Witt homers on shoulder-high pitch, Royals beat Twins 4-1 to avoid sweep

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Bobby Witt Jr. hit a home run on a pitch outside the strike zone for the fourth time this season, and Paul DeJong fell just a triple shy of the cycle, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. This win allowed the Royals to avoid a series sweep.

Witt’s home run came in the third inning on a shoulder-high, full-count fastball from Louie Varland (0-5), who is still searching for his first win of the season. Witt’s 24th home run of the year soared into the left-center bullpen, measuring 4.07 feet above the ground, the highest recorded by a Kansas City player since the inception of pitch tracking in 2008, according to MLB Statcast. Witt is currently leading the majors with a .349 batting average.

DeJong made his mark with a double in the second inning, scoring on Kyle Isbel’s groundout, and followed with a single in the fourth. He added a home run in the sixth, reaching 20 home runs for the first time since his career-high 30 with St. Louis in 2019. DeJong’s family, who had driven from northern Wisconsin for the series, chose to extend their visit when they learned he’d be starting on Wednesday.

On the mound, Cole Ragans (10-7) delivered a standout performance, striking out eight and walking none over seven innings, giving up just one run on five hits. It was his third consecutive win, the first time he’s achieved such a streak in his major league career. Ragans mixed 20 changeups, 12 knuckle-curves, 11 sliders, and nine cutters with 54 fastballs averaging 95.3 mph. Despite allowing a home run to Carlos Santana in the fourth on a changeup, he stranded the bases loaded in the fifth by inducing a groundout from Royce Lewis.

Lucas Erceg closed the game with a 13-pitch outing, earning his fifth save in eight chances by inducing two groundouts and a popup.

With this win, the Royals (66-55) are in contention for the third American League wild card spot, while the Twins (67-53) are positioned for the second wild card slot. The Royals have struggled against the Twins this season, with a 3-7 record, and are 14-28 against them since 2022.

Varland gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings and remains winless since September 12, 2023. The Twins recalled him from St. Paul and optioned right-hander Josh Winder to Triple-A.

In the seventh inning, Vinnie Pasquantino added an RBI double on a 100.3 mph pitch from Jhoan Duran.

**UP NEXT:**
– **Royals:** RHP Michael Lorenzen (5-6, 3.79 ERA) will start Kansas City’s three-game series in Cincinnati against Reds RHP Nick Martinez (6-5, 3.16) on Friday.
– **Twins:** RHP Bailey Ober (12-5, 3.52 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Twins on Thursday night in Texas, facing off against LHP Cody Bradford (4-0, 3.60).

(Photo courtesy of Twins/MLB)