KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The night he inspired his teammates after receiving a pitch. Bobby Witt Jr.. There was one missing from the cycle, Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe Hit another home run, Kansas City Royals Defeated Arizona Diamondbacks They won 10-4 on Monday, marking their fourth straight victory.
Witt got out of some tough situations by hitting a triple in the first inning, a double in the third inning, and a three-run home run to deep left-center field in the fourth inning.
When Witt came up to bat in the sixth inning, the crowd chanted “Bobby! Bobby!”, hoping for a single and the first cycle by a Kansas City player in 34 years, but the Arizona relief pitcher Humberto Castellanos He hit Witt with a pitch on his first pitch, drawing loud boos, but the pitch fired up Perez, who was yelling at the Diamondbacks from the top step of the dugout, and the drama continued from there.
7th inning, Royals relief pitcher John Schreiber strike Gabriel MorenoAt that point, warnings were issued to both benches, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was restrained and ejected for arguing with umpire Jordan Baker, and Perez also appeared to be arguing with Lovullo during a scrum near home plate.
Perez told reporters after the win that the home fans gave him a rousing performance after Bobby Witt was hit the previous inning.
“They want to go out there and compete, too,” said Witt, who appreciated the support he’s received from his teammates, especially Perez, the 6-foot-3 veteran, adding, “I don’t know if I’d compete with him.”
When asked about the exchange after the loss, Lovullo told reporters, “I didn’t say anything to Salvador Perez. I love Salvador Perez. He’s an unbelievable major league player and I’m a big fan of his.”
Witt had another chance in the eighth inning, but was out on a fly ball to right field. The last Royals player to hit for the cycle was Hall of Fame star George Brett, who did it on July 25, 1990 with Toronto.
Speaking of Brett, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, Whitt joins Royals legends Willie Wilson, Carlos Beltran and Johnny Damon as the only Kansas City players to hit 10 triples in multiple seasons.
“We’re just having fun and we’re just trying to prepare as best we can and work hard every day to get some wins,” Witt said in an on-field interview with Barry Sports after the game.
Witt, who was named the American League Player of the Week on Monday, has gone 12 for 15 at-bats since his first All-Star game, finishing runner-up in the Home Run Derby and raising his batting average to .341. It was Witt’s fourth consecutive game with three hits, tying him with Damon in 2000 for the second-most in franchise history and trailing Brett’s six games in 1976.
The Royals (56-45), who are in the running for a wild-card playoff spot, matched last season’s win total.
Cole Ragans (7-6) overcame a shaky third inning to record his second straight win and eighth quality start in nine, allowing six hits, two walks and three runs in six innings.
The Diamondbacks led 3-1 going into the third inning. Kevin Newman and Alec Thomas He hit consecutive doubles, Ketel Marte He then hit a two-run home run to left field, marking his 20th career home run.
The Royals struck back late on with a double from Witt. Vinnie PasquantinoA one-run RBI single by and a two-run homer to center field by Perez gave the team a 4-3 lead.
Witt’s three-run relief pitcher Miguel Castro The fourth made it 8-3.
Renfroe hit a home run in the sixth inning. Kyle Isbell had three hits and two RBIs, while Pasquantino had three hits for the Royals.
The Arizona pitcher allowed just one run in six innings in his first two major league starts. Ilber Diaz He allowed seven runs and nine hits over three-plus innings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
