Royals got the wrong kind of national attention for one play in Monday’s loss
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A baserunning out ended a 10th-inning rally; Royals later lost 7-5 in 12 innings.
- Lane Thomas was tagged out at third after Wilson recovered and threw to Gunnar Henderson.
- Royals have 20 outs via baserunning this season, exceeding their 18 home runs.
It didn’t go down as a double play, but the Orioles got two outs in rapid succession in the 10th inning Monday night against the Royals.
The Royals ultimately lost 7-5 in 12 innings, but the game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 10th and KC had runners on first and second. Unfortunately, the rally ended quickly.
Jac Caglianone flied out to center fielder Leody Taveras, whose throw bounced away from third baseman Weston Wilson. Royals outfielder Lane Thomas tried to advance to third, but Wilson recovered in time and threw to shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who tagged out Thomas.
MLB’s win probability showed the Royals chances of winning dropped from 81.1% to 61.0% on that play. And, as we know, the Royals’ win percentage was 0.0% by game’s end.
It was a baffling decision for Thomas but continued an early-season trend. The Royals have made nine outs on base this season, been caught stealing six times and been picked off five times, according to Baseball Reference. That’s 20 outs via base running, which is more than the number of home runs the Royals have hit (18).
Thomas’ baserunning gaffe made the wrong kind of national attention. The wildly popular Jomboy Media shared a clip of the play and wrote: “Royals have the worst record in MLB and are inventing new ways to get out.”
The Talkin’ Baseball podcast, which is associated with Jomboy, shared the same lowlight and wrote: “Been this kind of season for the Royals.”
ESPN’s Matt Miller simply wrote during the game: “Being a Royals fan hurts.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 9:39 AM.
