Despite not having 10 of their regular players due to COVID-19 restrictions in Canada, the Royals beat the Blue Jays 3–1 in the opening game of their four-game series on Thursday night.
Kansas City relied on players from their Double and Triple A teams to help them to victory. In his first MLB game of his career, Nate Eaton hit a 416-foot home run.
Royals manager Mike Matheny was proud of his team in his post-game interview.
“One of the best wins of the year all things considered,” Matheny said. “We feed off these guys. I don’t know if I’ve seen a group, happy. It felt like a playoff.”
Ahead of the game, the Royals were under fire due to the fact that the 10 players who are missing the series are unvaccinated and unable to enter Canada. Those players include starters Andrew Benintendi, Whit Merrifield and Hunter Dozier.
The Blue Jays were among the largest moneyline favorites of the MLB season thus far on Thursday night because of the Royals’ roster, coming in at -400 at SI Sportsbook.
Fans couldn’t believe the Royals pulled off the win, but they also were happy for the team, especially because Kansas City remains in last place in the AL Central with a 36–53 record. It was a big win for them regardless of who was playing.
Here’s some reaction from Twitter users after the Thursday win.
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