Why Bobby Witt Jr. says ‘no one should ever give up’ on this year’s KC Royals
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- Lane Thomas hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Royals an 11-9 victory.
- The victory improved Kansas City to 11-17 and extended winning streak to three games.
- The Royals completed a 4-2 homestand and scored at least five runs in every game.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone leaned over to assistant hitting coach Connor Dawson in the dugout.
He had a gut feeling with Lane Thomas at the plate.
“(I was like), ‘Be a great time for your first right now,’” Caglianone said in reference to Thomas’ critical at-bat in extra innings.
In the 10th inning, Thomas stepped to the plate with two outs. The Royals were down a run and teetering on a home loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
It had been a long day. First pitch was moved up due to inclement weather, and yet, a rain delay still halted play.
Thomas led off the game for the Royals. He was in the pivotal spot due to his career numbers against lefties — including an .854 OPS in eight seasons.
The Royals faced Angels lefty Reid Detmers to begin the game. And Thomas finished it against left-hander Joey Lucchesi in extras.
Thomas hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Royals an 11-9 victory. It was his first home run since joining the organization this offseason.
“And then, you know, he goes and does that,” Caglianone said. “So that was pretty cool to say I called that. But no, I’m super fired up for him.”
The Royals improved to 11-17. The victory pushed their winning streak to three games and built much-needed momentum ahead of a six-game road trip.
“It was a rough 10 days we had,” Thomas said. “Getting a win and getting these three wins in this series gets us right back on track. It’s still early, you know.”
The Royals hadn’t played well to start the 2026 season. The club struggled against top competition — such as the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers — while giving away victories.
There was also an eight-game losing streak fueled by the slow starts from Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, among others. The disappointing start left the Royals in an early hole and sitting in last place in the American League Central.
Could this be a turning point?
The group has focused on putting together complete performances, though it remains to be seen if they can do it for extended stretches. At times, it’s seemed futile, as the Royals’ beleaguered offense and maligned bullpen let them down.
“We’re focused on each other,” Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. said. “We’re a family in here, and that’s how we go about our business.”
Sometimes, families have to stick together. And the Royals believe that’s the way through their difficult stretch.
Sunday’s game mirrored that mindset. Starter Seth Lugo surrendered seven runs against the Angels, but he lasted 6 ⅓ innings despite a disastrous first two innings.
“Lugo eating up innings, and with the rain, that was really important,” manager Matt Quatraro said.
Instead of rolling over, the Royals chipped away. In the process, they picked up Lugo, who earned a no-decision.
Witt contributed with his first home run of the year. The two-run shot cut the Angels’ lead in half and kept the Royals in striking distance. From there, Isaac Collins added two RBIs and Pasquantino had a critical sacrifice fly.
The runs fueled the comeback — and set the stage for Caglianone to hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Then Thomas won it in the final frame.
“It’s momentum and it’s everything,” Witt said. “That’s why no one should ever give up on us, the guys we have in here, just because of how relentless we are. And just how we know who we are. We know what type of team we are, and we are just going to keep proving it.”
The Royals finished with a 4-2 homestand.
The comeback victory was the third time the club had multiple two-out, game-tying or go-ahead homers in the ninth inning or later, per MLB researcher Sarah Langs. The last time it happened was June 17, 2012.
The Royals now head west for a six-game road trip against the Athletics and Seattle Mariners.
“I think we will carry (the momentum) into Sacramento and Seattle and hope to continue to build on it,” Caglianone said.
There were encouraging signs in the homestand. The Royals worked counts and put themselves in advantageous situations. Guys like Collins and Nick Loftin stepped up offensively.
Collins reached base in 10 of 14 plate appearances against the Angels. Loftin also had a huge night Saturday with four RBIs.
The Royals scored at least five runs in every game of the homestand. It’s the longest active streak in the majors and the club’s first of this length since May 17-25, 2024.
KC has averaged 7.7 runs in its last six games. It’s a significant change from the 3.2 runs per game the club averaged through 20 contests.
“I feel like we lost a lot of games that week,” Thomas said of the losing streak. “It was rough, but I felt like we were a pitch here and an at-bat here away from winning half of those games.”
The Royals are finding ways to win again. The comeback victory was reminiscent of the club’s 2024 run, which resulted in a playoff appearance.
Could that mean the Kansas City Royals are close to turning things around after a difficult April?
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Lugo said. “It’s not quite where we want to be this year, but today it showed the resilience that we’ve shown for the last few years playing at The K. We are never done until the last out is made.”
