Royals

SportsBeat KC: Zack Greinke, defense and Bobby Witt Jr. came up big in Royals’ victory

Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. hits an RBI double against the Cleveland Guardians during the eighth inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. hits an RBI double against the Cleveland Guardians during the eighth inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann) AP

The Opening Day weather was frightful, but the Royals’ Thursday afternoon victory over the Cleveland Guardians was delightful in many ways.

Zack Greinke was solid in his return to the Royals, his first start at The K in a KC uniform in more than a decade. The defense was excellent, too, and Bobby Witt Jr. got a hit in his first major-league game.

Not just a hit, either — an eighth-inning RBI double that gave the Royals the lead for good in a 3-1 win. There was an ice bucket splash on the field and condiment bath afterward. Good times all around. Only 161 games remaining. What’s the magic number?

On today’s episode of The Star’s SportsBeat KC podcast, beat writer Lynn Worthy and columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell relate the significance of the first game and look ahead with host Blair Kerkhoff. The show started as a SportsBeat Live Friday morning and now you can here it here in audio form.

Story links:

“I wasn’t crazy sharp,” Zack Greinke says of Royals’ return

Royals players gave Bobby Witt Jr. a special celebration with a purpose behind it

How unfazed rookie Bobby Witt Jr. made magic in his Royals debut and what it portends

Blair Kerkhoff
The Kansas City Star
Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
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