KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jonathan India’s at-bat in the seventh inning might be worth showing to every player in the Royals’ minor leagues.
During his 10-pitch at-bat against Twins reliever Cole Sands, India fouled off four pitches in a row then laced an RBI single to left field to tie the game. Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a sac fly, and the Royals beat the Twins 3-2 Thursday at Kauffman Stadium, giving the Royals a 3-1 series win over their division rivals.
“That’s the team we are,” India said. “I feel everybody in this lineup has a grinder mentality. They’re going to give you a good at-bat no matter what. Everyone just keeps pushing forward, no one gets real down on themselves.”
India could’ve easily done that. He’s hitting just .233 with three RBIs this season but has battled throughout, and the Royals have been impressed with his quality of at-bats.
“It’s just part of baseball,” India said. “Struggling is a huge part of the game. All you can do is stay mentally locked in and play both sides of the game — defense and offense — and just stay locked in no matter what.”
Though his average isn’t where he wants it to be, India has drawn eight walks and has a .357 on-base percentage.
“His at-bats are really good,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I know he hasn’t had the results he’s looked for, but he sees the ball really well. Sands is throwing upper 90s with a cutter, and he stayed on a lot of pitches.
“He just missed a couple and fouled them straight back. But he was on everything, and to be able to come through in that spot is big for him.”
India, who played primarily second base with the Reds, has been playing mostly third base and left field, two new positions for the Royals. But so far, he’s played well anywhere on the diamond. In the second inning, India, who played third base Thursday, dove to his left and snagged a grounder then turned and fired home in time to get the Twins’ Edouard Julien.
“I knew the play was at home on contact,” India said. “He hit it pretty hard. and I just turned around and got rid of it and threw it as hard as I can.”
Royals starter Michael Wacha pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits. Daniel Lynch IV (2-0) got the win, and Carlos Estevez earned his fourth save.
The Royals (7-6) went 5-2 on the recent homestand and earned their second straight home series win. They will now leave town for a 10-game road trip beginning Friday at Cleveland.
“It was a good homestand and to get two series wins, it’s huge for our team,” India said. “We just got to build momentum and keep going.”
