KANSAS CITY – Kyle Isbel sent this one to infinity… and beyond.
Armed with a Buzz Lightyear bat for Players’ Weekend, the Royals center fielder hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday night to help Kansas City to a 5-2 win over the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals have now won six consecutive games, their longest win streak of the season.
Isbel had a few bats designed for his usage for Players’ Weekend this year and chose the Buzz Lightyear bat because his son, Lane, loves Toy Story. Throughout this weekend, MLB is celebrating players and what makes them unique, so several Royals showcased their personalities and passions with custom cleats, gloves, belts and bats.
When Tigers starter Troy Melton threw Isbel a 2-1 fastball in the zone, Isbel didn’t miss it, sending it a Statcast-projected 387 feet to the right-field seats. It was Isbel’s fifth home run of the season, and his second since coming off the injured list on Aug. 2 after missing nearly two months with left plantar fasciitis. It took Isbel a little bit to get going after his IL stint, but he’s now hit safely in six of his last nine games. That includes a multi-hit game Friday night with the home run and RBI double in the eighth inning, giving the Royals some insurance for reliever Nate Pearson in the ninth inning.
An inning after the home run, Isbel also made a perhaps underrated play in center field, having to cover a lot of ground to catch Kevin McGonigle’s fly ball at the warning track in right-center field to help protect the Royals’ lead.