WATCH: Royals’ Maikel Garcia buzzed by flying insect before doubling vs. Braves
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Maikel Garcia swatted at a bumblebee before hitting a double vs. Braves.
- Garcia advanced an extra base after a slow throw from Braves' outfield.
- Cousins Garcia and Acuña exchanged playful gestures during Monday's game.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia didn’t need his baseball glove Monday — he was Kansas City’s designated hitter against the Atlanta Braves at Kauffman Stadium.
But he could’ve used a pair of boxing gloves as he sparred with a bumblebee at home plate in the third inning.
“I didn’t know what that was,” he said later, “but I felt something on my neck and I just started moving.”
Garcia was facing Braves ace Spencer Strider when the flying insect invaded his personal space. He didn’t appear too fazed by the moment, swatting a pitch into center field after swatting away the pesky bee.
He even stretched what could’ve been a single into a double, sliding into the bag at second.
“I hit a base hit to center field,” Garcia said of the pitch from Strider. “And he (the fielder) slipped there. He was a little bit lazy (throwing the ball in) and I took the extra 90 (feet).”
During the buzzy at-bat, Garcia tried to shoo away the bumblebee, to no avail. It was a funny moment that caught the attention of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr, Garcia’s cousin.
Acuña made a similar shooing motion after watching the sequence play out from his own spot in right field. It was another in a series of playful exchanges between the cousins throughout the game.
Earlier, Garcia gave Acuña a finger wag as he scored in the first inning. Acuña tried to throw Garcia out from second base, but Garcia beat the incoming relay to the plate.
“Yeah, so much fun,” Garcia said of playing against Acuña. “You know, enjoy the moment. I was thinking of that moment all weekend and it happened in the first game. So that’s amazing. We grew up together and now we are in the big leagues playing.”
Garcia finished the night 3-for-4. He also had an RBI double in the first inning off Strider.
The Royals fell 10-7 in Monday’s series opener at Kauffman Stadium. The teams play again Tuesday night at The K.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 12:01 AM with the headline "WATCH: Royals’ Maikel Garcia buzzed by flying insect before doubling vs. Braves."
