BALTIMORE — Cole Ragans delivered a stellar performance with six shutout innings and just 80 pitches as the Kansas City Royals claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in their first playoff game in almost a decade. Although Ragans could have taken the mound for the seventh inning, a cramp in his left calf caused him to leave the game with determination for future appearances. “I plan on having quite a few more starts,” Ragans stated.
The Royals built on Ragans’ dominance, adding three scoreless innings and securing the win with an RBI single from Bobby Witt Jr. in the sixth inning. This marked the first playoff game for both Witt and Ragans, and for Kansas City, it was a significant comeback after their disappointing 106-loss season in 2023.
If the Royals can secure another victory in this three-game series, they will advance to the American League Division Series to face the New York Yankees on Saturday. Ragans assured that he would be ready for his next start, likely scheduled for Monday in the second game of the division series.
The Orioles now face the challenge of winning the remaining two games in the series to avoid another early postseason exit. Baltimore was swept last year by Texas, the eventual World Series champion, and made a pivotal trade for ace Corbin Burnes to bolster their pitching staff. On Tuesday, Burnes put forth a nearly flawless performance, allowing five hits and striking out three over eight innings, with his only walk leading to the game’s lone run.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia managed to reach second base after a full-count cutter from Burnes, setting the stage for Witt’s crucial ground ball that found a gap in the infield, delivering the game-winning hit despite only leaving the bat at 88 mph.
“I’m letting Corbin Burnes, the way he’s throwing the baseball right there, determine who he wants to go get,” commented Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.
Ragans capped his performance with a perfect final inning, ending the game with four hits allowed, no walks, eight strikeouts, and a remarkable 60 strikes out of 80 pitches. His performance reflects a strong September, where he posted a 1.08 ERA, and a full season that saw him named to the AL All-Star team while striking out 223 batters over 186.1 innings.
“That’s Cole Ragans,” Witt remarked, “and he just went out there and did what he normally does.”
Relievers Sammy Long, Kris Bubic, and Lucas Erceg secured the last nine outs, putting Kansas City in a strong position. Now, the Royals set their sights on co-ace Seth Lugo, hoping to replicate their successful sweep of Baltimore in the 2014 AL Championship Series, despite being the underdogs at that time.
“Any corner we’ve been backed into, we’ve come out on the right side of things,” said Zach Eflin, Baltimore’s Game 2 starter. “As much as it hurts to lose the first game, we still have two more opportunities to win the series and continue on. There’s nobody hanging their head or anything. We are looking forward to [Wednesday].”