Kyle Isbel delivers in clutch as Kansas City Royals clinch series, winning road trip
Kyle Isbel woke up planning to take the field for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers against the St. Paul Saints in CHS Field.
Instead, he delivered the clutch two-out hit in the eighth inning that drove in the winning run for the Kansas City Royals to clinch a series victory over the Minnesota Twins 12 1/2 miles away at Target Field in Minneapolis.
The Royals recalled Isbel on Sunday morning to fill in for starting center fielder Michael A. Taylor, who went on the family medical emergency list.
“I got a wake-up call at 8 a.m. from our manager in Triple-A, and he told me he’s giving me the off-day today but I’m playing in Minnesota,” Isbel said. “It was a hectic morning, but it was awesome.”
The left-handed hitting Isbel started in center field and batted in the eighth spot in the Royals’ order. Prior to Sunday, Isbel hadn’t appeared in a major-league game since April 21.
“Anytime you can help your team win, it’s a great feeling,” Isbel said.
Luckily for the Royals, their Triple-A affiliate happened to also be playing a series in the Twin Cities area. Royals manager Mike Matheny said that proximity was the only way they were able to get Isbel in the lineup so quickly.
Matheny placed a phone call to the Triple-A staff while the Royals were on their way to the ballpark on Sunday.
“It was one of the times when the schedules really matched up well for us,” Matheny said.
Well, that is once Isbel found his way into the stadium.
Isbel said the Uber ride to the ballpark only took about 25 minutes. However, he didn’t know which way to enter the stadium and estimated he went around Target Field five times before he found the entrance.
He went 1 for 3 with a walk, a run scored and the crucial RBI in the eighth inning.
Andrew Benintendi (single) and Carlos Santana (walk) reached base to start the eighth inning, and Hunter Dozier pinch ran for Santana. Then Adalberto Mondesi’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out and the score tied 3-3.
The next batter, Ryan O’Hearn, hit a ground ball to second baseman Luis Arraez, who was playing in. Arraez threw to the plate to cut down Benintendi before he could score for the second out of the inning. Dozier advanced to third on the play.
With two outs, Isbel smacked a 1-0 fastball from Twins reliever Jorge Alcala on the ground into right field to drive in Dozier and put the Royals ahead 4-3.
“I know the guy had a good fastball, that’s kind of what I was starting on and I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit,” Isbel said.
The Royals tacked on an insurance run in the ninth and won 5-3.
“Izzy doing a great job with two outs of picking up (O’Hearn), stepping right in and delivering in a big spot,” Royals All-Star Whit Merrifield said. “Big for our team, big for Izzy. Great to see him come through right there. It was a big inning for us.”
Isbel, who had not played above the Single-A level of the minors prior to this season, made the major-league roster out of spring training and started in right field for the Royals in the season opener.
He played in 12 games in April before the Royals optioned him to the alternate training site on April 22. Isbel slashed .265/.306/.324 during his time in the majors in April.
This season at Triple-A, he has slashed .269/.357/.444 with 15 home runs, 55 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 103 games.
“He’s had a nice season. I’ve followed him,” Matheny said. “He, obviously, did a nice job for us early too. A good defender, takes good at-bats, but he’s really turned it up here in the second half. Getting on base, hitting with some power, stealing some bases. I’m excited to have him back.”
