Current:Home > StocksRoyals sweep Orioles to reach ALDS in first postseason since 2015: Highlights -Summit Capital Strategies
Royals sweep Orioles to reach ALDS in first postseason since 2015: Highlights
View
Date:2025-04-16 10:23:56
BALTIMORE – From 106 losses to Yankee Stadium in October: The Kansas City Royals’ unreal turnaround continues.
The Royals scored just three runs in two games, got a pair of go-ahead singles from their superstar shortstop that hardly registered on the exit-velocity scale and feature nearly a dozen players who hadn’t tasted postseason baseball until this week. Yet Kansas City did just enough to suppress the Baltimore Orioles and sweep their American League wild-card series at Camden Yards.
Bobby Witt Jr. pushed across the go-ahead run in the sixth inning in both Game 1 and Game 2, the latter providing the winning margin in a 2-1 victory Wednesday night that put the Royals in the American League Division Series for the first time since winning it all in 2015.
They will face the top-seeded New York Yankees in the best-of-five series beginning Saturday. It is a matchup rich in history: New York beat Kansas City in the 1976, ’77 and ’78 AL Championship Series before George Brett and the Royals returned the favor in 1980.
That was a few baseball generations ago. In this one, Witt may reign supreme.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
He had a pair of hits Wednesday night, the latter a smash up the middle with runners at the corners and two outs in the sixth. It was speared by a diving Jordan Westburg, but the Baltimore second baseman could not get enough on the throw to retire Witt – the fastest runner in the major leagues.
"The embodiment of our entire season is hustle and heart," Royals starter Seth Lugo said after the game. "Just really proud for him to do what he's done all year."
From there, it was all on the underrated Kansas City bullpen, which combined for 4 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief, with six strikeouts. Lucas Erceg capped the mastery with a scoreless ninth inning – and punched their ticket north to New York.
The Orioles won 91 games this season but were swept in their opening round playoff series for the second consecutive year. Baltimore has lost 10 consecutive playoff games dating to 2014 - when the Royals swept them in the ALCS.
Here’s how Wednesday’s game unfolded:
Royals take lead into eighth inning
BALTIMORE - The Kansas City Royals are six outs from advancing to the American League Division Series. And they have superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to thank.
Witt drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning for the second consecutive game as Kansas City took a 2-1 lead after seven innings of Game 2 of their wild-card series at Camden Yards.
After softly struck singles by Kyle Isbel and Michael Massey off Orioles lefty reliever Cionel Perez put runners at the corners, Yennier Cano replaced Perez. Witt Witt grounded a ball sharply up the middle that second baseman Jordan Westburg dived to snag. But he could not get enough on the throw to retire Witt - the fastest man in the major leagues - and the go-ahead run scored with two outs.
Kansas City relievers Angel Zerpa, John Schreiber and Sammy Long have combined for 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, with five strikeouts.
Orioles tie it up vs. Royals : 1-1 through 5
BALTIMORE - The Orioles' postseason scoring drought is over. But they are still drowning in regret.
Baltimore chased Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo in the fifth inning of Game 2, after Cedric Mullins hit a solo home run - halting a scoreless streak that stretched to last year at 18 innings - and the club loaded the bases with nobody out, the game tied, 1-1.
But 44-homer man Anthony Santander popped up a 1-1 pitch from Lugo for one out, and then Colton Cowser swung at a ball from reliever Angel Zerpa that was so far inside, it struck him on the left wrist. What could have easily been a go-ahead hit-by-pitch instead became a strikeout, the second out of the inning.
Adley Rutschman then grounded to shortstop for the final out, ending the golden opportunity.
Lugo and Orioles starter Zach Eflin are both out of the game. Four innings of bullpen battle remains, as the Royals aim to end the series with a two-game sweep.
– Gabe Lacques
Royals take first-inning lead in Baltimore
BALTIMORE - After a Game 1 standoff in which runs were hard to come by, the Kansas City Royals wasted no time taking command as they aim to close out the Orioles in GAme 2 of their AL wild-card series.
