2024 Season in Review: The best Royals games

Royals games were better this year.

It was a remarkable season for the Royals with 30 more wins this year than in 2023, one of the biggest improvements ever. That gave Royals fans a lot more games to be excited about! Here are the best Royals games of the year.

March 31 - Royals blow out the Twins

The Twins were expected to be the class of the division, so it was satisfying to see the Royals jump on starter Bailey Ober for nine runs in the first two innings. Salvador Perez, Kyle Isble, Maikel Garcia, and Nelson Velaquez all homered. Salvy drove in four and Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits. Brady Singer allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings as the Royals won in a 11-0 laugher.

April 9 - Walk-off win over Astros

The Royals played well to start the year, but the first signs that this season might be different took place in April when the Astros came to town. The Royals trailed early 3-0 when Cole Ragans got off to an uncharacteristically shaky start. But they battled back in the fifth with three runs to tie it, helped by a triple by Bobby Witt Jr. and an error by Alex Bregman. James McArthur kept the Astros off the board in the tenth, and Salvador Perez led off the bottom of the inning with a walk-off single to win it, part of a sweep of the Astros and a seven-game winning streak that gave fans an inkling that this team was different.

May 3 - Sixth inning explosion

By May, the Royals were trying to prove their start wasn’t a fluke. They were tied 1-1 in the seventh inning of a May game against the Rangers when the offense came alive. MJ Melendez led off with a single, and pinch-runner Dairon Blanco stole second. He would score on a Kyle Isbel single to give the Royals the lead, but that was just the beginning. Maikel Garcia singled. Bobby Witt Jr. singled. Vinnie Pasquantino singled. Salvador Perez would cap off the six-run inning with a three-run home run. When the dust had settled, the Royals led 7-1 on their way to an easy win.

June 2 - Comeback vs Padres

The Royals had gotten off to a solid start, but were in trouble of getting swept at home against the Padres. They trailed 3-1 heading into the ninth inning and were looking for anything to get the offense started. Vinnie Pasquantino led off with a single against lefty Yuki Matsui, and Salvador Perez showed his newfound plate discipline with a walk. That set the stage for an unlikely hero - Nelson Velázquez, who tripled off the walk in center to score both runners and tie the game. Nick Loftin’s fly ball would score him to win the game in a walk-off.

June 7 - Bobby Witt Jr. triple caps big comeback

The Royals trailed 7-0 before some fans had even settled into their seats. But there was a lot of baseball left to be played, and the chipped away to trail just 9-7 in the ninth. Loftin and Garrett Hampson got on base, and after a force out, Bobby Witt Jr. stepped with a chance to be a hero. He showed why he was an MVP candidate by smacking a ball down the left field line, scoring both runners and tying the game, and using his elite speed to leg it out for a triple. He would score on a hard-hit grounder by Velázquez to win the game.

June 13 - Ninth inning comeback against the Yankees

The Royals were still trying to prove themselves against good teams, and were in danger of being swept at home by the Yankees in June. The bullpen was becoming a major issue by the middle of the season, and John Schreiber and Angel Zerpa combined to blow a 2-0 Royals lead in the eighth inning to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Clay Holmes came on to protect a ninth-inning lead and was just one out away from preserving the win, when Kyle Isbel singled, moving MJ Melendez to third. Maikel Garcia lined a pitch down the left field line to score both runners and give the Royals an improbable win over the hated Yankees.

July 22 - Bobby nearly hits for the cycle

Bobby was on FIRE in the second half of the season, and he put the league on notice against the Diamondbacks. He tripled in the first, doubled and scored in the third, then homered in the fourth. The game wasn’t even halfway over, and he was just a single away from becoming the first Royals hitter in over 30 years to hit for the cycle. He came up in the sixth with a chance to achieve the feat, but was plunked on the elbow by a pitch from reliever Humberto Castellanos, earning the ire of Kauffman Stadium fans. Witt would fly out in his last plate appearance of the night, but he had already put together once of the best offensive games of the season.

August 7 - Bobby homers twice in battle with Boston

The Royals were fending off challenges from other Wild Card contenders when the Red Sox came to town in August. Boston won the first two games of the series, sowing doubt as to whether the Royals could stay in the race. But it was Bobby Witt Jr. to the rescue in the series finale, mashing two home runs and driving in four in the 8-4 Royals win.

August 26 - Royals sweep the Guardians

By August, the Royals seemed to be actual contenders and a division title might even be within reach. The Guardians had been fading in the second half and were vulnerable when the Royals came to town for a doubleheader. A late home run by Bobby Witt Jr. won a close 4-3 game in the opener. The Guardians jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the nightcap, but Salvador Perez would smack two home runs, including a grand slam, and drive in six runs in a 9-4 Royals win to sweep the doubleheader and pull the Royals within one game of first place.

October 2 - Royals finish Wild Card sweep of the Orioles

The Royals were a surprise playoff team after losing 106 games the year before. But as Bobby Witt Jr. said, they didn’t come this far just to come this far. The Royals took Game 1 in a 1-0 in a pitcher’s duel in Baltimore. In Game 2, Vinnie Pasquantino put the Royals on the board with a first inning RBI single. But the Orioles battled back with a solo home run by Cedric Mullins and knocked Seth Lugo out of the game in the fifth. Angel Zerpa worked around a bases-loaded jam, and Bobby Witt Jr. put the Royals on top with a sixth-inning RBI single. The Royals got huge bullpen performances from John Schreiber, Sam Long, Kris Bubic, and Lucas Erceg, completing the sweep and advancing to the ALDS.

October 7 - Royals grab ALDS win in Yankee Stadium

The Yankees and Royals faced off in the playoffs four times in five years from 1977-80, and renewed that rivalry this fall. The Yankees won Game 1 in a nailbiter that included a controversial call. Yankees starter Carlos Rodón was feeling it early on, with broadcaster Ron Darling saying he had “no-hit stuff.” But his on-field antics were quickly silenced by Royals bats in the fourth. Salvy led off with a home run to tie the game. Yuli Gurriel singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Tommy Pham drove him home with an RBI single, then stole second. Garrett Hampson - yes Garrett Hampson! - singled him home for another run. Maikel Garcia capped off the four-run inning with an RBI single of his own. Rodón hit the showers early, and not even the umpires could keep the Royals from a 4-2 Game 2 victory.