The Outlaws stole the show on Opening Day, running away with an 18-4 victory over the shorthanded Royals. Royals starting pitcher Steve Mangurten took a batted ball to the face 5 batters into the game, altering the game plan for the boys in blue. Mike Miller pitched 2 frames of solid relief before hitting the wall, and Ric Pozo was rusty in his first game on the bump this season. At the plate, Chris Guerrero walked 3 times and scored twice, while Miller walked, was hit by a pitch, and had a 2-run single to lead the offense. On a quiet day with the bats, rookie Tony Suarez had the team's only other hit - an rbi-single that knocked in Miller. Pozo also walked twice, and cleanup hitter Alex Contreras reached base 3 times (a walk and 2 errors.)
Next Sunday, the Royals take on the Jokers, 10am at Poly High School.
2019 Spring Season (and possibly final) Wrap-Up
In what may very well be the end of a franchise, the Royals were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs vs. the Wailers after being swept 19-5 and 19-7 over the weekend.
For the season, the Royals were anchored by AAA Cy Young award winner Brett Kahanowitch, who led the team in every meaningful pitching category, including starts (11), complete games (11), wins (6), innings pitched (109.1), strikeouts (96) and ERA (3.29). On offense, Kahanowitch also led the team in hits (27), doubles (7) and stolen bases (12), while Alex Baer led in runs (20), triples (3), home runs (2), walks (15) and rbis (15).
Starting in Spring 2003, the PCBL has had the Royals in one of their weekend divisions for 33 straight seasons. Fall 2019 will mark the end of an era. While they may come back together in the future, the franchise currently sits at 259-244-16, with a 21-25 record in playoffs, including a 2-7 record in championship games. Thanks to all 270 players who dedicated part of their weekends and proudly wore some shade of blue over the years!
The Royals finish their 32nd season in the PCBL in the Major division for just the 3rd time ever. Leading the way was league MVP award winner Alex Baer (2nd straight league MVP) and team Cy Young winner Randy Guerrero.
Baer led the team with 15 hits, 15 runs scored, 11 rbis, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Marty Martinez took home the team batting title with a .391 average, and Jay Wasserman led the team in walks. And even though he was only here for 4 games, Will Chapman led the team with 3 hit by pitches!
Guerrero led the team with 34.1 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts. Alberto Flores led the team with 2 wins, a 2.57 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
As usual, the team had a few memorable moments this season. Mike Miller got career hit 500, and Jay Wasserman became just the 14th Royal to reach 100 hits. Jason Bolding scored his 100th career run.
#goRoyals
The Royals finish their 31st season in the PCBL with 11 wins, their most since Spring 2016. Leading the way was league MVP award winner Alex Baer and team Cy Young winner (and league runner-up) Brett Kahanowitch.
Baer led the team with a .520 batting average, 21 runs scored, 25 hits, 11 extra base hits, 5 doubles, 5 home runs (leading the entire PCBL, and 3rd most ever in a season by a Royal), and 24 rbis. Marcell Patterson Jr led the team with 5 doubles and 17 stolen bases, while Jason Bolding (somehow) led the team with 11 walks and Ryan Elliott (as usual) led with 3 hit by pitches.
Kahanowitch led the team with 52.1 innings pitched, 59 strikeouts (, a 2.24 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, while Randy Guerrero led with 4 wins and newcomer Alberto Flores had the teams' only save.
While the team had a few memorable moments this season (3rd most ever in a season by a Royal) Randy Guerrero's no-hitter and Brett Kahanowitch's 19 strikeout performance come to mind), next season should produce some more, as Mike Miller and Jay Wasserman both are within reach of career hit milestones!
#goRoyals
Bad Inning Costs Royals vs Dodos, 6-3
Brett Kahanowtch was cruised through the first 5 innings, allowing just a single hit. But 7 hits and an error in the 6th, plating 6 runs, was all the Dodos needed to hang on for a 6-3 win.
