The Kansas City Royals opened their season Friday night, and it was not the start we were hoping for. We lost and did not score a single run. We left multiple runners on base, which has unfortunately become a familiar storyline over the past few seasons. The pitching was not great either, as we gave up six runs while putting up zero of our own.
It feels like expectations are higher for the Royals this year, at least in my house. I’ll admit I always start the season optimistic, but this year feels a little different. My expectations are higher than they have been in a while. Last season we finished 82-87, and there were some games that were tough to sit through. Most projections have us right back in that same 82-87 range again this season, and honestly, I would take that without hesitation.
This season also brings something new to the game with the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System. Players can now challenge strike zone calls, with each team getting two challenges per game. If the call is overturned, the team keeps the challenge. In Friday night’s game, Salvador Salvy Perez wasted no time showing that he plans to use this new system. It will be interesting to see how teams decide when to challenge calls and how strategic they become with it. I’m also curious to see what this does to pitch framing. It did not look like Salvy was framing pitches Friday night, so I will be watching to see if that continues and whether other catchers follow the same approach.
