Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.’s sprint speed is second overall in Major League Baseball, per Statcast, and that running ability was on display Saturday in the Royals’ 10-9 win over the Angels.
Just not in the fashion most people expect to see.
After Samad Taylor’s single to center sailed over the head of Angels center fielder Mike Trout, Maikel Garcia ran home with the winning run.
Taylor made his major-league debut Saturday, and that game-winning single was his first in the majors. Thing is, Trout and his teammates headed back to their dugout and the ball remained in center field.
That’s when Witt sprang into action.
“Yeah, first dumped the water on him and then I just kind of saw the ball out there,” Witt said. “I was looking around to see if anyone was going to go get it. I didn’t see anyone, so I was like, I might as well go get it and make sure no one else (did).
“I was afraid someone was gonna grab it and throw it in the stands if someone got to it late or some security guard. I just kind of wanted to make sure he got that ball because it’s very special to him now. It’s a hit. I think it’s the ground-rule double or something. Very special.”
Because Garcia was on third base on Taylor’s hit, it goes in the books as a single.
Not that it matters to Garcia, who was still riding high in the clubhouse, even after his teammates gave him a “food shower.”
Taylor didn’t show the ball to reporters after the game because he wasn’t sure where it was.
“I have no clue,” Taylor said. “I gave it to somebody.”
It likely was being authenticated, and it’ll be something Taylor will be able to show his grandkids one day — thanks in part to Witt’s quick thinking.
“Bobby came and got it, he handed it to me,” Taylor said. “I walked off the field and gave it to somebody and I have no clue where it’s at.”
To be fair, when your first major-league hit is a game-winning single that caps a ninth-inning rally and a comeback from a six-run deficit that ends a 10-game losing streak, well, it’s easy to lose track of the ball.
“I blacked out,” Taylor said. “I forgot about the ball. I forgot about everything. I’m still kind of speechless. It’s a blessing. I can’t complain.”
Neither can his teammates.