Royals Edge Twins 3-2 Behind Witt Jr.’s Sacrifice Fly

Kansas City, MO — Bobby Witt Jr. delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, helping lift the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

Trailing by one, the Royals mounted a rally in the seventh off reliever Cole Sands (1-1). Freddy Fermin drew a one-out walk, followed by back-to-back singles from Drew Waters and Jonathan India, the latter tying the game at 2. Witt then stepped up and sent a deep fly ball to center field, scoring Waters and giving Kansas City the lead.

Left-hander Daniel Lynch IV (2-0) came on in relief, striking out two of the three batters he faced, and Carlos Estévez shut the door in the ninth to earn his fourth save of the season.

Minnesota’s starter Bailey Ober gave up a run in the first after three consecutive singles but quickly settled down, allowing just two more hits over six strong innings. He struck out four, walked one, and gave up one run on five hits.

The Twins answered early. Ty France launched his second homer of the year to lead off the second, tying things at 1-1. Later in the inning, Ryan Jeffers drove in a run with a ground-ball single up the middle after walks to Trevor Larnach and France, putting the Twins ahead 2-1.

Royals starter Michael Wacha lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks, striking out four. He continued his strong track record against Minnesota, having allowed fewer than three runs in seven of his eight career starts against them.

Jonathan India also had a key moment in the seventh, fouling off four straight 3-2 pitches before driving an RBI single to left, tying the game and setting the stage for Witt’s decisive sacrifice fly.

Up Next: The Twins return home to host the Detroit Tigers on Friday. Rookie right-hander David Festa will be called up from Triple-A St. Paul to make his first MLB start, replacing Pablo López, who was recently placed on the injured list. He’ll face Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (1-1, 5.06 ERA).

The Royals head to Cleveland to open a series against the Guardians. Kansas City sends undefeated Kris Bubic (2-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound against Tanner Bibee (1-1, 6.52 ERA).