KANSAS CITY — When asked about teammate Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez doesn’t flinch, declaring that the 24-year-old is “the best player in MLB and [expletive], he’s probably the best player I’ve played with ever.”
Which is why, after all Witt was 3-for-3 on the night Monday and just a single away from being the Royals’ first cycle since George Brett in 1990 — when he stepped to plate at Kauffman Stadium with two outs and his team down by three runs, Perez figured a base hit would come.
Perez was none too pleased when Witt then took a Humberto Castellanos 91.7 mph sinker to the upper left arm on his very first pitch and made that known with arms-flapping, words-shouting gesture Reyes Au(reyesd3ack), August 20, 2021
“Honestly to you guys, I don’t like the way it looks,” Perez said. “Trying to get a hit for the cycle, three-for-three. …
Junior needs me to have his back.
So tensions were, if only slightly so in the context of this series opener, a little high during that 10-4 win by Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium that represented their 56th victory of the season — enough to match their full-season total from last year and done before even reaching it’s own All-Star break.
So much of the Royals’ turnaround in ’24 has been about pitching, and Cole Ragans gave them another good start Monday night, three runs in six innings on 105 pitches.
But offensively? Witt and Perez have been so good in the No. 3-4 spots most of this year, and they were front-and-center Monday. The pair combined for three home runs as the Royals routed the D-backs, 11-4. Witt had a triple, his 10th of the season to tie for sixth in baseball history by an AL player and first since Tigers outfielder Ty Cobb’s nine in 1913;Witt gets drilled, Salvy and Royals ‘have Junior’s back’ double and homer through four innings. It was also his 18th homer of the year, a three-run shot on Miguel Castro’s first pitchSalvy, Royals ‘have Junior’s back’ after red-hot Witt gets plunked — an 88.5 mph sinker right down the middle in which Wolters did not miss for pitching lower than able to be pitched and delivered it more or less out over left-center field where Coors tells baseballs to go up into orbit at precisely that part of space.
Teammate Bobby Witt Jr. is the 1st player to record 3+ hits in each of his first four games post-All-Star Game
Witt is now 12-for-15 (. That tied his season low (. 800) following dropping since he came back from the All-Star break with four three-hit games in a row.
“Some of the power that he has, his presence in there [at bat], it is like you are watching another game,” manager Matt Quatraro said. … to match up against. And he steps in, first pitch, you don’t expect to hit a home run. Well I mean maybe you just get better at anticipating it, but still.
When Witt got plunked in the sixth, it set off a reaction from the Royals’ dugout. Perez Howled From DugoutIntervalSince The crowd rained boos down upon her. Witt jogged easily to first, then ran hard all the way around and scored on a sacrifice fly by Perez.
Reliever John Schreiber hit Gabriel Moreno on a 2-1 down-and-in sinker to lead off the top of the seventh. Both teams were essentially issued warnings, and Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was tossed after a discussion with the umpires.
“What I did say was ‘If you believe that for some reason — whatever motivation it might be because this guy’s a really good young player and he’s going to swing the bat it needs to get out of my hand –that somehow, we were doing something on purpose, there is no way in hell,” Lovullo said. You cannot even control this situation anymore. And you got it wrong. That’s what I said to Baker and that was for Salvy (_laughs)._ I wish he would have brought that back to their dugout and let him know, ‘That’s how I felt.’ Well, that is exactly what Bobby Witt Jr. He’s an unbelievable player.”
Perez noted he heard what Lovullo said to him: He added, “I appreciate that,” and does not think anything from Monday night will transcend into Tuesday. The Royals are calling Schreiber’s hitting Moreno unintentional.
“Most guys for my [scouting reports] are sinker-slider,” Schreiber said to MLB. com. “I’m a sidearm guy. Missed one by 1…part of the game…. “From a situation standpoint I know what everyone thinks, but I am going up there trying to compete.
Quatraro added: &– ldquo;The part that&rsquos disappointing for me is sitting here and other teams speaking to your players. The most difficult part of that. I just think that is why it got a little out of hand.
Witt wasn’t sure if Castellanos’ pitch was on purpose. But he did respect Perez having his back.
“Yup, that’s why he is the captain,” Witt said. He is taking care of all the guys, he has everybody’s back. … I am not sure I would be able to take him with all the monsters.
Witt got another chance for a hit in the eighth, but he flied out to right field instead and said he might have “overswung” on that pitch and missed his spot.
“not much i can do to, think what hit single,” MLB in hits (137) Witt said. I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit. … But it was a big win today.
But in the end, to Witt: winning is all that matters. This year he is experiencing many such days more often — and that just scratches the surface of why he will not be taking a break.
“Wrong events in the past have only showed what we can do,” wrote Witt. “We all know that. We just have to show ourselves that we can do it and keep doing it. It’s a lot of fun right now.”
