Royals scratch out extra-inning win over the Indians in Brady Singer’s MLB debut
Brady Singer said matter of factly this week that he expected to be starting big-league games this season, after just one full year of professional baseball. Nothing about his demeanor or performance on Saturday made the 23-year-old right-hander’s expectations appear unwarranted.
Singer, the Kansas City Royals’ top pitching prospect and former first-round draft pick in 2018, showed guts, guile and gall as he went on the attack against the Cleveland Indians hitters at their ballpark in his major-league debut.
Singer didn’t factor into the decision, but he helped the Royals to the first win of the season and the Mike Matheny managerial tenure, 3-2, in extra innings over the Indians at Progressive Field on Saturday night. Ian Kennedy (two innings), Trevor Rosenthal, Scott Barlow and Greg Holland combined for five innings of scoreless relief.
“Scotty (Barlow), this is two nights in two nights in a row where he just kind of got better as he got in there a little longer,” Matheny said. “Talk about having your back against the wall. He made some really gutsy pitches. He used his slider really smart, figured out how to stretch the zone a little bit. I was just really impressed with how he was able to work out of that.”
Barlow, who caught some tough luck on a grounder that got through the infield on Friday night, had the most clutch outing of the game as he struck out back-to-back batters with the bases loaded in the ninth to force extra innings. He struck out Roberto Perez, swinging, on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.
“I was kind of going into it with a heavy heart,” Barlow said. “My wife’s grandfather passed away last night, so today was really special. I’m glad I could do it for her and her family.”
Jorge Soler and Salvador Perez hit back-to-back first-inning home runs with two outs. Perez’s blast which carried more than halfway up into the left-field stands, was the first in his return season from Tommy John surgery and his first in a regular-season game since September 22, 2018, in Detroit against the Tigers.
In the 10th inning, third baseman Maikel Franco, signed as a free agent this offseason, hit a sacrifice fly, driving in the winning run after Erick Mejia moved the runner to third with a bunt. Per the new MLB extra-inning rules, each team started the 10th inning with a runner on second base.
Singer struck out seven, allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in five innings. He left the game with the score tied 2-2.
Singer, who appeared calm and cool throughout the outing, stayed in the bullpen throwing his last few warm-up tosses off the mound with pitching coach Cal Eldred standing a few feet behind him right up until two minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Singer then grabbed a towel and walked toward the dugout just as the Indians took the field.
His first pitch of the night was a 95 mph fastball, according to the stadium radar gun display.
“There were obviously a few butterflies,” Singer said. “Really, I just let the first pitch go as hard as I could and just dialed-in from there and went back to the scouting report. It was honestly a blast. I really enjoyed being out there competing with the best in the game.”
Singer, who made just 26 starts in the minors prior to his MLB debut, became the first Royals player to make his debut as a starting pitcher within the first two games of a season. He’s just the eighth pitcher since 1960 to debut in the majors in his team’s first two games prior to his 24th birthday.
A native of Leesburg, Fla., Singer became the seventh Royals pitcher since 1995 to start a game within two seasons of being drafted, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He joined Luke Hochevar, J.P. Howell, Zack Greinke, Mike MacDougal, Dan Reichert and Jose Rosado in that group.
Singer also became the second player selected in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft to make his MLB debut. The other was Chicago Cubs’ infielder/outfielder Nico Hoerner.
Singer didn’t face his first hiccup until the third inning. He gave up the first hit of the day to the ninth batter he faced, Bradley Zimmer, and then gave up back-to-back singles by Cesar Hernandez and Jose Ramirez. Ramirez’s single to right field drove in the Indians’ first run.
With runners on the corners and one out, Singer responded by striking out Indians superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, who flailed at a back-foot slider.
Then Singer got Indians’ cleanup hitter and All-Star first baseman Carlos Santana to ground out, but not before a slider in the dirt squirted far enough away from Perez behind the plate for Hernandez to score the tying run from third on what was ruled a wild pitch.
Singer walked Hernandez with two outs in the fifth with Kennedy ready in the bullpen. However, Singer handcuffed Ramirez with a 93 mph fastball that elicited a half-hearted swing for strike three to end the inning and his outing.
The only three hits Singer allowed, all singles, came in the third inning. The Royals, 1-1 on the young sesason, never trailed in the game thanks to the Soler and Perez blasts that provided a first-inning jumpstart for the offense against Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger.
The teams will play the rubber match of their season-opening three-game set on Sunday afternoon.
This story was originally published July 25, 2020 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Royals scratch out extra-inning win over the Indians in Brady Singer’s MLB debut."
