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Biggp07 · 02-12-2026, 12:42 PM

👑 Wednesday, May 28 • Game 3 👑

Montgomery slams the door himself. No Bullpen Needed.

Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals | Kaufmann Stadium
Weather: Cloudy (71 degrees) | Wind: right to left at 12 mph | Attendance: 24,880 | First pitch: 1:10 PM CT
________________________________________

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Walking in this afternoon, I liked the feel of it. We'd already answered Monday's stumble with a clean shutout Tuesday, and today we had a chance to do the thing good teams do—win the series, then move on without dragging anything behind us. I told the room last night's game doesn't matter if we don't put a bow on it today. Finish the job.

There was also a larger calendar note hanging over us. Tomorrow is an off-day, and then we launch into a seven-day road trip that's going to test our legs and our attention span—ending in Minnesota, where we're sitting right on their heels in the division. That Twins series is going to ask for a statement about who we are when the plane lands and the routine gets messy. So today, at home, in front of our crowd, the goal was to play our kind of baseball and carry that shape into the next stretch.

Detroit Tigers Series Snapshot

This series was about pulling the season-long needle back toward the center. Detroit has been stubborn against us, and they play the kind of game that can make you impatient—tight innings, a few baserunners, and then they wait for you to hand them something.

Tuesday night, we flipped the script with an 8–0 win and a calm bullpen finish. Today we aimed for the same thing: start fast, keep the bases clean, and don't give them extra outs or free innings. We got it—and we got it with our starter finishing the whole thing.

Series Matchup Board — Game 3

• LHP Jordan Montgomery vs RHP Reese Olson

Going in, the plan was pretty clean. Olson is good enough to strand you if you let him work in predictable counts, so we wanted early conviction—short, on-time swings and traffic in front of Bobby and Vinnie. For Monty, the message was even simpler: attack the zone like you own it. Detroit has some thump, but they don't get scary if you stop the free passes and keep the ball from leaking back over the heart.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Tigers (Game 3)

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st — One swing, immediate posture (KC 1, DET 0)
Montgomery set the tone with a quick first: Beavers struck out swinging, Greene lifted a routine fly, and Flores grounded out after falling behind 3–0 and getting dragged right back into strikes. That's a small thing, but it matters—if their first good at-bat ends in a groundout, their bench gets quiet.

Bottom half, Olson was cruising until two outs—and then Bobby Witt Jr. unloaded. Solo homer, 402 feet, the kind of swing that makes the dugout stand up without thinking. Early lead, early heartbeat.

2nd — Contact, speed… and one over-aggressive turn
We started piecing together at-bats. Massey singled, Mann singled behind him, and we had something cooking. Then we got greedy trying to take an extra 90 feet, and Detroit cut down the trailing runner on the relay. That's the kind of out that can flatten an inning—good intent, wrong moment. We didn't score, but we did make Olson throw real pitches. Montgomery kept matching zeros, punching out Wisdom and Hernaiz, and keeping the ball off barrels.

3rd — Pressure baseball turns into a run (KC 2, DET 0)
This inning looked like “Royals offense” when we're right. Garcia walked, stole second, Witt walked, and Loftin shot a single into the outfield. Garcia broke for the plate and scored on the throw—safe. Not flashy on paper, but it’s exactly how you stress a defense: runner movement, disciplined takes, and then a ball put in play with intent.

4th — Montgomery in full command
Three straight Tigers outs. Flores struck out swinging earlier in the day; by now, their swings were starting to look like guesses. Montgomery wasn't nibbling—he was setting the menu and making them order off it.

5th — Vinnie and Bobby add another (KC 3, DET 0)
Pasquantino laced a double (110 mph off the bat), and then Witt followed with a line-drive single that brought Vinnie home. Another two-out RBI, another clean add-on. That's how you keep a team from hanging around—make sure the “one swing” comeback isn't available.

6th — The game breaks open (KC 7, DET 0)
This was the inning that turned it from “comfortable” to “decisive.” Isbel singled, Mann singled, Dingler singled—base hit parade, no panic, just line drives. Then Maikel Garcia ripped a bases-clearing double, driving in two and pulling the air out of Detroit's dugout. Right after that, Vinnie doubled again, scoring Garcia and pushing the lead to seven. That's a lineup passing the baton: nine hitters can hurt you, and the damage doesn't require a homer. (We'll still take those too.)

7th — Detroit finally scratches one (KC 7, DET 1)
Keith doubled to start the inning, Kirk singled, and Detroit finally found a small opening. Hernaiz grounded out to third, and Keith came home. Montgomery didn't flinch—he kept it to one and immediately went right back to work. That was the key: no extended inning, no “here we go.” Just one run and back to business.

