Bobby Witt Jr. turned Game 1 with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Witt drove in the only run of the game after Maikel Garcia worked a walk and stole second base.
- The Score: Orioles and Royals tied at 0 in the sixth inning
- The Setup: Maikel Garcia works a walk and steals second base
- The Moment: With two away, Bobby Witt Jr. lines a single to left field to plate the only run of the game
- Before: Orioles win expectancy 51.5%
- After: Orioles WE 36%
- The Shift: 15.5%
You can’t win if you don’t score. The Royals scored the only run of the game with two outs in the sixth inning. The RBI single was enough to power Kansas City to a 1-0 victory in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series at Camden Yards.
Witt’s hit swung the pendulum, but Maikel Garcia deserves plenty of credit. Baltimore starter Corbin Burnes had absolutely cruised through the first five innings, but Garcia worked a one-out walk with an impressive at bat. The nine-hitter watched the count run full before fouling off a cutter and a sweeper. After seven consecutive pitches away, Burnes threw a cutter too far inside for the base on balls.
There’s never a good time to walk a batter, but Burnes issued a free pass to the nine hitter that just so happens to lead the team in stolen bases. Garcia swiped second with relative ease, and the speedster moved to third on a ground out by Michael Massey.
Massey’s grounder marked the second out, but Burnes had to face the heart and soul of the Royals’ lineup. After starting Witt with a cutter in his first two at bats, Burnes went back to the well a third time. The young shortstop did not miss.
Corbin Burnes started Bobby Witt Jr. with a cutter all three times.
1st one was low and away. Foul ball.
2nd one was looks like it was supposed low and away, but it backed up for a called strike.
3rd one was low and away. Witt was all over it.
Only run so far. KC up 1-0. pic.twitter.com/y1WHrFtv5B
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) October 1, 2024
Witt pulled the ball at 88.4 MPH between Gunnar Henderson and Ramón Urías. The ball made its way to left field, and the Royals posted a powerful run on the scoreboard.
While Witt seized the moment, the Orioles wasted their opportunities. The O’s finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.
Baltimore’s win expectancy jumped to 65.7% after a single by Cedric Mullins in the fifth. Ramón Urías reached second on a “double” that MJ Melendez overran in left field, but Urías failed to get a good read on the single by Mullins.
Urías held up at third with only one out, but Baltimore’s offense did not take advantage. James McCann went down swinging for an unproductive out number two (WE dropped to 56.7%), and Henderson struck out to end the threat (WE returned to 50%).
The Orioles wasted one of the better postseason starts in franchise history by Burnes. The free-agent-to-be finished with 8+ IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K. The single scored the run, but superstars get base hits. It could be the walk that kept Burnes up last night, but the 29-year-old did his part yesterday. The offense cannot say the same.
The Orioles looked overmatched against KC starter Cole Ragans and a wide strike zone did not help the cause. Baltimore faced three relievers, but the Birds never broke through.
Win expectancy does not assess whether Urías could have scored in the fifth with a better read. It doesn’t factor in the distance to the wall in left either— although Jordan Westburg’s third-inning fly out would have been a home run in 28 of 30 ballparks.
The game played out exactly how the Royals needed it to for a victory. Their best base stealer reached base, their best hitter got an opportunity with a runner in scoring position, and their ace did his thing for six innings. The Orioles, needing only one swing to even the score, flailed at pitches for nine innings without leaving the ballpark.