KANSAS CITY — The ingredients were there for a young pitcher to get rattled Monday at Kauffman Stadium.
Jharel Cotton never let that happen. Instead he prevented the Royals’ sold-out crowd from becoming a factor in their home opener, spinning a beauty of a performance in the A’s 2-0 victory.
According to catcher Stephen Vogt, Cotton’s warm-up routine didn’t follow the usual pattern due to an extended pregame ceremony in memory of Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, who died in a January car accident. There were starts and stops for Cotton as he prepared during the ceremony, which had several A’s players, not to mention manager Bob Melvin, commenting on how powerful and moving it was.