Witt a debut! Royals rookie stars in opening day win over Cleveland

Kansas City Royals rookie Bobby Witt Jr. wasted little time in making an impact in his Major League debut. Witt smacked a tie-breaking double in the eighth inning in KC's 3-1 win over Cleveland.

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April 8, 2022 - 3:16 PM

The Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. at the plate against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning on Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by (Ed Zurga/Getty Images/TNS)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. searched the crowd for his family before his highly anticipated big league debut Thursday, finally spotting them in the sea of Kansas City Royals fans that had bundled up for a blustery opening day.

“I don’t know if they were even paying attention to me,” Witt admitted later.

Everyone was paying attention to him by the end.

After going hitless in his first three at-bats, Witt roped a double down the left-field line with two outs in the eighth inning, spurring the Royals to a 3-1 victory over the rechristened Cleveland Guardians.

“You couldn’t have scripted that any better,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said with a grin. “This isn’t one he’s going to forget, and I probably won’t, either.”

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