The Kansas City Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-0 Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. One of baseball's worst teams beating one of its best wasn't unusual, but how the Royals won certainly was.
Last night, @Royals batters did not strike out or draw a walk. It's the first time a winning team has done that since the Mets beat the Phillies on 9/12/09. pic.twitter.com/dnoqfKTFdn
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 4, 2023
This wasn't exactly "three true outcomes" baseball, the idea that a player can only a draw walk, mash a homer or whiff when coming to the plate. With more pitchers throwing curves and sinkers in the upper 90s and 100s these days, it would seem nearly impossible for every at-bat to end with some form of contact.
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and added another RBI with a double in the sixth. Kansas City blew the doors open in the seventh, including Pasquantino's third RBI to pad the lead.
7th inning shenanigans.#WelcomeToTheCity pic.twitter.com/RzAbGu68wY
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 4, 2023
It wasn't a callback to the small-ball years that helped the Royals reach consecutive World Series in 2014 and 2015, but Wednesday night's game had an entirely different feel compared to the same occurrence in 2009.
When the New York Mets accomplished the same feat against the eventual NL champion Philadelphia Phillies, both teams combined for six home runs in the bandbox of Citizens Bank Park. David Wright hit two of those himself, going 3-for-5 with two solo shots in his best game of that season.
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