A little more than 24 hours before the season, Brad Keller sat in a room full of media as the man officially atop the Royals’ rotation. When Kansas City takes part in opening day on Thursday afternoon, Keller will throw the game’s first pitch. He’s the starter.
So who will throw its last pitch? Who’s the closer?
The Royals have intentionally failed to name one, and if manager Ned Yost has a plan in place for the late innings, he’s done an admirable job keeping it a secret.
“We purposely didn’t anoint a closer or an eighth-inning guy because we want to try to mix and match a little more in the bullpen,” he said.