BALTIMORE — Cole Ragans delivered a stellar performance in the Kansas City Royals’ first playoff game in almost a decade, throwing six shutout innings with just 80 pitches. However, he exited the game with a grimace due to a cramp in his left calf. Despite being able to pitch the seventh, Ragans was focused on the future. “I plan on having quite a few more starts,” he stated.
The Royals further solidified their lead with three additional scoreless innings, ultimately winning 1-0 against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of their wild-card series at Camden Yards, witnessed by 41,506 fans on Tuesday. Bobby Witt Jr. delivered the decisive hit in the sixth inning, marking a significant playoff debut for both him and Ragans, as well as the Royals’ first postseason appearance since their 2015 World Series victory. This victory underscores Kansas City’s transformation from a 106-loss team in 2023 to a formidable contender in the 2024 postseason.
For the Royals to advance to the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees, they will need to secure another win in the best-of-three series against the higher-seeded Orioles. Ragans has confirmed his readiness for another start, which could potentially be on Monday in the second game of the division series.
On the other hand, the Orioles face the challenge of winning the next two games to avoid another early exit from the postseason. Last year, Baltimore was swept in three games by Texas, the eventual World Series champion. In an effort to strengthen their pitching staff, they acquired ace Corbin Burnes, who performed admirably on Tuesday, although he was overshadowed by Ragans’ display.
Burnes pitched eight innings, allowing five hits and striking out three. His solitary walk led to the only run of the game when Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia stole second base after taking a full-count cutter just off the inside corner. With designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino on deck, the Orioles opted to pitch to Witt, whose grounder found a gap in the infield despite an exit velocity of only 88 mph, resulting in the game-winning hit.
“Corbin Burnes, the way he’s throwing the baseball right there, determines who he wants to go after,” said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.
Ragans capped off his outing with a shutdown inning, allowing only four hits, walking none, and striking out eight while throwing 60 of his 80 pitches for strikes. This performance mirrors Ragans’ impressive September, in which he posted a 1.08 ERA over four starts, and highlighted his strong full season in the majors, where he made the AL All-Star team and recorded 223 strikeouts in 186.1 innings.
“That’s Cole Ragans,” Witt remarked. “He just went out there and did what he normally does.”
The final nine outs were secured by Sammy Long, Kris Bubic, and Lucas Erceg, setting the Royals up favorably. They now look to their co-ace Seth Lugo to finish off the Orioles, reminiscent of their sweep in the 2014 AL Championship Series.
“Any corner we’ve been backed into, we’ve come out on the right side of things,” said Zach Eflin, who is slated to start Game 2 for Baltimore. “As much as it hurts to lose the first game, we still have two more opportunities to win the series and continue on. Nobody is hanging their heads. We’re looking forward to [Wednesday].”