In another epic battle between these longtime rivals, neither team showed any signs of letting up. At the end of 5, the Royals had 3 hits to the Dodos 1, and neither team had sniffed the plate. But after their big 6th inning, the Dodos looked poised to run away with things. The Royals' Randy Guerrero doused any Dodos' hopes of more runs, finishing the game with 2.2 innings of hitless relief.
On offense, the Royals finally got on the board in the 8th inning. Ryan Elliott led off with a single, and Mike Miller walked. With one out, Jay Wasserman, Michael Citro and Randy Guerrero were issued back-to-back-to-back walks to plate 2, but a double play limited the damage.
In the top of the 9th, Phillip Gerber and Jason Bolding led off with back-to-back walks, and slugger Alex Baer singled home Gerber, but a double play ended that threat as well (their 4th of the day), and the Dodos escaped with the win.
Congrats go out to Mike Miller on a Royals' milestone. His walk in the 8th inning was the 200th of his career - way to go!
Pitching
Brett Kahanowitch - L, 5.1IP, 5ER (6R), 8H, 4K, 3BB
Randy Guerrero - 2.2IP, 0R, 0H, 2K, BB, HBP
Batting
Mike Miller - 1-2, R, BB
Randy Guerrero - 1-2, RBI, BB
Jason Bolding - 1-3, BB
Ryan Elliott - 1-4, R, SB
Alex Baer - 1-4, RBI
Brett Kahanowitch - 1-4
Phillip Gerber - 0-1, R, BB
Michael Citro - 0-2, RBI, BB
Jay Wasserman - 0-2, BB
Chris Charles - 0-3, SB
Steve Apperson - 0-3
Royals Outlast Berserkers 14-12
Facing the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last fall, the Royals came up big with 14 runs, then survived a bases-loaded jam in the last inning to win 14-12 against the Berserkers.
Alex Baer finally made his mark on the lineup, going 4 for 4 with a pair of home runs and a pair of doubles. He also scored 3 runs and drove in 4. Jason Bolding, Ryan ELliott, Jay Wasserman, Randy Guerrero and Michael Citro each had 2 hits as wel.
Guerrero went the distance, giving up 12 hits while striking out 4 and walking 5. On defense, Manoj Chitabathina continues to improve, turning his first career double play and catching a pop up in shallow right field to end the game.
Pitching
Randy Guerrero - W, CG, 8IP, 8ER (12R), 12H, 4K, 5BB
Batting
Alex Baer - 4-4, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3R, 4RBI, SB
Michael Citro - 2-3, R, 2RBI
Ryan Elliott - 2-4, 2 2B, R, 4RBI, BB
Jason Bolding - 2-4, 2B, 3R, BB, SB
Randy Guerrero - 2-4, 2B, 2R, RBI
Jay Wasserman - 2-4, R
Phillip Gerber - 1-3, 2B, R, RBI
Manoj Chitabathina - 1-3, R, BB
Chris Charles - 1-4, RBI, SB
Stever Apperson - 1-4, R, RBI
Mike Miller - 1-4
Justin "Juice" Born - 0-1
Royals Beat Up Shorthanded Bats 19-1
With their season finally turning the corner, the Royals' hot bats continued on Sunday against the 8-man lineup from the Bats.
Nearly every Royal had multiple hits, with Alex Baer (2-4, triple and home run), Ryan Elliott (3-3, double and 2 singles), Steve Apperson (3-3, 3 singles and 3 runs scored) and Manoj Chitabathina (3-3, 2 doubles and a single) leading the way.
Not to be lost in all the offense was another stellar pitching performance from Randy Guerrero, who went 6 innings and alllowed just 2 hits and 1 run. Brett Kahanowitch closed the door with a quiet inning of relief.
