4.42 earned run average. He was 3-0 in his last six starts.
“I’m pretty happy how I finished this September and the whole season,” Junis said. “I had a bumpy stretch in the middle, but these last two months I can’t complain. I think I finished strong.”
Sam McDowell
Sam McDowell covers Sporting Kansas City, the Royals, Chiefs and sports enterprise for The Star
This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 9:27 PM.