Merrifield breaks George Brett’s record and extends streak, but Royals’ skid continues

Whit Merrifield issued a plea following Tuesday night’s game — that Royals followers not give up on the team so early in the season — and on Wednesday night he came to the plate in a drama-packed moment and gave those followers something to cheer about.

Merrifield dropped a bunt down the third-base line for an RBI single with two outs to tie the game as Terrance Gore scored from third in the seventh inning.

“The at-bat before when I got to 0-1 as the pitcher came set, I saw it out of the corner of my eye — (the third baseman) was in,” Merrifield said. “As a lot of third baseman do, you try to show the hitter that you’re playing in, then before the pitch comes you back up real quick. My third at-bat I saw him do that, so if the situation presented itself (again), I knew I had that option.”

Unfortunately the good vibes didn’t last as the Mariners took a one-run lead in the ninth inning on a Mitch Haniger home run off reliever Brad Boxberger and their bullpen held on for a 6-5 win in front of an announced 12,775 at Kauffman Stadium. Adalberto Mondesi popped out with the bases loaded to end the game.

The loss extended the Royals’ losing streak to nine games and clinched a series win for the Mariners.

“It was a great game. Lot of excitement,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Terrance Gore with a lights-out game. ... We had the bases loaded in the ninth inning. It was a great game. We just didn’t win it.”

Gore went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run scored, an RBI and a pair of diving catches in left field.

Merrifield, who’d gone 0-for-3 until his seventh-inning at-bat, broke George Brett’s franchise record for consecutive games with at least one hit. Merrifield extended his streak to 31 games dating back to September 10, 2018.

“To do something nobody in the history of this franchise has done, when one of the greatest players of all-time played for this franchise for a long time, it’s kind of surreal,” Merrifield said. “I don’t even really know how to describe the emotions and the feelings I have going on right now.”

Merrifield joined Paul Molitor (39 games, 1987), Ken Landreaux (31 games, 1980) and Ron LeFlore (31 games, 1975-76) as the only American League players since 1969 with hitting streaks of 31 games or more.

“I couldn’t be more proud of you,” Brett said in a message to Merrifield played during the Fox Sports Kansas City television broadcast. “There’s nothing wrong with being second best.”

The previous night, Merrifield came to his locker after the game to find a handwritten note from Brett, the Royals legend and Baseball Hall of Famer. Merrifield’s first-inning triple in that night’s game tied him with the franchise icon for the club record.

Brett came down to the clubhouse during Tuesday’s game and wrote a note on Royals letterhead congratulating Merrifield, expressing pleasure that he’d been the one to match his record and praising him for the player and person he’s been over the years. Merrifield immediately asked to have the letter laminated, and he said it will be kept in a special place.

“This, not many guys in the history of the game have gotten to this point,” Merrifield said. “It’s crazy to think about, it really is. … I would say this is a little more special, especially the way the game is now. To be sitting here at 31, looking to go (get) 32 tomorrow.”

The Royals, who’d seen the Mariners batter pitches into the stands throughout the first two games of the series, made use of the long ball early on Wednesday. Dozier’s mammoth solo homer in the second inning gave the Royals a 2-1 lead. The ball traveled an estimated 453 feet to left field.

After a two-run top half of the third gave the lead back to the Mariners, Soler obliterated a 3-1 offering from Yusei Kikuchi over the fountains behind the left-center field wall. That ball traveled an estimated 454 feet with an exit velocity off the bat of 115.1 miles per hour. It tied the score 3-3.

Soler’s shot could have been — and probably should’ve been — a two-run blast. Mondesi walked and stole second base with Soler up. While in scoring position with one out, Mondesi was thrown out trying to steal third.

That lead’s lifespan proved short as Royals starting pitcher Heath Fillmyer couldn’t make it through the fourth inning. He loaded the bases on three consecutive singles, and reliever Scott Barlow took over from the bullpen.

Barlow gave up a two-run single to Mallex Smith but limited the damage to the one hit as the Royals escaped the inning trailing 5-3. The score remained that way until the seventh inning. Gore hit an RBI triple off the glove of Mariners center fielder Smith to set up Merrifield’s record-breaking bunt single.

This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 10:49 PM.