The Kansas City Royals found a way against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
And they did it in more ways than one.
In the seventh inning, Vinnie Pasquantino drilled a 94.2 mph cutter into right field. The ball dribbled into the outfield as Jonathan India scored and Bobby Witt Jr. raced home behind him.
A perfect throw awaited Witt at home plate. But somehow, Witt avoided the incoming tag with a terrific slide.
“When you are growing up as a kid playing Wiffle ball or whatever it is in the backyard, I was just trying to make something happen,” Witt told Joel Goldberg of FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City after the game. “I was just trying to be as athletic as possible and trying to put runs on the board.”
Witt also set a new Royals record with a 23-game road hitting streak. He passed Royals Hall of Famer Hal McRae on the all-time list.
The Royals scored three runs to surge toward a 3-2 victory and a series split in Seattle.
The late rally erased an unfortunate start. The Royals (41-47) failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth inning. However, the Mariners (45-42) kept giving them chances to atone for their mistakes.
The Royals drew five walks, leading to the extra scoring opportunities. Mariners rookie Logan Evans, who was making his eighth start, was brilliant through 5 ⅔ innings. He allowed three hits and struck out three batters.
Conversely, the Mariners’ bullpen was not. The Royals attacked relief duo Casey Legumina and Carlos Vargas in the seventh. The three-run frame swayed momentum as the Royals took control.
And it gave Seth Lugo a well-earned victory.
Lugo allowed one run in 6 ⅓ innings. He walked two batters and registered seven strikeouts as he continued his recent string of quality starts. In his last six outings, Lugo has surrendered five runs in 34 innings.
“His pitching is phenomenal and that is a really tough lineup to navigate,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters postgame in Seattle. “And he kept us in the game.”
Royals closer Carlos Estévez struggled with his command in the ninth inning. Still, he held on to retire Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh to pick up his 24th save.
“He’s going out there and shutting the door,” Witt said. “It got a little hairy there at the end and those moments are made for closers like that. We’ve got a great closer in Carlos Estévez.”
The Royals currently sit 4 1/2 games behind the Mariners in the American League Wild Card race.
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