Jake Brentz earns first save with Kansas City Royals as he heads home to St. Louis
Kansas City Royals left-hander Jake Brentz had just put the finishing touches on a 1-2-3 ninth inning and exchanged congratulations with catcher Cam Gallagher as their teammates gathered on the mound in acknowledgment of a series-clinching win in Chicago.
That’s when All-Star second baseman Whit Merrifield pulled a prank. He snagged the ball, cocked his arm as if ready to launch it into the stands and took a faux step before he turned the ball over to a wide-eyed Brentz.
Merrifield’s good-natured shenanigans Thursday night were in response to the Royals rookie reliever’s personal milestone. Brentz, who made his major-league debut in April, earned his first save in a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox in enemy territory at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“Whit’s been messing with me,” Brentz said with a chuckle. “He’s been trying to get me a save for quite some time now, but when he crow hopped I was like, ‘I don’t know if he’s going to throw this or not.’
“That was pretty cool. But yeah, they have the ball. They took it from me right as soon as I walked in the dugout, which was probably a good idea because knowing me, who knows what would’ve happened with that. But it was definitely a surreal moment, that’s for sure.”
Brentz came out of the bullpen riding high on adrenaline and throwing lightning bolts. His first toss of the inning came in at 99 mph on his way to a strikeout of Yoan Moncada. Brentz hit 100 mph during the next at-bat and 98.5 mph against the final batter of the night.
Brentz, 26, joined Josh Staumont and Kyle Zimmer as Royals relievers who recorded their first career saves this season.
Brentz has pitched in 52 of the Royals’ 107 games (48.6%), and he’s on pace for the most appearances by a rookie reliever since Craig Kimbrel made 79 appearances with Atlanta in 2011.
Left-handed hitters entered the night having batted just .125 against Brentz, the second lowest in the American League.
Even with all that, Brentz admitted his heart was racing “more than normal” as he warmed up and prepared to jump in and secure a win in a one-run game on the road. He described his adrenaline as “through the roof.”
“Jakob Brentz took his game to another level,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “That was big for us. That’s big for Jake and his career as well to be able to put a game like that away.”
Next, Brentz will return to the ballpark that helped establish his love affair with baseball. The Royals begin the I-70 series against the interleague and in-state rival St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.
A native of Ballwin, Missouri, and graduate of Parkway South High School in Manchester, Brentz’s family had season tickets to the Cardinals. Busch Stadium served as part of his introduction to the sport and has remained synonymous with the game in his mind and dreams.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing there,” Brentz said. “Every time I walked in that stadium to be a fan, I always dreamed of playing there. Before I started pitching, it was in the outfield. Now that I’m a pitcher, obviously I want to pitch there.
“I honestly don’t know how my emotions will be because I’ve always dreamed of playing in that stadium. I’m very excited. I have a lot of family and friends that are going to be there, a lot of people coming into town.”
Brentz has played in Busch before. He played in a high school All-Star game along with current Milwaukee Brewers reliever and last year’s NL Rookie of the Year Devin Williams. Brentz also participated in a showcase event at the ballpark.
Since the Toronto Blue Jays drafted Brentz in the 11th round of the 2013 draft, he’s only been back to the ballpark once.
“It’s been a lot of years since I’ve actually been to Busch,” Brentz said. “Yeah, I’m excited.”
