[Baltimore Sun] Orioles defend pitching to Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. in decisive at-bat
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With Corbin Burnes and Cole Ragans locked in a pitcher’s duel, Tuesday’s wild-card round opener between the Orioles and Kansas City Royals was always going to come down to a few big hits in key spots. In the end, there was only one that decided the 1-0 game.
Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. came to the plate in the top of the sixth with a runner on third base and two outs. Third baseman Maikel Garcia got on with a walk, the lone free pass issued by Burnes all game, and stole second, getting into scoring position with the top of the order due up. Burnes then retired second baseman Michael Massey on a groundout that allowed Garcia to get to third, bringing up Witt with a chance to put Kansas City in front.
Burnes, who went on to allow one run in eight-plus innings of work, had been cruising through the first five innings. He retired Witt in each of his first two at-bats and decided to go right after the American League Most Valuable Player Award candidate, throwing a first-pitch cutter on the outer half of the strike zone. Witt got his bat around to it and pulled the ball through the left side of the infield for a base hit, scoring Garcia from third.
“We did a good job the first two [at-bats] against him,” Burnes said. “Pounded him with that cutter down and away, took some pretty bad swings on it, made contact. It was a pretty good pitch that he didn’t hit very hard, just found a hole and yeah, that was the difference in the game.”
With first base open, the Orioles didn’t have to face Witt in that situation. They could have walked him to bring up designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino, who was activated off the injured list before the game. Pasquantino had a strong regular season but returned just four weeks into a six-to-eight-week timetable for a fractured thumb. He finished 0-for-3 with a walk in the game.
Manager Brandon Hyde said after the game he wasn’t going to tell Burnes what to do in that situation, which preceded several wasted scoring opportunities for the Orioles’ offense.
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“I’m letting Corbin Burnes, the way he’s throwing the baseball right there, determine who he wants to go get,” Hyde said.
The Royals weren’t shocked by the decision, either.
“I was not surprised,” Kansas City skipper Matt Quatraro told reporters. “That guy was incredible today. He’s got incredible stuff. He locates. That’s your best pitcher and our best hitter. That’s why you play this game, right? But I would have been more surprised if he had walked him.”
The Orioles’ loss sends them into Game 2 of the wild-card round with their season on the line. Hits are unlikely to be much easier to come by given Zach Eflin is getting the ball opposite the Royals’ Seth Lugo.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich.
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