Brady Singer dazzles, then Kansas City Royals survive roller-coaster ride vs. Mariners
Kansas City Royals pitcher Brady Singer had a night to remember.
Singer, 27, hit all the right notes in his start against the Seattle Mariners on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium. The performance drew comparisons to his 2020 outing against the now Cleveland Guardians.
Singer chased perfection early by retiring the first 14 batters he faced. Then, he remained in a groove after issuing a walk to Mariners outfielder Cade Marlowe.
With the crowd behind him, Singer took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning before Mariners outfielder Dominic Canzone broke it up with a two-out single.
The Royals went on to survive a furious Seattle rally against the KC bullpen to win the series opener 7-6.
“I knew (of the no-hitter), but you never think it was going to happen,” Singer said. “I was just going out there and making pitches. ... I was trying to stay in the zone as much as I can, not worry about that, and get quick outs.”
Singer was dominant with a superb three-pitch arsenal. His sinker danced across the plate, while his slider glided from each corner.
After the Mariners came back to take a ninth-inning lead, the Royals scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. Royals captain Salvador Perez hit a sacrifice fly that scored Bobby Witt Jr., and outfielder Dairon Blanco won it with a bunt single.
“I had the heads-up instinct that if we had first and third with less than two outs, I was going to bunt,” Blanco said through an interpreter. “The situation came up. I got it done and we won the ballgame.”
Singer threw 106 pitches in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits and two earned runs and struck out eight. Singer also generated 16 called strikes and 13 whiffs against a potent Mariners lineup.
“Everything felt good,” Singer said. “I was able to stay in the strike zone with all my pitches. The sinker was doing good and I was able to work up in the zone. Like I said in the last outing, working up in the zone is working out for me.”
The Royals provided ample early run support. Perez hit a three-run homer over the center-field wall in the first inning. It was his 19th home run and gave KC a 3-0 lead.
Royals shortstop Witt Jr. hit an inside-the-park home run as part of a four-hit game. He has remained hot after recently becoming the first major-league player with at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in his first two big-league seasons.
The Mariners would not go quietly. They scored four runs in the eighth inning after Singer had departed the game. Mariners star Julio Rodriguez hit a three-run double to cut into the Royals’ lead and third baseman Eugenio Suarez added an RBI single.
The Mariners continued their onslaught in the ninth. Second baseman Jose Rojas drove home Teoscar Hernandez to tie the game and Rodriguez knocked in the go-ahead run.
But the Royals wouldn’t send the announced crowd of 11,878 home disappointed. They improved to 39-81 with the wild victory.
“Just the different swings and emotions in that game ...” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “For the guys to come right back (was good).”
More Royals news
Roster move: Royals option Edward Olivares to Triple-A, claim Bubba Thompson from Rangers.
Fully endorsed: Bobby Witt Jr. signs endorsement deal with CommunityAmerica Credit Union.
Here are more notables from Monday’s game:
Bobby Witt Jr. thrills with inside-park HR
Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. thrilled fans with an inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning.
Witt, who recently had a jersey sent to Cooperstown, hit a 97 mph fastball into the right-field gap. Mariners outfielder Dominic Canzone misjudged the line drive and the ball rolled all the way to the wall. Witt raced around the bases and received the green light from third-base coach Vance Wilson.
“I guess the baseball gods were on my side,” Witt said. “Just with the first two ABs (at-bats), I didn’t really hit them hard — just put them in a good spot to get a hit out of them. The lights helped me out a little bit, I think.”
Witt slid headfirst into home. He raced around the bases in 14.3 seconds for his 22nd home run of the season. It was the fourth-fastest home-to-home time of the Statcast era (since 2015).
“I thought he caught it,” Witt said. “Then I saw him and I was picking up Vance to see what we were doing. I was just running as fast as I can. Then I saw him sending me and dove.”
The breathtaking sequence gave the Royals a 4-0 lead.
It was the first inside-the-park homer of Witt’s career. He also became the first Royals player with an inside-the-park home run since Whit Merrifield in 2019.
“It’s fun to watch him run,” Quatraro said.
Maikel Garcia sets new Royals rookie mark
The Royals welcomed third baseman Maikel Garcia back to the lineup Monday night.
Garcia, who had missed one game due to left upper-body discomfort, was back in his usual leadoff role against the Mariners.
He was also chasing franchise history.
In the first inning, Garcia extended his hitting streak to 16 games — the longest hitting streak by a Royals rookie. Garcia eclipsed former Royals standouts David DeJesus and Mike Moustakas.
Garcia finished 2 for 4 with a RBI and run scored Monday. His hitting streak is currently the longest active streak in the majors.
What’s next: The Royals continue their four-game series against the Mariners on Tuesday. Jordan Lyles will start for KC, while Emerson Hancock will start for Seattle.
This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 10:32 PM.
