Bobby Witt Jr. and Adam Frazier each drove in two runs. At the same time, Salvador Perez climbed further up the Kansas City Royals’ record books as the club defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-4 on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. The victory came just hours after Kansas City was mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
Oddsmakers had the game set nearly evenly, with the Royals listed as slight -115 favorites on the moneyline and the Angels at -105. The over/under closed at 9.5 runs, and the teams combined for 12 to push the total over.
Kansas City entered the night knowing it would not return to the postseason after being knocked out of the wild-card race earlier in the day. The club, which reached the playoffs last season, has missed the postseason in nine of the past 10 years. Despite the disappointment, the Royals responded with one of their more complete offensive performances of September, pounding out 15 hits and scoring in five different innings.
Perez provided the early spark. In the first inning, the veteran catcher singled to center to drive in Witt for his 97th run batted in of the season and the 1,013th of his career. That moved Perez into second place on the franchise’s all-time RBI list, surpassing Hal McRae. Only Hall of Famer George Brett, who finished his career with 1,596 RBIs, ranks higher.
Witt continued to showcase his all-around production, finishing with two RBIs, while Frazier added two more runs batted in to keep the Royals in control. Maikel Garcia also played a key role, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored, and his 11th three-hit game of the season. It was the second time in his career that he collected three hits and scored three runs in the same contest.
On the mound, Cole Ragans delivered a strong performance in his second start since returning from the injured list with a left rotator cuff strain. The left-hander struck out 10 batters while allowing two runs on three hits across five innings. Ragans improved to 3-3 on the season and demonstrated the form that made him one of Kansas City’s most reliable pitchers before his injury.
The Angels showed brief signs of life offensively. Bryce Teodosio hit his first career home run in the fifth inning, connecting in his 45th major league game. Taylor Ward added a solo shot in the ninth for his career-high 35th home run of the season, though Los Angeles still dropped its 10th game in its last 11 contests.
Before the game, Angels outfielder Mike Trout was honored by the home crowd for reaching the 400-home run milestone, a mark he hit Saturday in Colorado. Trout went hitless on Tuesday as Kansas City pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts.
The series continues Wednesday with right-hander Stephen Kolek (5-6, 3.54 ERA) starting for Kansas City against Los Angeles left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (6-11, 4.05 ERA).