Royals’ starting pitcher focused on 1 key pitch. He made history in the process
Kansas City Royals starter Michael Lorenzen notched a key milestone Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Lorenzen earned his 50th career win in the Royals’ 3-1 victory over the Rays. He allowed one earned run and registered four strikeouts in six innings.
“You know, this being a game in the heat for the first time, I thought he did a good job of using his tempo and taking his time between pitches and all that kind of stuff,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I think that worked to his advantage.”
It was his third quality start in six outings this season. And Lorenzen kept the Rays off-balance throughout the night.
One pitch was especially important in doing so.
Lorenzen relied on his sinker early. He induced 11 swings and recorded five called strikes with the pitch. From there, Lorenzen paired his fastball alongside his curveball and changeup to mix up his cadence.
“I think we picked our spots with it and we used it really well,” Lorenzen said. “Got me some ground balls with that and the curveball and the changeup. We just mixed it up as much as we could.”
The strategy worked.
In the first inning, Lorenzen escaped a potential jam by tossing an 83.6 mph curveball to Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda. He outlasted Aranda on nine pitches before getting out of trouble with a ground ball to end the inning.
From there, Lorenzen settled into his start. He allowed two more hits and found a rhythm working with Royals catcher Freddy Fermin. Rays infielder Junior Caminero hit a solo homer to account for the lone blemish.
“I knew that they were swinging the bat 0-0, so trying to get those early outs,” Lorenzen said. “Some of them were going to be hits. But just trying to be efficient and attack the zone with some creativity and some different shapes.”
The Royals (15-15) provided just enough run support. Salvador Perez hit an RBI double as leadoff hitter Jonathan India scored. Later, Kyle Isbel and Fermin added key insurance runs.
Fermin finished 3-for-4. He fouled a ball off his hand but finished the game.
“I just felt with the adrenaline, I wanted to continue to play and I wanted to win the game,” Fermin said.
The Rays (14-15) were turned away late. Royals bullpen trio Angel Zerpa, Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez tossed three scoreless innings. Erceg avoided trouble in the eighth inning and Estévez secured his eighth save.
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Here are more notable aspects of Tuesday’s game:
Bobby Witt Jr. extends hitting streak
The Royals star continues to chase history. In the eighth inning, Witt extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a one-out single.
He owns the longest active hitting streak in the league. This is the eighth time that Witt has produced a hitting streak of at least 10 games.
Witt now has MLB’s first 20-game hitting streak since Jose Iglesias had a hit in 22 consecutive games from Sept. 6-30. He became the ninth Royal to have a hitting streak of such length.
Whit Merrifield holds the Royals club record with a 31-game hitting streak.
Royals play outside in Tampa
Since their inception, the Rays have always played their home games at Tropicana Field in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida.
Things changed in 2025.
Last October, Hurricane Milton caused roof damage at Tropicana Field and altered the Rays regular-season plans. The club formed a partnership with the New York Yankees to play the 2025 regular season at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The Royals played their first regular-season game at the venue on Tuesday. It’s the 55th different stadium that the club has competed in during its 57-season history.
KC last played at the Florida complex in 2002. Back then, the Royals held spring training in Baseball City, Fla., and competed at the venue that was formally called Legends Field.
“It’s a little surreal,” Quatraro said. “I mean, you are playing a major league game in a spring training stadium. So it’s a little different but both teams are doing the same thing. It’s on us to get ready to go because these games count just like anything else.”
George M. Steinbrenner Field is the spring training home of the Yankees.
What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Royals No. 5 prospect Noah Cameron will make his MLB debut on Wednesday night.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 8:44 PM.
