Bobby Witt Jr. hit an RBI single in his playoff debut to back Cole Ragans’ six sharp innings and help the Kansas City Royals return from a nine-year postseason absence with a 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series. Witt is a 24-year-old shortstop who led the majors with 211 hits and a .332 batting average this season. He singled to left field Tuesday off a 95 mph, first-pitch cutter from 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes with two outs in the sixth. Maikel Garcia came around to score after drawing a walk, stealing second and moving to third on a groundout. Ragans left after 80 pitches because of cramping in his left calf. Lucas Erceg earned the save.
Tarik Skubal added perhaps his most important accomplishment to date to an already sparkling resume Tuesday. The AL pitching Triple Crown winner gave the Detroit Tigers their first postseason victory in more than a decade with a sensational playoff debut in a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros. Skubal, who had had 228 strikeouts to go with 18 wins and 2.39 ERA, allowed just four singles and walked one in six innings.
