Stephen Kolek, Bobby Witt Jr. lead Royals to important comeback win vs. Tigers
Stephen Kolek was assured of one thing on Saturday night. He would step onto the mound at Kauffman Stadium in a spot start against the Detroit Tigers.
The Royals promoted him to start in place of top rookie Noah Cameron. This season, Cameron has tossed 108 innings and was due for some extra rest. So in his stead, Kolek got his first opportunity with his new organization.
At the MLB trade deadline, the Royals acquired Kolek and sensational rookie Ryan Bergert from the San Diego Padres. They arrived as the Royals shipped beloved catcher Freddy Fermin to the West Coast.
Bergert didn’t waste any time in KC. He established a spot in the starting rotation after posting a 2.54 ERA in his five starts.
Now, Kolek is well on his way. He allowed one earned run across six innings against the Tigers. He threw 41 of 76 pitches for strikes while not walking a batter in a 3-1 victory.
It was a terrific KC debut. Kolek earned a no-decision but gave the Royals a chance to win. His performance kept the Royals within striking distance as Bobby Witt Jr. delivered a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning.
“It’s exciting,” Kolek said. “To come in and help this team (while) trying to get a quality start in there. ... Stack some games to get it to the playoffs.”
Kolek called it “really big” to get a win Saturday and said he was “pumped to help the team out in any way I can.” He pitched with poise and showcased a variety of pitches throughout his start, dueling with Detroit standout Jack Flaherty. Kolek relied on his affinity for groundballs to stymie the Tigers’ offense.
“He threw a ton of strikes and got a bunch of groundballs,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Kolek. “Made some nice plays behind him, but he was unpredictable. He used everything: slider, changeup, sweeper, two- and four-seam. The cutter was good to lefties, too. You give him a lot of credit. It’s a good lineup and he was on the attack.”
The Tigers recorded nine groundouts on Saturday. They mustered just four hits against Kolek, with veteran infielder Gleyber Torres doing the lone damage. Torres had an RBI single in the third inning as he drove home Trey Sweeney.
Kolek shook off the lone run. He rebounded to retire Kerry Carpenter to end the third inning while stranding two baserunners.
The Royals tied the game in the fourth inning. Maikel Garcia hit a solo home run — his second in as many days — off Flaherty.
“I’m seeing the ball good, and I think I’m swinging the bat good, too,” Garcia said.
The blast traveled 428 feet. Garcia entered this season with 11 career home runs and has surpassed that total in 134 games.
In the eighth inning, Witt evened the series. His late blast came off Tigers reliever Tyler Holton as pinch-hitter Tyler Tolbert, who drew a walk before the home run, scored on the play.
“I was just ready for the fastball,” Witt said. “You want to be in (those) moments, as those are the ones you kind of grew up always wanting to be in.”
Kolek has likely earned another start with his outing. It’s possible he added his name into the mix as a September call-up when Monday comes around.
Royals’ bullpen shines again
The Royals continue to get strong relief appearances from their bullpen. On Saturday, John Schreiber and Angel Zerpa combined to strand two baserunners in the seventh inning.
Schreiber started the frame and allowed consecutive hits. The Tigers had runners on second and third base with the game still tied. However, Schreiber found a way to retire Sweeney before giving way to Zerpa.
“We have no margin for error as it’s a tie game,” Quatraro said. “We talk about it all the time, these guys don’t come in when it’s 7-1. They come in when the game is on the line every night. And they are walking a tightrope and they have to execute. They have to have the mentality that they want to be out there and they want the pressure situations.”
Zerpa faced left-handed pinch-hitter Zach McKinstry with two outs. He executed his task by getting McKinstry to ground out to end the inning.
From there, both teams relied on their bullpens. Then, the Royals took control as Witt belted his 20th home run of the season to pave the way for closer Carlos Estévez to earn his 36th save.
The Royals (70-66) moved two games behind the Seattle Mariners (72-64) in the AL Wild Card standings.
“We know where we are and we know we have to make up ground,” Quatraro said. “This is the fun part. You are getting to play meaningful games in a playoff race. And you can’t ask for anything more.”
What’s next: The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Tigers on Sunday. Michael Wacha, who is set to come off the paternity list, will start opposite 2024 AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at 1:10 p.m. Central at Kauffman Stadium.
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Stephen Kolek, Bobby Witt Jr. lead Royals to important comeback win vs. Tigers."
