KANSAS CITY — The Royals are making a push towards October, and Bobby Witt Jr. is making history along the way.
Kansas City’s superstar shortstop became the first player in Major League history to hit 20 homers and steal 30 bases in each of his first four seasons with a game-winning two-run blast in the eighth inning of the Royals’ 3-1 win over the Tigers on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium.
“He’s the best player in baseball,” said Maikel Garcia, who crushed his 15th homer of the season in the third inning. “He does it all year, and he comes to the field every time, plays hard and he never gives up. … He can change the game, and he changed the game.”
Witt did all he could to will the Royals to the postseason a year ago with an MVP-caliber season, and Saturday’s laser off the batter’s eye to snatch a victory from first-place Detroit was another reminder that if Witt gets going the way he did in 2024 — moments like Saturday’s homer won’t be unique in September.
“In those moments, you don’t really see it, it just happens,” Witt said of his Statcast-projected 427-foot big fly. “I was ready for a fastball, and you want to be in those moments. [They’re] the ones that you grew up always wanting to be in.
“It’s pretty special, just any time you do the first of something in this game since it’s been around for a while. Those are great numbers, but now we have a bigger goal in mind.”
“In the ninth inning, it felt like October of last year,” said Garcia. “It’s amazing to feel that and we want to be there again this year.”
Manager Matt Quatraro added: “We know where we are. We know we have to make up ground, but this is the fun part, right? You get to play meaningful games in a playoff race, and you can’t ask for anything more.”
A run to the postseason will run through Witt, who extended his MLB-best hitting streak to 18 games with a single in the first inning. His .299 average is sixth-best in the big leagues and he’s slashing .311/.380/.507 in the second half.
“Bobby’s a star player in this league, one of the best players in this league, so you don’t take it for granted, first and foremost,” said Quatraro. “Secondly, you appreciate it on a nightly basis. And third, you just hope that he continues to grow because I think he’s so talented that what he’s doing now might be the floor of what he can possibly do going forward.”
If Saturday was the floor, it’s going to be hard to beat.
In addition to his game-winning homer, Witt made a pair of nice plays behind Stephen Kolek, who tossed six innings of one-ran ball in his Royals debut in place of rookie Noah Cameron. The best was a diving stop in the sixth where he dove to his right before coming up and firing a 92.3 mph screamer to first for the out.
“[The defense] played outstanding tonight,” Kolek said. “That was a lot of fun to watch.
“For us to get a win tonight, that was really big. And I’m pumped to help the team out in any way I can.”
And the defense didn’t stop with Witt. Garcia also kept Detroit off the board when he forced out Dillon Dingler at home plate in the third inning.
“To watch what Maikel and Bobby do on a nightly basis on the left side of the infield — offensively, defensively, running the bases – it’s really cool to watch,” Quatraro said. “They’re two young players growing up right in front of our eyes in the big leagues, and it doesn’t surprise me whatever they do.”
The Royals will need both to get where they want to go, but until then, there’s no denying the buzz that’s been at The K this weekend with so much at stake.
“There were some roars out there, and that’s like the best fans out there,” Witt said. “And it’s not even full [yet]. So I’m ready to see it get full and hear them go crazy.”
