Bobby Witt Jr. crushes monster home run — longest of his career — and he wasn’t done

The Kansas City Royals offense made another splash against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

Figuratively, and quite literally.

In the second inning, the Royals piled six runs on Tigers starter Casey Mize and chased him from the game. Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. led the charge with a mammoth 468-foot three-run homer that landed deep into the fountains at Kauffman Stadium.

KC pounded out 15 hits en route to a 10-3 victory. The Royals clinched a series victory and improved to 31-19.

“I didn’t really watch it,” Witt said. “I just kind of hit it and started running. But yeah, it felt good to kind of do that.”

Witt, who met with local students Tuesday morning, put on a worthwhile performance. He hit two home runs and recorded six RBIs. And the Royals got additional production throughout the lineup.

Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia finished 4 for 5 with two triples. He joined George Brett (six times) and Joe Randa as the only third basemen in franchise history to have multiple triples in a game.

“I feel better,” Garcia said. “A couple of weeks ago, I started playing like the beginning of the season. Just go out there and try to have fun and just put the ball more in play.”

The Royals built on their lead throughout the night. In the seventh inning, Hunter Renfroe hit a solo home run over the left-field wall. It was his fourth homer since joining the Royals this offseason.

As a result, the Royals have outscored teams 37-15 during the homestand. It’s also helped the pitching staff settle into starts.

Royals starter Alec Marsh picked up his fourth win on Tuesday. He registered a quality start after allowing three runs in six innings pitched.

“Really one inning got away from me,” Marsh said. “I think that inning was the most frustrating for me. Overall, first-pitch strikes (have) got to be better. I found some good sliders today, which was great.”

The Tigers scored all of their runs in the fourth inning. Tigers third baseman Matt Vierling hit a two-run triple, and Colt Keith followed with an RBI single.

The Royals wouldn’t surrender anything else. The Tigers produced just six hits as the Royals bullpen shut the door late.

“I think the guys are going out of their way to prepare more,” Witt said. “I think everyone is starting to buy in and know that this team is special and we’ve got to keep moving.”

KC will look to sweep Detroit on Wednesday afternoon.

Missed other KC Royals coverage?

Surprise visit: Royals meet with elementary students to advocate for literacy

Game 1: Royals offense erupts in series-opening win over Tigers

Here are more notables from Tuesday’s game:

Bobby Witt Jr: By the numbers

Witt put together a special night that landed him in good company.

He produced his fourth career multi-home run game and his second since April 11 this season. Additionally, his 468-foot blast is the third longest home run of the 2024 campaign behind MLB stars Aaron Judge and Mike Trout.

“To be honest, when they said 468 feet, it wouldn’t have surprised me if it had been 500,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Both Judge and Trout hit 473-foot home runs earlier this season. Witt’s shot was the longest of his young career.

“It seemed like it was a golf ball when he hit it,” Quatraro said. “It was just a controlled swing. With the power that he has for his size, when he gets it going and catches balls out front, it’s really impressive.”

In terms of Kauffman Stadium, Witt hit the third-longest tracked home run (since 2015) at the venue. His home run fell just short of homers by Brandon Moss (474 ft., July 1, 2017) and Kendrys Morales (469 ft., Aug. 25, 2015).

“That was probably one of the farthest balls I’ve ever seen hit,” Marsh said. “It’s unbelievable. The guy is a generational talent, and it’s amazing to have that guy on our team.”

Lastly, Witt produced another six-RBI game in his career. His most recent six-RBI game included his iconic walk-off grand slam against the Minnesota Twins in 2023.

What’s next on the KC Royals schedule?

The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Tigers on Wednesday.

Royals southpaw Cole Ragans will oppose Tigers hurler Tarik Skubal in a battle of aces at Kauffman Stadium. Ragans is set to make his 11th start after tossing a season-high seven shutout innings in his last outing.

Skubal (6-0, 1.80 ERA) has the second-most wins in the American League behind Royals starter Seth Lugo.