The best moments from Royals’ 2026 home opener — and all the emotions behind it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sold-out crowd of 39,320 set tone as Royals beat Twins 3-1 in opener
- Kris Bubic completed seven innings, limiting damage and securing the win
- Kyle Isbel, Isaac Collins homered as Royals pitching staff continued dominance
The Kansas City Royals made their long-awaited return to Kauffman Stadium on Monday afternoon.
The club rolled out the blue carpet. There were special guest appearances from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Royals Hall of Famers George Brett, Mike Sweeney and Alex Gordon.
There was a wide range of emotions — from jubilation to heartwarming moments. The Royals honored late outfielder Terrance Gore with his family in attendance. His son, Zane, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and it was a perfect strike.
“You know, I didn’t know Terrance at all,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, “(but) these guys all knew him. And just to see his family, they were in Atlanta as well. I mean, super nice kids. Just to see his son tearing up there at the video, and then he goes out there and throws a laser to Gordo, that made me feel good. Very moving.”
The Royals faithful — all 39,320 in attendance — erupted with applause. And the moment set the stage for what became a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
KC did its damage early against Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson. In the second inning, outfielder Kyle Isbel belted a two-run homer into the right-field bullpen. It was the club’s first homer with the new outfield dimensions.
“The energy in the stadium was electric,” Isbel said. “The fan support was incredible out there and it was good to get a couple runs on the board early.”
The Royals logged seven hits in the game. However, the early runs were enough to propel left-hander Kris Bubic to victory.
Bubic continued a string of terrific starts by the Royals’ pitching staff. He surrendered a solo homer to Twins outfielder Matt Wallner in the second inning, but remained unflappable on the mound.
He proceeded to retire 15 of the next 17 batters. He allowed two hits and three walks while completing seven innings.
“Overall, there was some good and some bad for me,” Bubic said. “I think early in the game, some deeper counts there, some three-ball counts. You know, the misses on the fastballs were a little too big early in the game. But then kind of settled in and got ahead of counts a little bit better as the game went along.”
It was the third quality start in consecutive days. Royals starters have allowed just five earned runs in their first 22 ⅓ innings.
Bubic relied heavily on his four-seam fastball. He registered 14 swings and five called strikes, per Statcast. The heater allowed him to balance his off-speed pitches and kept him in attack mode.
Austin Martin began the game with a leadoff single. However, the threat was quickly erased as Bubic picked him off.
“You know, I’m not necessarily known for my pickoff move,” Bubic said. “But when you get a guy itching to go, I made a good throw to Vinnie (Pasquantino) and he made the throw to (Jonathan) India covering. That was a good to get the first out of the way in your first outing and go from there.”
The Royals escaped the first inning without damage. Both clubs traded runs in the second before KC added a late run in the seventh.
Isaac Collins hit his first homer off Twins reliever Kody Funderburk. He snapped an 0-for-8 skid and gave the Royals a 3-1 advantage.
“It’s always good getting the first one out of the way,” Collins said. “And for it to be a home run was the icing on the cake.”
The Royals’ bullpen held off the Twins late. Daniel Lynch IV and Nick Mears pitched scoreless frames while John Schreiber earned his first save.
“It was nine pitches, eight pitches and 14 for Schreiber,” Quatraro said. “So again, the efficiency is equally as impressive. Because even though we have a day off tomorrow, those pitches pile up.”
The Royals improved to 2-2 on the season. They also recorded their 29th victory in home openers and their first since 2022 against the Cleveland Guardians.
What’s next: The Royals are off Tuesday before continuing their three-game series against the Twins on Wednesday night.
This story was originally published March 30, 2026 at 5:38 PM.
