MESA, Ariz. -- Royals right-hander Kyle Zimmer admits he had butterflies Sunday morning, knowing he would pitch his first game against Major Leaguers in almost a year.
“[The butterflies were] more pregame than the game,” Zimmer said. “Once you get a ball in your hand, you’re just sort of locked in and it’s just another game. But waking up this morning and trying to get going, I wouldn’t say nerves, but just anxious excitement. If you don’t have that you probably shouldn’t be playing.”
Zimmer, the fifth overall pick of the 2012 MLB Draft, has watched his career derailed by numerous injuries. Almost as a last resort, the Royals encouraged Zimmer to enlist in the revolutionary Driveline Baseball program outside of Seattle. Using weighted baseballs to improve his mechanics and velocity, Zimmer worked tirelessly for over six months to revive his career.
Zimmer, 27, got his first test Sunday against the A’s, and he deemed it an early success. He threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up just one single, in the Royals’ 14-5 win over the A’s. Zimmer last pitched against big leaguers last March.
“I’ve been hurt a lot, but I also have pitched a lot,” Zimmer said. “You try to treat it just like any other day, which I did. But it’s obviously cool to be back out there competing. It has been a lot of work to get here.”
Zimmer’s main focus was to pound the strike zone, especially since he inherited a bases-loaded one-out jam in the second inning. He gave up an RBI single, then got a line-drive double-play to the shortstop. His next inning went 1-2-3.
“I was trying to take a step back and make less effort because the last thing you want to do is get all amped up and walk a guy with the bases loaded,” Zimmer said.
The first three hitters against Zimmer hit the ball hard, but he then induced two soft-contact outs to conclude the outing.
“That was nice,” Zimmer said. “I was hoping to get some soft contact and swing-throughs early, but they put some good swings on. I felt the ball was coming out pretty good.
“Right now, it’s just about pounding the zone and having good mechanics and throwing efficiently and getting ahead of guys. Anything else that happens you can work from there.”
Shaky second for McWilliams
Rule 5 Draft pick Sam McWilliams pitched a scoreless first for the Royals but wobbled in the second, giving up three runs. He walked two and hit a batter in that inning.
“The main thing I was trying to do was just have a smooth delivery,” McWilliams said. “I think I did that in the first, but I tried to do a little too much in the second.”
Barlow to start
The Royals return to Surprise Stadium on Monday at 2:05 p.m. CT to take on the Rockies with right-hander Scott Barlow getting the start, followed by lefty Brian Flynn and right-handers Arnaldo Hernandez and Scott Blewett.