Kansas City Royals ride Cole Ragans gem to 1-0 win over Baltimore Orioles in postseason opener

The Kansas City Royals are one win away from their first playoff series win since 2015 after holding off the Baltimore Orioles in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in their Wild Card Series opener.

And, as has been the case for most of the season, it was the Royals’ superstars who came through when it mattered most.

Cole Ragans got the start on the mound Tuesday and dominated Baltimore batters throughout his postseason debut. The 26-year-old lefty only allowed four hits scattered across six scoreless innings, striking out eight Orioles without walking a batter. He threw just 80 pitches before being removed due to a calf cramp.

“He pitched his butt off. I mean, that was incredible,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Ragans has been on a hot streak since the start of September. Over his last five starts, including Tuesday, the first-time All-Star has allowed just three earned runs over 31 innings pitched, good for a 0.87 ERA, while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings.

“It’s the same game we’ve played all year, it’s just a little louder,” Ragans said. “What we’ve done as a team to get to this point, it’s good enough.”

He outdueled Orioles starter Corbin Burnes, the tough-luck loser after allowing just one run on five hits in eight innings of work, striking out three and walking just one. That walk proved crucial, though, as it turned into the only run of the game.

With one out in the sixth inning, Burnes walked Maikel Garcia, who stole second base and then advanced to third on a Michael Massey groundout. That’s when Bobby Witt Jr. stepped to the plate and delivered, smacking a single into left field to drive Garcia home.

After Ragans left and with the slim lead in hand, Quatraro turned to the red-hot Royals bullpen to close the game out. Sam Long, Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg combined to allow one hit and two walks over the final three innings, with Erceg recording four outs to earn his first-ever postseason save.

Tuesday’s game was also notable for featuring the return of Vinnie Pasquantino, who hadn’t played since Aug. 29 due to a broken thumb. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in the victory.

The Royals and Orioles will square off again on Wednesday with the season on the line for the home team. Kansas City will send All-Star Seth Lugo to the mound, while Baltimore will counter with Zach Eflin. First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 3:38 p.m. central time.

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