Pitching
Randy Guerrero - W, 6IP, 1ER (1R), 2 H, 8K, 2BB
Brett Kahanowitch - IP, H, K, BB
Batting
Ryan Elliott - 3-3, 2B, R, 4RBI, SACF
Manoj Chitabathina - 3-3, 2-2B, wR, 2RBI
Steve Apperson - 3-3, 3R
Jay Wasserman - 3-4, RBI
Alex Baer - 2-4, HR, 3B, 2R, 4RBI
Mike Miller - 2-4, 2R, 3RBI
Phillip Gerber - 1-1, R, HBP
Jason Bolding - 1-3, 2B, 2R, 4RBI, BB, SB
Brett Kahanowitch - 1-3, 2R, SB
Justin "Juice" Born - 1-3, 2R
Randy Guerrero - 1-4, 2R
Michael Citro - 0-4
Royals Have Historic Day in Sweep
The Royals saw a pair of historic performances on the mound as they swept both games of the doubleheader from the Hitmen.
Game 1 featured Randy Guerrero on the hill, and he was dominant from the start. He threw the first no-hitter in Royals' history (and there have been nearly 500 games played since the Royals entered the PCBL in 2003.) He struck out 10 and walked 2 in the victory. Offensively, Mike Miller led the way with 2 hits, 2 runs and 4 rbis. Also of note, Marcel Patterson Jr went 2 for 3 with 3 runs and 4 stolen bases, Jason Bolding singled and walked 3 times and Jay Wasserman walked 4 times in the 6 inning affair.
Game 2 was the Brett Kahanowitch show. While let down when he gave up a hit in the 4th inning, it was one of only 3 hits allowed all day. However, he was dominant in an entirely different fashion, striking out a Royals' record 19 batters over his 9 inning complete game victory - breaking Randy Casey Jr's previous record of 16 strikeouts set last October. Interesting bit of trivia - third on the list is Tom Farrell, who struck out 13 batters (including current Royal Justin "Juice" Born") back in 2003 - and he will likely be the opposing pitcher facing the Royals in next week's game!
But back to game 2 - the bottom of the lineup came alive for the Royals in this one. Justin "Juice" Born went 3 for 4 with a double, a run scored and 4 rbis, and Steve Apperson went 2 for 4 with a double, a run and an rbi. Jay Wasserman went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored, and Manoj Chitabathina went 1 for 4 with a run, an rbi and the most unique stolen base you'll ever see.
Congrats go out to the Hitmen, who made both of these games a lot closer than the final scores show. Good luck the rest of the season!
And finally, congrats to Marty Martine and Chris Charles, who both received their first hits as Royals!
Pitching
Randy Guerrero (game 1) - W, CG, 6IP, 0R, 0H, 10K, 2BB - NO-HITTER
Brett Kahanowitch (game 2) - W, CG, 9IP, 1ER (1R), 3H, 19K, 0BB, HBP (Royals' record)
Batting (both games)
Jay Wasserman - 3-4, 4R, RBI, 4BB
Justin "Juice" Born - 3-6, 2B, 2R, 4RBI, BB
Marcel Patterson Jr - 3-7, 3B, 4R, BB, 4SB
Mike Miller - 3-7, 2R, 5RBI, BB
Jason Bolding - 2-4, 5R, RBI, 4BB, SB
Chris Charles - 2-4
Alex Baer - 2-5, 2B, 3R, RBI, 2BB, HBP, SB
Steve Apperson - 2-5, 2B, R, 2RBI, SACF
Michael Citro - 2-7, 2B, 2R, 3RBI, BB
Brett Kahanowitch - 1-4, 3B, R, 2RBI, SB
Manoj Chitabathina - 1-4, R, RBI, SB
Randy Guerrero - 1-6, R, 3RBI, BB, SACF
Marty Martine - 1-6, R, RBI, SACB, SB
Royals Can't Climb Out of Early Hole
Shaky defense on a difficult field put the Royals in an early hole that they never fully climbed out of, falling to the Smokies 6-5.
