Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. began his day visiting local elementary schools to promote the benefits of reading books. Maybe he should add reading his box scores to the list next time.
Witt hit two home runs, had six RBIs and scored three times in the Royals’ 10-3 win against the Tigers on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium. Witt’s first homer of the night — a three-run, 468-foot blast in the second inning was the longest of his career. The ball went so far it landed in the fountains in left-center field.
“I didn’t really watch it,” Witt said. “I just kind of hit it and started running. But yeah, it felt good to do that.”
Witt hit a hanging splitter off Detroit starter Casey Mize, and when the ball left the bat, Royals manager Matt Quatraro thought it might go even further.
“When they said 468, it would not have surprised me if it said 500,” Quatraro said. “It seemed like it was just a golf ball, and he hit it. But it was such a controlled swing, too.
“The power that he has for his size, and when he gets going, when he catches balls out front it’s really impressive. And to get a 4-spot there in the second inning and get into their bullpen early was huge.”
While Mize (1-3) didn’t make it out of the second inning, Royals starter Alec Marsh (4-1) pitched six strong innings, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts. But he was still in awe of Witt’s power prowess.
“That was probably one of the farthest balls I’ve ever seen hit,” Marsh said. “It’s unbelievable. The guy has generational talent, and it’s amazing to have that guy on our team.”
Witt hit another homer in the sixth, and Hunter Renfro homered in the seventh. The Royals have won five in a row and are 31-19 on the season, their best start through 50 games in franchise history.
“I think everyone is starting to buy in and know that this team is special,” Witt said. “And we’ve got to keep moving.”
