Home run robbery, HBPs and 9th-inning eruption: KC Royals have new win streak brewing

Adam Frazier raced to the warning track in the third inning. The Kansas City Royals outfielder was in pursuit of a runaway baseball off the bat of Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows.

Meadows crushed a 91.8 mph fastball towards the Modelo beer sign plastered on the right-field wall at Comerica Park. Frazier, who was making his 33rd career start in right field, eyed his opportunity to make a big play.

After watching teammate Kyle Isbel produce a web gem on Thursday, Frazier had a chance to create his own hold my beer moment.

And he didn’t disappoint.

Frazier timed his jump and robbed Meadows of a two-run homer. Then he took it a step further by throwing back to first base to double up Tigers shortstop Javier Baez.

“I saw it go up and I had to get back there,” Frazier said. “Just trying to get back there and leave a little space in case it was close enough to rob and it was. It was the first one I was able to do that.”

The jaw-dropping catch got a shoutout from Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. More importantly, the catch helped KC stay in front in a game that the offense broke open in the ninth.

The Royals won 8-0 on Friday afternoon, their fourth win in a row.

“It was unbelievable,” Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “Izzy’s catch yesterday and then go to that catch. It’s like 1-2 on the top plays of the year. ... It was crazy and got us hyped up. Great game-saving catch.”

Frazier factored in offensively, too. He hit a one-out single in the third inning as the Royals loaded the bases. Later, he scored as Witt hit a sacrifice fly.

The Royals collected seven hits in the game. However, KC starter Seth Lugo needed just one run. Lugo tossed seven scoreless innings en route to his fourth victory.

“I threw a couple of pitches that perhaps I thought they should’ve taken a couple of swings on,” Lugo said. “It kind of gave me an idea of what their approach was throughout the game. And then I just made sure to keep executing fastballs.”

Detroit threatened late in the game. In the eighth inning, the Tigers faced Royals reliever John Schreiber with two runners on base.

Schreiber battled Spencer Torkelson before striking him out to end the frame. The Royals added seven insurance runs in the ninth inning behind Witt’s two-run triple and Maikel Garcia’s two-run single. There were also two key hit-by-pitches that turned the tide — both resulting in runs.

“To tack on with Maikel and Bobby both coming up big, clearly the breathing room (at that point) is much needed,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

KC took advantage and improved to 17-10.

Missed previous Royals coverage?

Web Gem: Inside Kyle Isbel’s incredible catch against the Toronto Blue Jays

Rain Delay: Umpire explains tarp snafu in Royals rain-shortened victory

Here are more notables from Friday’s game:

Seth Lugo tosses 7 scoreless innings

Lugo was efficient against the Tigers. He was aggressive from the start as he registered four strikeouts in his first five batters faced.

“Being aggressive is part of the plan every outing,” Lugo said. “I just had really good fastball command today. I mixed my pitches well and, for the most part, stayed ahead in counts.”

The Tigers didn’t record a hit until the fourth inning. Tigers designated hitter Mark Canha snapped the momentum with a line-drive single into center field.

Next, Torkelson reached on an infield single. The Royals challenged the call as it appeared first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino secured the incoming throw. However, the baseball was lodged in between his arms.

Per MLB rules, the baseball must be caught in the glove or by hand to record an out.

Lugo worked around the issue. He retired Kerry Carpenter and Matt Vierling in order to end the threat. He finished his outing by allowing three hits and striking out nine batters.

The nine strikeouts tied a career-high. Lugo threw 103 pitches and registered 42 swings and 13 whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

“Lugo set the tone from pitch one and he dominated the whole game,” Witt said. “It’s fun to play defense behind a guy doing that.”

What’s ahead on the KC Royals schedule?

The Royals continue their three-game series against the Tigers on Saturday night.

Brady Singer draws the start against Tigers hurler Casey Mize. This season, Singer owns a 2-1 record with a 2.76 ERA in five outings.