Royals have become more patient at the plate and could set team record on Tuesday
The Royals have left the 1918 Brooklyn Robins in the dust.
As The Star’s Jesse Newell noted in early August, the Royals’ walk rate this season was on pace to set a modern-day record. As the worst ever. The 1918 Robins had a 4.6% walk percentage, Newell found, while the Royals were at 4.2% on Aug. 5.
But the Royals have turned that around and their 8.1% walk percentage ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball this season. For the month of August, the Royals were 10th in the majors at 10.4%, per FanGraphs.
In July, that number was 4.0%, so it’s been a remarkable turnaround.
Over the last five games, the Royals have drawn at least five walks per contest, which the team noted matches the longest streak in club history (also June 7-12, 1999, June 23-26, 1973 and April 22-26, 1973).
So, the Royals can set a team record if Cleveland issues five or more free passes in Tuesday night’s game.
Here’s another interesting item from the Royals postgame notes: Over their last six games, the Royals have scored 17 runs in the seventh inning or later in the last six games. Additionally, Elias said the Royals have had a game-tying or go-ahead hit in the seventh inning or later in five straight games for the first time since April 1-6, 2011 (also five straight).
Nick Kappel, the Manager of Communications & Broadcasting for the Royals, shared this on Twitter:
