Witt hits tiebreaking sacrifice fly in 10th, Royals beat Tigers 4-3 to stop 6-game skid
Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) and Bobby Witt Jr. celebrate after the final out against the Detroit Tigers in the tenth inning during a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Detroit. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
DETROIT — Bobby Witt Jr. hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 Sunday to stop a six-game losing streak.
With the score 3-3, Jonathan India's groundout off Tyler Holton (1-2) advanced automatic runner Drew Waters to third, and Witt hit a 280-foot fly to left. Waters scored headfirst ahead of Riley Greene's throw.
Carlos Estévez (1-0) intentionally walked Greene to put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom half, then retired Dillon Dingler on a popup.
Kansas City went 2-8 on its trip and is 9-14. Detroit had won three straight.
Detroit left fielder Kerry Carpenter left the game after the eighth inning because of right hamstring soreness.
There were as many as 19 hits in a game with no extra-base hits for the first time since St. Louis beat the New York Mets on Sept. 4, 2012.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings, while Royals starter Michael Wacha gave up two runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 inning
Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. hits a sacrifice fly against the Detroit Tigers in the tenth inning during a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Detroit. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
Hunter Pasquantino and Drew Waters built a 2-0 lead with RBI singles in the second, but consecutive, two-out run-scoring singles by Carpenter and Zach McKinstry tied the score inthe fifth.
McKinstry's RBI single in the seventh ended Daniel Lynch IV's scoreless streak at 31 innings.
Mark Canha tied the score in the eighth with an RBI single after Witt reached second on a throwing error by third baseman Javier Báez.
Key moment
With the bases loaded in the seventh, Salvador Perez scooped Greene's grounded and start an inning-ending 3-2-3 double play.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. throws to first base late on a force out on Detroit Tigers' Zach McKinstry (39) at second base in the fourth inning during a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Detroit. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
Key stat
Skubal is 11-1 with a 1.96 ERA in 18 starts at home since the start of the 2024 season.
Up next
Royals: LHP Kris Bubic (2-1, 1.88) starts Tuesday homestand opener against Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-1, 4.82).
Tigers: RHP Keider Montero (0-1, 9.00) starts Monday's series opener against Padres RHP Randy Vasquez (1-1. 1.74).
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