Leadoff batter Michael Massey grounded a double down the right field line and scored on a single by recently activated Vinnie Pasquantino to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead after one inning at Camden Yards.
Starter Seth Lugo encountered a brief first-inning hiccup when he hit Jordan Westburg on the left hand with one out, but Lugo recovered to strike out Anthony Santander and Colton Cowser to end the inning.
Orioles vs Royals starting lineups for Game 2
MLB wild card predictions
Who will move on? Here's how the USA TODAY Sports MLB team sees this week playing out.
Kansas City Royals (86-76) at Baltimore Orioles (91-71)
- Bob Nightengale: Orioles in 3
- Gabe Lacques: Orioles in 2
- Steve Gardner: Orioles in 3
- Jesse Yomtov: Orioles in 2
- Scott Boeck: Orioles in 3
Detroit Tigers (86-76) at Houston Astros (88-73)
- Bob Nightengale: Astros in 3
- Gabe Lacques: Tigers in 2
- Steve Gardner Astros in 3
- Jesse Yomtov: Astros in 3
- Scott Boeck: Tigers in 3
New York Mets (89-73) at Milwaukee Brewers (93-69)
- Bob Nightengale: Brewers in 2
- Gabe Lacques: Brewers in 2
- Steve Gardner: Brewers in 2
- Jesse Yomtov: Mets in 3
- Scott Boeck: Brewers in 2
Atlanta Braves (89-73) at San Diego Padres (93-69)
- Bob Nightengale: Padres in 2
- Gabe Lacques: Padres in 2
- Steve Gardner: Padres in 2
- Jesse Yomtov: Braves in 3
- Scott Boeck: Padres in 2
Royals passed first postseason test in Game 1 win
BALTIMORE – It was 2 hours, 25 minutes of crisp playoff baseball theater Tuesday afternoon, the margins for error virtually nonexistent, the best-of-three format ensuring that either the Kansas City Royals or Baltimore Orioles would emerge on the wrong end of this standoff, and face elimination just hours later.
And for 10 Kansas City Royals whose names would dot the box score, Game 1 of their American League wild-card series was their first glimpse of postseason baseball, a battle not only against the talented Orioles but also in regulating their own emotions, calming the heart when needed and letting it rip when the situation dictated.
The youngest team in Major League Baseball passed the test like the savviest of veterans.
– Gabe Lacques
MLB playoffs bracket
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (86927)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- A big pet peeve: Soaring costs of vet care bite into owners' budgets
- Connecticut’s top public defender denies misconduct claims as commission debates firing her
- Business boom: Record numbers of people are starting up new small businesses
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Home values rising in Detroit, especially for Black homeowners, study shows
- Ohio man fatally shot Uber driver after scammers targeted both of them, authorities say
- Suspect arrested after allegedly killing a man at a northern New Mexico rest stop, stealing cars
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Charlize Theron's Daughter August Looks So Grown Up in Rare Public Appearance
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Kentucky ballot measure should resolve school-choice debate, Senate leader says
- US Olympic committee strikes sponsorship deal to help athletes get degrees after they retire
- Michigan attorney general to announce charges in investigation of former top lawmaker
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Owners of Colorado funeral home where nearly 200 bodies were found charged with COVID fraud
- Civil rights attorney demands footage in fatal police chase, but city lawyer says none exists
- Kentucky prosecutor accused of trading favors for meth and sex resigns from office
Recommendation
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Fed’s Powell: Elevated inflation will likely delay rate cuts this year
Jelly Roll sued by Pennsylvania wedding band Jellyroll over trademark
Federal appeals court overturns West Virginia transgender sports ban
Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
Trump goes from court to campaign at a bodega in his heavily Democratic hometown
Idaho’s ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling for solutions
Justice Clarence Thomas absent from Supreme Court arguments Monday with no reason given