KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Prized rookie Bobby Witt Jr. made an eye-popping play at third base to nail a runner at the plate in the top of the 10th inning, then Adalberto Mondesi’s RBI single in the bottom half lifted the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Guardians 1-0 Saturday.
With a runner at third and one out in the Cleveland 10th, Oscar Mercado hit a hard grounder down the line that looked like it might break the scoreless tie.
But the 21-year-old Witt, the top-rated prospect in the majors, skidded onto his knees to make a backhanded stop. All in one motion, he made an off-balance throw home, where All-Star catcher Salvador Perez backhanded the ball on the second hop and made a swipe tag to get Owen Miller.
“(Collin) Snider was throwing that nasty sinker in there, so I knew there was a possibility of the ball coming to me,” Witt said. “I knew they’re going on contact, too.”
“The ball was hit to me and I just threw the ball. I knew I had to get it to Salvy because I knew he was going to make the play on it,” he said.
Kyle Isbel began the bottom half as the automatic runner at second base and moved to third on a single by Hunter Dozier. Mondesi followed with his single to center off Emmanuel Clase (0-1).