Late heroics, Noah Cameron’s gem help Royals reach All-Star break with victory
The Royals head into the All-Star break on a positive note thanks to a stellar pitching performance from rookie Noah Cameron and some ninth inning heroics.
Facing a New York Mets team looking for series sweep, Cameron put up zeroes for 6 2/3 innings and helped the Royals to a 3-2 triumph in walk-off fashion.
“That will show you what these guys are made of,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
The Royals won it when Nick Loftin singled to left field field, bringing home Tyler Tolbert, who had singled and stole second. One of the speediest runners in baseball, Tolbert slid into home well ahead of the throw to touch off a celebration and the Royals’ second walk-off of the homestand.
Loftin got the game-winner in that one also, a base hit against the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the week. This one felt especially good after his poor jump on a line drive by Ronny Mauricio opened the Mets’ two-run ninth and threatened to spoil a game that had been in the Royals’ control.
“I made a mistake in the in the outfield, and that cost us a little bit,” Loftin said. “But there are bigger at-bats coming in games, and there was one for me. I was very thankful I was able to come through.”
Tolbert’s speed made things happen. He poked a single off reliever Sean Manaea, the former Royals draft pick who had been making the most of his first appearance this season with seven strikeouts in 3 1/2 innings.
“Look at what Manaea did for three-plus innings,” Quatraro said. “We didn’t have an answer for him.”
All-Star closer Carlos Estevez, who was bidding to set a Royals record for saves before an All-Star break, couldn’t keep the Mets off the board, which meant no decision for Cameron.
It was a masterful performance nevertheless from the St. Joseph native making his 12th major league start. Cameron matched a season-best with eight strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.31.
“He just goes out there and competes like crazy,” Quatraro said.
The fifth inning stood out. Cameron struck out Francisco Lindor, got a marvelous play from shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who ranged deep in the hole to nab Mark Vientos, then struck out Juan Soto.
In the seventh inning, Cameron coaxed a double-play grounder from Luis Torrens before giving way to John Schreiber for the final out.
The Royals needed the victory as the season comes to its traditional pause. They had lost the momentum of a four-game winning streak with two straight losses to the Mets.
They stand 47-50 having entered the day 4 1/ 2 games out of the final AL Wild Card position.
Maikel Garcia was the catalyst for the Royals’ two-run second inning with a leadoff double. Salvador Perez was drilled in the hip by a Clay Holmes fastball and Jac Caglianone moved both up a base with a ground out to second.
That set the stage for John Rave, who grounded a double inside the bag at first to score both runners. Rave doubled his RBI total for the season with his first hit in nine plate appearances in the series.
Until then, the Royals had been 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position in three games against the Mets.
But on this day, the Royals came through in this moment, and in the ninth inning to win in dramatic fashion.
“It’s clearly not the way we wanted the first half to go as far as the standings or what our record is,” Quatraro said. “And we know we have to play better consistently in the second half to get back in this and make September an interesting month.
“But we’re hanging in there.”
Up next: The Royals pick up after the All-Star break on Friday, July 18, when they begin a road trip at the Miami Marlins. The trip continues with three games at the Chicago Cubs before KC returns to Kauffman Stadium. After Sunday, 65 games remain in the season.
This story was originally published July 13, 2025 at 4:39 PM.