Record: 23-16 (W6)

W: Kris Bubic (4-2, 1.68 ERA)
L: Davis Martin (1-4, 4.01 ERA)

Without question, this was one of the better games played in School Day At The K history.

Take us out to the #STEM day ⚾️ 🛰️

Team Iridium is at the @royals “School Day at the K” baseball game, where thousands of students are exploring the space industry – all before the first pitch thrown by astronauts! pic.twitter.com/6vqEZLmokT

— Iridium (@IridiumComm) May 8, 2025

This may as well have been a perfect game from the Royals. They scored early, often, excessively and silenced a weak offense with relative ease. Kris Bubic matched his season and career high of seven innings pitched, collecting seven strikeouts and only allowing six hits and a walk. The base-runners were of little concern as he generated more groundballs than anything else when the White Sox could make any contact, and three of those grounders were turned into double plays.

Kris Bubic gets in on the DP action (with a big assist from Michael Massey) and works out of a jam in the fifth inning. Credit to Maikel Garcia for throwing a runner out at home earlier in the frame. Good defense so far today. Bubic is through five scoreless on 57 pitches. pic.twitter.com/wxZPCSBOLB

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) May 8, 2025

Bubic already had the 7th-lowest ERA in MLB going into this game. His ERA now sits at 1.69, moving him up to 6th pending Jesús Luzardo’s start tonight.

As for the offense, there was something to appreciate from everyone who still deserves to be on the roster. For most of the game, the narrative was driven by two out rallies; in the first, Vinnie Pasquantino singled with two outs, then scored all the way from first on a Salvador Perez double. Salvy’s next at bat in the third inning was once again with two outs; this time he would score Bobby with a single.

The other narrative to define the offense is how great the two Royals shortstops were today. Maikel Garcia continued his torrid stretch with a 2-out, 2-run triple and a second hit later in the seventh, on top of a solid play from third base that saved a run. Bobby Witt Jr. would still, yet again, outshine them all with four hits, two runs and two runs batted in on the day.

I haven’t even mentioned Jonathan India getting on base and scoring three times, Michael Massey, Vinnie Pasquantino and Drew Waters all having two-hit games and the entire lineup only striking out four times. It got so bad for the White Sox that they let the backup shortstop Jacob Amaya finish the 8th inning, and his sheepish ~50 MPH lobs over the plate were enough to tire out the Royals. There’s only one starter that didn’t reach base today, and I let you guess who it is you’d probably get it right first try.

Hunter Renfroe made his first and only start of this 4-game series today, where he went 0-4 with a strikeout. There’s little that needs to be said about what Renfroe has done (or, rather, hasn’t) in 2025, but his decreased presence on the team this week is something to be noted. This should be the first sign of his Royals tenure coming to an end very soon, barring any kind of IL stint.

Kris Bubic
7.0 IP / 6 H / 0 R / 1 BB / 7 K – 93 pitches (65 strikes)

With so much offense, it’s hard to pick the best of the bunch. The prophesied Kris Bubic breakout season has been the X-factor for their already-good rotation undergoing a further evolution this season. It’s fair to say the White Sox lineup isn’t much of a threat, but it was still a 2-run game by the fifth inning. Bubic keeping the day stress-free let the Royals have their way by putting the ball in play as much as they wanted; plus, the extra-long outing helps preserve the best bullpen arms. Even Chris Stratton got to have a productive day thanks to Kris!

The Royals stay in Kansas City for a 3-game series against the other sock-themed team, the Boston Red Sox. Michael Lorenzen is the Royals’ expected starter while the Red Sox have Hunter Dobbins up next in their rotation. Dobbins is a rookie pitcher with a 3.78 ERA in three starts so far. The Red Sox are now 19-18 with a win against the Texas Rangers.

Image credit: Jay Biggerstaff (Imagn Images)

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