Mookie Betts homers twice as L.A. Dodgers hammer Kansas City Royals in series opener

Kansas City Royals starter Alec Marsh threw five pitches in his major-league debut before he received his “welcome to big leagues” moment against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the first inning of Friday night’s game at Kauffman Stadium, Marsh challenged former AL MVP Mookie Betts with a 92.3 mph fastball over the plate. Betts sent it into orbit: The home run traveled 422 feet and cleared the left-field wall.

Betts hit another solo homer in the third inning. It was his 26th career multi-home run game. By the end of the night, he’d gone 4-for-4 with four RBIs to propel the Dodgers to a 9-3 series-opening victory.

“The adrenaline definitely hit me out there, but I tried to control the most that I could,” Marsh said. “I just wanted to give us a chance to win. Facing that kind of lineup is definitely better than anything I faced before.”

Despite the rough start, Marsh showed some of his potential. He pitched four innings and showed elevated velocity on his fastball. He touched 97 mph and struck out Dodgers stars Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy.

In the fourth inning, however, Marsh ran into trouble with his command. He surrendered two walks and the Dodgers took advantage. Jason Heyward hit a two-run double and Betts added an RBI single to extend the visitors’ lead.

“He is certainly not the first guy to give up homers to Mookie Betts,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Marsh “He competed and the pitch count got elevated there in the third and fourth. But, his stuff was okay. ... All in all, he handled himself fine. That is a tough lineup.”

Marsh allowed six hits, five earned runs and four walks and struck out five. He threw 54 of 95 pitches for strikes.

“I think after tonight, I’m excited to get back to work and keep going,” Marsh said.

The Royals collected nine hits, with Bobby Witt Jr., Nick Pratto and Freddy Fermin recording RBIs. Maikel Garcia went 3-for-4 and stole two bases.

L.A. put the game away late. In the eighth inning, the Dodgers scored three insurance runs. The Royals fell to 23-59.

Here are more notables from Friday’s game:

Freddy Fermin stays hot against Dodgers

Royals catcher Freddy Fermin is starting to build momentum.

Fermin added an RBI single in the sixth inning off Dodgers starter Bobby Miller. It was his third straight game with an RBI after his walk-off hit against the Cleveland Guardians.

Fermin is hitting .524 (11-for-21) in his last nine games. He has four extra-base hits and 10 RBIs during that span.

“Freddy is swinging the bat great,” Quatraro said. “He had an RBI single, and he lined one back up the middle. He has competitive at-bats, and he works every single pitch behind the plate. He gives a great effort every night.”

Royals add 19th outfield assist

Royals outfielder Edward Olivares threw out David Peralta at third base in the seventh inning. It was the Royals 19th outfield assist.

“The thing I’m impressed with there is he kept the ball down each time and let the carry happen,” Quatraro said.

This season, eight different Royals have recorded an outfield assist. MJ Melendez leads the team with four. The Royals are three assists shy of matching their 2022 total.

What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game set against the Dodgers on Saturday. Daniel Lynch gets the start. Brady Singer will oppose Tony Gonsolin in the series finale on Sunday.