Wacha shows why he's rock of Royals' rotation with first 200-inning season

KANSAS CITY -- Michael Wacha has quietly operated as one of the best starting pitchers in the Major Leagues over the past five seasons, and he’s still getting better.

For the first time in Wacha’s 14-year career, he crossed the 200-inning milestone after tossing 6 1/3 frames in the Royals’ 11-5 loss to the Guardians on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Wacha’s 200 2/3 innings this season lead the American League with one day remaining in the regular season. Wacha’s 158 strikeouts tied a career high (2017) and his 32 starts were the most he’s made in a season. At 35 years old, the veteran right-hander is still taking care of business.

“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Professional, gives you everything he’s got. I know he was frustrated with the results tonight, but you look up and he’s out there in the seventh. ... I love the guy. Love everything about him, love the way he competes.”

It’s been a difficult season for the Royals (68-93), but Wacha has been the undisputed leader of Kansas City’s rotation. When he walked off the field in the seventh, the Royals put up Wacha’s accomplishment on the videoboard, prompting the 24,656 fans to give him a standing ovation.

“Being able to do it here at the home stadium, I had the fans behind me. They’ve been supporting me great all year,” said Wacha, who pointed toward the Royal faithful to show his appreciation before walking into the dugout. “I love pitching here in this ballpark with this fanbase and just wanted to acknowledge them.”

There was some doubt in July that Wacha would still be here to wrap up his season at The K. After earning his second All-Star appearance, Wacha received trade interest, and not only because of his reliability, but his two remaining years of club control. The Royals would have required a hefty price tag, but the club decided to hold onto the rock of their rotation in an attempt to compete again in 2027.

“There’s a reason why he led the American League in innings. He’s a special player and I’m honored to be lockermates,” Bobby Witt Jr. said. “It was a great year for him and I’m just really proud of him. It was awesome to see him do what he did each and every day -- it was special.”

The Royals are going to need a repeat performance next season, though, with Cole Ragans, Luinder Avila, Stephen Kolek and Ryan Berget not expected to come back from injuries in time for Opening Day. Throw in Kris Bubic’s trade to the Dodgers, and Kansas City’s starting rotation for 2027 is thin at best.

That’s why it was crucial for Wacha, who has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 71 of his 92 starts since joining the Royals in 2024, to stay healthy and perform the way he did. The Royals needed it, and he delivered.

“A lot of credit goes to this training staff, our strength coaches and staying disciplined with your routine between starts,” Wacha said. “Very thankful I’ve been able to stay healthy this year. My body feels great and I was able to post every five, six days whenever they asked me to. A lot of the credit goes to those guys behind the scenes.”

Wacha’s 4.4 bWAR this season was the highest of his career, and over a point higher (3.2) than his second-best mark while with Boston in 2022.

“You have no choice but to really pull for the guy, and to watch him perform over the last few years at this level and at this point in his career, it’s really impressive as a fan of the game,” Quatraro said.

Wacha’s had to change his repertoire in recent years, relying on his signature changeup while his velocity has ticked down a hair on the fastball. But he locates, has a crafty gameplan and simply knows how to pitch.

“We knew when he was throwing it was going to be at least six innings. He keeps us in the game,” Jac Caglianone said. “... For me, it’s pretty cool. I was able to watch him when I was 12 or so when he was on the [Cardinals], and to be able to share the field with him is super special. Happy for him to get to 200 [innings].”