Drew Storen made his return to the mound in a Royals spring training win over Seattle
Royals relief pitcher Drew Storen hadn’t pitched in a professional baseball game since Sept. 1, 2017. Later that month, he underwent Tommy John surgery. He spent the entire 2018 season rehabbing.
Saturday, he made his debut for the Royals in an 8-0 Cactus League win over the Seattle Mariners in front of an announced 6,631 at Surprise Stadium. Storen, who has a 48-save season with the Washington Nationals, pitched one scoreless inning, and worked his way into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.
“Storen just stepping on the mound is a success for him after everything he’s gone through,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
Storen walked a batter, got a line-out to second base, then hit back-to-back batters with pitches. Following a mound visit from catcher Cam Gallagher, Storen induced a ground ball back to the mound for an inning-ending double play. His fastball was sitting at around 87 mph.
“It’s been a long time,” Storen said of pitching in a game. “It’s fun. It was kind of a boring year.”
Billy Hamilton went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI for the Royals, and Terrance Gore came off the bench and walked twice, stole a base and scored a run for KC.
Keller keeps it rolling: Pitcher Brad Keller made his first appearance of the spring for the Royals. He didn’t allow a hit in two scoreless innings. He struck out two and allowed one runner to reach base via a walk. He finished last season having won five of his final six decisions after having started the season pitching out of the bullpen.
Duffy evaluated: The Royals had “backed off” pitcher Danny Duffy’s throwing due to shoulder tightness. After being evaluated on Saturday, he’s planning to resume throwing on Tuesday following the first off-day of camp on Monday.
Up next: The Royals will travel to Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Ariz., for a game against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. The club lists Chris Ellis as the scheduled starter, while Kyle Zimmer, Jason Adam and Ben Lively are also schedule to pitch.
