Bobby Witt Jr. hits first homer for Royals, but Cardinals player throws ball in fountains
The good news for Royals rookie third baseman Bobby Witt Jr. is he didn’t have to barter with a fan for the ball that was his first career major-league home run.
The bad news: The ball got wet.
Witt didn’t hit the ball into the fountains at Kauffman Stadium during Tuesday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. But the ball ended up there anyway.
Witt, the Royals’ top prospect, crushed an 88 mph change-up from Cardinals pitcher Dakota Hudson over the wall in left-center field in the second inning. The ball left the bat at 103 mph and traveled an estimated 417 feet, leaving St. Louis center fielder Harrison Bader with little to do but watch.
The home run extended Witt’s hitting streak to 11 games, and there was actually a bit of drama.
The ball bounced back on the field and Bader picked it up. But his throw to the fans was a little too strong and went in the fountains.
Gulp.
However, this story has a happy ending. The Royals say the ball was recovered and while wet, it will be a keepsake for Witt, who said after the Royals’ 7-1 victory that he thought the ball had been claimed on his behalf.
Witt said he plans to frame the ball ... once it dries out.
”Yeah, I heard about that,” Witt said of the splashdown. “It got a little wet, but that’s cool. I can say it went in the fountains.”
All told, it was a fun night for Witt.
“Being back at home, we’re in the new uniforms, it was just a blast,” Witt said. “A lot of energy out there and a lot of Cardinals fans, so it’s good to beat them with a lot of fans here.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 8:11 PM.
