Inside Royals reliever Angel Zerpa’s masterful 5th-inning performance vs. Orioles
The Kansas City Royals had a plan.
If they got into trouble in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Baltimore Orioles and their convoy of left-handers, they would ring the bullpen alarm for left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Zerpa was called upon in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. He had no margin for error as the Royals needed two outs. KC starter Seth Lugo had carried the team as far as he could, but the club needed to preserve a 1-1 score.
It was the highest of high-leverage situations. And Royals manager Matt Quatraro and pitching coach Brian Sweeney didn’t want anyone but Zerpa on the mound.
“That’s what he’s built for,” Sweeney said. “He was the guy for that job. As (Quatraro) and I talked, it was planned beforehand if something like that situation came up. We talked about it before and in that part of the lineup, we wanted to bring Zerpa in. He executed, and it was amazing.”
The Royals defeated the Orioles 2-1. KC will face the New York Yankees in the American League Divisional Series.
Zerpa faced Orioles rookie Colton Coswer with one out. He started Cowser with a 97.8-mph sinker for a called strike. Then, Zerpa followed with two consecutive sliders to get into an advantageous count.
He went back to the sinker for the final pitch of the sequence. He buried the sinker in on the hands of Cowser. The baseball actually hit Cowser and he later left the game with left-hand pain.
However, Cowser swung and it was recorded a strikeout. Zerpa finished the inning by retiring Orioles star Adley Rutschman with a groundout. Baltimore left three runners on base and failed to take the lead.
In the series, the Orioles never led at home.
“I believe in myself and it was all about coming in and dominating the hitters,” Zerpa said through a translator. “There was no other option. It was just me up there with my team.”
Zerpa earned the Game 2 victory. This season, he spent time between the Royals and Triple-A Omaha. Each time, he worked to improve as a pitcher and the Royals praised his ability to stay aggressive against hitters.
Since his return, Zerpa didn’t allow a run in seven relief appearances. He logged eight strikeouts and issued three hits in 6 ⅔ innings. Opponents struggled at the plate with a .130 batting average against Zerpa in that span.
“Clearly we didn’t want it to be like that. But he throws a ton of strikes,” Quatraro said of inserting Zerpa into the game. “He’s got a 98 miles an hour sinker, and his breaking ball has improved so much since he was sent down to Triple-A a couple months ago.
“So credit to him, credit to the player development. Dane Johnson is the pitching coach in Triple-A that just nailed it with helping him get that breaking ball back, and Dave Lundquist.”
The Royals bullpen followed Zerpa’s lead. Quatraro turned to right-hander John Schreiber, lefty duo Sam Long and Kris Bubic and finally closer Lucas Erceg. The group allowed one hit, no runs and struck out six batters.
“For him to be able to do that just gave us the confidence that we were going to be able to do the same,” Erceg said.
The Orioles were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. They left nine runners on base in the Game 2.
“We know these are all going to be tight games and our number is going to be called upon pretty frequently,” Bubic said. “And, you know, we are ready every inning down there and in every situation. You see that tonight with Zerpa going in and getting out of a tough situation. … When you see those guys before you go in and shut it down, it makes you want to do your job just as much.”
The Royals will continue to rely on Zerpa and the rest of the bullpen. They have continued to thrive in the moment and Quatraro is excited with what is next to come in the ALDS.
“It’s really remarkable what he’s doing,” Quatraro said of Zerpa. “He loves to pitch. He’s one of those guys that competes like nobody’s business. It’s so much fun to be around him.”
