The Kansas City Royals and their fans were livid after shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was hit by a pitch just a hit away from the cycle during the club’s 10-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday at Kauffman Stadium.
Witt, who had tripled in the first inning, doubled in the third and homered in the fourth, stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning needing just a single to complete the cycle. Instead, Witt was plunked in the side by Diamondbacks righthander Humberto Castellanos.
Royals fans rained thunderous boos down on the Diamondbacks, just as Royals catcher Salvador Perez shouted at the opposing club from the top step of the Kansas City dugout, and Witt slowly walked up the first base line.
Bobby Witt Jr. gets plunked just a single shy of the cycle
The Royals and their fans were NOT happy pic.twitter.com/CEKDjjlJEP
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 23, 2024
Just a half-inning later in the top of the seventh, Royals righthander John Schreiber plunked Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno, leading to a warning from home plate umpire Jordan Baker to both dugouts, and then an ejection of Arizona manager Torey Lovullo. Perez even had some words for Lovullo during his heated exchange with Baker.
Tempers flared in KC after the Royals retaliated for Arizona hitting Bobby Witt Jr. just a single shy of the cycle
Torey Lovullo was ejected after umps warned both dugouts pic.twitter.com/7PpuFEF4up
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 23, 2024
Witt, in his final plate appearance of the game, flied out to right field, missing out on the cycle but earning a standing ovation from the home crowd.
After the game, Perez said he wasn’t a fan of the optics of the situation.
“I don’t like the way it looks, honest to you guys,” Perez said. “Three-for-three, trying to get a hit for the cycle. … I’m going to have Junior’s back.”
Lovullo denied there was any intent to hit Witt.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo explains what led up to his ejection, including on-the-field comments to #Royals catcher Salvador Perez.
The ejection came after the Diamondbacks and Royals hit batters with pitches in back-to-back innings, one with Bobby Witt Jr. near a cycle. pic.twitter.com/dzQW8VWUMn
— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) July 23, 2024
“What I said was: ‘If you think in your right mind that I was going to ask our team to hit the future of Major League Baseball, one of the best players in Major League Baseball, you’re crazy,’” Lovullo said. “And you’ve lost control of this situation. And you got it wrong.
“That’s what I said to [home-plate umpire] Jordan Baker, and I wanted Salvy to hear that. I wanted him to take it back to their dugout and make sure that he understood that that’s how I felt. And that’s how I feel about Bobby Witt Jr. He’s an unbelievable player.”
Royals manager Matt Quatraro then also denied there was any intent on Kansas City’s part to hit Moreno.
Witt, an All-Star for the first time and the major league leader in hits, is enjoying a career year in his age-24 season, having posted a .341/.387/.592 slash line with 18 home runs, 69 RBI, 82 runs scored and 22 stolen bases.
The Royals and Diamondbacks play each other two more times in the series, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
