2020 Season in Review: The best games of the year

It was a strange year unlike any other, and it really was a feat just to be able to finish a complete baseball season. It took a lot of adjusting, but it was great to have baseball back.

There were only 60 games to choose from, but here are the best Royals games of the year.

July 25 - Extra inning win under new rule

The pandemic-shortened season brought some new rules to ensure baseball could complete the season, including a rule that extra innings begin with a runner at second base. The Royals took advantage of the rule in just the second game against the Indians. Brady Singer made his Major League debut and pitched well over five innings, giving up just two runs. The Royals managed just two runs themselves, and the game went into overtime. Brett Phillips became the first automatic runner in Royals history, and after Erick Mejia sacrificed him to third, Maikel Franco brought him home with a sacrifice fly to appease the Small Ball gods and give the Royals a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

August 6 - Royals destroy Cubs on national TV

The Royals don’t get to be on national television very often these days, but they were selected to be the opponent of the Chicago Cubs for a game on FOX. The Royals chipped away at Cubs starter Tyler Chatwood for a run in the first, but Whit Merrifield really got things going in the second with a two-run home run. The third inning made it a laugher, with the Royals sending ten hitters to the plate with six runs crossing the plate. Meanwhile, Brad Keller was silencing Cubs bats with five shutout innings, as the Royals ended up winning in a 13-2 rout.

September 10 - Near no-no for Singer

Brady Singer showed flashes of why he was one of the top college pitchers and a first-round pick for the Royals in 2018. He showed a fastball with great movement, a slider that darted away from right-handers, and a bulldog tenacity to overcome adversity. His talents all came together on full view on a September 10 start against the Indians. The rookie carried a no-hitter into the eighth, getting the first two outs until catcher Austin Hedges grounded a single through the hole on the right side of the infield. Singer would strike out the next hitter, giving him eight shutout innings in his most impressive start of the year.

September 13 - Royals rout the Pirates

The Royals had a brutal schedule early on, and once they got to playing some bad teams at the end of the year, the wins started piling up. The Royals made easy work in a sweep of the Pirates late in the year, including an 11-0 laugher on September 13. The Royals jumped on starter Chad Kuhl right away, sending nine men to the plate in the first, ending the inning with a 4-0 lead. Salvy led off the third with a home run and the rout was on. Perhaps the most amazing thing was that Royals hitters drew eight walks, tied for the most free passes they would take in a game in 2020.

September 16 - Singer is scoreless again

Singer really found his groove late in the year, ending the season by giving up just four runs over his last four starts, covering 24 innings. He followed up his near no-hitter of the Indians with another scoreless outing, this time against Detroit. He shut out the Tigers over six frames, extending his scoreless streak that would eventually last to 15 innings.