Royals rally, set franchise record for runs in a season opener in 14-10 win over Rangers
The Kansas City Royals somehow managed to turn one of the worst imaginable starts to a season into a historically good performance and an overwhelming celebratory event for their first game in front of fans in Kansas City since September 29, 2019.
The first three innings consumed 1 hour, 54 minutes, included 15 runs, 20 hits, an error and a pair of outfield assists courtesy of Michael A. Taylor.
Royals ace Brad Keller matched his shortest career start and gave up six runs on nine hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings Thursday. He did not record a strikeout and threw 51 pitches to record his four outs.
However, the Royals new-look offense burst out of the starting gates with a 15-hit performance that included three home runs on their way to a 14-10 win over the Texas Rangers in front of an announced 9,155 at Kauffman Stadium.
The game took 4 hours, 26 minutes, the longest nine-inning game in Royals history. It ended with a blast from the past as Royals reliever Greg Holland gave way to Wade Davis, who had signed a minor-league contract this winter. Davis earned his first save for the Royals since 2016.
“Best Opening Day I’ve ever been a part of,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “To watch how those guys responded right away then keep coming, go down again, it was a beautiful thing to watch.
“You know what, I know a lot is said about not putting a whole lot of faith in what happens in spring training, but I think stuff like that happens because of some of the positive things we saw and the way this group started to believe in themselves through spring training.”
The 14 runs set a new club record for Opening Day runs scored. The previous record of 11 runs was set in 1979.
Taylor went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs, while Jorge Soler (2 for 2, two RBIs, two runs) and Whit Merrifield also homered in the win. Merrifield went 3 for 5 with two runs scored, a sacrifice fly and two RBIs. Carlos Santana walked three times, had a hit and RBI and scored twice.
Rookie outfielder Kyle Isbel collected three hits in his MLB debut. Isbel also drove in a pair of runs.
“Those grinding at-bats, we saw it right from the top,” Matheny said. “Guys taking walks, working deep counts, not trying to do too much, taking a good two-strike approach. Just what we were hoping for. You talk about Santana, he was on base five times today. That’s incredible.”
Keller faced 10 batters in the first inning, and each of the first five scored. He threw 37 pitches (22 strikes) and gave up three doubles, the last a double down the left-field line which Andrew Benintendi made a diving attempt to catch. Instead three runs scored on the play.
Royals reliever Kyle Zimmer began warming up in the first inning. He took over with one out in the second.
“They stacked up hits on me pretty quickly,” Keller said. “I felt like we executed our game plan, which is kind of crazy to say when you turn around and look at the line. They put balls in play where we weren’t and they kept getting hit after hit. I didn’t get that spot to slow things down, get that lucky break or anything like that, so it just kind of snowballed on me a little bit.”
Of course, the Royals responded with a five-run inning of their own that included 10 batters coming to the plate in the bottom half of the inning because, well, it was just that kind of crazy day at the ballpark.
“We put up a lot of runs all spring training, so I felt like it was so early in the game,” Isbel said. “They did put up a five spot, but for us to be able to rebound and put a five spot right back on them, that just shows a lot of courage and just a great group of guys. I think our offense is in a really good spot.”
Merrifield and Benintendi started it with back-to-back singles. Santana and Salvador Perez then followed with back-to-back walks, Perez’s forcing in the first run of the season for the Royals. Perez walked just three times in 37 games last season.
The last time both teams scored five runs or more in any inning on Opening Day was in 1929 when it happened in a game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
“When we came back in the dugout all the talk was just getting back out there and just putting the pressure on them,” Taylor said. “A lot of times when you go up early, teams can kind of let off a little bit. We were thinking: just chip away, get back on the board. Try to make it a ballgame. To put up five runs and basically put it back to zero-zero, that was huge for us.”
The Rangers, who loaded the bases in each of the first three innings, took an 8-5 lead after scoring a run in the second and two in the third. The Royals cut the lead to one with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, including a run on Taylor’s 402-foot homer.
A three-run fourth inning put the Royals ahead for the first time, and they did not relinquish it. Taylor’s RBI single up the middle gave the Royals a 9-8 lead, and Merrifield’s sacrifice fly scored Isbel to make the score 10-8.
Right-hander Carlos Hernandez allowed two runs in three innings. He earned his first win in the majors and had a career-high five strikeouts. He became the first Royal to earn his first career win on Opening Day.
The Royals led by as many as five runs, 14-9, but the Rangers loaded the bases in the eighth inning against reliever Scott Barlow before Holland struck out Leody Taveras to strand all three men.
Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier came out of the game in the eighth inning due to a thumb contusion. His status is day-to-day.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Royals rally, set franchise record for runs in a season opener in 14-10 win over Rangers."
