Bobby Witt Jr. hit two home runs, a double, and drove in four runs as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox 8-4 on Wednesday night, winning the last game of their three-game series.
“He’s just a phenomenal baseball player,” teammate Vinnie Pasquantino said of Witt. “I don’t know that there’s a word I can say. He’s not going to talk about personal accolades, but I will. He deserves to be in (the MVP) conversation.”
With this win, the Royals moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Boston in the race for a wild-card spot in the American League. In the AL Central, Kansas City closed to within a half-game of second-place Minnesota, which lost to the Chicago Cubs.
The Royals are four games behind Cleveland, which was swept in a doubleheader by Arizona.
Witt had his fourth multi-homer game of the season, starting the scoring with his 21st home run in the first inning. His second homer was a 421-foot shot to center field in the sixth inning. He also hit a two-run double.
“The pressure brings me pleasure,” Witt said about his clutch hitting. “I go up there in those situations and try to control what I can control and find a good pitch to hit.”
His manager is also impressed. “I think he’s the best player in the league,” Matt Quatraro said. “Clearly, I’m going to be biased.” The praise for Witt extended to the visiting team’s side.
“That kid is special. He’s special,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “The way he conducts himself, the way he plays the game. From our dugout, I hate it, but I love it. He’s so polite. I think the game is in good hands.”
The Royals have homered in 13 straight games, tying the second-longest streak in team history.
Cole Ragans (9-7) gave up four runs, one earned, on six hits over 6 1/3 innings, with seven strikeouts and two walks.
“I was confident that he had the stuff to keep them off balance,” Quatraro said. “His efficiency kept him going back out there. He’ll get two extra days off before his next start, so we felt confident with where he was.”
