Royals win incredibly long game, 9-4

Some people will tell you that any Royals win is a good and/or fun game. There were certainly periods of this game that I would consider fun. Hunter Dozier’s two, two-RBI triples were pretty fun. Adalberto Mondesi picked up three hits as he continues heating back up. Alex Gordon shows no sign of slowing down. Jorge Soler had a check-swing double that you’d have to see to believe.

But holy cow this game was long. Both teams had an inning which included batting around. Neither starter lasted even four innings. The Angels’ starter didn’t even last two - and no, I’m not miscounting the opener as the starter. Jaime Barria threw 64 pitches in 1.2 innings. It was not a good outing for him. He and Jorge López made sure to take plenty of time between pitches, though, as if standing on the mound for an amount of time that would usually equal seven innings could make up for not getting half as many outs.

Homeplate umpire Jerry Layne didn’t do anyone any favors, either. His strike zone was...inconsistent to say the least. At times narrow and others exceptionally wide. He angered pretty much everyone and did very little to speed up the pace of play. Also, there was a man screaming on pretty much every pitch to ensure maximum annoyance with the lengthy game. If you had any doubt about how interesting the game was outside the handful of exciting moments I can assure you that the wave was being performed with regularity and fervor as fans attempted to keep themselves entertained.

The game featured 21 hits and 10 walks. There were 10 pitchers. Only Jorge López pitched more than three innings. There were 71 plate appearances. Perhaps the best news for those of you hoping for more Royals victories in 2019 the bullpen didn’t give up a single run in 5.1 innings.

Tomorrow the Royals will attempt to win the series in a matchup of former aces who lost their edge. Homer Bailey will go for the boys in blue and Matt Harvey will pitch for the Halos. We can only hope it’s faster than this game was.