KANSAS CITY — It took a perfectly executed bunt play to give Kansas City its first series win in over a month during the homestand that was highlighted by the Royals’ home run.
Reserve catcher Freddie Farmin was the man of the day and an impromptu Gatorade shower in Thursday afternoon’s Royals’ 4-3 win over the White Sox, hitting the safety squeeze walk-off, knocking on Nick Pratt. bathed. Kauffman Stadium. With one out on runners on first and third base, Manager Matt Quatraro signaled for a bunt play and Fermin struck the ball. Chicago closer Reynaldo Lopez came off the mound hard, but was unable to secure the ball as Pratt crossed the plate.
“In my head I thought, ‘I have to do this,'” says Fermin.
Quatraro said he thought a bunt might be Kansas City’s best opportunity to avoid overtime against hard-throwing Lopez.
“[I] I was just thinking about how difficult it was to get the ball off the ground against Lopez,” Cuatraro said. “He’s really tough. You’re trying to put Freddie in the best position and give us the best chance to win.”
The White Sox were trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning, but Louis Robert Jr. tied the game with a two-run double against Aroldis Chapman to set up the opening of the ninth and become Kansas City’s first game since April 7. He added an exclamation point to the series win. 9 in San Francisco.
The exact run ended with Fermin but started with Pratt. Pratt made a leadoff walk against Lopez in a 3-for-2 pitch, once again showing that Pratt’s strength is his plate discipline. Then Matt Duffy hit a one-out single to the right, setting up a bunt that gave the Royals a 3-for-4 run of the series.
“It’s a ‘Duff’ special,” Quatraro said of Duffy’s hit. “He’s known for his hits to the right field line.”
The in-game discussion was mostly about Kansas City’s recent power surge. In the second inning, Michael Massey hit the right-field foul pole with a timely hit, giving the Royals a 10-game home run streak.
But ultimately Kansas City needed a small ball, not a long ball.
“This shows the versatility of this team,” Massey said. “You can hit the ball from outside the park, and Freddie hit an incredible bunt there to win the game. It’s hard to defend.”
The Royals went 1-6, 0-6 in their first two homestands this year. But they bounced back to finish 5-5 in their third homestand, winning four of their last five games.
The big win for Kansas City in the final game of the series against the White Sox was a strong start from Brady Singer, who lasted just 6 2/3 innings in his last two combined starts.
Singer allowed only one run in six innings, struck out four in 80 pitches, and allowed only five hits and two walks.
“I felt pretty good conducting today,” Singer said. “I was able to throw all my pitches well and incorporate a changeup to the left-hander. Using all three pitches really helped.”
Quatraro felt that the sixth was the best time to get Singer back on his feet.
“He found a big pitch and made some pitches when he really needed it,” Cuatraro said.
The Royals will try to keep the momentum going as they head into a nine-game trip. Suffice it to say they are feeling much better after the last two homestands.
“Every team will have its ups and downs,” Cuatraro said. “The slump at the beginning of the year has dragged on. increase.”