8th–9th — Montgomery slams the door
No drama. No walks. No extra base hits. Just a veteran lefty finishing his work. Nine innings, five hits, one run, zero walks, nine strikeouts. That's an old-school win, and it carries a different kind of weight in a clubhouse.
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Final

Royals 7, Tigers 1
Royals (12 H, 0 E) | Tigers (5 H, 0 E)

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Impact bats:

• B. Witt Jr.: solo HR + 2 RBI day (and the early tone-setter)
• M. Garcia: big bases-clearing double in the 6th; scored twice
• V. Pasquantino: two doubles, including a late add-on that finished the 6th-inning surge

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Name: may28_batting_linescore.jpg
Views: 5
Size: 44.8 KB

Player of the Game: Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery didn't just execute. He owned the entire afternoon.

Code:

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher              Dec            IP   H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI    ERA
J. Montgomery       W (8-3)        9.0   5    1    1    0    9    0   114   4.30

________________________________________

Front Office Note / Takeaways

With the win, we moved to 31–20, and it felt like we earned it the right way: impact swings early, tack-on runs, and nine innings of pitching that never gave Detroit room to breathe. This is the version of a series win that plays in any ballpark and travels well. We didn't rely on weird bounces or a single miracle inning. We got an early lead, we added on in the middle frames, and then we delivered a four-run 6th that was built entirely on contact quality and pressure. That's a good sign as we head into a road-heavy stretch—because you can't always count on the long ball, but you can count on a lineup that keeps putting runners in motion and forcing throws.

Montgomery's complete game is the headline for me, both as the manager and the guy watching workload trends. A starter going nine doesn't just win a game; it resets your bullpen for a week. No soft landings were needed. No mid-inning hooks. He simply gave us nine innings with zero walks, and that's the kind of command that makes a dugout feel taller. If there's a baseball term for it, it's a classic: he was dealing, and the Tigers were "fishing."

From the roster-building chair, this one also reinforces the profile we're leaning into: Bobby setting the tone with power, Vinnie being the steady extra-base machine, and Garcia continuing to be the spark plug who can turn an inning into a crooked number with one swing. You win a lot of games when your core guys do core-guy things—and when your starter lets everyone else stay in their lane.
Tomorrow's off-day comes at the right time. Then it's the road—seven days, then Minnesota. If we're going to run down the division, we'll do it with games like this: clean, direct, and finished.

Around the League

Proving the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Mariners acquired 27-year old minor league 1B Blaine Crim from the Rangers for RHP Tanner McDougal and RHP Troy Taylor—not a blockbuster, but the kind of deal that reshapes depth charts quietly. "This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Mariners, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams."
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 51

