Witt delivers another big hit to put Royals in ALDS
BALTIMORE — Bobby Witt Jr. beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run and send the Kansas City Royals into the American League Division Series with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday for a two-game sweep of their AL Wild-Card Series.
With two outs and runners at the corners in the sixth inning, Witt hit a grounder to the edge of the dirt behind second base, where Jordan Westburg made a diving stop and throw to first. Witt was already there after zooming 90 feet in 4.14 seconds, allowing Kyle Isbel to score from third.
“I just had to try to run,” Witt said.
It was the second consecutive game in which the AL batting champion provided the decisive hit. Witt’s RBI single in Tuesday’s series opener plated the only run in a 1-0 victory.
“You never know when this opportunity ever is going to happen again, so got to make the most of it while you have it,” Witt said. “That’s the fun part of this game. This is why we do it, these situations here.”
Witt is the second player age 24 or younger to have the game-winning RBI in each of his team’s first two games of a postseason since RBI became an official statistic in 1920, joining Jimmie Foxx in 1929.
Kansas City, which endured two seven-game losing streaks over the final month of the season, advanced to face the AL East champion New York Yankees. Game 1 is Saturday in the Bronx.
Cedric Mullins homered for the Orioles, who fell to 0-5 during two quick playoff exits the past two years. Baltimore has dropped its last 10 postseason games.
The new-look Royals lost 106 games last season but used a 30-win improvement to get back to October for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series.
Second baseman Michael Massey, who led off the game with a double and scored on a single by Vinnie Pasquantino, said the front office bringing in experienced veterans with playoff experience like Tommy Pham, Yuli Gurriel, Michael Wacha and Will Smith made this possible.
“They’ve been there before, they’ve done it, so I think it’s helped a lot of guys,” Massey said. “It’s helped us, for sure me, to be around those guys and just watch them, more than anything, and see how they go about their business, has been — I think that’s helped us stay even keel.”
The Royals left 12 runners on base and got through another close game with a razor-thin margin for error thanks to some masterful managing by Matt Quatraro, himself a postseason rookie like Witt, Game 1 winner Cole Ragans and so many others.
Quatraro let starter Seth Lugo get an out after loading the bases with nobody out in the fifth before spinning up bullpen roulette, starting with winning pitcher Angel Zerpa, who got K.C. out of that jam and then got the first out of the sixth. John Schreiber got three more outs, Sam Long two, Kris Bubic three and Lucas Erceg the final three to earn his second save of the series.
“It’s so impressive that they believe in themselves and they trust their stuff and they just come after some of the best hitters in the world,” Quatraro said.
Cionel Perez took the loss.
The Orioles were swept in their only playoff series for a second consecutive year, going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position this time and 5-for-32 combined. They face numerous offseason questions, from the future of manager Brandon Hyde to the possibility of losing pending free-agent starter Corbin Burnes.
“Especially when you lose like this, there’s frustration, there’s anger, there’s disappointment because you felt like there was opportunities there in those couple games to change the score, and it didn’t happen,” Hyde said.
Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser broke his left hand when it was hit by the ball as he struck out swinging in the fifth. He exited after six innings.
The Royals face Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in the opener of their ALDS, with any starter but Ragans or Lugo rested and ready to go. Wacha had been in line to start Game 3 against Baltimore.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
