MLB: Royals’ Duffy vows to ‘be better’ after DUI citation
OVERLAND PARK, KAN.— Royals pitcher Danny Duffy refused to make any excuses after he was cited for driving under the influence in a Kansas City suburb last weekend, an embarrassing headache for a club already struggling on the field.
Smart move, too, because his boss wasn’t in the mood to hear any.
“Look, when these types of situations happen, I’m not interested in any alibis,” said Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who spoke Tuesday shortly after Duffy read a statement in which he expressed regret and asked for forgiveness from his fans. “I’m not interested in any excuses. There are no excuses.”
Duffy had left the Royals’ road trip to return to Kansas City for an MRI exam on his ailing left elbow. The team was playing a three-game series in Cleveland that concluded Sunday and was headed home at about the same time Duffy was cited by police in the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas.
Duffy did not discuss the circumstances of the incident, including whether alcohol was a factor.
“This is never a good situation to come about,” said Duffy, whose first appearance in court is Sept. 19. “This is something that’s very difficult to go through and when everything comes out and shakes out, I’m going to be better because of it.”
Duffy, one of the Royals’ most popular players, signed a five-year, $65million (U.S.) contract extension earlier this year, a deal that many believed was below market value. The left-hander said he signed the contract because of the way the Kansas City community embraced him during his career, which included a period away from the game and a season lost to Tommy John surgery.
Duffy was 8-8 with a 3.78 ERA when he went on the disabled list Saturday with pain in his left elbow. The MRI exam revealed no structural damage, and the Royals hoped Duffy would only miss one start.
One positive for the Royals was that they ended their scoreless streak at four games and 45 innings on Tuesday when Whit Merrifield hit a home run against Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb in the third inning. They were three off the major league record held by the 1968 Cubs and 1906 Athletics.
The Royals were the first AL team to be shut out in four straight games since the adoption of the designated hitter in 1973.