(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

02-12-2026, 12:42 PM	#78
Biggp07 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2024 Posts: 304	⚾ May 2025 — Game 51: Complete Game, Complete Night 👑 Wednesday, May 28 • Game 3 👑 Montgomery slams the door himself. No Bullpen Needed. Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals \| Kaufmann Stadium Weather: Cloudy (71 degrees) \| Wind: right to left at 12 mph \| Attendance: 24,880 \| First pitch: 1:10 PM CT ________________________________________ Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk) Walking in this afternoon, I liked the feel of it. We'd already answered Monday's stumble with a clean shutout Tuesday, and today we had a chance to do the thing good teams do—win the series, then move on without dragging anything behind us. I told the room last night's game doesn't matter if we don't put a bow on it today. Finish the job. There was also a larger calendar note hanging over us. Tomorrow is an off-day, and then we launch into a seven-day road trip that's going to test our legs and our attention span—ending in Minnesota, where we're sitting right on their heels in the division. That Twins series is going to ask for a statement about who we are when the plane lands and the routine gets messy. So today, at home, in front of our crowd, the goal was to play our kind of baseball and carry that shape into the next stretch. Detroit Tigers Series Snapshot This series was about pulling the season-long needle back toward the center. Detroit has been stubborn against us, and they play the kind of game that can make you impatient—tight innings, a few baserunners, and then they wait for you to hand them something. Tuesday night, we flipped the script with an 8–0 win and a calm bullpen finish. Today we aimed for the same thing: start fast, keep the bases clean, and don't give them extra outs or free innings. We got it—and we got it with our starter finishing the whole thing. Series Matchup Board — Game 3 • LHP Jordan Montgomery vs RHP Reese Olson Going in, the plan was pretty clean. Olson is good enough to strand you if you let him work in predictable counts, so we wanted early conviction—short, on-time swings and traffic in front of Bobby and Vinnie. For Monty, the message was even simpler: attack the zone like you own it. Detroit has some thump, but they don't get scary if you stop the free passes and keep the ball from leaking back over the heart. ________________________________________ Game Day Log — Royals vs. Tigers (Game 3) Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View) 1st — One swing, immediate posture (KC 1, DET 0) Montgomery set the tone with a quick first: Beavers struck out swinging, Greene lifted a routine fly, and Flores grounded out after falling behind 3–0 and getting dragged right back into strikes. That's a small thing, but it matters—if their first good at-bat ends in a groundout, their bench gets quiet. Bottom half, Olson was cruising until two outs—and then Bobby Witt Jr. unloaded. Solo homer, 402 feet, the kind of swing that makes the dugout stand up without thinking. Early lead, early heartbeat. 2nd — Contact, speed… and one over-aggressive turn We started piecing together at-bats. Massey singled, Mann singled behind him, and we had something cooking. Then we got greedy trying to take an extra 90 feet, and Detroit cut down the trailing runner on the relay. That's the kind of out that can flatten an inning—good intent, wrong moment. We didn't score, but we did make Olson throw real pitches. Montgomery kept matching zeros, punching out Wisdom and Hernaiz, and keeping the ball off barrels. 3rd — Pressure baseball turns into a run (KC 2, DET 0) This inning looked like “Royals offense” when we're right. Garcia walked, stole second, Witt walked, and Loftin shot a single into the outfield. Garcia broke for the plate and scored on the throw—safe. Not flashy on paper, but it’s exactly how you stress a defense: runner movement, disciplined takes, and then a ball put in play with intent. 4th — Montgomery in full command Three straight Tigers outs. Flores struck out swinging earlier in the day; by now, their swings were starting to look like guesses. Montgomery wasn't nibbling—he was setting the menu and making them order off it. 5th — Vinnie and Bobby add another (KC 3, DET 0) Pasquantino laced a double (110 mph off the bat), and then Witt followed with a line-drive single that brought Vinnie home. Another two-out RBI, another clean add-on. That's how you keep a team from hanging around—make sure the “one swing” comeback isn't available. 6th — The game breaks open (KC 7, DET 0) This was the inning that turned it from “comfortable” to “decisive.” Isbel singled, Mann singled, Dingler singled—base hit parade, no panic, just line drives. Then Maikel Garcia ripped a bases-clearing double, driving in two and pulling the air out of Detroit's dugout. Right after that, Vinnie doubled again, scoring Garcia and pushing the lead to seven. That's a lineup passing the baton: nine hitters can hurt you, and the damage doesn't require a homer. (We'll still take those too.) 7th — Detroit finally scratches one (KC 7, DET 1) Keith doubled to start the inning, Kirk singled, and Detroit finally found a small opening. Hernaiz grounded out to third, and Keith came home. Montgomery didn't flinch—he kept it to one and immediately went right back to work. That was the key: no extended inning, no “here we go.” Just one run and back to business. 8th–9th — Montgomery slams the door No drama. No walks. No extra base hits. Just a veteran lefty finishing his work. Nine innings, five hits, one run, zero walks, nine strikeouts. That's an old-school win, and it carries a different kind of weight in a clubhouse. ________________________________________ Final Royals 7, Tigers 1 Royals (12 H, 0 E) \| Tigers (5 H, 0 E) Impact bats: • B. Witt Jr.: solo HR + 2 RBI day (and the early tone-setter) • M. Garcia: big bases-clearing double in the 6th; scored twice • V. Pasquantino: two doubles, including a late add-on that finished the 6th-inning surge Player of the Game: Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery didn't just execute. He owned the entire afternoon. Code: Kansas City Pitching Scoreline Pitcher Dec IP H R ER BB K HR PI ERA J. Montgomery W (8-3) 9.0 5 1 1 0 9 0 114 4.30 ________________________________________ Front Office Note / Takeaways With the win, we moved to 31–20, and it felt like we earned it the right way: impact swings early, tack-on runs, and nine innings of pitching that never gave Detroit room to breathe. This is the version of a series win that plays in any ballpark and travels well. We didn't rely on weird bounces or a single miracle inning. We got an early lead, we added on in the middle frames, and then we delivered a four-run 6th that was built entirely on contact quality and pressure. That's a good sign as we head into a road-heavy stretch—because you can't always count on the long ball, but you can count on a lineup that keeps putting runners in motion and forcing throws. Montgomery's complete game is the headline for me, both as the manager and the guy watching workload trends. A starter going nine doesn't just win a game; it resets your bullpen for a week. No soft landings were needed. No mid-inning hooks. He simply gave us *nine innings with zero walks, and that's the kind of command that makes a dugout feel taller. If there's a baseball term for it, it's a classic: he was dealing, and the Tigers were "fishing." From the roster-building chair, this one also reinforces the profile we're leaning into: Bobby setting the tone with power, Vinnie being the steady extra-base machine, and Garcia continuing to be the spark plug who can turn an inning into a crooked number with one swing. You win a lot of games when your core guys do core-guy things—and when your starter lets everyone else stay in their lane. Tomorrow's off-day comes at the right time. Then it's the road—seven days, then Minnesota. If we're going to run down the division, we'll do it with games like this: clean, direct, and finished. Around the League* Proving the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Mariners acquired 27-year old minor league 1B Blaine Crim from the Rangers for RHP Tanner McDougal and RHP Troy Taylor—not a blockbuster, but the kind of deal that reshapes depth charts quietly. "This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Mariners, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams." ________________________________________ 👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑 Kansas City Royals \| Regular Season 2025 - Game 51 (OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)