Royals’ Volquez plays leading role in shutout
Alcides Escobar leaps and fires to second base to force out Dioner Navarro in the ninth inning as the Royals, behind pitcher Edinson Volquez, beat the Blue Jays 5-0 in Game 1 of the ALCS. Story,
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Edinson Volquez planned to pitch the Toronto Blue Jays inside in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, just as he did during their contentious series earlier this season.
Then, after chatting with Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, he changed his mind.
“We know they got a lot of pull hitters over there, and power hitters, and he told me, ‘How you feel pitching down and away?’ And I said, ‘I feel sexy tonight,’ ” Volquez recalled. “And he was like, ‘All right, we’re changing the plan right now. We’re pitching those guys away.’ ”
The Blue Jays never touched him all night.
Volquez combined with three relievers on a threehitter, Perez hit a soaring home run off Toronto starter Marco Estrada, and Kansas City rolled to a 5-0 victory Friday to open the best-of-seven series.
“Tonight was the Volquez show. He was tremendous,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “He shut down a good-hitting team, I know that. His ball was ducking and darting everywhere.”
Volquez ramped up his fastball to 97 mph to slice through a potent Blue Jays offense, never allowing a runner past second base over six innings. His only trouble occurred when he walked the first two batters in the sixth, but he wiggled out of it without any damage.
The Royals’ bullpen finished off the club’s eighth consecutive ALCS victory.
“There was a lot of energy,” said Volquez, who had been 0-3 with an 8.76 ERA in three career postseason starts. “I don’t know. I was just making my pitches.”
Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain drove in runs off Estrada, and Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales tacked on two more off LaTroy Hawkins to put the game away.
As if the outcome wasn’t bad enough for Toronto, designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion left in the eighth inning to get X-rays on the middle finger of his left hand. The initial report was a strain of the ligament and Encarnacion was listed as day-to-day.
The Royals will try to take a 2-0 series lead when they send Yordano Ventura to the mound Saturday. Toronto will counter with former Cy Young Award winner David Price.
“Hopefully things change to our favor tomorrow,” Blue Jays catcher Dioner Navararo said.