You could be forgiven if, when this game started, the last thing you expected was a pitcher’s duel. That, as they say, is why they play the game. The Royals sent their struggling ace Brad Keller to the mound, lugging his 6.39 ERA behind him. Opposite him, Cleveland sent Triston McKenzie and his 6.38 ERA to the mound. So of course, the pair combined to allow five hits in fourteen and two-thirds innings.
McKenzie had what was most certainly the best start of his young major league career. He struck out nine and walked one while allowing only a single hit - a groundball that sped past the shortstop off the bat of Michael A Taylor.