Brett Kahanowitch through a complete game in the loss, going 8 innings while allowing 6 hits and striking out 8. But a 4-run (all unearned) second inning proved to be the difference. He allowed 2 more in the 3rd, then faced only 5 over the minimum in his list 5 innings.
Offensively, the Royals welcomed back leadoff man Marcel Patterson Jr, who led the team going 4 for 5 with a double, 2 runs scored and a stolen base. Kahanowitch had 2 hits as well, along with 3 stolen bases. Jay Wasserman, Phillip Gerber, Michael Citro, Ryan Elliott and rookie Alex Baer collected the other 5 hits.
Pitching
Brett Kahanowitch - L, CG, 8IP, 2ER (6R), 6H, 8K, 5BB, 2HBP
Batting
Marcel Patterson Jr - 4-5, 2B, 2R, SB
Brett Kahanowitch - 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB, 3SB
Phillip Gerber - 1-3, 2B, R, BB
Alex Baer - 1-3, HBP, 2SB (first career hit)
Ryan Elliott - 1-4, R, 2RBI, HBP
Jay Wasserman - 1-4
Michael Citro - 1-4
Mike Miller - 0-3, R, BB
Marty Martine - 0-4
Steve Apperson - 0-4
Manoj Chitabathina - 0-0
Justin "Juice" Born - 0-0
8 Men Out - Royals Fall to Outlaws
Perhaps the last few weeks of rain dampened the enthusiasm of Opening Day, but only 8 Royals showed up (7 prior to game time), and the boys in royal blue fell to the Outlaws in a short-squad 7-inning game.
Not to take anything away from the Outlaws, who looked sharp early. After a quiet top of the first, Randy Guerrero took the mound for the Royals and immediately found himself in trouble. A pair of walks followed by a dropped fly ball (in a 2 man outfield), followed by 2 more walks and a single gave the Outlaws a quick 5 run lead. Guerrero stopped the bleeding by eventually striking out the side.
After another quick Royals half, the Outlaws came on strong in the second with a pair of lead off singles. A stolen base, sac fly and a single brought home 2 more, and the rout was on!
But Guerrero settled in and kept the Outlaws quiet over the next 3 frames. Meanwhile, the Royals' offense finally showed some signs of life. Leading off the top of the 4th, Brett Kahanowitch walked, and moved to second on a ground out. WIth 2 outs, Phillip Gerber walked, and Jay Wasserman brought home Kahanowitch with booted ground ball, putting the Royals on the board.
In the top of the 5th, after an automatic out (only 8 men in the lineup), Jason Bolding walked. Brett Kahanowitch and Mike Miller each singled to load the bases, and after a line out to center, 4 straight walks to Phillip Gerber, Jay Wasserman, Steve Apperson and Justin "Juice" Born plated 4 runs. The automatic out ended the inning, cutting short a promising rally, and leaving the bases loaded with the Royals now trailing 7-5.
Brett Kahanowitch came in and threw 2 solid innings, though his defense let him down in the 7th, allowing 2 unearned runs. The offense scrapped together another run in the 6th, with Kahanowitch (walk), Miller and Guerrero (back-to-back singles) putting together a rally, but that was all the scoring the Royals would muster.
Congrats to the Outlaws for hanging on and putting up a W. And finally, congrats to Randy Guerrero for getting his first hit and rbi as a Royal!
Pitching
Randy Guerrero - 5IP, 4ER (7R), 6H, 8K, 6BB
Brett Kahanowitch - 2IP, 0ER (2R), H, 2K, BB
Batting
Mike Miller - 2-4, R
Brett Kahanowitch - 1-3, 3R, 2BB
Randy Guerrero - 1-4, RBI (first career hit and rbi)
Phillip Gerber - 0-0, R, RBI, 4BB
Steve Apperson - 0-1, RBI, 2BB, HBP
Justin "Juice" Born - 0-2, RBI, 2BB
Jay Wasserman - 0-3, RBI, BB
Jason Bolding - 0-4, R, BB
