Royals benefit from generous strike call on Adley Rutschman to take Game 1 vs Orioles

The Kansas City Royals narrowly secured a 1-0 shutout victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series Tuesday. But if one borderline call late in the game had gone a different way, it could have changed everything.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with no outs and Ryan O'Hearn on first, Orioles slugger Adley Rutschman came to the plate to face Royals reliever Lucas Erceg. With the tying run on base, Rutschman worked the at-bat to a 2-2 count. Then, Erceg unleashed the put-away pitch – a 93 mph changeup that caught Rutschman looking.

Rutschman was not pleased, and admittedly, it's easy to see why. According to the graphic on the ESPN broadcast, the pitch appeared to be roughly a foot below the strike zone, and Rutschman was clearly looking for ball three and made the right call not to swing.

Instead, he was called out on strikes and appeared visibly frustrated as he walked slowly back to the Orioles dugout.

Royals benefit from crucial borderline call to take Game 1 vs Orioles

It may very well have been a bad call, but one could also argue that it wasn't exactly in Rutschman's best interest to take that pitch with two strikes in the bottom of the ninth inning of a critical postseason game. He has to swing at that pitch. He has to protect the plate.

However, thanks in large part to Rutschman's overly cautious plate approach, the Orioles were down to their final two outs. Rookie Colton Cowser came to the plate next and proceeded to fly out to center before pinch hitter Heston Kjerstad struck out swinging to end the game. Bobby Witt Jr.'s RBI single in the sixth inning was the difference in this one. Cole Ragans and the bullpen were brilliant.

Baltimore's loss is Kansas City's gain, and the Royals' victory saw them take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series against the Orioles. With All-Star starter Seth Lugo on the mound, Kansas City can advance to the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees by winning Game 2 in Baltimore on Wednesday. In the event that Baltimore wins Game 2, the teams will face off in a win-or-go-home Game 3 Thursday.

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