KANSAS CITY — With two outs at the end of the eighth inning on Thursday, Michael A. Taylor was in second place and the crowd chanted “Bob-by” as Bobby Witt Jr. stepped up to the plate.
On the second pitch, Cleveland right-hander Triston McKenzie threw to Witt Jr., the 21-year-old third baseman pulling him into the left corner of field for his first career hit and first RBI on his big league debut.
Baseball No. 1 Witt Jr. had arrived and helped the Royals win 3-1 over the Guardians on opening day at Kauffman Stadium. He later batted Andrew Benintendi’s RBI single to give Kansas City an insurance run.
Not only did Witt Jr. deliver the game-winning hit on his first day in the major leagues, he also made two outstanding plays from third base, including one to end the third inning at the top. After the infield shifted, Andrés Giménez switched on the ground to Witt Jr., who reached to his right, backhanded the ball and made a clean throw for the first that registered at 88.6 mph.
Witt Jr. also hit a top speed of 30.8 feet per second (30 is considered elite) while attempting to hit a grounder to second base in the bottom of the third inning. Yu Chang kicked him out, but it was closer than it initially looked.
That defense helped starter Zack Greinke, who excelled on his return to the Royals and started an opening day 12 years after his first appearance with Kansas City in 2010. The 38-year-old was quick and efficient, enabling a five-hit run and a walk and a strikeout for 5 2/3 innings. And he threw strikes: Of his 84 pitches, 56 were strikes. Greinke’s first inning was exactly what the Royals wanted to see. All seven of his pitches were strikes, and after allowing Myles Straw a single, Greinke got the doubleplay ball from Amed Rosario — and started the doubleplay himself.