Youth powers Kansas City Royals to 3-1 win at Toronto as 10 players are left at home

The smile was contagious around the Kansas City Royals clubhouse after Thursday night’s victory. The established players had it. Fresh-faced players had it. The ultra-intense manager Mike Matheny had it.

It was the same smile each time, sincere and full of pure joy. Almost as if someone took that upcoming “Smile” horror movie and turned it into a wholesome baseball underdog story. It almost became a little hard not to smile as you listened to some of those guys talk about their win and the vibe surrounding it.

Then there was the chef’s kiss of a finishing touch provided by rookie Nate Eaton in the ninth inning of his major-league debut. A member of the organization since 2018, he was drafted in the 21st round. He’s not atop the prospect rankings. He’s just a ballplayer.

Oh, and he picked the exact right moment to hit his first home run in the major leagues. Eaton blasted a 416-foot solo home run off of Blue Jays reliever Anthony Banda on a full count in the ninth inning to give the Royals an insurance run as they beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in the first game of a four-game series in front of an announced 24,426 at the Rogers Centre.

“Right around second base, I was jogging, and the only voice I could hear was my mom screaming,” Eaton said of the home run. “It was awesome.”

Eaton, a Virginia native, didn’t have to look far to find his family before the game. They were right behind the dugout.

“It was awesome with my mom and my brother and his wife being there,” Eaton said. “Those are the people that have been there my entire life and sacrificed so much for me to get to this point. Without them, I couldn’t have been here.”

Eaton was one of eight players added to the roster prior to the game in order to fill in the holes left because 10 of the Royals’ regulars were left behind because of Canadian travel restrictions that bar individuals from entering the country unless they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19. Two additional players will be added during the weekend series.

“That was one of the best wins of the year, all things considered,” Matheny said through a smile. “We feed off these guys. I don’t know if I’ve seen a group (more) happy. It felt like playoff.”

Royals outfielder Edward Olivares had three hits (3 for 3), a walk and an RBI out of the leadoff spot. Rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits, including a home run, and a stolen base for the youth-infused Royals (36-53).

Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez had a double and a run scored in a two-hit performance (2 for 4), while designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino also had two hits (2 for 4).

Now winners of five of their last six, the Royals handed a loss to Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, despite having a large chunk of their normal starting lineup staying behind in the United States. Gausman (6-7) entered the day with a 2.86 ERA.

“All odds were kind of against us if you will,” Lopez said. “It was pretty special. We took great at-bats. We had a good game plan. Our coaches put us in a great spot. We trust in them and trust that they’ll give us the proper stuff needed to perform at the highest level.

“We battled up there. We took great at-bats. When we needed to, we delivered. Obviously, Bobby doing his thing. We’ve saw it the whole year so far. Then Eaton. We were just chipping away. It was such an unselfish win. Everyone was pulling for each other. Everyone was on the top step. Everyone was cheering for one another. A lot of fist bumps, a lot of high fives.”

The Nicky-Bobby spark

Lopez got the offense kick-started with a leadoff double in the fifth inning. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Sebastian Rivero, and then Olivares lined an RBI single to right field to drive in the game’s first run.

Olivares, who missed 43 games while on the injured list (quad strain), has posted a batting average of .310 in 33 games this season. He was thrown out at second base trying to stretch the single into a double.

Witt then stepped to the plate, having lined out in his first at-bat, and smashed 1-1 fastball from Gausman over the left field wall for his team-leading 13th home run of the season.

Considering the roster turnover and the lack of established players and overall experience, the Royals appeared overmatched on paper against a club in the thick of the playoff race.

“We just wanted to just go out there and play the game,” Witt said. “Play baseball. That’s what guys were telling the other guys. It’s the same game you’ve always been playing, a bigger stadium. Go out there and have fun. Enjoy it. Take it all in. That’s what Skip told everyone, just to take it all in.”

Zerpa with a solid outing

Royals left-handed pitcher Angel Zerpa made those two runs hold up. He held the Blue Jays to one run in five innings in his first start in the majors this season. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out two.

The only mistake of Zerpa’s that the Blue Jays capitalized on was a 3-2 slider Matt Chapman hit for a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth inning. At that point, the Royals had already staked him to a lead.

“It’s important,” Zerpa said of his team getting him a lead. “Something like that happens and you trust your defense, and you trust whoever comes in after you to win the game.”

Royals relievers Jackson Kowar (two innings), Taylor Clarke (one inning) and Scott Barlow (one inning, 16th save) combined for four scoreless innings to close out the win.

Eaton’s homer in the top of the ninth put a bow on the night.

“It was just pure celebration,” Matheny said. “We still had another three outs to get. We knew that, but they didn’t hold anything back. Love to see that. Just make sure you understand how special stuff like that is, and they embraced it.”