I did NOT have that on my bingo card.
In the game preview for today’s home opener, I wrote that the unusually warm March weather, pushed-in fences, and fly-ball prone Twins pitcher could result in a little fun for the fans. I did not expect that fun to come from Kyle Isbel and Isaac Collins. (Maybe it was just the wind, it was a windy day, but … I don’t care).
The 2025 much-maligned outfield needs to improve this year, and if this keeps up, it’ll do just fine. After a Jonathan India single to lead off the bottom of the second, Isbel came to the plate with two outs. Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson gave him a hanging slider that stayed up just enough for Isbel to get it at the bottom of the zone. He knocked it into the right field bullpen for the first Royals homer of the year at the new K. He did not, however, need the new fences to hit that homer. At least according to the booth.
The Royals offense was pretty quiet until the seventh inning, when Collins came up to bat with one out and nobody on. He got a changeup inside and managed to turn on it and deposit it into the left field bullpen off the State Farm sign. Readers, he ALSO did not need the new fences for that ball to be gone. How about that for his first hit as a Royal?
These guys combined for 13 home runs last year. Isbel with four, Collins with nine. How cool would it be if they found a little power? I won’t hold my breath or anything but this is the time of the year to *dream*.
The starter, Kris Bubic, labored a bit through the early innings. He gave up a big homer to Twins bopper Matt Wallner, who also did not need the new fences for that ball to be gone. However, Bubic gave up only one other hit, which allowed him to limit the damage of the three walks he issued. He got *very* short innings in the fourth and fifth innings, throwing only 13 pitches combined. That allowed him to keep a low pitch count and finish out the sixth inning.
Bubic’s line – 6 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
Daniel Lynch IV, Nick Mears, and John Schreiber combined for three relatively easy innings to close out the win. Mears managed to induce one of the easiest double plays I have ever seen on a weak liner up the middle that Bobby Witt Jr was perfectly positioned to field. He just stepped on second himself and threw to first for the double play. There was some debate over whether or not to have Schreiber, a righty, pitch to Wallner, a lefty. They decided to proceed, and Schreiber got an easy grounder to India to end the game.
Fun note – Maikel Garcia challenged using ABS and turned a 2-2 count into 3-1. He got a hittable pitch and smoked it for a double. Too bad Bobby Witt Jr lined out for a double play right after. The Royals seem to have a good sense of when to challenge using ABS. Something to keep an eye on.
The Royals move to 2-2 in this nascent season. They have an off day Tuesday and return to action on Wednesday against the Twins at 6:40pm US Central time.
