Kansas City, MO – Bobby Witt Jr.’s clutch sacrifice fly in the seventh inning proved to be the difference-maker as the Kansas City Royals edged out the Minnesota Twins with a 3-2 victory on Thursday afternoon. The Royals rallied in the seventh, scoring two runs to overcome a one-run deficit against Twins reliever Cole Sands (1-1).
The comeback began with a leadoff walk by Freddy Fermin, followed by consecutive singles from Drew Waters and Jonathan India. India’s single brought Fermin home, knotting the score at 2-2. With one out, Witt Jr. stepped to the plate and delivered a deep fly ball to center field, allowing Waters to tag up and score the go-ahead run.
Royals reliever Daniel Lynch IV (2-0) pitched a clean two-thirds of an inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Closer Carlos Estévez shut the door in the ninth, earning his fourth save of the season.
Twins starter Bailey Ober was strong after a shaky first inning. He surrendered a run on three consecutive singles in the opening frame but then settled in, allowing just two more hits over his final five scoreless innings. Ober finished his outing with six innings pitched, giving up one run on five hits and a walk while striking out four.
Minnesota’s offense managed to take the lead in the second inning when Ty France launched his second home run of the year, tying the game at 1-1. Later, in the sixth, after walks to Trevor Larnach and France, Ryan Jeffers hit an RBI single up the middle, breaking the tie and putting the Twins ahead 2-1.
Royals starter Michael Wacha delivered a solid performance, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing two runs on three hits and three walks, while recording four strikeouts. Notably, Wacha has held the Twins’ offense in check throughout his career, allowing fewer than three runs in all but one of his eight starts against them.
Jonathan India played a key role in the Royals’ seventh-inning rally, battling through a lengthy at-bat that included fouling off four consecutive 3-2 pitches before finally delivering the game-tying RBI single to left field.
Looking ahead, the Royals will travel to Cleveland to begin a series against the Guardians. Left-hander Kris Bubic (2-0, 0.00 ERA) is slated to start for Kansas City, while the Guardians are expected to counter with right-hander Tanner Bibee (1-1, 6.52 ERA). Pregame coverage will begin at 4:30 PM on SuperStar Country 102.5 FM & 1530 AM, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:10 PM from Cleveland.
