It looked like the Kansas City Royals were destined to be on the wrong side of history Wednesday afternoon.
Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt was dealing. He hadn’t allowed a hit through five innings and was working on a career outing. The Royals couldn’t decipher their pitch movement as the outs continued to pile up.
Then, the sixth inning happened.
Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff double. Next, Maikel Garcia dropped down a sacrifice bunt as Isbel moved up 90 feet.
That set the stage for the heart of the Royals lineup. Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. hit an RBI single to score the game’s first run. Later, Vinnie Pasquantino produced an RBI double and Salvador Perez followed with a single.
Michael Massey added an RBI groundout and the Royals were suddenly ahead with a comfortable 3-0 lead. Bassitt allowed three earned runs in six innings of work.
KC flipped the game. And with it, Seth Lugo was buoyed by a wave of momentum.
Lugo was equally impressive in the pitchers’ duel. He allowed one run and two hits in seven innings. Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen accounted for the lone damage. He hit a solo home run that cleared the left-field wall in the seventh.
However, the Royals bullpen protected the lead. Chris Stratton pitched a scoreless frame before turning it over to closer James McArthur, who earned his eighth save.
The Royals improved to 19-13. They finished .500 (3-3) on their six game road trip in Detroit and Toronto.
Missed previous games of the series?
Game 1: Royals drop 3rd consecutive game in 6-5 loss to Blue Jays
Game 2: Cole Ragans shines as Royals even series with 4-1 victory in Toronto
Here are more notables from Wednesday’s game:
Seth Lugo adds 6th quality start
Lugo continued his rampage to begin the 2024 season. He earned his sixth quality start and now sports a 1.60 ERA in seven starts.
A lot has been made of his aggressive approach. On Wednesday, he attacked the Blue Jays by staying in the strike zone. He threw 61 of 101 pitches for strikes.
Story continues
As a result, Lugo notched eight strikeouts and just two walks. He relied primarily on his sinker, four-seam fastball and breaking balls. His slider registered seven swings and three whiffs in the outing.
Lugo has five wins this season. Among MLB leaders, he ranks tied for first in wins and sixth in ERA.
Michael Massey adds exclamation point
Massey sealed the Royals victory in the eighth inning. He hit a three-run homer off Blue Jays reliever Nate Pearson. The blast traveled 357 feet over the right-field wall.
The Royals took a 6-1 lead. It was Massey’s second home run in consecutive nights as Witt and Pasquantino scored.
Massey finished 1-for-4 with four RBIs. He finished the three-game series with three hits and seven RBIs.
What’s next on the KC Royals schedule?
The Royals are off on Thursday before returning home to open a three-game home series against the Texas Rangers at Kauffman Stadium.
Royals right-hander Brady Singer will start against Rangers veteran Michael Lorenzen on Friday night. First pitch is set for 6:40 pm Central.
